We go by Britanny Ferries overnight to St Malo from Portsmouth. It gets in about 8.00 and it is possible to get to Royan for the ferry by about 1.20 - however we seem to miss by about 10 minutes :-( (This is Easter time when there is a longer wait between services - 2 hours) Don't do this at the weekend in high season, because if you do be prepared for about 3-4 hours wait in the queue. This gets pushers inners who do not have the smallest inkling about the concept of queuing (as do most of those who live in mainland Europe). We depart on the Thursday at high season time and on the Friday, have always got on the waiting ferry - or the next. It could be that later in the day, the number of cars may build up, but I have no experience of that. We take a small tent for the one extra night at Euronat - they always find it possible to find an emplacement.
I agree with Marc - DON'T USE THE GIRONDE FERRY!!!!!!!! - but as I have said - it's OK at the right time.
As for the actual land route - St. Malo, Rennes, Nantes, exit 7 (A83) - dual carriageway or péage. Then 'mix it' on the N and D roads to Royan.
It depends how you use it - it can be very bad but so is an extra 2 hours > driving plus sitting in traffic jams to get round Bordeaux.
At best you save 30 minutes.... 20 minutes to Royan from Autoroute. 15 minutes loading 35 minutes ferry.. 5 minutes unloading 15 minutes to Euronat compared with your estimate of120 minutes.
Though I must admit its a lot more interesting than 2 hours of stock car racing!
Euronat - our preferred route is Newhaven to Dieppe, ... It's 400 miles from Dieppe, and about 8 hours driving time.
Sheesh! I know this sort of "let's get there" is popular, but I've never understood why.
When we went to La Jenny (just down the coast from Euronat), we had 3 overnight stops on the way down (from Cherbourg), and 2 on the way back (to Caen/Ouistreham). Avoided autoroutes unless there was no alternative, and avoided the RN (Routes Nationale) most of the time. French minor roads are often wonderfully open, clear and with very light traffic. French countryside is an absolute joy (IMO), and taking one's time allows plenty of opportunities to stay in small French hotels. If you've never sampled the delights of a French family-run hotel then you really ought to IMO (unless your idea of a good hotel is one that's exactly like the one you stayed in last time, where you know when and where everything is). I know of others who do something similar, but stop at naturist campsites along the way rather than hotels.
Generally speaking, these days I hate driving, because it's such a chore and no fun. But a couple of hundred miles of the French equivalent of 'B' roads is normally wonderful, and makes for an enjoyable part of the holiday - particularly as it means I have time to stop and look at/stroll round anything that catches my fancy. Thrashing along in heavy traffic on a big RN or autoroute - for me - means I need a holiday at the end.
The only problem with my sort of approach is that a fortnight's stay somewhere in the south of France requires three weeks away, and many people can't get that extra week. I'm not getting at John, just suggesting an alternative. He'd probably hate doing the journey my way!
Not so, its horses for courses. Our first time took in 3 days at La Rainiere near Le Mans on the way down, and 2 days at Le Moulin de la Ronde (near Vatan) on the way back (both naturist sites worth a visit). We only used the autoroute to get round Chatellerault which is about 5 miles, and got a very strange look from the guy in the toll booth!
It just depends what you want - one day soon I think a stop at Futuroscope near Poitiers would be in order on the way down. Supposed to be very good.
Do you wear special rose coloured driving glasses when In France Tim? My memories of N roads are not the sweeping vista's of Dubonet adverts ( complete with Poplars) but Kilometres of " The vehicle in front is a smelly lorry" ( Cant see it catching on as a slogan). Thrashing along in heavy traffic on a big RN or autoroute - for me means I need a holiday at the end.
With the possible exception of August the 1st I cant remember an Autoroute that has had " heavy traffic" . A few years ago we went down to Euronat and after trying the Autoroute the previous year we adopted your tactics . For my sins that year I was driving a 3 litre automatic , and following the above mentioned heavy lorry up a steep hill , us loaded down with bikes roof box and camping gear , with the AC switched on. As we laboured up that hill the instant fuel consumption meter was showing 7mpg , and this was when the pound had collapsed and so we were paying £4 a gallon. We immediately switched to the Autoroute. Saying that we seem to take a middle course , Dover/Calais , Autoroute , stop overnight. THEN spend almost 3 weeks vegetating in the sun.
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