Possible Routes to Nice

[HogHog]

Hi all - just been looking through various travel sections of this Forum.

I'm starting to plan next years holiday - a week in Nice.

Looking at the journey.

Thought that we could go one way and back another. One could be Santander/Nice, and maybe the other Amsterdam/Nice

Anyone any pointers before I go any further.

As background, been on the Newcastle/Amsterdam ferry a few times, and it gets you in just after breakfast ready to roll. Not been on the Santander ferry, but thought that could be the way home.?

So what about the rides - are either of the two routes "boring".?

Cheers

 

[craig10]

Bit further for you but I've found the Hull-Zeebrugge ferry to be quite a bit cheaper than Newcastle-Ijmuiden.

You're off and through passport control by 10am, straight out onto the M-way network to get away from NE France as soon as.

I'll let others advise you on routes, nice to ride the D roads but Nice is a long way away so depends on your timescale.

 

[HogHog]

Bit further for you but I've found the Hull-Zeebrugge ferry to be quite a bit cheaper than Newcastle-Ijmuiden.

You're off and through passport control by 10am, straight out onto the M-way network to get away from NE France as soon as.

I'll let others advise you on routes, nice to ride the D roads but Nice is a long way away so depends on your timescale.

Craig - thanks for that - will look into it.

I'm allowing 3 1/2 days each way, plus the week in the Villa, and I'll still be home in time for a family wedding

 

[Our Gee]

Hi Hoghog,

if you count up the miles from Inverness to Nice that's quite some journey to fit into even 3 1/2 days each way I reckon it's about 1450 which to fit into your timetable will mean autoroutes. Even then you are talking three eight hour days in the saddle. You will probably have to use the least time consuming way to cross the water which is the Tunnel. If your outward ride is via Folkstone and the Tunnel you could use the Autoroutes down to Lyon then bear left to the A43/A48 to Grenoble, then you could make the last bit interesting by riding the N85 (Route Napoleon) down to Grasse then round to Nice. Coming back it's nearly 700 miles across to Santander from Nice then you have the long ferry ride (about 24 hours I think) to either Plymouth or Portsmouth and another 600 miles home. All sounds a bit on the tight side to me and it does seem to rather spoil the whole French experience to be in such a rush. Best of luck though. Oh, and you'll need to start on new tyres !!.

 

[HogHog]

Hi Hoghog,

if you count up the miles from Inverness to Nice that's quite some journey to fit into even 3 1/2 days each way I reckon it's about 1450 which to fit into your timetable will mean autoroutes. Even then you are talking three eight hour days in the saddle. You will probably have to use the least time consuming way to cross the water which is the Tunnel. If your outward ride is via Folkstone and the Tunnel you could use the Autoroutes down to Lyon then bear left to the A43/A48 to Grenoble, then you could make the last bit interesting by riding the N85 (Route Napoleon) down to Grasse then round to Nice. Coming back it's nearly 700 miles across to Santander from Nice then you have the long ferry ride (about 24 hours I think) to either Plymouth or Portsmouth and another 600 miles home. All sounds a bit on the tight side to me and it does seem to rather spoil the whole French experience to be in such a rush. Best of luck though. Oh, and you'll need to start on new tyres !!.

Thanks for the reply - that's exactly the kind of response I'm after - I'm happy to do in excess of 500 miles per day in the UK, and indeed will travel from Inverness to wherever I catch a Ferry on 1 day. But maybe it will spoil things if I rush through France.

But I'm willing to sacrifice a really long day on the Autoroutes if I can then enjoy a shorter more enjoyable journey on enjoyable roads for the rest.

So Day 1 gets me to the Ferry port (wherever) and onto an overnighter ferry.

Day 2 gets me 500-ish miles to say Lyon (or that Radius from Ferry landing).

Then Day 3 plus overnight and Day 3.5 gets me to Nice....

By the way - will use this post to thank everyone for their constructive comments on this and all other threads - Great Forum this

 

[Our Gee]

Hi again HogHog,

looking at your last post I see that you are thinking of "ferries". From my own experience (obviously others will have their own preferences) the Tunnel is the way to go. I regularly do a run down to Provence and on my own do it with just one overnight stop, usually around Reims on the way down and St Quentin on the way home. With my wife we make two overnight stops, one just south Calais then another around Beaune. Ferries are ok and do have an appeal all their own but they do take more time if you are in a hurry. Also the overnight "Cross Channel" ferries just don't make sense to me. The Brittany Ferries "Plymouth / Portsmouth to Santander is great but not for where you are going. For the short crossing ie the Channel I would never use a ferry again as the Tunnel is just so easy, quick and relatively cheap.

 

[franco]

.

Definitely agree that the tunnel is the way to go for you. Now, whenever we drive up (like we did in July) we take the ferry, but that's because it's nice to have a break and wander about on the deck. Much more fun for the kids too.
However, if I was on the bike, you just want to get over the water as quickly as possible, so it would be tunnel for me.
If I were doing Scotland - Nice, I'd be tempted to get into France on day one, but reckon this will take you more than 12 hours from Inverness. I'd get to Folkestone, get on the tunnel, then crash the first night somewhere like St Omer, which is near the motorway, but half an hour away from the grimness of Calais.
Once on the motorway, I'd just crack on until somewhere like Bourg-en-Bresse then head over to Annecy. That would be a long day on the autoroute, but from there, it's Alp-tastic to Nice. there are dozens of different routes to take. I've done most of them and you can see the photos from trips here
I personally wouldn't go from Nice to Santander. I once did Santander -> Nice in one, long, 13 hour day, to keep ahead of a massive storm which was moving East at roughly the same speed as me.
Best to do a few alternatives in the Alps, so come down the Route Napoleon, go back over the Route des Grandes Alps being one of many alternatives.

Rob

p.s. don't worry haven't forgotten about the villa

 

[HogHog]

The reason for not suggesting Chunnel was that lots of threads warn of the dangers of bike theft close to the channel. We would be crossing late in the day so wouldn't have time to go far on the other side. Having said that if there was a bike friendly hotel with secure parking say 45 minutes from Chunnel that would be good. Then 1 long day to get a good chunk down the country would leave some "playtime" in the Alps.

So what did you do for a living before you became a TTA (Tossers Travel Agent)

 

[Peirre O`Bollox]

Take a look at the Zeebrugge to nice sections of Rivendell`s "Tour De Corse"
That should get you down via Beze, lake Geneve, Annecy, Briancon to Nice via the RGA.
I refined the route towards my needs, adding a few extra cols, but alas I broke down on top of Col Du Madelaine with a knackered Alternator, after doubling back towards Alberville, because Col de l'Iseran was closed 12km up. Free wheeling down to La Chambre was interesting .

But I`m determinded that it won`t get me down, & I will re-do the whole trip next July, but tweeking the dates slightly so that I`m on corsica Mon-Sat (8th - 13th?)

 

[craig10]

The reason for not suggesting Chunnel was that lots of threads warn of the dangers of bike theft close to the channel.

From Inverness I'd go from Hull, 450miles for you then overnight on the ferry, what you pay extra over the Chunnel is more or less covered by the fuel and B n B saving. No need to worry about bike security either.

If you go to the Chunnel then a bit on the other side that's got to be near a 700 mile day from Inverness, that's epic, especially if you're 2-up.

 

[Rasher]

I too would go with the get as far as you can as fast as you can and then pickup as much of Route Des Grand Alpes as you can fit

If you could puch that 3.5 days each way to 4 (even one way) it would give you two days to get down to Annecy, and leave you two full days for Route Des Grand Alpes.

Route Napoleon is pretty much main road and fast anyway so could probably fit into a 3 day trip easy enough - and IMO it is nothing special anyway, whereas passes such as La Bannette, Galibier and Col De La l'Iseran are completely awesome.