The Grande Plan
Well I've drafted out some ideas for our Summer break in France. Apologies for the length of this!! Just my wife (Carol), youngest daughter (Anna) and myself. Our eldest daughter and her boyfriend just could come and join us for some of the holiday, but Thomas - our eldest son will stay at home with his girlfriend to 'House-sit' LOL.
Although we've been to some of the proposed sites, many we haven't, so any personal experience about them would be useful. The whole thing could change several times though, between now and then
DAY 1: Travel from home to Folkestone to catch overnight Eurotunnel train (198miles)
DAY 2: Travel from Calais overnight, using an aire if necessary, direction south keeping west of Paris, heading for the Loire for an overnight stop at the end of day 2 – probably somewhere like Camping Municipal d’Olivet, at Olivet just south of Orleans (267 miles)
DAY 3: Travel from Olivet. South to somewhere like Fleurat (Camping Les Boueix), between Chateauroux and Limoges to meet up with my sister for a few days. (151 miles) Stay here 3 nights.
DAY 6: Travel from Fleurat, across Central Massif (via Clemont-Ferrand) to south of Lyon, somewhere like Camping Le Bontemps, Vernioz. (241 miles) Just one night stay.
DAY 7: Travel from Fleurat to Aubignan, Nr Carpentras. Stay at Camping Le Bregoux, Aubignan. (118 miles) 4 night stay.
DAY 11: Travel from Aubignan to Frejus for main stay. Probably use the very expensive Camping L’Etoile D’Argens. (132 miles). 14 nights
DAY 25: Travel from Frejus to Geneva, probably staying at Camping La Columbiere, Neydens (France). (342 miles) 5 nights.
DAY 30: Travel from Neydens to east of Paris (teenage daughter just ‘must go to Paris’). Probably staying at Touquin, Camping Les Etang Fleuris. (311 miles) 3 nights
DAY 33: Travel from Touquin to Camping Burgen, at Burgen on the Mosel in Germany, just north of Cochem (314 miles) 3 nights
DAY 36: Travel from Burgen back to Calais to catch the late evening ferry (367 miles)
DAY 37: Drive straight home (198 miles) or stop over somewhere for an extra night. Arrive home Day 37/38
I will certainly book L'Etoile Argens.
Any thoughts? Anyone want to talk me out of it? Does anyone know what the roads are like between Fleurat, across Central Massif (via Clemont-Ferrand) down to the Rhone? That is A714 around Montlucon to Clemont-Ferrand via the A71, then basically the A72 down into St Etienne. Is it really about 150 miles of uphill?? It there much respite? This is the most unknown part of the journey for me!
David