Heading to Toulouse next June - suggestions for routes

Area Discussion South East (pre 2020)
2

We are heading down to Toulouse next June for a wedding and we have sort of decided that taking three days to drive down there, three days down in Toulouse and three days driving back makes perfect sense.

I’ve seen some old threads about trips via LeMans and the Millau viaduct - the latter is definitely on the agenda. What I’m after is any information on non-autoroute routes. I’m in mid Kent so could go via Eurotunnel but the Portsmouth-Cherbourg fast ferry looks interesting too.

I’ve got some suggested hotels with good restaurants (important) already but if anyone has good routes or stopovers that would be great.

3

If your going to Millau try to drive under it rather than over it…sounds odd doesn’t it but you really don’t get to see the immense size of it when driving on it whereas underneath you can really see the scale of the thing!

4

For me the best bits of France are the South East, and South West for driving, the Alps and Pyrenees. And bear in mind doing any long distances in France without using the motorways can be tedious, (and slow) and not terribly exciting, especially if you have any sort of deadlines to meet. I would be tempted to get down there as quick as you can and spend a bit of time driving through the Pyrenees, tick off some of the passes. 

If going to Millau there is a great visitor centre/service area on the north end, stop there for the views, then drive over, then go down under to the other visitor centre below,  You could then head east up the Gorge du Tarn which is great, double back on the motorway and still be in Toulouse for tea!  

Fit in Le Man on the way back. We drove all the bits of track that are public roads, doesn’t take long. 

 

 

 

 

 

5

Which ever way you go keep off the toll roads. Tolls are great for covering ground quickly, but the non-toll route is much more interesting

6

I did that Cherbourg - Portsmouth route as a foot passenger years ago. 

It was the first time I’d been on a high speed catamaran ferry. 

Very much noisier than a proper ship, and as a passenger felt rather claustrophobic. 

7

Thanks for the recommendations re trip.

We had to fix hotels etc earlier on so route is now Brittany Ferries to Bilbao and a couple of nights there. Then a day to drive to Ainsa in Spain, then next day over the Pyrenees to a village SE of Toulouse called Cintagabelle. We spend a long weekend there then a days drive to St Emillion then a days drive from there to Nantes and finally a days drive to Cherbourg for the fast catamaran back to Portsmout.

Then of course a bit of a blast back to Kent cross country after getting to Lewes. Really looking forward to seeing how the V6 conversion works on long runs.