We can find you a route that will (like Exlax) ease your bouchon problems... France does not stop because Paris goes on holiday 
Summer Trip to France: Couple of ??s for the Novice...
- Thread starter johnboy
- Start date
lots of good advice here.
Generally I plan ahead using the Michelin maps, and then once the route is sorted and I've coloured in the maps / route with a highlighter (different colour for each day) then I set up the route on the satnav. The maps all over the dining table is useful for SWMBO as it helps her recognise some of the names we'll be passing through
Why colour the map - well if you get lost it helps to show the route you could be following, and is much easier and less stressful when on the road. Also it makes alternate / dynamic planning simpler - Satnav's are generally quite poor for route planning if you want to be selective / picky and don't have a computer handy
Why use satnav - it deals with one way systems, finds hotels at the end of the day, and most importantly helps to find fuel on Sundays
I would always avoid Paris (in fact any capital city) whenever possible, as the locals are generally not representative of the national identity, and the standards of driving are usually quite poor / more stressful.
In general I would use the autoroute for the first hour from Calais, and then get onto the N roads or better still the D roads. However this all depends on the route and the distance to be covered. Either way I always try to travel using the scenic (green) routes.
Generally I plan ahead using the Michelin maps, and then once the route is sorted and I've coloured in the maps / route with a highlighter (different colour for each day) then I set up the route on the satnav. The maps all over the dining table is useful for SWMBO as it helps her recognise some of the names we'll be passing through
Why colour the map - well if you get lost it helps to show the route you could be following, and is much easier and less stressful when on the road. Also it makes alternate / dynamic planning simpler - Satnav's are generally quite poor for route planning if you want to be selective / picky and don't have a computer handy
Why use satnav - it deals with one way systems, finds hotels at the end of the day, and most importantly helps to find fuel on Sundays
I would always avoid Paris (in fact any capital city) whenever possible, as the locals are generally not representative of the national identity, and the standards of driving are usually quite poor / more stressful.
In general I would use the autoroute for the first hour from Calais, and then get onto the N roads or better still the D roads. However this all depends on the route and the distance to be covered. Either way I always try to travel using the scenic (green) routes.
We can find you a route that will (like Exlax) ease your bouchon problems... France does not stop because Paris goes on holiday
Bouchon a wonderful word! It can mean a cork, a blockage, traffic jam, a restaurant (in Lyon), a Jack in boules and my favourite bouchon de cerumen (plug of earwax).
So Wapping will un block you, get you through that jam, find you a restaurant and clear out your ears. All whilst playing with your boules. What a service. Good man
Not forgetting that wonderful French fly-half, M.Tire-bouchon
Check out google images for Goulet's - you may not like it, I am off there later this year, but we do not mind heights, if you have a real phobia this looks like one of the worst places on earth for you - maybe swing through the Vosges or Black Forest instead - or just get to the Alps ASAP, although many passes do have some drop-offs that have no barriers.
This looks like Les Grands-goulets Road - I thought that had now been closed? Great if it has been opened again - I always wanted to ride that one
Sadly the Grands Goulets road is still closed to everything except cyclists and Hikers.
You can still try the Gorges de la Bourne and La Combe Laval.
Col de Rousset has amazing views to the South.
If I was doing it, I'd consider going via the Trieves and the Devoluy after the Vercors. It isn't out of the way, hardly anyone goes there, there are great roads and you are surrounded by spectacular mountains. From Devoluy to Gap take the Col de Noyer and enjoy great views of the Meije and the southern Alps on the east ramp.
You can still try the Gorges de la Bourne and La Combe Laval.
Col de Rousset has amazing views to the South.
If I was doing it, I'd consider going via the Trieves and the Devoluy after the Vercors. It isn't out of the way, hardly anyone goes there, there are great roads and you are surrounded by spectacular mountains. From Devoluy to Gap take the Col de Noyer and enjoy great views of the Meije and the southern Alps on the east ramp.
