Restaurants on route from Calais to Le Mans......
Restaurants on route from Calais to Le Mans......
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Andrew P M

Original Poster:

9 posts

177 months

Friday 8th June 2012
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Hi guys, any recommendations for restaurants half-way between Calais and Le Mans i.e. just North or South of Paris. I don't fancy fighting the traffic to go into the centre of Paris, so I am looking for somewhere just off the main A routes - any recommendations? Thanks. Andrew M.

Dblue

3,277 posts

220 months

Friday 8th June 2012
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Andrew P M said:
Hi guys, any recommendations for restaurants half-way between Calais and Le Mans i.e. just North or South of Paris. I don't fancy fighting the traffic to go into the centre of Paris, so I am looking for somewhere just off the main A routes - any recommendations? Thanks. Andrew M.
Why would you be anywhere near Paris Andrew? You'll find your amongst many, many fellow PHeads if you head via Rouen/Alencon rather than heading for Paris but your call of course.Going anywhere near Paris motorway network is (outside August) asking for appalling traffic that will resemble the M25 on a bad day frown
Get yourself down the A16 rather than the A1, stop off at Rouen or just before at Neufchatel. Then get on the old N138 (Now D338) and work your way down with a couple of beer/coffee stops en route. Simples!

zippyprorider

736 posts

226 months

Friday 8th June 2012
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Gace is nice to stop, town centre free parking and good food at the pub and nice 1hr drive from there to LE mans

RallyChamp

118 posts

211 months

Saturday 9th June 2012
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Wey, there it is... Gace word spreading. Right next to the A28 junction and great village watering hole with a good flow of Le Mans'ers coming and going. I tend to plan my ferry time around getting there for lunch.

Other good places to stop off from the A28 on the way (but like Gace most are best after Rouen).

On the return journey for some reason we've always stopped off at Neufchatel to stretch the legs and chill in a cafe. Then about an hour 15-30 mins to Calais.

For those interested in spending a night somewhere on the way down (e.g. evening ferry and somewhere to stay for an early start) I used a chateau near Abbeville (village called Behen). Can thoroughly recommend and know that Dutch/Germans drop off there too on their way to Le Mans. Price/room @ €100. But if a couple/few sharing it's cheap.

Andrew P M

Original Poster:

9 posts

177 months

Saturday 9th June 2012
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Hi Guys, many thanks for your advice and having looked on the map again, I can see why the A16 - A28 route makes more sense, so that's the way we will be going and stopping off at Rouen for lunch and Gace for afternoon tea and cake.
Anywhere you would recommend or just find soemwhere that looks okay? How long wil the drive be from Calais to Le Mans assuming a couple of shortish stops?
We will be travelling down on the Thursday arriving on the 9.42 Eurostar crossing, so hope to see some of you on the way down. We will be in a GT3 Orange Porsche Cayman S Sport.

Dblue

3,277 posts

220 months

Sunday 10th June 2012
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Andrew P M said:
Hi Guys, many thanks for your advice and having looked on the map again, I can see why the A16 - A28 route makes more sense, so that's the way we will be going and stopping off at Rouen for lunch and Gace for afternoon tea and cake.
Anywhere you would recommend or just find soemwhere that looks okay? How long wil the drive be from Calais to Le Mans assuming a couple of shortish stops?
We will be travelling down on the Thursday arriving on the 9.42 Eurostar crossing, so hope to see some of you on the way down. We will be in a GT3 Orange Porsche Cayman S Sport.
That crossing will put you right in the heart of the convoy. Like a moving car show. with loads of interesting stuff around.
Get off the autoroute south of Rouen , the D338 will be best and have a few stops by the road and just watch the cars go by.Gace is nice but your not right on the road there.
Will take with lunch and cakes stops about 6 hours I would say. You can do it in 4 if you autoroute it all the way.

Kpy

45 posts

271 months

Sunday 10th June 2012
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Andrew P M said:
stopping off at Rouen for lunch and Gace for afternoon tea and cake.
Anywhere you would recommend or just find soemwhere that looks okay?
One excellent address is Auberge Buchoise at Buchy just north of Rouen. SatNav coordinates N 49.6037622 E 1.2908692. The Chef/owner is a petrolhead and his front of house wife speaks some English.
Closed Wednesday.

David W.

1,946 posts

229 months

Monday 11th June 2012
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Andrew P M said:
Hi Guys, many thanks for your advice and having looked on the map again, I can see why the A16 - A28 route makes more sense, so that's the way we will be going and stopping off at Rouen for lunch and Gace for afternoon tea and cake.
Anywhere you would recommend or just find soemwhere that looks okay? How long wil the drive be from Calais to Le Mans assuming a couple of shortish stops?
We will be travelling down on the Thursday arriving on the 9.42 Eurostar crossing, so hope to see some of you on the way down. We will be in a GT3 Orange Porsche Cayman S Sport.
We always stopped in Sees (just north of Alencon)for lunch. Easy parking around the Cathedral and choice of restaurants/bars. You may need an early crossing to achieve this though.

final_edition

653 posts

235 months

Tuesday 12th June 2012
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We always take a detour and go in the restaurant on the roundabout in Beaumont-Sur-Sarthe on the old N138

andy tims

5,598 posts

266 months

Tuesday 12th June 2012
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David W. said:
We always stopped in Sees (just north of Alencon)for lunch. Easy parking around the Cathedral and choice of restaurants/bars.
Seconded

eastlmark

1,656 posts

227 months

Tuesday 12th June 2012
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gotta be careful in some of those smaller towns as they can be a ghost town at lunchtime. Many a time have I stopped off in some nice looking place for lunch only to find it all closed up save for the dingiest looking bar/tabac.
Also not so many of the old Frites wagons around that used to be in every laybye years ago.
Whatever, make sure you do get of the motorway, nothing worse than a cold soggy bagguette.

TTOBES

610 posts

187 months

Monday 27th June 2016
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andy tims said:
David W. said:
We always stopped in Sees (just north of Alencon)for lunch. Easy parking around the Cathedral and choice of restaurants/bars.
Seconded
Thanks to my good lady as passenger for finding this thread, we stopped in Sees on Saturday afternoon for a spot of lunch in a bar (Le Lion D'or) on our way back from the Dordogne. Lunch was followed by a slice of cake from the place opposite. Easy parking. This was around 1400. Cheers.

paulyv

1,063 posts

143 months

Monday 27th June 2016
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On the way back I always detour from Rouen to Honfleur and partake in the odd fine meal there...doesn't seem to add much to my journey, just my belt size.

Pupp

12,761 posts

292 months

Monday 27th June 2016
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Honfleur is a good call; very picturesque, loads of eateries, and gets you nicely around Rouen - just be wary of shortest route on Sat Nav; it will take you along cart tracks. I in 4 graded cart tracks at that yes

Lcoke

23 posts

116 months

Tuesday 28th June 2016
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For our journey to LM Classic we're planning on going from Caen (ferry port) to Honfleur, then winding our way to LM via Alencon, stop off at Gace.

Not long now!

furtive

4,501 posts

299 months

Tuesday 28th June 2016
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Any recommendations for somewhere just south of Rouen? My stomach may not last as far as Gace.

I did stop in Rouen many years ago, but ended up going down a narrow pedestrianised road and everyone sat outside the cafes had to move their chairs and tables to I can get past, so would like to avoid that if I can!

Nick M

3,632 posts

243 months

Tuesday 28th June 2016
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Not south of Rouen, but west - if you take the western A29 route and go through Yvetot, there's a place just south of that near the Pont de Brotonne called Caudebec en Caux, and there are some restaurants which look out over the Seine.


furtive

4,501 posts

299 months

Tuesday 28th June 2016
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Cheers Nick - sounds perfect. I've stopped in Yvetot the last couple of times but it's been shut when I've got there

The Leaper

5,442 posts

226 months

Tuesday 28th June 2016
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