Toll roads

[czwotzit]

I'm in the process of planning routes from Calais to Stelvio for next year.
The maps I have got are telling me two different things regarding the A26 motorway out of Calais one says that its a toll road and the other says that its not.

Time is not an issue with the trip as I intend to take as long as necessary to get there then across to do the route des grande alpes and wind my way back up to Blighty depending on mood and weather.

I'd appreciate any help and suggestions of what to see on the way.

thanks

Andre

 

[Wapping]

The A26 is non-toll as it leaves / approaches Calais.

It then becomes / ceases to be a toll road at about J3 if I recall correctly.

===

What to see between Calais, the Stelvio, the R de GA and back to Calais? Well, there's a question.

Buy a good guide book and flick through it some time before next year, is my suggestion.

Which one to buy?

Rough Guide to France is good.

The Greem Michelin Guide to France (or individual areas) is good, too.

 

[seadog]

you could always take the E42 down from dunkerque? did this one on monday as an alternative to the 26, good road.


cheers
mike

 

[Rasher]

I always use the A26 when going to Alps / Black Forest and although I cannot remember the costs I know it is not extortionate (i.e. worth the price to get along quickly)

I think some route planning sites show you the costs, try Via Michelin if the price bothers you, but compared to cost of fuel / ferries / accomodation any tolls pale into insignificance.

 

[Piaf]

http://about-france.com/travel.htm

 

[stolzy]

Calais->Reims on the autoroute, then Nancy and a play in the Vosges, across the Rhein to Freiburg then Zurich via the Black Forest.

Then you've a million options crossing the Alps.

How could you not have fun.

 

[Rasher]

How could you not have fun.

+1

The A26 is handy to get you as far as the Vosges / Black Forest area in a day as opposed to taking two days on less than brilliant back roads, even if you think you have loads of time you could spend weeks in the Alps without covering the same routes, so using the A26 for a day each way buys you another two days in biking heaven

 

[czwotzit]

Thanks for the speedy response everyone.

I've been on the via michelin route planner and tried the various routes to stelvio and really have settled for the 'sightseeing' option route. I've also used mapsource to fine tune the route. It was just the question really of the toll roads - I'm torn between getting there quickly and ignoring the french countryside or taking my time and enjoying the ride. The main reason for going is for photography which is my main hobby so i'm looking for those historic or landscape views.
I've got john hermanns book on 'the alps' etc and can hardly wait for next june/july to go around the various alpine passes and all those hairpins so i'd welcome any suggestions for those' off the beaten track' or special roads that make the journey one to remember.

thanks again


Andre

 

[Wapping]

You have used a PC to plot your routes.

The same PC is full of websites, crammed full of information. Why not be really daring and look a couple of photographic centred websites to see what might come up.

Get a map and look at it.

Get a couple of decent guide books and look at them. Is there anything in them that sparks even the remotest idea of what might be fun to see over the nearly 2500 miles of your intended journey?

You have a year, try and dream up something imaginative just as you would when taking a picture.

PS Once more, the Michelin Green Guide and / or The Rough Guide will have lots of ideas of things to see and things to photograph. Go into a bookshop and have a look. Have a look at the multiple trip reports and / or 'What should I see?' threads on UKGSer.

In short, stop being lazy.

PPS

Here's a website to maybe start you going: http://www.les-plus-beaux-villages-de-france.org/en

Here's another http://www.worldphotolocations.com/locationindex.phtml?country_id=1070724682250

and another: http://www.bestbikingroads.com/show_routes_in_selected_province.php?code3=804

Here's book that may have some ideas, perhaps?http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/02132006100551MWECP8.htm I have no idea if it is any good, I tripped over it when looking for 'Best motorbiking roads in France' on Google......

I found those four in under five minutes just by making up Google search requests..... in 365 days you will have found loads, for sure.

 

[Rasher]

I used the Herman book and rode to the Stelvio taking in two other locations in his book, I posted details here:

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=247181

My tips would be:-

The Andermatt Loop (trips 1&2 combined) about as packed a day of riding you will find anywhere in the world, 5 amazing passes in 150 easy miles.

The Splugen Pass was pretty special (trip 37) and in reach from the Stelvio, you can do a nice loop and take in the Albula at the same time (Instead of faster Julia - Trip 38) we did the "missing" passes from combining those trips (Julier and Fluella) by riding them on the way in and out of Stelvio area.

I also really enjoyed the route around Mont Blonc (trip 13)

Read through the book and see what takes your fancy, we did not go looking for the gnarliest roads as we were on a ZZR and GTR but there are loads of unpaved roads around and narrow passes - for example the Gavia which we left off last year, but would be a fantastic GS road.

 

[czwotzit]

Rasher

I had already been through your post and many of the others on the forum and its really what got the juices going to go there. As you say there's so much to see and ride that you can spend a lifetime going around the place.

Its those hidden gems that aren't in the various tourist guides or on websites which is why I posed the question in the first place from those on the forum who have 'been there - done that' compared to my single trip down tho Millau and back two years ago.

Wapping

As you say i've got a year to do the research and at the moment the trip is only in the ideas stage of where to go and what to see.

Thanks for the links they will prove most useful

Andre

 

[Wapping]

Every gem, hidden or otherwise, will be displayed in the Michelin Green guides, trust me.

Michelin do countrywide books for France and Italy, the two countries you plan to visit. They then publish more detailed guides for specific areas, Provence for instance or The Alps or the Dolomites.

Each book is laid out in a logical sequence, with mapped routes to drive / ride to see many of them. Also included are suggested hotels and restaurants; these can be augmented via the Michelin Red guide or assorted websites and other guides.

Get you carcass down to Waterstones or your local library and start to look at some. Then armed with a map, mark out some that may suit your vague itinerary.

You should have it all finished in a few days, leaving you perhaps 11 months to find out some more.

 

[jtb]

I've also used mapsource to fine tune the route.

Just for the avoidance of doubt - I wouldn't use mapsource as your primary route planner, it can do some odd things. I made this mistake a couple of weeks ago trying to quickly create a brief circular route on the fly near Mont Blanc - it (mapsource) gave me a route up a track that although it might have been physically doable, was clearly marked with 'no vehicles' signs once you got there, grrr. It's hard to beat the Michelin maps for straightforward route planning - if the roads on there, you can get through.

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[Wapping]

MapSource works fine.

Set your preferences properly and / or take care when using the route tool.

 

[czwotzit]

thanks for all the info. As for mapsource I did have a problem when i went down to Millau, part of the route was a footpath so by changing the parameters and avoiding 'unpaved' sorted the issue. I tend to use google earth and street view to check over sections of the route to see where to park etc which is how i found the footpath problem.

Thanks again Wapping - i'll be off to my local waterstones to find the green books

regards

Andre

 

[jtb]

MapSource works fine.

Set your preferences properly and / or take care when using the route tool.

Hmmm. Maybe its a zumo thing. I've got unpaved roads checked as an avoidance on my 550 - but it still tried to take me down a dead-end road and through a public park in Paris last night...

cheers
Jimmy

 

[degsey]

I paid about 40 euro all the way down a couple of weeks ago

 

[Rasher]

I now use Tyre for initial route planning as it is a million times easier to use then Mapsource, it is compatible with all GPS devices and free!

http://www.tyre.tk/

This uses google maps for planning your routes and is far easier to drag your route, quickly add waypoints etc. I find the Mapsource maps difficult to read and hard to distinguish between minor and major roads.

Once I am happy with tyre route(s) I upload them into Mapsource and check them over - Mapsource has a crap habbit of placing your waypoints slightly off where you wanted them (like 10 yards up a side road, or on the wrong carriageway) and although Tyre is much better I still zoom in to every waypoint once in Mapsource to ensure none of thi sillyness.

As for Gems, some just happen as if by magic on any bike tour and are not in certain locations, for me getting a few inches of snow at the side of a gloriously hot Stelvio road was a real Gem - hard to gaurantee or plan for!

 

[czwotzit]

When I went to the Tyre web site recently (following a previous post) It was saying that it was for Tom Tom only? I need to have a closer look because I agree with you about Mapsource.

Andre

 

[czwotzit]

Just downloaded Tyre and its all you say it is. Far better than mapsource and it transfers directly to the satnav unit too. Thanks for the pointer

Andre