cidermonster.
no we didnt go via the millau,(you just as well be on a plane if you could do that)
we just put via reims in route finder, and skip that bit when driving.
we have just had the 2009 price guide from northern holidays(sunways),
to go to the hotel next to the one we went too,4 star half board, second thrid week of june £355.00
very tempting.

Angelica,
Certainly, the ViaMichelin guide recommends the paris route, although i'm more familiar with the Reims route as i've done that one so many times in the bus!!! I do fancy the Millau bridge, however maybe i'd do the return leg on the other route, as Orange is a nice stop, plus i love going through Lyon
Hi-de-hi ... you obviously aint seen this Scot then!!
Actually, Glasgow is a good test, as it's one of those twisty turny urban motorways, with regular exits left AND right .. mind you, nothing compares to Paris i guess!!

Mind you the two times I negotiated Glasgow were not in the Rush hour. One was at midnight driving a minibus and trailer and the other was at 6am in the morning on a Saturday. So not typlical times.

We did the Millau bridge a few years back. sadly it was in the mother of all thunder storms so we couldn't get to the viewing point (without being drown) and we couldnt see anything off the bridge as we were in the clouds!

Is there a viewing poing near the bridge, hi de hi??? Tell me more
I'm thinking of doing a two resort holiday, maybe a week in Castell Montgri, then a week at La Siesta in CDP .... i love both campsites!

As it stands at the mo, i think i'd do a Friday drive down, stay a night on the south coast, pop over on the ferry or tunnel, then drive down and stay a night in south of France, arriving at resort Sunday morning, then do the reverse on the way back

Alternatively, i may even look at taking 3 weeks off, even better

As you approach the bridge from the North there is a slip road leading to a car park. From there you have a walk over a hill to the panorama point. about 1000m I think the sign said. Sadly it was raining absolute stair rods when we pulled in. We waited about half an hour for the rain to ease but it didn't. As we had a long way still to go we didn't fancy sitting in puddles for the rest of the trip. It is free as far as I could see.

Still considering this for next year, especially since we didn't pick up a cheapie this year

Looking at routes again, and i still fancy the Millau route. Yes, it means i have to negotiate Paris, but considering you have to think about Road Tolls, the A75 (with the exception of the bridge) is a free motorway and you don't get many of those in France!!

Still can't decide on how to approach the journey though, in terms of stops. Probably do the overnight Eurotunnel to save a few quid, i'm assuming that during the quieter season you can probably pick up an overnight stay at one of these F1 hotels, etc, no probs?

CiderMonster, I think what you have to consider these days is the cost of driving down here against flying and renting a car when you are here. Before I lived here I used to drive down every year from the London area and it was about 1000 miles from door to door and the return journey including ferry, tolls petrol etc was about £600 which did not include an over night stop and that was 6 years ago.
Personnel I did not stop over night just had a sleep in the car at motorway services etc and the whole journey used to take about 14 hours.

With todays low cost air fares from Easyjet and Ryanair provided you book early can work out a lot cheaper. Small car rental will cost you between £250 and £350 for a week depending of course on how many are in your party.

A good guide is to have a look here there you can look at each route in turn and provided you know the rough MPG of your car it will work out the return cost then add the tunnel and hotel cost etc.

Looking at routes again, and i still fancy the Millau route. Yes, it means i have to negotiate Paris, but considering you have to think about Road Tolls, the A75 (with the exception of the bridge) is a free motorway and you don't get many of those in France!!

You don't have to do that way you can now follow the A26 out of Calais all the way to Bethune which will by pass Paris. My son did that route one year and he said driving over that bridge was out of this world and up in the clouds, well I suppose it must be as it is over 1Kim high from road to valley floor.

Still can't decide on how to approach the journey though, in terms of stops. Probably do the overnight Eurotunnel to save a few quid, i'm assuming that during the quieter season you can probably pick up an overnight stay at one of these F1 hotels, etc, no probs?
Still considering this for next year, especially since we didn't pick up a cheapie this year

Still can't decide on how to approach the journey though, in terms of stops. Probably do the overnight Eurotunnel to save a few quid, i'm assuming that during the quieter season you can probably pick up an overnight stay at one of these F1 hotels, etc, no probs?

My son drove down the year before last and he used a F1 hotel and he said they were very good value for money. Quite strange how you get you key it's like going to a drive through bank only you deal with a machine like the good old hole in the wall at banks state what you want and in coughs out you room key instead of money

Thanks a1gjv

Unfortunately i don't fly, but i will be doing the sums and comparing the cost of taking my own car, compared to a coach holiday for next year along with rental of a car

Just something nice about saying i had taken the car once, probably just something i'd only do as a one off. Luckily you had around a 400 mile start on me with your location, not sure whether i will go all the way to Spain or maybe think around somewhere in the southwest of France?

Cider Monster.

When we did the Millau route we crossed on the ferry to Calais early doors then went via Paris on the periferique. We did our first overnight at Clermond Ferrand. Then we drove the A75 and bridge stopping for the second night at the Formule 1 at Narbonne. We then crossed the border using the Corniche road around the coast.

Thinking of resurrecting this for 2010 and my wife might be able to get three weeks off, and i could turn this into a bit of an adventure
So, if anyone is going this year, let me know how you get on

Sorry we are driving to Italy this year.

Cheapest crossing we found was Norfolk lines Dover/Dunkirk. £48 return in August!

Last twice we have gone over we have taken the Seacat Dover/Boulogne but when we were booking they were in administration. I think they are trading again now having being bought out by Norfolk Line. They were the cheapest fares when we took them and the crossing is about 50 minutes. The A16 out of Boulogne takes to straight to Paris.

Crossing the French Spanish border can be a pain on a Saturday so we have always had an overnight on the Fiday close to the border (Narbonne or Beziers) then driven over the border on the corniche road bypassing Colioure. A really pretty route and not usually busy. You can be at Blanes by lunchtime. We usually stop at one of the small resorts on the Spanish side for elevenses.

Thanks again, i'll look into that border crossing, sounds lovely

Looking at it so far, i'd probably overnight the journey down through the UK (the worst area for roads!) and book into a travel lodge / hotel on the south coast, get in nice and early at 2pm and grab a sleep.

Then i'd get a night / early morning Chunnel, and drive down through France. Now, i do plan on going down the Millau route, and use an F1 for an overnight stop to keep the costs down, but most of the F1 hotels on the traditional Autoroute du Soleil route However, funny you should mention it but i was looking at Beziers for my next stop, which would leave me with a nice comfortable 3-4hr drive the following day

Is the drive from Calais to Beziers over ambitious for one driver, albeit someone who loves driving?

It can be done. Probably about 700 miles I would have thought. Get an early start off the boat/train, be lucky with the traffic on the Periferique, keep your foot down and don't have any delays at the tolls and you should get to Beziers by the early evening. However if you want to stop at the Millau then you would need an hour (perhaps time for a picnic)?

When driving the Periferique make sure you plan where you want to come off. The exits are pretty easy to spot but make sure you know ther names of the couple of exits prior to the one you want so that you are not taken by surprise and are in the wrong lane (it can be awkward to change at short notice). If you get on the Periferiqe from the A26/A1 then there is little difference clockwise or anti clockwise. If you come down the A16 then go anti clockwise. The A16 brings you in through St Germaine past the huge footy stadium.

Last time I did it a tank of diesel took me from Birmingham to Clermond Ferrand. I filled up in CF and then reached Blanes with half a tank left. We have friends that live just outside Ashford so we usually visit them and overnight with them, get up early and get the ferry about 5 ish.

From Beziers you want to go on the A9 to about Narbonne then come off and head for Argeles sur Mer. Pick up the coast road (corniche) towards Colioure. By pass Colioure (you have to take a turn to get to it) then just follow the road. Eventually it brings you out on the main road to Gerona.

Having looked at the maps previously, i would probably do A26 / A1 to get to Paris, and i have to admit that whilst i have no time (or need) for satnav, i might just be tempted for getting around Paris!!!

That coast road looks real nice, that might be tempting if we aren't in too much of a rush to get there. One other option i was looking at was possibly making this a two stop holiday, and had planned to try two different campsites in Spain, but there is also the possibly of spending a week in the south of France, possibly Canet Plage or Antibes, would also help slightly shorten the return journey
Hopefully Interbrava will take us down the Millau route in a few weeks, that will let me gauge the route for myself

i did the millau route by car a few years ago, just before the bridge was open.
we drove to a little village just outside monpelier.
we got ferry about 7am and took the peage at every opportunity. we stopped every 3-4 hours for a break (petrol/drinks etc), did not try to break the speed limit, and we were in our accommodation by 9.30pm.
a friend of mine who travels the route regularly reckons that the new bridge takes at least 1 hour off the journey time.

Cheers Jim, sounds good
I've had it confirmed that i will be going that route so i'm looking forward to it .... will be a nice change and will hopefully help if i decide to go that way next year

One year we had our first overnight in Boulogne. We have friends in Ashford, kent and they were having a birthday party. So we went down for the party, stayed all afternoon (had to stick to soft drinks though) then caught the 9pm catamaran and stayed in the ETAP in the middle of boulogne. Then we were on the road early doors next day.

This year we are driving down to our friends on the Wednesday, staying with them overnight and getting the ferry early on Thursday morning (6am). Then our route takes us from Dunkirk, through Belgium, Luxembourg, France. Overnight stop in Colmar (France) then across into Switzerland, through the Alps, second overnight in Cremona (Italy) and then get to the appartment in the Tuscany mountains on the Saturday. Return journey has first overnight in Colmar and second in Dunkrik getting the boat back next day.

I have already entered all the hotels etc into the Sat Nav! Not going till August!

Since getting lost in Paris on our first time drive to the Costa Brava we have since (approx 7 times) always driven via Boulogne, Rouen, Evereux, Dreux, Chartres and join the A10 at Orleans.
This journey is almost non toll until Orleans with excellent N roads thus making it very cost effective. We live in Derbyshire and would stop in Ashford overnight (Fri) catch an early morning shuttle or ferry, stop in Clermont Ferrand for the second night (Sat) and then straight through to the CB the next day arriving Sunday approx 4pm. The Millau Bridge is a must and certainly has taken a good hour off the journey though I did used to enjoy the drive down into Millau then the climb back up and we usually stopped for lunch there.
Hubby always drove, I was willing but was never requested to do so. It is tiring but part of the adventure.
For the past two years we have flown and hired a car and will be doing so again this year. I would like to drive again, perhaps when the kids have flown the nest.

That's funny, i bump into a couple from Yorkshire each year who drive down, and they pretty much do the same route, except they get the ferry to Dieppe

I think i have pretty much the same idea as you. I'd stop overnight on the south coast so i could get an early morning crossing (chunnel probably) and then take the route you mention above. I'm either gonna stop at Clermont-Ferrand, or push it on all the way to Beziers, but that's probably pushing it too much!