The Drive South

[landman]

I've just been looking at the Bison Futé website: -

http://www.bison-fute.equipement.gouv.fr/diri/Accueil.do?langue=en

It mentions the following

On the RN13, between Sainte-Mère-l’Eglise and Emondeville (50), traffic into the left-hand lane in the both direction until 26 June 2009 and from 31 August until 30 Octobre 2009.

That's the route down from Cherbourg towards Caen.

My partner in crime - who lives in Luxembourg - also mentions that the motorway around Lille - the A25 - is a complete nightmare with frequent 10km tailbacks.  These roadworks will continue to October.  I guess most of us will not be taking this route in any case, but if a few are taking the scenic route then avoid Lille like the plague.

Anyone got other websites worth monitoring?

The other useful site is www.zagaz.com

This gives you the location of & fuel stations & the prices.  Probably also gives opening times.

Paul

[lynxd67]

I wouldn't even consider that route especially in summer. A bloody nightmare. Have a look at Cherbourg-St. Lô-Flers-Mayenne-Le Mans. Nice route and not many use it to go to Le Mans - until now!

[pedersenkorsager]

hi

www.viamichelin.com usely have all the roadworks on the way.

It is also a great way to plan the drive

Kenn

[landman]

Fuel Prices for you: -

These are from www.zagaz.com and converted using Google Currency Converter

Carrefour Le Mans

Unleaded 95 RON = €1.153 = £1.02
Unleaded 98 RON = €1.172 = £1.04
Diesel = €0.929 = £0.82

So petrol drivers fill up in Dover/Newhaven/Portsmouth/Poole and diesel drivers fill up in France

That said I'll only save £3.22 on filling up at my local Tesco compared to Carrefour as the French do not charge such a big difference on 98RON fuel as the UK does.

Paul / Landman

[Bentley boy]

That's the route down from Cherbourg towards Caen.

Thanks for the info I'm going to Dieppe but have every intention of being in that part on Thursday doing a tour of the Normandy Beaches. 

[Lazy B'stard]

I wouldn't even consider that route especially in summer. A bloody nightmare. Have a look at Cherbourg-St. Lô-Flers-Mayenne-Le Mans. Nice route and not many use it to go to Le Mans - until now!

Nice one- thats my favourite hi-speed, cop free route outed

 Slightly better route is St. Lo, Vire, Tinchebray, Domfront, Pre-en-Pail, Villaines, Sille-le-Guillaume, St Saturnin, Le Mans. Couple of nice bars en-route and great traffic free driver's roads all the way down. Just watch for a big yellow van in your mirrors!

[J-MG]

Thanks for the info on fuel prices and the locations of fuel stations. They come in handy for me as the MGBGT mainly runs on LPG 

[BigH]

Slightly better route is St. Lo, Vire, Tinchebray, Domfront, Pre-en-Pail, Villaines, Sille-le-Guillaume, St Saturnin, Le Mans. Couple of nice bars en-route and great traffic free driver's roads all the way down. Just watch for a big yellow van in your mirrors!

I concur with the good doctor on this one, - it looks very similar to the one I rode down a couple of years ago. Beautiful, quiet and (important to me at the time...) well surfaced roads with some great little villages en route. A couple of times I just had to stop the bike for ten minutes and just soak it all up, (obviously once off the bike, there were other things that had to be soaked up, but those details don't really belong in this thread) - I promised myself I'd return to this route again. Have a good trip down!
H

[Barry]

Wonderful route for motorbikes.
Smooth tarmac, considerate motorists, great village/town cafes to stop and have an expresso whilst watching the world go by.
Option to run up to Flers and then north if you are going to Caen.

But not if you have time constraints, it is a route to be enjoyed for the journey, not a quick way to get from A to B.
Fuel can be tricky to find, most of the infrequent garages are shut for lunch.

[Rhino]

H how is the training going for your latest event?

[BigH]

Wotcher Rhino,
Err, well it's going I suppose, thanks for asking.
I'm told it's going ok, but I seem to permanantly, absolutely, and completely knackered all of the time. Getting up at 6:00 am and swimming a few miles in a gravel pit near Staines isn't, I've decided the best way to put some sunshine into your day.
I've mastered a few things that had escaped me in the past though, which has to be a bonus, - the one I'm most proud of is being able to evacuate my bowels while I'm swimming. Under most circumstances of course, this shouldn't really be necessary, and I haven't made up my mind as to whether it's a tactic or a relief. Either way it's not going to be a huge barrel of fun for anyone slipstreaming me.
Sunday morning for me on the 14th of June this year could not be any more different from the previous 23, but I think the end result will be same, - I'll be slumped in heap somewhere, mumbling, and demanding a drink.
Here's an interesting snippet from an e-mail I received from the organisers recently:

"If you aim directly for the swim finish, the tide will sweep you west past the swim finish and a boat will have to pick you up. Swimmers way up ahead of you will be to your right (west) and your natural inclination is to follow them. This is a mistake; do not swim to the west.  They are further west because the current has had more time to push them. Don't waste your energy worrying about sharks and seals. The sharks rarely come into the bay and stay out in the open waters of the Pacific Ocean beyond the bridge.  There are seals that may swim with you, but they have not been known to harm a swimmer."

All good for the confidence....
H

[Doris]

H,

What madness have you signed up for now?

Dx

[BigH]

Wotcher D,

Well, it all starts with a swim from Alcatraz island.....
Read about it here:

http://www.escapefromalcatraztriathlon.com/site3.aspx

Shame I don't have a pair of CA sponsored budgie smugglers!
H

[Fran]

http://www.escapefromalcatraztriathlon.com/site3.aspx

Be careful out there H - with a combination of San Francisco and a prison, I am not sure that seals and sharks are the only things that might sneak up behind you when dressed from head to toe in black rubber!

F

[BigH]

There's definitely a 'Gimp' element to it Fran, maybe I should go for the billiard ball in the mouth rather than wearing flowers in my hair.
If any CA members know SF and can recommend any bars, bars or, ermmm bars I suppose, then let me know. I suppose I could make the visit a cultural one, hire a Mustang and blow up a filling station. Does the Mayor have a goat and a flagpole?
H