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hi everyone, first post on very useful message board, please be gentle!!

doing 1st family trip abroad to loire in 2nd half of august, sailing to boulogne...

but my map is a bit vague about when the A28(sorry meant A28 motorway!!), from

Rouen to Alencon, is opening...

anyone know??? also any good routes round/thru Rouen would be helpful - the only

 tricky looking bit of the journey i can see at the moment!!!

Cheers everyone

rich

Hi Rich, 

Just checked the official website for the construction project http://www.alis-sa.com/index.php and it seems the new road will be open in December 2005.   Looks like it will make a big difference when heading from Calais/Boulogne to the South West so we can avoid everyone's favourite, the Paris Peripherique!    We've been several times to the Charente Maritime area - Royan area and always find it's OK going via Paris - it's motorway the whole way and although traffic on the Peripherique is quite busy, it generally keeps moving and holdups are quite rare.   I've heard people say that the Rouen route is not as fast but I don't have any personal experience of it.   Navigation through Paris is easy - just ignore all road numbers and follow signs to Bordeaux and you end up in the right place!

Hi rich I dont think it opens until DEC unfortunateley.I was hoping to use it as well

As for route through rouen try A28 onto E46 avoiding main town centre

Check this site for A28  http://www.alis-sa.com/gb/projet/index.php

Also check this route finder i find it very helpful http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichelin/gbr/tpl/hme/MaHomePage.htm

By the way where are you travelling too

Regards Andrew

Hi Rich

Welcome to UKCS...

We drove around Rouen last year when we viewed our campsite, we had no prob's with the drive.

Where are you planning on going in The Loire Valley ???

hi everyone, thanks for all the advice...

we are going to ile d'offard, Saumur - stopping at Fort Mahon Plage b4 and after ferry crossing hopefully???

shame the A28 motorway not open til DEC...does look ideal - will have to save that one for next year perhaps...Although have just been on VIA MICHELIN...and it seems to suggest that the A28 Motorway is open?????

La Francillienne does look a good way of avoiding Paris - but looks a bit too long for the bit of the loire we are heading for...pity it doesn't go to the west of paris.

Had another look at map and Rouen-Evreux-Chartres-Le Mans looks  reasonable as we are not in a hurry, and after all getting there should be half the fun!!!!

rich

Concensus seems to be it's open Dec 05

http://www.alis-sa.com/index_gb.php

Squirrel

Dickydoolittle

Part of the A28 is open, from Abbeville to Rouen, but best of all, IT'S FREE.

Hi - we ventured across France with our caravan last year, and were dreading Rouen, however it was no problem at all.....even in the rush hour, and with a mile or so of road works to contend with.  The main thing is to know the name of your next main town along the road and follow the signs.  The blue signs are the motorways - fast and virtually empty.  All signage is vastly superior to that in the UK.   We could certainly learn a lesson from the French.

We`are also off to the Loire Valley again in mid-August.