Scenic route: Calais - Le Mans. Advice please.

[burriana]

Three of us, in two Corvettes and a Ferrari, will be setting off from our hotel in Calais about 8am on Thursday morning and fancy a nice relaxed route down instead of the usual peage to Rouen then N138.

Does anyone have any great route experience please?

Is there for example a coast road to Le Havre, then cut across and join the 138 below Rouen or, a nice inland route?

We are happy to take in a couple of coffee stops and a lunch stop. More interested in finding some great but quiet roads and some nice scenery. To be driven at a brisk but steady pace as opposed to the usual manic hell for leather rush!

Any info greatly received

[t1grm]

If you have a tom tom select cycling route. I did one year and had a great drive. Couln't tell you where I went but it was good and stayed off the A28 and the N138. Looking at google maps I seem to remember it made extensive use of the D928. In fact I think it was a bit like this:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&hl=en&ge...

Edit: Tom Tom and Google Maps both use Tele Atlas for their map data (owned by Tom Tom) so chances are it's the same route

Edited by t1grm on Wednesday 2nd July 15:24

[RainerM]

Hallo Al,

of course there are coastal roads :-) I especially like the road along the sea
from Dieppe-Veules-les-Roses-St.Valéry-en-Caux, from there straight along the nuke
power-Station to Veulettes,(there is also a detour possible from St.Val
to Cany-Barville, then right back to Veulettes( around 16miles instead of ca. 6m) then Sassetot (nice Château-Hotel)- Fécamp-via Yport to Etretat,

but it is always a question of time you have got

there might be quite some traffic due to the season, but if needed you are
nver more than plusminus 25miles from the autoroute taking you south to
"the heaven of racing"

Enjoy your trip, we'll have some drinks to your good health this week-end
See you in 2009

Rainer-CH and Dot

[ERA]

Check out Michelin maps and have a closer look on green roads which stand for scenic roads.
North of Le Mans, you will find "Les Alpes Mancelles" which are really nice, and basically all countryside in Normandy or Mayenne is nice to cross...

I avoid main roads with much traffic, speed traps and prefer to have fun on nice departementales...

[burriana]

Thanks guys - some good tips there. I will go and buy a regional map

Hopefully see you on MegaHoon '09 Rainer if the dates don't clash with Vicki's ... and if they do clash I may still see you but minus one or two limbs!

[tlracing]

If your route takes you anywhere in the St Omer area, you might like to make a couple of detours to La Coupole and the blockhouse at Eperlecques:

http://www.lacoupole-france.com/
http://www.leblockhaus.com/intro.htm

There's also Batterie Todt, not far from Boulogne:

http://www.batterietodt.com/

[burriana]

A bit shamed to admit that that kind of thing doesn't really hold much interest for me but, it may do for the other guys and maybe I shouldn't be such a heathen

All good suggestions so far guys, thank you.

[Vette_1978]

I was sat studying Google Maps, RAC and my France road map last night. The easiest plan was on rac.co.uk, search Calais - Le Mans and set it to avoid motorways. Nothing too special on this though.

The hotel in Calais is on the coast on the D940, we could hit this straight out along the coast all the way to Abbeville. Then hit the D925 through Dieppe to St Valery en Craux. Head south to join the N138 south of Rouen and use this the rest of the way. No tolls, just need to keep a check on fuel and keep topped up.

Got a week to keep scanning maps though.........

[RainerM]

• Hopefully see you on MegaHoon '09 Rainer if the dates don't clash with Vicki's ... and if they do clash I may still see you but minus one or two limbs!
• *****

Hi Al, Never mind , we are flexible and will do our outmost I am rather
sure that Nick has got some ideas up his sleeve.....
ooooh, just had to buy two new rear tyres,the police stopped me , but my
"rubber-dealer" confirmed it, so they let me go so Dot and I have to press the
loud pedal rather hard...plus my speed was rather sub-limits ;-)

See you.
Rainer-CH

[ncs]

We are taking the scenic toute but taking two days to get there.

We're thinking of using the tried & tested route from previous years which is excellent.

Its being 'tweeked' a little at the moment but I'll try to get a copy of it over to you asap.

Nick

[burriana]

ncs said:

We are taking the scenic toute but taking two days to get there.

I was thinking 7 or 8 hours as opposed to 4

[ncs]

burriana said:

ncs said:

We are taking the scenic toute but taking two days to get there.

I was thinking 7 or 8 hours as opposed to 4

Dont panic, that would work.

We just happen to be stopping en route (thats French that bit, Im getting into the swing of it see) at a rather lovely hotel near Rouen & taking our time.

We've done it in about 8 hours in one hit before, including a rather long lunch stop.

Nick

[smpaton]

burriana said:

ncs said:

We are taking the scenic toute but taking two days to get there.

I was thinking 7 or 8 hours as opposed to 4

Hope you have packed your shorts Al i know i have LOL

[burriana]

Got the bucket and Spade ... left the crabs well alone though

[DeanoX]

We go Autoroute to abbeville then x-country.

Marseille-en-beavasis
Gournay-en-bray
Les Andelys
Skirt Evereux to the north
L'Aigle
Bellemme
Bonnetable

Some cracking roads in that lot. The section between Gournay and Les Andleys (Bezu-la-Foret) is superb.

[tlracing]

Vette_1978 said:

...join the N138 south of Rouen...

If you join the N138 close to Rouen you can always go for a blat around the old Rouen-les-Essarts circuit

Pits, etc. have all long-since gone, but the downhill sweepers from the startline, Nouveau Monde hairpin and the run back up the valley on the other side are still there.

Excellent info here:
http://www.lugnutsracing.com/rouen.php

[burriana]

tlracing said:

If you join the N138 close to Rouen you can always go for a blat around the old Rouen-les-Essarts circuit

Pits, etc. have all long-since gone, but the downhill sweepers from the startline, Nouveau Monde hairpin and the run back up the valley on the other side are still there.

Excellent info here:
http://www.lugnutsracing.com/rouen.php

Bloody brilliant read.

Would be interested to know how you get from the top of the back straight at Gresil where it meets the autoroute back round to the start/finish straight near what was Paradis. It seems that Gresil would have been a natural slip road to the autoroute, but it is blocked off and the road simply goes straight under the main road. Anyone know if you can get straight from the autoroute onto the start/finish straight?

[tlracing]

burriana said:

Bloody brilliant read.

It is, isn't it!

burriana said:

Anyone know if you can get straight from the autoroute onto the start/finish straight?

Not sure it's possible these days, but if you drive up through Sanson & Beauval towards Gresil, you can always park the car and walk through the forest along the old track through Gresil, Autoroute & Cote to Paradis.

More pics here:

http://theracingline.net/racingcircuits/racingcirc...

[//j17]

Autoroute Calais to Abbeville then drop South of the A28 through Grandvilliers, South West to Everaux and on to Bonnetable just North East of Le Mans - quiet (but fast) French back roads through lots of villages (== lunch/coffee stops).

[burriana]

What sort of scenery is it? Fairly flat or rolling countryside. Not even sure if there are any big hills between Calais and Le Mans! Saw some small patches of grey on the map but need to order a bigger scale one today.