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Euro road trip - almost all planned!

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4.1K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  Mike6F  
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#1 ·
For years I intended doing a Euro road trip on one of my motorbikes but for various reasons just never got round to it. Now having the SLK seemed like the perfect reason to resurect the idea so for the last 2 weeks of June we're hitting the road!

Initially the plan was for a 2 week trip to various WW1 and WW2 sites across western Europe as well as a few mountains and then as far south as the Algarve in Portugal. There would have been a rest day here mid-trip, staying with relatives, before heading north to Spain and then up the west coast of France. It soon became apparent that this would mean using lots of motorways and major roads to cover the distance in that time frame which seems a complete waste of topless (fingers crossed) motoring in the SLK. So the plan is now to cover less miles but to stick to scenic routes, mountain passes and coast roads where possible whilst still capturing the WW1/2 sites originally planned.

Day 1: home -> Le Shuttle -> France -> Dunkirk ... visit various WW2 artifacts in the area
Day 2: Dunkirk -> Belgium -> Tyne Cot -> Hill 60 -> Mouscron
Day 3: Mouscron -> France -> Belgium -> Chateau de Lavaus-Sainte_Anne -> Rocogne war cemetries -> Foy -> Peace Woods -> Bastogne
Day 4: Bastogne War Museum -> 101st Airborne Museum -> Luxembourg -> France -> war memorial Montsec -> Domremy-la-Pucelle
Day 5 (wife's b'day!): Domremy-la-Pucelle -> Citadelle de Besancon -> Switzerland -> Lausanne -> Montreux .... celebrate Pam's birthday with a room overlooking Lake Geneva
Day 6: Montreux -> Grand St. Bernard pass through the Alps -> Italy -> Aosta -> Montaldo Torinese
Day 7: Montaldo Torinese -> Cherasco -> San Bernardo pass -> Imperia
Day 8: Imperia -> San Remo -> France -> Monaco -> France -> Nice -> Cannes
Day 9: Cannes -> Notre Dame -> Palaves-les-Flots
Day 10: Palaves-les-Flots -> Beziers -> Carcassonne -> Andorra
Day 11: Andorra -> Spain -> N-260 / C-28 mountain roads -> Viella -> France -> Mouchan
Day 12: Mouchan -> Bordeaux -> U-boat pens -> Royan
Day 13: Royan -> Rochefort -> La Rochelle -> U-boat pens -> Nantes -> Saint Nazaire
Day 14: Saint Nazaire -> U-boat pens -> Chateaubriant -> Mayenne -> Lisieux -> Le Havre
Overnight ferry crossing -> England
Day 15 (my b'day!): Portsmouth -> home ...... sleep

Total distance - 2589 miles

I've driven on the continent a few times before but this will be the first time driving a RHD vehicle on LHD roads. If anybody has any words of wisdom they'd like to dispense I'm all ears :surprise:
 
#2 ·
#3 ·
Sounds like an interesting trip. My experience of many such trips, is you never allow enough time. As it's quite a way it might be worth thinking of including two nights somewhere for a rest from the car?

Have a great time.
 
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#5 ·
Beware of the seemingly broken down car on the side of the road in France , usually a 208 , berlingo or Megan in white or blue ! Invariably it's a speed trap , I used to live in France and I've spent years up and down through France and they French now consider the gendarmes little more than tax collectors.
Rhd in France isn't a problem until you get stuck behind a lorry or tractor , make sure your passenger knows your cars acceleration capabilities. Follow blue road signs for toll roads , green ones for the scenic route , both get you to the same place but it can be confusing at first .
No speeding through the villages , most have cameras , the French now have the power to chase you in England to pay the fine , but according to the French press last year they haven't yet bothered .
Have a good trip but I'll echo what someone else said , miss a couple of places and take a couple of days out of the car .
 
#6 ·
Wow !!! sounds like a good trip. Me and Anne went on a 2 week European trip on my motorcycle in 1988. Doing miles every day, and had not planned any hotels before hand. We used the 'N' roads in France and had a good time. The worst part is in the morning, as you just want to have breakfast and GO, once on the road the stress all goes. Hopefully, in an slk, it won't be as troublesome, as, on a bike you have to pack everything into your panniers again, and it never seems to quite fit !! Having used the motorways in France last year in the slk, down to La Rochelle, i learnt a couple of things. It was the first time for me driving a rhd car in France, i was concerned, but i had no problem at all. This August, hopefully , we'll go back there, but this time avoiding the motorways and using the 'N' roads, a lot of which have now been reclassified as 'd' roads !!!!!. I now take maps of the areas i'm going to/through, as i find it makes planning much easier ! Last year the slk satnav, kept sending me miles out of my way on motorways, when i didn't want to go that way anyway ! This year, i have a Tomtom410 motorcycle satnav. You can plan routes, at home on your computer (nice large screen), then sync them to your satnav, ensuring that you get the route you want. We stayed in La Rochelle last year. There are numerous public car parks, but because it's an old town, that somehow avoided bombing in the war, the streets are not much good for parking in. It's a great place to stay, walk in and have a nice meal by the harbour. you will enjoy it, and there's plenty to do. In the centre of town, is the "musee le bunker"(see picture), It was home to the submarine crews from La Rochelle during ww11. It is well worth a visit, and only been open for a year or so. I don't think that you can visit the sub pens here. We also went to Rochefort, it's extremely quiet, and there's not much to see or going on, so not worth a visit unless you are spending a week or so in La Rochelle. I'm quite sure you will have a fantastic time. If you go over one of the alpine passes, be sure to stop at a cafe on the top if you get the oppotunity. In 1988 we didn't stop, as time the the next place was always in the back of your mind, it's one of my few regrets. Regards, Robbie.
 

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