Calling Wapping!!! Ideas West Coast of France -> RDGA -> West Coast.......
Thank you Richard for going above and beyond with the recommendations. The route above is what kurviger thrown together for me and I have had similar propositions for the place to stay. However, I felt that the route was somewhat following our inbound journey albeit in reverse. So not really keen on repeating similar roads or locations as much as possible.
Wesses options are good, but as he has already mentioned, I will have in my care a "self loading luggage" to keep an eye and a keen ear on. Allot to go over and to make up my mind. That 726 map is a must purchase. Although I do have in my possession other (red) Michelin paper maps to look at too.
This second option you come up with isn't to shabby, but then it will leave Leadfarmer out the equation, especially as he has kindly offered to put a kettle on. We also be coming across Morvan on our way to RDGA from the direction of Nevers, on day two, but that's ok. My only gripe would be, having to deal with Lyon cluster, as I have done so in the past and you are correct to say, that taking the motorway, is the best option in order to leave the area behind as quickly as possible.
Once again, I thank you for the time you put in to reply and to suggest, I will take some time to mull over the options and to play about with the maps.
EV
The trouble with Cherbourg, is that it’s at the back end of nowhere. Once I was in Rencurel, on the eastern side of France, I’d have looked at returning via Calais. In other words, turning the jaunt into a crudely shaped U, with Caen and Calais at the ends. But hey, it is what it is and it looks like a great trip, EV.
I’m with Wessie on the idea of having one sacrificial day on a motorway, as it gives you more flexibility somewhere else in the holiday. For example, I once went on a great D road jaunt that would inevitably find myself in Dijon at around lunchtime. I knew I had to be in Calais by early evening to catch the train home. Rather than alter everything else, I just bit the bullet and joined the motorway after a quick lunch and was in Calais in time to catch my train. But, if that’s a no go idea, let’s look at what’s doable.
Antibes to Rencurel is (depending on which way you go) not less than 250 miles and not much over 300, so that’s OK, Rencurel to Cherbourg is (again depending on which way you go) is between 550 and 800 miles. Your ferry departure from Cherbourg is fixed for noon, meaning you probably need to be there by 10 AM, so a run in to the port that morning of no more than two to two and half hours is probably your only option. The challenging bit is just to break up the 550 to 800 miles between Rencurel and, say, Caen in two days, in order to have half a day to catch the ferry home.
Do you definitely want a day off or spent doing the the Vercours? I only ask, as sacrificing a day off there gives you a full extra day for Rencurel to Cherbourg’s 550 to 800 miles. If you do and it’s got to be two days to get to, say, Caen, then I’d look at roughly:
Day one: Rencurel to say Bourges, which is 250 miles
Day two: Bourges to Caen, which is again roughly 250 miles
All avoiding motorways but not taking every goat track.
Then your half day from Caen to Cherbourg.
That looks about right. It’s broadly the same as Wessie’s. That’s not surprising, as the route (assuming two days) has to be roughly a diagonal from the centre of the clock hands at Rencurel, out on an almost straight diagonal to Caen at roughly 10 o’clock.
For planning any decent schlep across France, I always turn to the Michelin 726 map. It’s great as it cuts out all the ‘little stuff crap’. Sometimes too much detail on a map just serves to confuse. I cannot recommend it enough.
Thank you Richard for going above and beyond with the recommendations. The route above is what kurviger thrown together for me and I have had similar propositions for the place to stay. However, I felt that the route was somewhat following our inbound journey albeit in reverse. So not really keen on repeating similar roads or locations as much as possible.
Wesses options are good, but as he has already mentioned, I will have in my care a "self loading luggage" to keep an eye and a keen ear on. Allot to go over and to make up my mind. That 726 map is a must purchase. Although I do have in my possession other (red) Michelin paper maps to look at too.
But, being one to never give up on alternatives, here’s an idea. It’s a bit more two sides of a very flat triangle, than the almost straight diagonal Wessie and I have proposed.
It’s Rencurel to roughly Auxerre to Caen.
Rencurel to Auxerre is roughly 280 miles but I’d sling in some motorway (about 125 miles only) to skip past Lyon and up to say Macon. Then sort of on a diagonal to roughly Auxerre, across the western edge of the Morvan. Or, if you left Rencurel early after your day off, you could swerve a bit to the east, to go through the Morvan, which is great. Then pick up the A6 motorway west to skip into Auxerre or somewhere around there. Auxerre itself, is quite a nice town.
Auxerre to Caen is roughly 250 miles, avoiding motorways and goat tracks, so that works, too.
PS Why would I take the motorway past Lyon up to Macon? You want to miss Lyon, France’s second city if possible. It’s a great place but can be very busy. You are inevitably stuck by the Rhone river valley. You can D and N road it but they spent lots of money on building motorway for very good reasons. Accept their reasons.
Here’s what I sort of have in mind for the Rencurel to Auxerre bit:
And the bit of motorway I’d take to miss Lyon, to got to Macon:
Here’s the Morvan centre I’d maybe take:
I am doing Rencurel to Quarré-les-Tombes in the Morvan in June. I will be taking the motorway past Lyon to Macon, simply as I want to spend some time in the Morvan before arriving at my hotel. I am then returning to the UK via Verdun and Calais, whilst you’ll be heading to Cherbourg.
Here’s Auxerre to Caen, which I simply asked ViaMichelin for, setting the preferences to:
It’s actually pretty good as it avoids goat tracks. I quite like ViaMichelin as it’s routing algorithms are usually pretty good; certainly good enough to give you something to play around with.
This second option you come up with isn't to shabby, but then it will leave Leadfarmer out the equation, especially as he has kindly offered to put a kettle on. We also be coming across Morvan on our way to RDGA from the direction of Nevers, on day two, but that's ok. My only gripe would be, having to deal with Lyon cluster, as I have done so in the past and you are correct to say, that taking the motorway, is the best option in order to leave the area behind as quickly as possible.
Once again, I thank you for the time you put in to reply and to suggest, I will take some time to mull over the options and to play about with the maps.
EV
