Caen to Limoges

[bazman]

Hi will be travelling from Caen to near Limoges 1st monday in October , was planning to have a quick shifty along the D-Day beaches then heading south to Oradour-sur-Vayres.
Have all day to do the 300 odd miles , any recommendations to routes i should take ?
Thanks Baz

 

[GrinningGSer]

Baz, there are so many WW2 history sites in the Caen area alone, which, I'd suggest a minimum of three days, as a taster. Caen to Limoges is a minimum of 5 hrs 41 mins non stop riding. You're not giving much time to take much in ? What benefits do you want from the day trip? Scenery, good roads,history, French cuisine,French way of life? Give us your requirements.

 

[dave hendy]

I am going from St Malo to near Limoges in September and have a scenic route of about 300 miles which will take me all day with possibly 3 short stops to keep the wife happy. I am even thinking of shortening it as we have to be there at a reasonable time for a meal and I know how slow some of the smaller roads can be. I don't think you will have too much time for site seeing unless you use any available dual carriage ways!


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[bazman]

Hi and thanks for the replys , Dock in Caen 0645 , so thought a quick look at Omaha and breakfast, then poodle down to Limoges.
But yes suppose that doesn't leave much time for sightseeing, but would like some scenery if possible and not motorway all the way , although I will have to at some point.
Going over to help inlaws for a week in finishing their barn conversion. Was hoping to do Millau viaduct bridge as well when there , but may be a bridge to far !!

 

[ymfb]

Assuming you just want to grab some views and brekky, I can recommend the short ride to Aromanches, before you arrive there is a viewport, the drop down into the Village and there is hotel/restaurant right opposite the Carpark on the front where you can grab an all you can eat French breakfast.

 

[bazman]

Assuming you just want to grab some views and brekky, I can recommend the short ride to Aromanches, before you arrive there is a viewport, the drop down into the Village and there is hotel/restaurant right opposite the Carpark on the front where you can grab an all you can eat French breakfast.

Nice one thanks for that

 

[Wapping]

Me? What would I do? I'd start by thinking about seveveral things:

(1) That Caen to Limoges is 300 miles, via the direct route. Give or take 30 miles, that is is the same as Annan to London. I'd ask myself whether, if I was going to pootle up to Annan (avoiding motorways) I'd necessarily start by detouring to look at some sites in London's West End (or further out) first and then ride along every non-motorway twisty road I could find to get to my destination.

(2) I'd ask myself what the real purpose of my journey was and I guess that I'd have to be honest and say that it was to get to Limoges to see my in-laws and build their house. As they are in Limoges (the same as London) and I was sitting in Caen (the same as Annan) I'd plan accordingly.

(3) I'd probably think that I'd not be off the ferry the very moment it docked and probably allow at least 30 minutes before I rolled down the slipway. I'd also consider that my ferry did not dock in Caen at all but in Ouistreham, which is close to Caen but it's not five minutes down the road.

(4) I'd consider that, if I was asking for routes over 300 miles long (and preferably avoiding motorways) whether I was perhaps not that familiar with where I was going. I might wonder (as you haven't told us) whether - as the furthest I had ever been was 100 miles in a day - I really wanted to be doing it down D roads, maybe without a map. I'd not ride to Annan from London without first looking at a map of my own, equating my riding / navigation skills to the distance ahead of me.

So....

(1) What's the answers? Do you have a half decent map? Are you a 'let's ride to Tesco, have a brew and ride home again' merchant or do you knock off 300 miles down lesser roads in your sleep? What time do you need to be (or want to be) knocking on your parents-in-laws' front door? I only ask as if if it's 14:30, you may well be heading straight down the motorway, irrespective.

(2) You've received a reply of things to do for D-Day viewing, including to have breakfast looking at the grey Channel waters, when you should be squinting into the sun heading south; nothing unusual there. But sadly nothing on the main part of your request, which is how to get from Oistreham to Limoges in a day. To answer this, please answer (1) above. Better still, ask Dave Hendy who has created a scenic route already if he'll share his with you. He's worked out that it will take him all day. He may well be right.... Or wrong. Who knows?

 

[bazman]

Hi wapping thanks for the reply all valid points
But 300 miles is very doable on a mixture of A, B and motorway in my opinion especially as I've got all day .

To put this in to more perspective , how long do you think this took me and Frautzi in one day with a mixture of A roads and 1 track , shingle roads !!
https://goo.gl/maps/cgGLx

 

[Wapping]

Great. You'll have it all plotted out by teatime.... Ask D Hendy for his route, he's created it already.

You know you better than we do.

 

[rodsharp]

Wapping put some serious thought into his reply as 300miles on French roads without using the autoroute is nowhere near as easy as it used to be when we just used to be able to thrash along as fast as we wanted. The speed limits,cameras both fixed and mobile,have ruled that out unless you are prepared to pay hefty fines for the pleasure. The Frenchies drive so slowly now it takes forever to cover any sort of distance and although I hate autoroutes on a bike they are the only way to make progress. Have a good trip.

 

[Wapping]

Of course anyone can ride 300 miles in a day down D roads, if they want to. We do it several times a year riding from Dijon back to Calais, which is actually closer to 370 miles or a bit further. But the route took a while to perfect - we made lots of schoolboy errors when we first started years ago - and we now (near enough) know where we are going. We crack along, not dawdling to look at things or spending valuable time eating long lunches or standing around gassing at fuel stops. We do though have a morning and afternoon coffee stop and do eat lunch. Lots of other people think this is a crazy way to carry on. They may well be right; who knows?

A better measure perhaps is what is a comfortable mileage in a day, leaving at about 09:15 and fininishing around 17:30, having two coffee breaks, a lunch stop and a re-fuel for most people? I guess it's around 200 to 250 miles on D and N roads and say up to 350 with a chunk of motorway or properly quick main roads lobbed in... That being said, empty D roads are sometimes very quick across the open spaces of France. The OP's 300 miles slots somewhere between, quite neatly. He doesn't need to go anywhere beyond Limoges, so there is no mileage on subsequent days to worry about and he apparently is not troubled by an arrival time. The light is still good, the weather (probably) reasonably kind. It's all a goer!

The OP is it seems an experienced rider. He'll crack it (and plot his reasonably scenic route out) for sure. Being a generous soul he (or Dave H) will post it up here for others to enjoy. It's a popular enough destination from Caen, so others will find it handy, that's for certain.

 

[bazman]

Again many thanks chaps.
Yes don't mind a long day in the saddle.
Are the motorway in France as boring as ours ( guess so !)
Was under the impression that the Aroads were more or less the same route as the motorways but shall look into this.
Cheers oh and who is Dave H??

 

[Two wheels good]

As you're including WW2 sites .. don't miss the other Oradour, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oradour-sur-Glane.
On the way south a pit stop on the Loire to see a chateau or deux is nice. You're spoilt for choice

 

[Bungy]

I've read this thread with interest as i am also travelling down from the same sort of area (Le Havre) and ending up near Limoges. Rolling off of the ferry at about 09:00 and wishing to arrive at 17:00ish. We have planned for lunch and fuel/coffee stops and hopefully without problems and using the Michelin route planner and 726 map we will judge our progress and hop on or off the motorway as required. Or if all goes well and weather shines avoid it all together.

 

[bazman]

As you're including WW2 sites .. don't miss the other Oradour, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oradour-sur-Glane.
On the way south a pit stop on the Loire to see a chateau or deux is nice. You're spoilt for choice

Yes been there , very moving.
Saw this château the other week !!

 

[bazman]

I've read this thread with interest as i am also travelling down from the same sort of area (Le Havre) and ending up near Limoges. Rolling off of the ferry at about 09:00 and wishing to arrive at 17:00ish. We have planned for lunch and fuel/coffee stops and hopefully without problems and using the Michelin route planner and 726 map we will judge our progress and hop on or off the motorway as required. Or if all goes well and weather shines avoid it all together.

Cool did look at the Le Havre crossing , are you on the same day ( monday into France)?
Will have to get myself a michelin map also, last one i had was in the early 90's lol!!

 

[Wapping]

As you're including WW2 sites .. don't miss the other Oradour, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oradour-sur-Glane.
On the way south a pit stop on the Loire to see a chateau or deux is nice. You're spoilt for choice

No thread on French trips is complete without a mention of the Millau bridge and at least two for Oradour sur Glane.

Like many well intentioned suggestions on things to see and do, this one falls foul of the acid test of time over distance. The fellow has 300 miles to do, preferably on non-motorway roads down France, a country it seems he is not entirely familiar with. He’s already detouring away to look at the Channel coast; now he’s meant to be walking around a destroyed French village. Oradour won’t vanish in our lifetimes, save it for a rainy day.

Yes don't mind a long day in the saddle.
Are the motorway in France as boring as ours ( guess so !)
Was under the impression that the Aroads were more or less the same route as the motorways but shall look into this.
Cheers oh and who is Dave H??

Motorways are the same in most countries; a relatively quick way to get from A to B and on to C. Trains the same.

French N roads are broadly the same as our A roads, not unsurprisingly. The speed limit (if you are troubled by such things) is slightly under our 60 mph, whilst French motorways (when it’s not raining) is slightly higher at about 80 mph or 70 mph in the wet.

French D roads are near enough the same as our B roads. Some are fast and flowing, some aren’t. Some are simply N roads that have had their classification reduced from N (National) to D (Departmental) others – very few – are little more than lanes. Are all D roads ‘great roads’? No. Are all N roads, shite mate? No.

You really do need to get a map, I think. Start by getting one map that is designed for journeys just like yours: Michelin Grand Itineries Map 726 you’ll very quickly see the way you’ll probably need to go. The map is excellent as it cuts all the guff and ‘must-do’ twaddle out of route plotting across a large country.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/France-Route-Planning-2015-Michelin/dp/2067199633

Dave H is Dave Hendy, who – in this very thread – said he’d created a route just like the one you are looking for. See if he’ll be a biker mate and share it.

 

[Bungy]

Cool did look at the Le Havre crossing , are you on the same day ( monday into France)?
Will have to get myself a michelin map also, last one i had was in the early 90's lol!!

I'm going in just over a week at the beginning of September. Making our way down to the Riders Rest and surrounding area.

 

[bazman]

Sorry missed half your earlier thread Wapping on 1st page. On phone so perhaps that or my fat fingers.
Sorry again Dave H realise now.
Plenty of food for thought.
Cheers .

 

[bazman]

I'm going in just over a week at the beginning of September. Making our way down to the Riders Rest and surrounding area.

Cool let me know how you get on and safe journey.