after some advice!

[mylovelyhorse]

If you cross Portsmouth - Caen you get a good night's sleep before you get into France. That is A Big Deal. You also get a look at Pegasus bridge just after you get off the ferry, which is brilliant.

I'd suggest heading down the South West of France to get to the Cahors / Bergerac area - the Lot and Dordogne departments. The area is stunningly beautiful, the roads low in traffic and high in motorcycle friendly twisty loveliness. The local markets are brilliant - and you will get better food from them than any hotel you stay in. The wines are just wonderful too

You can get down to, say, Sarlat or Bergerac in one easy hit straight off the ferry. From there you either settle and do day trips (the Millau bridge is in reach) or you go further South and then either potter around from place to place, say camping or staying in hotels, or you take a gite - or one in one place followed by another elsewhere. Plenty out there.

I hope you have a great trip

Cheers

m

 

[Sooty09]

Pegasus Bridge always confuses me, the old one is now set to one side having been replaced a few years ago.
Historically why capture it? why not blow it up. No advance took place over the Orne river until after the battle for Caen well after D Day. However, well done brave lads.
Its one of the many questions touring France raises, most I never get a good answer to.
Biggest question to me is why the Millau bridge is so high. For a fraction of the money they could have made a smaller bridge with a couple of inclines and cuts to cross the surrounding hills. I'm glad they made the bridge as it is, its Iconic but really, why?
France, I just love it (Ill still vote for out of Europe given the chance, I don't want us all to be alike)
The Point of this post is, a bit of R&D can greatly add to a tour if history or social science etc is of any interest. You don't need to know every detail but an insight greatly adds to the enjoyment and ultimately guides your decision where to go.

 

[stephen.stallebrass]

Pegasus (and horsa) was only part of the British airborne effort. Its overall aim was to secure the eastern flank of the invasion area and prevent the German forces rolling in from the east. This perimeter around the beach head included villages to the east. There were also operations east of the canal and river, namely in destroying the Merville battery, which targeted Sword beach. And then there were other bridges east that British troops were tasked to destroy to halt the German counter attacks. The bridges were an important junction and a useful causeway for getting troops and equipment off the beaches in the next phase (as well as supplying the British airborne in east of bridges. So destroying the Pegasus bridges straight away would cut off airborne troops to the east. Plus the they might have been useful for future operations. The bridges essentially connected the airborne operations in the east to the beaches. Of course if they couldn't secure and hold it to the inevitable German counter attacks then they were tasked to destroy it. The airborne forces were relieved by the 1st special service brigade of commandos and later by the British 3rd infantry Div, but the fight was far from over, it had just begun.

 

[Wapping]

To bring the thread back on track Andy and away from an exchange on why the allied forces aimed to capture a specific bridge and the mysteries of Millau, how are you getting on answering these questions:

Hi Andy, 16 days away is excellent, even allowing half a day to get from Brum to somewhere on the Channel coast to make a crossing you will have loads of time to get anywhere and see lots

Just before we set off, a few of the usual questions:

(1) When are you going?

(2) What made you decide on going to La Rochelle over say, Lyon, Nice or Lille?

(3) Do you plan on getting to La Rochelle and then staying there? If so, how long do you want to stay put for?

(4) What do fancy on the end of each day? A town, a village, a field? Camping, one star or five star hotel?

(5) Roads? Motorways, A roads, B roads, goat track?

(6) What sort of things do you want to do on your days off? Museums, views, chateaus, WW2, WW1 , cathederals, old towns, quaint villages?

Obviously if you plan on going to the west of France, starting in Brum, a ferry to Caen or St Malo might well make good sense. Though, with so much time, the train across is quite possible, too.

Richard

The reasons for the questions are:

1. If you are going next week, we need to get our skates on and the weather may well be crap. If you are going in September, the reverse might well be true.

2. Knowing the answer to this may well help in answering your broader questions. For example, if we learn that your sister lives there and you want to spend at least 14 of your sixteen days in her company, it will leave you just two days (one at either end) to get from Brum to her front door and back.

3. This may well be answered in 2. If not, what's the answer?

4. We have no idea what you might have in mind. Knowing the answer will help to decide on whether you are a 'Wing it, mate' merchant or a 'I like the peace of mind of knowing where I am staying as it saves me looking for something with secure parking in the peeing rain with a new to touring wife on the back who is moaning like buggery that we should have gone to her aunt's mobile home in Ryhl' type of fellow.

5. If you only have one day to get to La Rochelle from Brum (see above) and really do want to do it via goat tracks, you'll need to start early and have a very good map.

6. If you or your wife thinks that there is nothing more boring than looking at ten different concrete pillboxes then the D-Day beaches can probably be missed out. If you might like to see something really old and (possibly) fascinating then the Bayeux Tapestry might be worth a detour, as Mr Michelin says.

As to the last bit. One of the earlier replies suggested taking the ferry. It's quite a good idea. But he's maybe biased as he lives in Somerset, so it would make little sense in him riding all the way to Folkestone to catch a train, just to get to St Malo. You don't live there, so the train (might ) make good sense if you want to meander to La Rochelle..... Your answers may well help us to suggest two or more possible alternatives.

 

[Wapping]

By way of a simple example. I go to Le Mans each year. I can go via a reasonably scenic route (or by simple motorway) from my house in central London to Le Mans in a day, using the tunnel. One route is very much faster than another but both are doable.

Alternatively, I can trundle across on the train the evening before, staying in a reasonably nice hotel about 30 minutes SW of Calais. That leaves me longer the next day (or I can start later) to get down to Le Mans.

Alternativly, I can ride to Portsmouth and take an overnight ferry to Caen or St Malo. Then I can ride, either scenically or by motorway, to arrive at Le Mans. I have done it that way, too.

Three or four different options, all just to arrive at Le Mans at around the same time. I can then chose any one of them to return home.

Why did I chose Le Mans for the example?

(1) It suited me to do so. I could have chosen Dijon or Luxembourg city.

(2) Depending on what else Andy has in mind, it might make a convenient stopping off point for an overnight stop on his way. It would then be a simple run into La Rochelle the next day.

Of course I could just as easily (and quite happily) ride from my front door in London to La Rochelle in one hit, with or without touching a motorway in France. But that might not suit Andy, on his first jaunt anywhere, with his wife on the back.

Or I could take eight days to get there and eight to come back. This would be the sixteen Andy has free.

I have lapped France, riding the six sides of the hexagon, as they call it. I have done it three times in all, always anti-clockwise, I am not sure why. Once in five or six days, on my own. Once in ten with some friends and once in seventeen, with some other friends. So, again, anything and everything is possible... It all depends on what YOU want to do or can or can't manage....

 

[Mrs Puffer]

When looking at daily mileages, I think that nowadays, if you ignore mind numbing motorways, 200-250 miles per day is a reasonable distance. Years ago we had no problem at all in averaging 400 miles a day without touching a motorway, but now we have speed humps in every town and village, speed cameras all over the place and over zealous gendarmes with their latest issue radar guns, journey times have increased dramatically. It's also worth remembering that there is zero tolerance on speeding, just 4 kph over the limit last year cost me 45 euros and 1 point.

 

[Wapping]

but now we have speed humps in every town and village, speed cameras all over the place and over zealous gendarmes with their latest issue radar guns, journey times have increased dramatically.

Right, that's it. I'm never going to France ever again

 

[Steptoe]

The French have a name exclusively for the person who knocks up the gravy and decanters it into boats - a saucière.

 

[Wapping]

The French have a name exclusively for the person who knocks up the gravy and decanters it into boats - a saucière.

But no word for 'entrepreneur'..... at least according to George W

 

[ghost-rider]

right, thanks for all the replies lads, the plan is just to answer a few of the questions, the dates are set for 16 days as of the 17th of august, now were not the type of couple that have got to be at a certain place at a certain time, we like to more "wing it.com", but still at least have some sort of sense of direction if that makes sense, we've got no relations or appointments we need to be at etc. whilst in france so were completley open to suggestions, as for accomadation etc. the plan was to camp as much as we can, and then occasionally use a b&B,hotel etc., when we feel need or situation arises, would like to see a few nice beaches along the way, aswell as plenty of scenery(more breathtaking the better), and also a bit of history along the way!, so dont really want to fly through alot of places at warp speed trying to cram it all in just to say we did this, but at the same time if more "is" possible than what i think then would like to go with that

as for why "brest" or "la rochelle"???, the answer is simple really i used to work with a guy that spent alot of time in france and he used to rave about larochelle and he showed me a few pics, and to be fare it looked stunning, and brest he used to say there was alot of history there and something about the german u-boats etc, were there(but i dunno whether i got that bit right), so thats the only reason really, and also that area etc. seemed like a good place to start etc. whilst looking at the map

i was a bit surprised by somebodies comments about the coastline etc., below larochelle being a bit boring and a bit of alet down??, if this is the case this has put me off a bit, because i was looking at riding on from la rochelle down towards bordeaux etc, and then on to montpelier, but again didnt know whether this was possible in the given time span, but from what ive read so far i think it mite be, but like i say were completely open minded to the whole thing and am prepared to take it as it comes

 

[Wapping]

OK, now we know what you are really doing, we can work something out.

Do you have a GPS and a decent 1:200000 scale map of France?

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=u+boat+pens+brest+france&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=u+boat+pens+st+nazaire&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=u+boat+pens+la+rochelle&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=u+boat+pens+lorient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

Click on the links.... Some will bring you full circle to UKGSer. It's a safe bet that someone as done exactly what you fancy doing.

 

[wessie]

Sounds like you have a plan already for the first half of the trip i.e. spend half the days going down the west side of France and then head across to Montpelier on the Med. I'm not sure I'd want to camp in August in Montpelier - I like my air conditioned hotel bedroom

Look at a map of France, just a few miles north of Montp is the Cevennes with Auvergnes further north. That might give you an idea of a scenic route back through central France to the Channel port of your choice

 

[Rasher]

16 days is ample time to do a lot - and without having a hurried pace.

If you 've not been the Alps are worth a look, the whole lot are about the size of the UK so you need about 16 weeks for them all, but you could maybe have a poke around some of them.

Maybe run down (or up) Route Des Grande Alpes on your travels, I would suggest doing your other planned stuff, hit the coast, head across towards Monaco and then spend a few days running back up RDGA.

If you have time to spare you could spend a couple of nights at a couple of places and really explore many of the passes.

If your very much winging it you could just keep an eye on weather forecasts and have a really loose agenda and keep yourself in the sunshine and out of the rain.

The Vercors just south of Grenoble are also fantastic for a couple of days (like a Mini-Alps) and the Vosges Mountains and / or Black Forest could be worked in to your trip.

 

[Sooty09]

"I was a bit surprised by somebodies comments about the coastline etc., below larochelle being a bit boring and a bit of alet down??"

That was from me, its all a matter of opinion. I enjoyed down to Rochefort but once across the ferry from Royan the roads runs through flat marsh land and endless forests, not much to see. The road south is 140 miles long and about 4 miles in land so you cannot see the sea. There are a few roads to the beaches but these are all dead ends. We had to ride it to get to the Pyrenees from the Ile D'oleron. I found this and the Ile de re fascinating.

Tip - for camping is to download www.archiescampings.eu/eng1 onto a GPS, Its very accurate and helps to find a local site. A good tip is to select municipal sites where you can. They are rarer now and much cheaper than other sites.
Tip - Get a Michelin 1/200000 road atlas, http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/20671824...de=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=2067182463. From the map shades you can see the severity of the terrain. The green edges indicate the best scenic routes. I take mine every trip and use it to programme my GPS.

 

[ghiribizzo]

Want to save more money? Get a used 2008 version off eBay. £2.49 posted.
The villages haven't moved!
Otherwise, as above!

The big pita is that on their website, it teases you with the ability to send the routes you make from ViaMichelin to your gps but it doesn't work. Plenty input on that subject from Wapping.

 

[Riders Rest]

German U-Boats, St Nazaire big museum at the submarine pens, big commando raid during the war.

 

[Mick-B]

Camping in France

If you decide to camp you'll be spoiled for choice - most municipalities however small have a Camping Municipal and most are pretty much clean and tidy. One site I've stayed on a few times at Nouan-les-Fuzelier (about 45km south of Orleans) provides inclusive access to the municipal open air swimming pool, a dip in which is a refreshing end to a warm and sunny day!

I've done maybe 18 driving holidays in France - my personal preference is to be up and on the road early (well, away by 8.30-ish) but to be finished for the day by 4pm latest, having taken breaks for elevenses, lunch and an afternoon brew... no more than 2 hours at a stretch on the move, very relaxed, no stress but still cover a decent amount of ground. But that's my preference and different people like to things their own way!

The only bit of the country I'm not too keen on is the north west - ie towards Calais but, wherever you get to, I'm sure you'll find the trip a fantastic experience.

 

[Wapping]

The only bit of the country I'm not too keen on is the north west - ie towards Calais

Sir will be needing a new compass when he goes on his 19th driving trip

 

[Mick-B]

Sir will be needing a new compass when he goes on his 19th driving trip

Quite likely... however, I've thought for a moment or two and concluded Calais (roughly top left corner) is still generally situated in the north west ... isn't it?

 

[Mick-B]

Quite likely... however, I've thought for a moment or two and concluded Calais (roughly top left corner) is still generally situated in the north west ... isn't it?

OK, it's in the north - I'll give you that....