Hi. We are going to the Vendee May. Ferry booked and site booked. I haven't done France for years, so can anyone point me to the best info? Do I need SatNav. Celebrating our bus pas year!! Any advice will be appreciated.
------------- Geeljay
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The route is straightforward, all motorway & French roads are well signposted. All you need is a map & to know the names of major towns on your route & follow the signs. You can buy a Michelin France road atlas in the UK & that has always done me. If you are ok with navigating with a map then no need to buy a satnav if you don't want to spend the money.
Even the campsites are well signposted, when you get near you should see the 'camping' sign & often the name of the campsite signposted from several miles out.
If you click here you can use this site to enter your departure and destination points and get route etc planned ... you get an indication of motorway toll costs, fuel costs, estimated trip times etc etc. And you can select way points (if you want to), or alternative routes avoiding motorways etc.
Don't take the times as gospel ... but they give a pretty good indication .. you can add in whether you are towing a caravan, or not ... so it makes various allowances for your specific needs.
From Roscoff take the N12 to Rennes, then the N137 to Nantes. Last year we took this route back, but on the way we cut across to the N165 & went past Vannes to Nantes. It was a lovely drive, but took forever!
Have a good holiday.
We have done it every time without a SatNav despite once ending up in the middle of Nantes with a caravan on the back. As you come down the N137 to Nantes you need to follow the signs to Bordeaux you will then be able to exit the peripherique onto the correct road to the Vendee. The approach to La Roche-sur-Yon has a number of new roads being built so depending where in the Vendee you are going if you are going that way I would double check on the internet and make sure your map is up-to-date. We appear to have muddled through on four or five occasions, so it can be done! Good luck - have a wonderful holiday.
------------- Dartmoor Camper
Managed to persuade husband that we can go back to a caravan!
Booked 2014
Feb in Looe
Aug Camping Du Vieux Verger
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Hope so. We have taken on board all the info above. This site always seems to have the knowledge we need to make our hols better, and though we have been camping and caravanning for years, we still learn on every adventure. Thanks, happy camping.
Quote: Originally posted by Baguette95 on 10/4/2014Also, I find Michelin route planner the best route, map, timings & costings.
Bombed Vacances!
Just interested, we didn't do France last year but when we do we usually take an overnight stop at Pontchateau, Chateau de Deffay, so we cross country and take the N165, once on N165 it's about 117 miles to Deffay. Some of our friends say we should go by Rennes and that it is a nice drive but for us we just want to get from A to B quickly. So which route would you take, we will be towing an Affinity 530.
Also does anyone know if the main carpark at the ferry port in Roscoff has reopened now that the construction on the new marina is finished.
Post last edited on 10/04/2015 15:15:43
------------- A. B.
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Hi Ards Boy, we go over the moorland going south from Roscoff, taking the D769, by passing Gourin on the way, towards Lorient, to pick up the N165 there. Is that the route you mean?
The Brittany Ferries website, which was previously saying there was no overnight caravan parking at the port, is now saying that there is a small overnight caravan parking area near the embarkation lines.
Though there are several overnight sites around Roscoff that we use instead - usually the municipal at Plougoulm village because we can get in and out at all times of day and night - although it's only open for a short season.