Towing from Calais to Perpignan
Hi All,
We are hoping to travel from Calais to Perpingnan in August whilst towing our caravan. Having had a look at routes we are really unsure of the best route to take. My wife is quite a nervous passenger and wants reassurance that we wont be heading up or down any steep or narrow mountains!
If anyone can offer any advise it would be greatly appreciated. We have driven down to the South of France before but this will be our first time towing.
Thanks in advance!
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....shod you use the toll motorways, it could very well be worthwhile getting an Liber-t Toll Tag (https://www.sanef.com/en/assistance/my-libert-t-toll-tag) or an Emovis Tag (https://www.emovis-tag.co.uk).
We used to find these were useful at the peage especially with a caravan on the back. Sometimes it's difficult to get close to the booth to pay out of the window, having to be aware that the caravan sticks out further than the car.
David
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If you stick to the eastern side of France and stay on the motorways then you'll avoid any mountains passes.
If you go through the centre you may have to work your way round Paris, perhaps, and then straight through the Auvergne area which does have mountains but you won't have to climb anything apart from slight inclines in the main roads as the main route goes through the valleys. East is best. Bear in mind that the French holiday en masse in August so try not to travel at the weekend if you can help it.
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Buy big paper map showing motorways, unfold map on kitchen table, choose from that. All motorways are safe for nervous passengers.
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There are basically two main routes from Calais to Perpignan. Calais/Lyon/Perpignan which is the main toll motorway south, it also avoids Paris. Alternatively the Calais/Rouen/Millau/Perpignan which would be my choice as much of it does not have tolls. However it is a more challenging route as it climbs to about 1100 metres above sea level. Going south the climb is quite gentle but going north (south of Millau) it is steeper and more twisty. If you have a reasonable power to weight ratio it will cause you no problems at all but that doesn't account for what your wife will enjoy it. Have a look at this link http://www.davidklyne.co.uk/the_route_south_2.html which illustrates both routes on a map and also includes campsites we have stayed at en route over the years.
David
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Here’s a much simplified map from a website called About-France.com. It’s well worth a look and to read through for information about routes and stopovers
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If you are happy to pay the tolls then without question the route via Reims and Lyon is the simplest and one we have used many times. There is a longish bypass around Lyon but depending on the time of day it can be quicker to take the old motorway route through the middle.
Be aware that if you take the alternative route on the map above (which we have also done many times) then the non-motorway section around Chartres is tedious and a bit of a nightmare. Also the toll-free A75 has very few stopping places. With the autoroutes you get what you pay for. Millau is a good stopping place with several excellent sites.
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You don’t say what your time scales are but while I agree with David re the Mileau route personally, given the time of year I would go via Rouen, Le Mans and to Poitiers on the motorway then the N10 from Poitiers to Bordeaux (no tolls, dual carriageway and it takes less time towing) then pick up the motorway again down to Toulouse and on to your destination.
tolls will be just over £110 each way so not cheap but flat and apart from Rouen easy to negotiate. This is my wife’s preferred route with the van - she drives all the way and I get the last 10 metres onto the pitch at stops!
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I too have travelled to Perpignan on many occasions - my brother lives in a wine village just outside Beziers.
My preferred route is Rouen, Chartres, Orleans, Vierzon, Limoges, Toulouse and then Perpignan. I find the route via Lyons is usually much busier with HGVs.
An easy route avoiding most of the traffic holdups in Rouen is via the D6015 which follows the east bank of the Seine. If you set your Satnav to cross the Seine at Igooville (co-ordinates 49.307746, 1.158513) you can then follow the N154 to Chartres and beyond.
A handy campsite 140 miles from Calais is Camp Eure at Pont de l'Arche, a charming small town a 5 minute stroll away.
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But you have to get through Rouen and then to near Orleans before you get to the autoroute. I really hate that section (even in the motorhome) and for first time towers it is not ideal. We tried to stop for lunch somewhere around Chartres and it was a total nightmare finding parking. I am tempted to go via Paris but uncertain of the route. Too many bad experiences of the Peripherique I guess!
I know that regulars prefer the Rouen route but, trust me, if you don’t mind the tolls then Lyon is best.
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Hitchglitch An alternative after Rouen is to stay on the A28 motorway to Le Mans and Tours. Then to cut across using the D943 via Loches (bypassed but has a popular campsite within a stroll of that attractive little town). It is quite a decent road to reach Chateauroux and joins the A20 motorway there - and then continue south on that motorway.
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Thanks. That sounds worth a try. Have done Poitiers to Limoges and that’s tedious. Several times we have gone south via Reims and Lyon to Gard/Provence and come back through the Lot to Aurillac and Tulle then stopping in or around Millau. Don’t mind the slow sections in the attractive regions but when you are on your way back you want the quickest and simplest route to Rouen.
Just one tip to surviving Rouen on the return. Stay on the motorway well into Rouen until the sign for Calais. There is a small toll on that section (about 3 euros?) but it crosses the river and leads to a dual carriageway and relatively quick escape from the city.
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Toby
Why would you go via Bordeaux (unless you like expensive wine) - N147 from Poitiers to A20 at Limoges, or D943 from Tours to A20 at Chateauroux. BDX just adds a lot more miles.
Or Rouen, then A13 towards Paris but leave at J7 towards Rambouillet on N10, joining A10 towards Orleans - then A20 south.
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I,ve done this trip several times, although I usually take a couple of weeks to get to Perpingnan or Beziers, as I am not in a hurry. I think that the A75 is the way to go and you can stop off at Issoire for a nights rest. The emplacements are huge and the campsite is only just off the autoroute exit. There are no tolls on the A75, except on the Millau stretch, over the viaduct, but the views are worth the money. I try to avoid Paris, so go through Rouen, Chartres and Orleans, but rarely drive more than 250 miles, so may stay a couple of times before the A75. The first week in August is very busy on the A75 on the return trip, but 3rd and 4th week are OK.
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Some great advice above, we drove to Perpignan via the Millau viaduct whilst towing and it was a fantastic view, the descent was more than manageable, we came back that way last year in our campervan, there were some inclines that could slow progress but again the view and scenery was worth it.
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Last time I crossed the viaduct it was about 9 Euros I think so if the timing works it makes it economical to stay in Millau and bypass the bridge. Also you get a better view of the viaduct on the descent into Millau. You can’t see it when you cross it!
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The simplest route to Perpignan, and possibly the quickest, is down the A26 towards Rheims and keep heading south. Peage all the way so no 30kph limits or roundabouts, and plenty of full-service or basic aires to rest at. As a motorhomers we get fuel at supermarkets when we leave the autoroute for our overnight stops - difficult for caravans?
One good overnight stop is near Beaune - Camping les Bouleaux. - you can leave your van hitched in drive through emplacements if you wish.
Head for Reims,Troyes,Dijon, Lyon (Rocade Est to Marseille), then Nimes, Montpellier, Narbonne, Perpignan.
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Definitely agree that this is the simplest route. The OP said this was the first time towing with a nervous passenger. Would you really choose to go through Rouen and then N roads to Chartres? Also the A75 is hilly and there are no official Aires from what I recall. Go the simplest and direct route outbound then think about something different on the return if more confident with the towing.
Definitely worth considering buying an Autoroute tag. It’s not much fun first time towing having to lean out of the window and feed tickets and credit cards into the machine. Chances are you won’t stop near enough to the machine due to the width of the caravan so then your passenger has to get out of the car whilst a queue of angry Frenchmen build up behind. Been there, got the T shirt!
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But the OP is going in August when the traffic and delays on the A7 are notorious. Heaven help them if they go that way at a weekend in summer. They need the quietest route at that time of year, not the busiest.
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All the routes mentioned have their advantages and disadvantages. The Lyon route probably an easier tow but south of Lyon very busy. The Millau route more of a challenge towing wise but likely to be not as busy. The Limoges/Toulouse route has one advantage in that it limits the amount of time on the coastal motorway which I have always found to be quite windy because it is high above sea level. Until the OP returns to give us his thoughts its difficult to provided more information. When contemplating more alpine routes and mountain passes I tend to search out videos on YouTube which give a pretty good impression of the routes. Not sure if they are available for the routes we have been discussing here. It might also be useful to have some indication of the OP's experience of towing in Europe?
David
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I’m not sure it would be that bad if you can stick to the main N route through and onto the A13. Unfortunately when we towed through the main bridge over the Seine was closed and we were shunted onto normal town roads with no diversion signage. Traffic was a nightmare. Sat nav tried its best but put us in a bus Lane over the river with cameras. Never did get a fine though.😀
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The route following the east bank of the Seine on the D6015 had a lot of work carried out a few years back to engineer the road as a through route. It passes through some quite attractive riverside suburbs and I certainly wouldn't class it as difficult even for a first timer.
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Yes, the road along the North bank of the Seine is good and quite fast with several cheap fuel stations. Assuming it is just as simple outward as it is return (I have only done the South to North route) then you continue on the D6015 until you come to the Autoroute/link where there is a small toll (unless it’s changed recently).
Agree that if you chose the wrong weekend to go south via Lyon it could be extremely busy although the Paris section of the A6 is the worst and you are missing that until you get to Beaune. Also the Lyon bypass is usually busy with lorries but straightforward.
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That's the route I used to use for years. Cheaper than autoroutes all the way and a nice change from the drone of the autoroute. Used to stop at a nice little municipal just before the Millau viaduct which was very cheap and, if timed right, you got to join in the locals party on the site as well.
Can't remember the site name I'm afraid, just tried finding it on google earth as well but no luck unfortunately but the route is still a good one.
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