Questions re trip to Provence

We have done various bits of the route, non-toll, over several years.  From Dunkerque we've used the D300, to the St Omer by Pass, then headed towards Bethune, Douai, Cambrai, St Quentin, where we've actually towed right through the town without problems.  We then take the D1 to Chaugny Ternier, Soissons, Chateau Thierry, Montmirail,  Sezanne, Troyes, then the D671 down to Dijon.  The above route is all fine, quite straightforward, and with no particular hold-ups, though obviously takes longer than the autoroutes!  In parts it takes you right alongside the Seine and there are some nice places to stop for lunch.  There are plenty of municipal campsites in the villages along this route - the one at Couchy le Chateau in the northern part of the route was very 'atmospheric' - full moon, howling dog in the chateau.....................!  The only campsite we've been disappointed with was at Darois, just north of Dijon - lovely pitches, but expensive for what it was!  (Some years ago, though)

From Dijon we've used the D974 down to Beaune, and then the N6 down the side of the autoroute, until Macon where we've crossed the autoroute on to the D306.  This takes you to just north of Lyon, where you can jump on the free autoroute to get you through Lyon, then we come off again at Vienne just before the toll section, back on to the N7 which continues almost down as far as Avignon.  In the Rhone Valley the non-toll route is slow and in some parts you go through quite narrow sections in village centres where there are chicanes.  Again there are plenty of sites.  We used to just find a site when we were ready to stop. 

We've also driven down the Route Napoleon - when we stayed near Castellane we cut off the corner, instead of going down the Rhone Valley we did Grenoble, Sisteron, Digne, Castellane.  To be honest I don't remember much about the drive down to the Mediterranean from Castellane, though we did do it, except for the traffic jams in Grasse - and the smell of perfume which pervaded the town.

We may be back in that area again this year, we haven't been for a while now as we've tended to stick to the western side of the Rhone in the last three or four years.  We'll probably base ourselves somewhere east of Avignon, in the Vaucluse area - we love the lavender Plateau de Valensole, and that area has some wonderful places to visit. We stayed at Regusse, and did some organised walks from the campsite - but I couldn't replicate them, we just followed the guide!

You can walk in the Gorge du Verdon - but it's serious walking, not a scenic stroll.  There are lots of guide books available on Amazon and like sites, if you want 'holiday walking' rather than a long-distance walk.

Suggest get routes from www.viamichelin.com where you can choose to avoid toll roads. However, it is often better to use them to get round large towns or cities e.g Lyon and Tours.  Don't know the coast bit but thie route inland from Castellane is fine. Gorges du Verdon can be very touristed, particularly Moustiers. Get CC Europe France and look for sites outside Moustiers e,g Puimoisson and Riez. Digne les Bains has excellent shopping

Hi Val,

I have towed most of the Route Napolean (different parts on different trips). The section from Grasse to Castellane is a good road, very scenic, but pretty hilly. The section north of Castellane towards Digne is OK, but there are a few narrow sections/tunnels, particularly on the northwest side of the Col des Leques - I had fun meeting a convoy of six Dutch caravans coming the other way at one of these. After Barreme, it is a good wide road again.

If you are travelling through to/from Grenoble, I would strongly recommed that you take the old N75 (now variously D4075 and D1075), rather than the 'true' Route Napolean, which goes along the N85 via Gap. The N85 route has a pretty steep gradient northbound up to the Col Bayard, just north of Gap and a very steep descent from La Mure towards Grenoble (between Laffrey and Vizille). Indeed caravans, motorhomes, and trucks are prohibited northbound down this gradient. The N75 route takes you via Serres and Aspres sur Buech and over the Col de La Croix Haute. The road is good, scenic, with reasonable gradients.

There are two excellent sites I could recommend in this area: Camping Le Champ La Chevre at Luz la Croix Haute (entered in the Caravan Club guide under St Julien en Beauchene). This has glorious views across a side valley. Also Aire Naturelle la Source at    St Pierre -d'Argencon, about 8km west of Aspres (entered under Aspres). This is a CL-type site run by two British couples, also with great views.

Bonne Route

Cheers

Paul

I stayed at la Source a couple of years ago and would endorse what Paul said.  An excellent CL type site with very helpful owners with a wealth of local knowledge.

Many thanks everybody for your replies. Much appreciated. Have taken note of the route you suggested Val A. Thank you very much, we think we will follow your instructions. Can you recommend a site in the area around Avignon please? We really like smaller C.L. type sites but also use ACSI sites & I am wondering if there are any you particularly like?

Thanks also to RoyS, PaulRT & Chrisbee!. Having travelled the routes your comments are invaluable. Still not sure whether it's a good idea with a longish caravan (550m )Have taken note to  go on the N75 if we DO decide to go that way.

Thank you