Anyone use the N138 down?

[Threeracers]

Anyone still use the old N138 down to Le Mans? I travel down from Calais and I have used the peage since it’s been opened but it is boring so this year I am toying with the idea of going a bit “off piste”.

According to the SatNav the normal route is 326 miles / 4hrs 48 mins. Peeling off at Rouen and taking the N138 is 326 miles but increase to 5 hrs 51 mins. Is that realistic? I am travelling down on the Sunday so traffic shouldn’t be too bad.

Anyone else still use the old road?

TIA

Mark

[ellroy]

yes every year, much more atmospheric i think

[Threeracers]

How long does it normally take you Ellroy?

[boolay]

Used it last year after a years break. Fun, but not as many fellow cars as there used to be.

[blueST]

It's a while since we've used the N138 but will be using it again 2010, unless the weather's crap or the ferry is delayed. It's called the D438 now by the way, that caught me out last time!

[Jez Thain]

If you've got time then the '138' is the route to take, much more scenic! It takes up to 2 hours more depending on traffic. If you're driving down the Sunday before race weekend you should be fine though. Lots of fantastic little bars to stop off at in the villages etc

[gt6]

Always use the old route much more of a pleasent drive, shorter and you have the option of stopping for a drink or supplies at many of the towns/villages on the way, there are now several bypasses around the old bottlenecks but we prefer to go through the old towns aswell. Usually that part of the trip to Lemans actually takes only about 2 hours so it can not be 2 hours longer.

[Irish]

...and stop for lunch in Gace.

[Nick M]

Since they built the autoroute we've tended to use that, plus driving a heavily laden barge round all the roundabouts isn't my idea of fun.

We're heading down on the Wednesday again this year so we're going to do the top bit of the N138, have a spot of lunch in Gacé and then pick up the autoroute for the final run to Le Mans.

[Madscanner]

Used it in '01 and '08. Nowhere near as much traffic (for obvious reasons) second time 'round.

Make sure that either your SatNav is up-to-date, or you KNOW where you are going on your way out of Rouen - we got caught out last time with new road designations and some roadworks.

We went through 3 speed traps on the way - all of them in built-up areas - so no problem for us!

Gacé is a useful place to stop - lunch in a cafe in the square, or stock up at the supermarket on your right as you reach the town centre.

I would also suggest getting back on to the autoroute before Le Mans...

Have fun.

[Steve Smith]

We did this in 05 for obvious reasons. This year we are stopping overnight in Rouen just so we can do the old road on friday morning rather than rushing and going on the autoroute. I will be using the autoroute on the monday to get home in one hit. Lemans to Doncaster south yorkshire, match sticks will be required on the A1 to keep my eyes open!

[m60ddy]

Steve Smith said:

We did this in 05 for obvious reasons. This year we are stopping overnight in Rouen just so we can do the old road on friday morning rather than rushing and going on the autoroute. I will be using the autoroute on the monday to get home in one hit. Lemans to Doncaster south yorkshire, match sticks will be required on the A1 to keep my eyes open!

Yep likewise but for the classic in classics this year, thursday night just north of Rouen then 138 and lunch at Beaumont on friday. Autoroute all the way home to Huddersfield, after the racing on Sunday (red bull a go go). 138 has to be the route down just for the fun of it, if you have the time, if not then autoroute it is. Done it for five years on the trot and always makes me smile.

[fatboy18]

For me personally the trip down to Le mans is one of the highlights of my year, I enjoy it as much as the racing. To arrive at the docks seeing loads of other cars all sticker-ed up going to Le mans gets me every time I only want to use the Motorways as a last resort. I've used the old N138 many times, but you do have to watch out for the Rozzers! They love the lay bys hiding just out of site to ping you with their radar guns So you have to be careful But to drive through the old towns on the way down gets a thumbs up from me every time Yes it does take a little bit longer but I book my channel crossing to compensate for this For many locals in the small villages its one of there favorite times of the year too they put out chairs to watch the cars coming down for the weekend

CANT WAIT

[WhiteBaron]

Last year:

Ready to go





N138 (D338) from Rouen to Le Mans.

Torrential rain from Alencon onwards made the last part a hateful diesel slick but the sunny and dry bits were fun.

[Don Phil]

m60ddy said:

Steve Smith said:

We did this in 05 for obvious reasons. This year we are stopping overnight in Rouen just so we can do the old road on friday morning rather than rushing and going on the autoroute. I will be using the autoroute on the monday to get home in one hit. Lemans to Doncaster south yorkshire, match sticks will be required on the A1 to keep my eyes open!

Yep likewise but for the classic in classics this year, thursday night just north of Rouen then 138 and lunch at Beaumont on friday. Autoroute all the way home to Huddersfield, after the racing on Sunday (red bull a go go). 138 has to be the route down just for the fun of it, if you have the time, if not then autoroute it is. Done it for five years on the trot and always makes me smile.

Same, done it in 07 and 08, missed last year, will be returning this year. Lemans to Brighouse - Well, its a Huddersfield post code! (4 miles less than you m60ddy ) Choice of energy drink = Monster, backup = pro plus, mandatory = roof down for the duration

[gt6]

On the way done the police are sometimes camped out on the N138 but because the brits are spreadout over 5 or 6 days the police tend to concentrate on the way back, thats when most people tend to travel a little faster. We saw very few police on the wednesday but on the return on Sunday night they were out in force. However the N138 for most of it's way back on Sunday has groups of locals all waving and it makes a superb end to a great week, avoid the motorways and enjoy the drive.

[boolay]

gt6 said:

However the N138 for most of it's way back on Sunday has groups of locals all waving and it makes a superb end to a great week

This was one of my highlights of my first trip in 2004. Have been driving back monday ever since, so have yet to experience it again.

[Nick M]

Have to say, the N138 does hold some great memories from past years, but the main reason I've not bothered over the past three years has been through convenience or the desire to just get down there - fully laden barge on two occasions and a last minute dash down on a Friday night.

But the first year I went down ('97) we drove through the night on Thursday and at one point just south of Alencon we were overtaken by a Lambo Diablo with the biggest exhausts ever !! Wondered what the hell it was at first, but it certainly put a smile on our faces.

Subsequent years were a mix of whacky races type driving from things like GT40s and Cobras, a convoy of Westfields which stayed as a convoy for, ooooh, maybe 5 miles before they all just put the hammer down and went mad, and an epic overtake on the way home one year where we proved that it's perfectly possible to go three cars wide down a two lane stretch of road....

Looking forward to it again this year

[Chr1sch]

I heard that it is riddled with even more speed cameras than the autoroute nowadays, including a bloke in the ditch with a camera according to dad?!

The autoroute is very simple though, although why Rouen has no effing ring road is beyond me!!

[Lost my mojo]

Chr1sch said:

I heard that it is riddled with even more speed cameras than the autoroute nowadays, including a bloke in the ditch with a camera according to dad?!

Yep, we got caught coming out of a 30 limit by a man hiding in a ditch just before Alencon.