France Or Bust

[doctorsmudge]

Hi all,
my dearly beloved and myself are hoping to have a week or so in France on the bike. Its our first trip overseas on the old girl and we are looking for some help and advice. Firstly, are heading to Grenoble as a start point for the Route Napoleon, after that a quick diversion into Monaco for a lap then across to Milau, then the pyrenees before heading back to Calais and home to Glasgow. We're hoping to avoid the Toll Roads where poss and keep to the more scenic routes. So if anyone has any good routes I'd be grateful. In particular the the part from Calais to Grenoble looks pretty dull, is the a scenic route between these laces? Also, any info on cheap (we're Scottish) hotels etc would also be helpfull. Whats the fuel costs in France at the moment?
Cheers
Smudge

 

[chasr]

Michelin maps - green routes - Logis de France - expensive. Blast the first 100-150 miles (consider Belgium motorways as they are free), then go off piste. Bon voyage.
Oh, and about 45mph average on single roads is about right. Stop every hour or so, 250 miles/day on scenic roads is about the maximum.
There are loads of route suggestions if you do a search but, since it's your first, have a go yourself - it's part of the adventure.
hth

 

[thornley]

Fuel is running at approx 1.10 euro at the moment. Use the supermarkets where you can, just like the u.k they are the cheapest. Unleaded is roughly the same price as the u.k. Diesel is currently 0.94 euro.

Have a good trip.

 

[G5RJO]

I use these.........

I use this chain http://www.hotel-bb.com as they are, in my experience, always clean, have en-suite facilities and a private car park. Often just out of town next to a restaurant of some description.

Worth a look.

Roger.

 

[Wapping]

You want to go for a week and (in essence) want to lap a country twice the size of the UK, avoiding toll roads, sticking to scenic roads, on your first bimble across the water, with your wife as pillion.

OK.

Are you young and fit or old and fat?

Does your week away (I guess it's 7 days) include or exclude the one day journey (and a day back) from Dover to Jockland?

What day and time do you plan to start at Calais?

What day and time do you need to be back at Calais?

Why do you want / need to go to Monaco?

What's you idea of cheap hotel, based on two people sharing one room, including breakfast?

What daily mileages do you want to do?

What is the tank range of your 'Old girl' (the bike, in case you have a doubt)

Do you think that 350 miles in a day is a long way in the UK on non-motorway roads and / or avoiding many National (A) roads?

What 'average' riding do you do in the UK?

What time do you want to start each morning and finish in the evening?

Do you want to stop for mid-morning coffee and mid-afternoon tea?

How long do you have in mind for a lunchbreak?

Are you keen on stops for photographs / cigarettes / pee breaks?

Do you want a day (or two) off the bike at all?

Where do you want to go to in the Pyrenees?

Do you have any decent maps?

Have you tried searching the Travel section and through the ride reports? Most of what you need to know has been listed out already, including what maps to start with.

 

[stolzy]

That's quite a bimble

Looks like 3500-4000km by the fastest route - a lot more if you plan to do the scenic routes.
That's a minimum of 500km per day, in practice its certainly a lot more. If you take the scenic routes plan on no more than 50-70 km/hr and you're looking down the barrel of seven 8-10 hr days. Also bear in mind the extra stress of driving in a foreign environment, wrong side of the road, invisible traffic lights, priorite a droit...

If it's your first trip to France it's way too far for a week.

 

[JPR]

Looks like 3500-4000km by the fastest route - a lot more if you plan to do the scenic routes.
That's a minimum of 500km per day, in practice its certainly a lot more. If you take the scenic routes plan on no more than 50-70 km/hr and you're looking down the barrel of seven 8-10 hr days. Also bear in mind the extra stress of driving in a foreign environment, wrong side of the road, invisible traffic lights, priorite a droit...

If it's your first trip to France it's way too far for a week.

STOLZY speaks the truth.Take heed.

 

[doctorsmudge]

Hi, thanks for the replies so quickly, I'll try to answer as many as poss. I'm going on an open ended ticket for up to 10 or 12 days very max. We are both early 40's and in reasonable condition. The first day is going to be the marathon bit, Glasgow to Dover, fresh start inot France on day 2. No real reason for Monaco other than to say I've been there and driven a lap of the circuit, its not that important. It looks so far that its going to have to be two trips, the Route Napoleon one year, then the Pyrenees the next and into Spain. Accom willl need to be 2 people in a room with breakfast. We had hoped that we could budget on £100 day for petrol and accom, is that reasonable on a more modest itinerary. Daily mileages are not a problem for me but the dearly beloved will be complaining way before I will. The old girl does about 60 minutes/bottle of vino, the bike is a GS1150, so about 170 if I'm carefull. I guess I'll be limited to 6 hours max in the saddle per day, prob less though. Start time will be no later than 10, dinner and tea will be anywhere that looks nice. I think the run down to Grenoble is just gonna have to be a motorway sprint. £50 miles on back roads is fine, up here they are the roads I go looking for. My average ride is anything and everything. I also ride a GSXR 1000, Yamaha TT640 thumper, Yamaha Raptor 700 quad and the GS. Pee breaks etc come with fuel stops, along with quick refreshments, again, unless somewhere spectacular is along the way, then we'll stop for a muse. I really dont want a strict itinirary, if we(she) get tired then we'll find somewhere to stay. Which leads me to another question, do you need to book accomadation ahead or can we pull up anywhere and book in? Madame (practising my French) says she may need a days break at some point....pah! Just wanted a ride through the Pyrenees.
Maps come via Garmin sat nav, and google earth and auto route 2007 at home.
Lastly, thanks to all that have bothered to answer, a truely great community. Just been informed that maybe after the Route Napoleon, we could take the coast to Marseille then head north.

 

[Wapping]

Jolly good, you have cut down your journey. strike one for common sense. I think you made the very common mistake of listing all the 'Must does' - without looking how far they are apart and / or what riding you want to do.

Go to the map thread, it's a sticky. Arm yourself with the blue Michelin route planner map and the book of Michelin 1:200,000 scale maps. GET ON THE Bis TOURIST ROUTES!

You can do Calais to Nice in a day.... If you have to.

I suggest:

Day one: Calais to Dijon. Put Dijon into search and you will find the good routes.

Day two: Dijon to Annecy. Again, all the routes are there or better still, use the maps.

Maybe have a day off in Annecy? Go on the lake etc. etc. It's a holiday, not a marathon.

Day three: Annecy to, say, Sisteron.

Day four: Sit on butt or meander to the coast.

Day five / six Monaco - Marseille (if you really feel you must) but better in my humble to have a look around Provence / Mt Ventoux / Avignon / Nimes / Pont du Gard http://www.pontdugard.fr/index.php?langue=GB take in a market or ride the gorges etc. etc. etc.

Home via Le Creussot, Autun etc. etc. a search will turn up the route, again..

Seriously, a search in Travel will turn up all you need to know. Just chuck in place names or areas.....

Hotels? Lots to chose from, well within your budget. There is a thread somewhere on how they all work. Want to play very safe and very cheap? Formula 1. Want to play safe? Ibis or similar chains. Want to be a little bit more adventurous? Logis de France.

 

[stolzy]

I'd give Monaco a miss - there is very little fun to be had there unless you've loads of dosh or like watching rich twits flashing their bling. Nice is nicer

 

[doctorsmudge]

Hi, upon reflection it seems Monaco is a no go. As is Marseille, just need to refine the area around Grenoble and a good route over the Route Napoleon and I'm set. Just gotta read up on everything to do with the driving, law etc. Thanks for all your help, great bunch
Simon

 

[Wapping]

Hi, upon reflection it seems Monaco is a no go. As is Marseille, just need to refine the area around Grenoble and a good route over the Route Napoleon and I'm set. Just gotta read up on everything to do with the driving, law etc. Thanks for all your help, great bunch
Simon

The driving? Easy.... They drive on the right and go anti-clockwise around roundabouts. Do NOT practice at home before departure.

The laws? Much the same as ours. Do NOT speed through villages / towns. Do NOT drink and drive. You MUST have your original V5, current insurance and valid driving licence documents with you when you are with the vehicle. There may well be a big fine if you cannot produce then on demand.

Buy good travel insurance (for you and your wife) - see multiple threads! Get your EU reciprocal care health card (see multiple threads) and buy breakdown recovery insurance. Alternatively save perhaps £50 and work out how to push a bust motorbike, when you have a temperature of 102 (and a broken leg or Pig flu) all the way from Nice to Glasgow.

 

[Deleted account 210609001]

My two-penny worth:

If you're keen on avoiding motorways, getting down to the Med and back based on six or seven hours a day will fill your time. I agree that the first day in France, and probably last day, will need to be motorway blast. A couple of years ago, we did Folkestone to Grenoble in a day, but it was a long old day. As Wapping suggests, Dijon or thereabouts might be a good destination for the first night, Grenoble for day two (avoiding motorways) and then plan as you go from there.

If you use a chain of hotels (B&B, Logis, Ibis, etc) they will check availability and make a booking for you in the the place you think you'll be the next night. B&B hotels are cheap and there ar eplanty fo them, but they don't have restaurants. There is usually a chain restaurant nearby, but the appeal of a Buffalo Grill pales when you've eaten there five nights running! Personally, I'd avoid staying on the coast between Nice and Monaco - busy and over-priced. Stay a few miles inland and it's more Frnch and cheaper. As an example, we've stayed in Sospel and Draguignan rather than on the coast.

If you enjoy the Route Napoleon, you might consider a return on the Routes des Grandes Alpes, which heads from Menton to Geneva, taking in the highest passes in the French Alps. Probably need to wait until June before they're all open. Here's a link: CLICK HERE. I'm sure there's a way to get it in English, but can't find it for the moment.

Failing that, I'd cross to the Massif Central and come home that way. Getting the Millau bridge in shouldn't be impossible if you don't mind another motorway day to get there, although it is more naturally on the route for another year's trip to the Pyrenees.

 

[ricardo]

Are you glued to Dover Calais. I'd suggest Hull Zeebrugge and think of it as a cruise. You sleep overnight on the boat and get off after breakfast in Belgium. First hour blast down Belgian motorways, as recommended elsewhere, until you reach the scenic routes. Hull - Zeebrugge also means that you don't have to spend your time dreading the long journey back through Gordon's Britain. It also means on your last day, you get off the boat in Hull after breakfast and can have a good ride back home.

Might cost a wee bit more, but you save petrol, tyres and save paying for a night in a hotel in Kent or northern France.

 

[Myke Rocks]

France or Bust

Surely you mean France and Bust?
Small village.
560km from Calais. take the A26, then the A4. Should take around 5 hours.

 

[(RIP) Shenzi]

Chasr has mentioned 45mph average on single roads, these days that may be an expensive pastime! The limit on single roads is a maximum of 90kph and they will nick you for 92!! No tolerance here!
Generally you can get a move on out in the country but really watch your speed entering towns/villages.
Different parts of France have different levels of enforcement, the increase of which has changed the way people drive down here. On the Route Napoleon last year I didn't see any mobile radar units which are the only ones to concern you.
France has a policy to target bikers trying to reduce fatalities though they might be better concentrating on scooters in urban areas.
I can give you a route from Aix to Avignon, down the Ardeche gorge and then to the Cevennes and the Tarn Gorge finishing up at the bridge.

 

[Steve the Kiwi]

Chasr has mentioned 45mph average on single roads, these days that may be an expensive pastime! The limit on single roads is a maximum of 90kph and they will nick you for 92!! No tolerance here!
Generally you can get a move on out in the country but really watch your speed entering towns/villages.

Went down to the Vosges about two weeks ago and was dumbfounded just how many speed cameras there are in France.. the poor Zumo was going into spasms with all the alerts! (and this is coming from the Netherlands, that has more speed cameras than cars) So watch out!

Oh and enjoy!

 

[doctorsmudge]

Thanks for the warnings about the cameras, I was quite unaware of that fact. I thought they were a little more liberal than that. That route sounds good Shenzi, if you would send that to me I'd be gratefull. Just gives me an option for part of the journey. I have looked at al the ferries fron Rosythe, Newcastle, Hull, Harwich (original home town) but to be honest for the sake of sucking it up and getting on with it, the ride down is the cheapest option, and as already stated, I need to do this one on a budget. I'd rather do the ferry but cost is too prohibitive.

 

[russ996duke]

Went down to the Vosges about two weeks ago and was dumbfounded just how many speed cameras there are in France.. the poor Zumo was going into spasms with all the alerts! (and this is coming from the Netherlands, that has more speed cameras than cars) So watch out!

Oh and enjoy!

cameras fixed, mostly forward facing...so enjoy!
those that face back, don't worry...they don't bother trying to enforce against foreigners , maybe in a year or two##

don't speed in villages and towns...its not clever, thats where the manned speed checks usually are (and roadworks), they will fine you....anyway villages are worth taking slow for the scenery!

 

[thornley]

Manned speed cameras are now very common on the entrance to villages. Here in Provence its almost the norm in the afternoon for some reason ( I suspect its to catch those who have enjoyed a good lunch). On the spot fines now start at 130 Euros. They don't accept cards, cash or French cheque only.
Drink drive limits are half the U.K's limit so avoid the temptation to have that second glass.

My idea of touring is to head in a vague direction and wing it. Temperature here at the moment (Provence) is 26 centigrade. Factor that into your daily mileage plans, fully kitted can become uncomfortable for you and your pillion. It will get hotter!

Enjoy your trip, stop when you want and go when you want.