Travelling overnight in France?
We are planning to go down with our caravan near Biarritz in September, and have already booked our ferry.
We arrive in Caen on Thursday evening at around 10pm.
In the past, we have checked into the campsite into Ouistreham and left at 8am for the south.
This time, I'm debating to drive a few hours into the night and stop off at a big motorway service station (Aire de service de la Vendée) from 2am - 6am then finish my journey by 11:30am, cutting off a day travelling off my meagre 2 week holiday.
Has anyone ever done this?
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Not that particular route but for many years we used Autoroute Aires about one hour from Calais on the A26, arriving anytime between midnight and 1.30 am. Many do not favour this practice but we never had any problems and, after all, lots of people recommend Baie de Somme which if anything is worse, being on a free section.
I would prefer the Pèage and we always used the full service stations with fuel as they are well lit. Also try and avoid being close to major towns.
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Sorry not done what you are planning as we, like AD, prefer to stay at Riva Bella if getting the late ferry (doing that at end Aug). Distance Caen to Biarritz is approx 500 miles; your plan gives you about 9 hrs actual driving time. With breaks other than your long stop it will take about 10 - 11 hours to drive to Biarritz. As you only have 2 weeks holiday, and you really want to go so far, then bash on straight through the night stopping for longish breaks every few hours (Note, I would not normally suggest this unless there are 2 drivers). Use motorway as much as possible as there is an 80 kph limit on non dual carriage roads or motorways in France!
However, do you need to go so far? Our plan for end Aug/all Sep is a week or so in Britany then down to the Lot area but we have 5 weeks. You have no need to book any site in Sep so I would recommend flexibility in your planning. Whatever you do have great trip and maybe see you on the road!
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Hi Doc, I thought your timings were a bit optimistic too, but if I were your age I too would aim for 200 miles down the motorway by 0200. The Vendee services are further than that so I would hole up in a big supermarket car park instead and sleep until their breakfast cafe opened for business in the morning rather than for a mere four hours. But then it would be destination target at 1600 rather your aim for 1130. Take care.
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I've towed down to Royan from the central channel starting point a few times. Starting first thing in a morning, anywhere further than that/Angouleme makes for a very tiring day unless you have more than one driver. Even given your "cunning plan", I very much doubt you are going to be anywhere near Biarritz by 11.30am.
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I've read lots of stories about the dangers of using aires. However, for the first time this year we chanced our arm and stayed on a full service payage aire. The bus and caravan area was full of trucks so we had to hunt around a bit for a space not next to a fridge.
We were fine. There were a lot of truck drivers around, many of whom were very friendly. We will certainly do it again on our first and last legs from and to Calais.
The thing to remember about criminals, especially chancers, is that they are basically lazy and greedy. They are not going to pay an autoroute toll, where they know that they are photographed, to steal a few quids worth of kit from a caravan when they can make far more money selling drugs to idiots. Having said that, I will not be stopping on an aire near to a big city nor one that is not full-service.
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Agree.
We occasionally had to park in the lorry area as the caravan bays were full, often with cars and sometimes with lorries. No problem but, as you say, avoid refrigerated lorries.
The other thing to watch out for is that most lorries are banned from the Autoroutes on Sundays so they park up in the Aires on Saturday night.
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Are you REALLY expecting to save a day? You may well arrive earlier but where are you going to be in your sleep cycle, Doc? I prefer to treat the journey as part of my holiday. I stay on worry free sites and treat every stop as part of my final destination. Planning an interesting route is far more enjoyable than preparing for a marathon. How do the rest of your party feel?
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We did once drive from St.Malo (overnight ferry) to just south of Bordeaux in one go. Mind you I was a lot younger and also had limited time.
You need to be fit but if you're anything like our doctors you will be overweight and stressed out.
Hope I'm wrong. If young and fit it's doable but it will take it out of you particularly if its hot. Stick to motorways and you'll get there quicker.0 -
it's perfectly doable to get to the Vendee services by 2 am from Caen, we usually do the four hours from Cherbourg to southern Nantes in that time on the same road...(2 PM - 6 pm)
its also perfectly possible to drive from the services to Biarritz in another 5 hours or so....all toll of course...
however, I'd have a longer sleep than the 4 hrs you've allowed..
say, sleep from 2am till 8 am and be showered, breakfasted and away by 9....you'll still be in Biarritz by 2 pm and a lot more refreshed than with just four hrs sleep...
good luck, enjoy your holiday...
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I'll give Toto Wolff your phone number.
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Are you seriously considering driving after less than 4 hours sleep, let alone such a journey?
Do you have 2 drivers?
Will you have driven far in England the previous day and already be tired when you reach Caen?
It is none of my business and I'm sorry if you don't like my comments but you seem to be asking for opinions from others. Advice we often see about not driving when tired is in my opinion eminently sensible. To make such a long journey if tired seems irresponsible to those in the car and to other road users.
As has already been pointed out by others you seem to be attempting a marathon trek in a very tiring way. To me it does not seem to be a relaxing holiday.
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A day less holiday or possibly several years less life. Hmm, difficult one, that.🙄
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I don't think the task was too over ambitious....but perhaps a longer 'pit stop' would be prudent, as I suggested.
when we 'head south' we usually drive from Nantes to Irun on our 2nd day, which is a fair bit farther than the OP's Service de Vendee to Biarritz.
we usually take around 7 hrs for that leg, with two breaks....(google maps estimate 5 hrs 17 mins) so my estimate of 5 hrs should ok for the shorter run (Google 4:30)
ok, we have a MH and can cruise at a fairly high speed, making better progress than a caravan, but even taking 6 hrs (90 mins more then googles estimate) with breaks at 2 hrs or 3 hrs certainly isn't life threatening...its wide open, beautifully surfaced mway, door to door.
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When you are working every day is precious so I can understand wanting to make a stop on a motorway Aire or similar and also driving as far as possible in a day. Many couples both drive so it is unfair to criticise ambitious travel plans. When younger we always stopped on an Autoroute Aire after a late night crossing. I have also driven 500 miles in a day on Autoroutes, although wouldn't recommend it.
Nowadays I find 250 miles a struggle but that’s just my age catching up! Also, being retired with no limits on time away it doesn’t make sense to rush the journey.
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Won't the OP have just done a 5 hour ferry crossing, 5 hours sitting around resting or sleeping. For many younger folk that will have given enough rest/boost to then drive for a good 5 hours.
When getting off a long overnight flight, how many of us then get in a car and drive home for us that could be 5 or 6 hours.
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I wonder if the doctor regularly gets quite so many people telling him how much sleep he should have - a kind of role reversal.
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Don't think The Doc has got much from this thread apart from a lot of negatives. As someone who is very often time limited so consequently does a lot of long distances in a short timescale travelling I would say go for it, if it's not working for you just stay longer in the aire.
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Interesting discussion, this one! We're travelling from Calais (ferry arrives 12.45 on a Wed in Aug) to the Mosel valley. With a tent I'd just get on and do it, snoozing as necessary en route, and enjoying an early breakfast on arrival. As a recent caravaner I feel more conservative for reasons I can't quite work out. What would you do, mes amis? Just the two of us, fully familiar with continental driving.
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With both of you being able to drive I would take advantage of traffic light roads and get as far as possible into the journey, if not the whole way if possible. Take a couple of coffee breaks and have a plan B for a proper stop if something untoward happens.
Again I am assuming you are fit and young enough to do it.
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Cher MFBSH. Arriving Calais 1245 so on road at say 1315. Unless you are time constrained, I would just drive for a few hours and by 5 pm have found a nice little site on which to stay the night, relax and have a nice meal. Then on Thursday have an easy drive to the Mosel. You are on holiday so why rush
.PS Fuel is cheaper in Germany than either France or Belgium.
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...and cheaper still in Luxembourg.
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Thank you for your kind responses. I tnink we'll saunter gently along into the night, calling in for fuel in Luxembourg, and stopping when we feel the need. Germany surely being the breakfast capital of the known universe, we might make it that far!
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