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 Topic: 3 Week France Road Trip
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11/9/2015 at 11:16am
Location: Warwickshire
Outfit: Talbot Express Autosleeper
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Joined: 10/7/2004 Diamond Member 
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Back in the 70's our family used to hitch up the caravan and we'd spend 3 weeks in August touring France, down into Andorra, Monaco, Spain, Switzerland and Italy (not all in the same trip!). We'd spend most nights camped on lay-bys, aires de repose, etc, and the van would barely be unhitched from the car for the whole time, only a few nights when we were on sites. We'd get into a daily routine and although we only ever had 3 weeks we could have just gone on and on like that, different day a different place. After Spain or Italy when we crossed back into France we considered we were home, so comfortable with the French way of life we were.
Back then it was easy, seemed like all the Europeans camped or had caravans and caravanners were far better cstered for and tolerated by other drivers. Everyone was so friendly and helpful everywhere you went.
We'd always leave space in the petrol tank so that we could stop and buy some fuel and use the loos or fill up with water. And we kept off the motiorways - in most cases a motorway more or less followed the route of an older 'N' road which would be more scenic and not much slower than using the motorway. And we'd still typically manage around 200 miles a day even with stops to visit towns & villages. The journey was the thing, not the destination. Sometimes we would go onto the peage for a short section just to use the aire de repose or aire de picnic as an overnight stop. Worked out cheaper than campsites and quicker to stop and get away. And we never felt threaghtened or in danger (except one aire in Italy where a load of rough looking gypsies turned up in the morning and everyone else stopped there overnight made a rapid exit!)
However, that was in the late 70's and early 80's, possibly more innocent times? Haven't done that sort of thing for some years now so not sure what it's like now, hope it's still possible to do it that way.
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TrickyWoo
I've got a Dragon and I'm not afraid to use it !!
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12/9/2015 at 5:07pm
Location: North Essex
Outfit: Caravelair Alba 400
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If you want to drive around France for 3wks parking and sleeping where you want then you can. Nobody is bothered if you overnight on supermkt carparks, laybys etc. Off site sleeping with caravan or motorhome is easier in France than most other countries.
However tent camping needs a campsite & there is no problem finding overnight campsites, no booking required, campsites clearly signposted as you go through towns. As for itinery, nobody can really advise that on the info the op has given.
A non toll reasonably direct route Calais-Carcasonne could be Calais, Abbeville, Rouen, Chartres, Orleans, Vierzon, Chateauroux, Limoges, Brive-la-Galliarde, Toulouse, Carcasonne. It does contain some toll rds but you can take the old national routes than run beside the toll sectiions. Doable and back in 3wks and plenty to see enroute. The op can now do some reasearch based on that.
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