How do I work out distances in France when I don't know where things are?

[KatyMac]

I tried using the AA map, but it's all a bit odd

How far are these places apart (so I can get a taxi)

• « Le Domaine de Dugny » in Loire Valley & Onzain train station
• « Les Sables du Midi » in Languedoc & Béziers train station
• « Les Pierres Couchées » in South Brittany & Saint-Brévin-les-Pins train station

TIA

Via michelin is good for France.

google maps have a "get directions" button on the L & they're easier to use than Michelin (although you always have to click twice in the box you want to write in for some reason)

ah - are those names of camp sites? if so you need a location

The first one seems to be 355km.....bloody hell that is so not 'close'

Les Sables du Midi = Valras-Plage
Le Domaine de Dugny = Onzain
Les Pierres Couchées = Saint-Brevin-les-Pins

Google Route planner. They do European destinations as well as UK. Apart from giving distance and route will give expected journey time.

No it isn't - Valras-Plage is about 10 miles from Beziers!

oh sorry, that was my first, not yours!

Your map must have picked up a Dugny somewhere other than Onzain

They are

I am getting addresses (I think)
Le Domaine de Dugny = 4.5km

That sounds better I think (except now I know where it is I don't want to go)

Being 'green' isn't all it's cracked up to be

according to tripadvisor the Dugny one is barely 1km from the train station

If you don't like the Loire one, what about Valras-Plage? It's a beautiful part of the world & the distance from Beziers is 16km according to google

That's a long way isn't it (KatyMac's Geography is a bit challenged )

I'll have a go with the third one I think

The Brittany one's 2-3 miles from the station.

16km is 10 miles - not far really!

\link{http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g1080872-d1054755-Reviews-Pierres_Couchees-Saint_Brevin_les_Pins_Pays_de_la_Loire.html\tripadvisor} is really useful - reviews & map etc. This one is for Pierres Couchees, you can put the other site names in the search box at the top.

(If you click on the map it opens in a separate window & you can zoom in & out for distances etc)

That looks possible - it's Brittany so the weather won't be too hot

The train in France is quite short (I guess) as we get a discounted rate for UK travel but not abroad

Now I just need to work out how much train travel in France is

hanks so much for your help - I was starting to feel daft

You're welcome

The Brittany one is quite far west so the distance is prob not that different from the Loire one. Biggest large town is Nantes which might help you to look for train routes.

The Loire one is between Blois & Tours & would probably be the easiest to get to by train.

If I am reading this site correctly it is about 5 hrs from London

But I can't find the Saint-Brévin-les-Pins on it, only Nantes (so far)

& it looks like it might cost bout £120 each

& Les Pierres Couchées has sailing....which trumps just about everything

looks like no railway at St-Brevin...

the nearest big mainline station is actually St Nazaire, which is just across the river from St Brevin (but there is a bridge!) so check that out.

Alternatively the nearest station on the line from Nantes looks like Saint-Pere-en-Retz

So the email I got from Siblu was wrong (Damn)

easyjet fly to Nantes from Gatwick - that would be quicker!

Still have to get from Nantes to the site though

well I'm only going by the google map but it's usually quite reliable - the train line from Nantes heads towards St-Brevin but then veers off to the N at St-Pere.

You might be better contacting the French tourist office in London 0207 491 4968

Their website's no real help for rail as it just links you back to the raileurope site, & that doesn't appear to have the smaller stations. You need to talk to somebody with access to maps & timetables!

Yes but I fly at Christmas; to reduce our carbon footprint, I thought we could do train in the summer. DH & DD love trains

I'm getting quite excited

I wish we could split the journey a bit; but I imagine tickets are cheaper if we go direct