Where's a nice place to overnight somewhere between Calais & Limoges?

[ravenAK]

Going to stay with mates near Limoges in August. Don't know France at all well.

We'll have been travelling most of the day by the time we reach Calais (driving down from Midlands then ferry), & don't fancy another 7 hours on the road!

Can anyone recommend a town &/or hotel for a tired & travel stained family of 4? Basic is fine - we're just going to crash then get back on the road first thing.

tia

Orleans is half way between the 2. Here is a B and B near there:
www.dabasse.com/arniere/
Use map search on the Sawdays website for lots of lovely b and bs. Some expensive but not all.

Yes - we stayed at the Orleans Campanile - very basic but clean and the meals were lovely.

Getting around the edge of Paris will be a big relief and then you'll definitely need a rest!!! Quickest way though.

Thanks, I'll check those out. Just realised I posted in the wrong section - what a berk!

via michelin is a good route planner site.
If you want a cheap crashpad there are several chains which are handy for the motorway. formule 1 is basic. http://www.campanile.com/en/default.aspx campanile is less basic. There are several other chains whose names escape me! You can get a decent-ish, cheap-ish meal on site. Book online before you go because most of France is on holiday in August and the hotels get full quicly especially at weekends.

Avoid going round Paris - the signposting runs out at Versailles! We discovered that going via Rouen is better. It's motorway all the way, a slightly longer distance, but much quicker in time. All large French towns have Ibis/Campanile/Novotel/Formule 1 hotels on their outskirts. Formule 1 is the most basic, Novotel the nicest generally.

Agree about going via Rouen rather than round Paris. If you want something more typically French (though only the French could have thought up Formule 1!) look at Logis de France - the site has a useful map.

Goinfg south through Rouen is OK - it's not all motorway though (or it wasn't last summer) so don't go through iin the rush hour.
Going north through Rouen we got totally lost

There's a chunk of ring road with lots of round abouts around the edge of Rouen, so I think it could be quite easy to miss the right turning for the motorway to Calais when heading north, but we managed it. We didn't do it heading south - we made the mistake of heading for the Paris ring road, which ended up the drive from hell late at night in freezing fog. Then we realised there is absolutely nothing except forest off the motorway between the south of Paris and Orleans .

So Rouen is not for the faint-hearted, eh Roskva? [wink}

I'd go via Rouen too.

Gawd, it's years since I've been to Limoges.

inerestingly michelin directs via paris

Rouen is the way to go, I know all maps direct via paris but I have done botha nd Rouen is the way.

However Rouen isa good 2 - 21/2 hours from Calais. Therefore I would recommend a B&B place enroute I think I stayed amiens once. A good chain with rooms which have mezzanine floors for kids. Good value and clean

Chippy, for some reason Rouen is indelibly stuck in my memory. I have know idea why - maybe it traumatised me, or maybe it was just those roundabouts with model cows in psycho colours on them

we got so lost in rouen that we had to stop at mcd's to refuel the DC

We'd stopped at mcd's further down the road - I was absolutely bursting, and at least you know that they have a loo

If you are a family of four go for Novotel as you can sleep four in one room, which works out cheaper than two rooms somewhere cheaper! Also, dcs breakfast free. There is also more room and a nicer feel than cheaper chains.