CALAIS TO DOVER
We arrived in Calais at 14:20 local time having travelled across the channel from Dover with P&O on ‘The Pride of Kent’, a 90 minute journey. The crossing had been very calm and as we had eaten on board the ferry, we were ready to set off on our journey.
There were four adults in our vehicle and we had a journey of about 290 miles to get to our stopover for the night at Woippy near Metz. We were travelling through France on our way to Germany, our final destination being Herrenberg near Stuttgart, a total journey of 479 miles from Calais.
We had chosen Woippy as our overnight stay as it meant very little deviation from our planned route which involved the A16, A26 and A4, all very good roads which included toll roads for which we would have to pay out in excess of 40 euros, but well worth it for the clear open roads that meant we could make good time with very few hold ups.
As we had driven 124 miles already that first day, driving from our Essex home to the port of Dover, we didn’t want to drive too many miles before having a break and we wanted to get to our hotel in time for dinner.
Driving off of the ferry onto French soil, you do need to remind yourself that you have to drive on the right hand side, making a mental note that everything now is different. It is amazing however, how easily you do fall into the pattern of driving on the opposite side of the road, the motorways are fine as all traffic is flowing in the same direction and all you really need to remember is to overtake on the left hand side, not the right. Driving in the town is a little different as you have to remember to go around roundabouts the opposite way to that which you are used to, and there are unusual circumstances when you have to give way to traffic coming out of side roads. However, as long as you keep your wits about you and pay due care and attention, you should have no problems.
For most of our journey the motorway speed limit was 130 kilometres per hour, approximately 81 miles per hour, and the miles just melted away. French motorway services vary a lot and depending on where you stop you may find a garage with a drinks vending machine and little else or a much larger complex with shops and restaurants serving hot and cold food, similar to what you would expect to find in the UK. On our stop we were unlucky to come across a services which were undergoing refurbishment, the mens toilets were closed and we were re-directed to a porta-loo where unfortunately the water had run dry. Thankfully we had not intended to eat at this stop as there was very little choice in the food department, we did however, have a very good cup of tea.
The hotel we had chosen to stay in at Woippy was an Ibis hotel, we had stayed there many years ago when it was a Mecure. We had booked our stay on-line a few weeks before departing and although at first glance the price seemed reasonable, by the time you added breakfast to the room only price and the obligatory town tax, the total came to £206 for the two rooms. Whilst this is still a reasonable price (we have often paid this much and more for one room), for a basic stopover, I did find it somewhat expensive for what it was.
We arrived at the hotel at 18:50 and after checking in to our rooms and freshening up, we went to the restaurant for dinner. The choice and standard of food was very good and we all enjoyed our meals. The other facilities in the hotel are basic, with free internet access in the reception area and a small bar and lounge area. The hotel is situated on a busy road near an industrial area and there are no footpaths along the road, this meant any walks were confined to the hotel grounds.
The next morning, having had a walk around the grounds and having made use of the free internet services, we sat down to a reasonable continental style breakfast before once more hitting the road and driving onwards to Germany, crossing the boarder not far from Strasbourg.
After our holiday in Germany (you can read about this in another of my reviews), we travelled once more through France, this time driving through the centre of Strasbourg before following the route that we had used to get to Germany a week earlier. On our return trip we had not booked our hotel en route or even our ferry back to the UK. Our plan was to see how the drive went and get as near to Calais as possible, allowing enough time to find a hotel and somewhere to have dinner.
We knew we wanted to get nearer Calais than Woippy so we had ruled out staying at the Ibis as we had on our outward journey. However, as I had picked up one of the Ibis hotel books at Woippy I used this to try to find somewhere to stay the night. We decided to try the Ibis in Saint Quentin, we had never ventured into the town of Saint Quentin before, only ever seeing the signs for it as we drove by on the motorway. As we negotiated the busy streets to find the hotel in the centre opposite the cathedral we were all surprised how big Saint Quentin town was. At the Ibis Hotel we viewed the rooms that we were offered, they were basic, clean, but very small. As the rooms were situated at the front of the building, overlooking a very busy and noisy street, we decided to try elsewhere.
Unusually, we had no more hotel books with us (very bad planning as I have dozens at home), we had to rely on the satellite navigation to give us the information we required, the only problem with this is that it doesn’t give any real indication of the standard of hotel. We decided to give the “Chateau Roupy” a look as it was only a few miles from where we were. Unfortunately, it appeared to have closed down and even a couple of locals that we spoke to seemed unaware of its existence. We searched the satellite navigation again, this time it took us five miles in the opposite direction from whence we came to yet another Chateau, Le Chateau de Neuville, St Quentin. Fortunately, this one was open and we managed to get two rooms for the night at a price of 87 euros per room and 12 euros each for breakfast.
The bedrooms were a little tired and old fashioned for my liking but the Chateau was set in beautiful grounds and the bar and restaurant were fine with good views over the gardens and serving some very tasty and generously proportioned meals. All in all a lucky find and a pleasant end to our holiday, only 113 miles from Calais.
There were four adults in our vehicle and we had a journey of about 290 miles to get to our stopover for the night at Woippy near Metz. We were travelling through France on our way to Germany, our final destination being Herrenberg near Stuttgart, a total journey of 479 miles from Calais.
We had chosen Woippy as our overnight stay as it meant very little deviation from our planned route which involved the A16, A26 and A4, all very good roads which included toll roads for which we would have to pay out in excess of 40 euros, but well worth it for the clear open roads that meant we could make good time with very few hold ups.
As we had driven 124 miles already that first day, driving from our Essex home to the port of Dover, we didn’t want to drive too many miles before having a break and we wanted to get to our hotel in time for dinner.
Driving off of the ferry onto French soil, you do need to remind yourself that you have to drive on the right hand side, making a mental note that everything now is different. It is amazing however, how easily you do fall into the pattern of driving on the opposite side of the road, the motorways are fine as all traffic is flowing in the same direction and all you really need to remember is to overtake on the left hand side, not the right. Driving in the town is a little different as you have to remember to go around roundabouts the opposite way to that which you are used to, and there are unusual circumstances when you have to give way to traffic coming out of side roads. However, as long as you keep your wits about you and pay due care and attention, you should have no problems.
For most of our journey the motorway speed limit was 130 kilometres per hour, approximately 81 miles per hour, and the miles just melted away. French motorway services vary a lot and depending on where you stop you may find a garage with a drinks vending machine and little else or a much larger complex with shops and restaurants serving hot and cold food, similar to what you would expect to find in the UK. On our stop we were unlucky to come across a services which were undergoing refurbishment, the mens toilets were closed and we were re-directed to a porta-loo where unfortunately the water had run dry. Thankfully we had not intended to eat at this stop as there was very little choice in the food department, we did however, have a very good cup of tea.
The hotel we had chosen to stay in at Woippy was an Ibis hotel, we had stayed there many years ago when it was a Mecure. We had booked our stay on-line a few weeks before departing and although at first glance the price seemed reasonable, by the time you added breakfast to the room only price and the obligatory town tax, the total came to £206 for the two rooms. Whilst this is still a reasonable price (we have often paid this much and more for one room), for a basic stopover, I did find it somewhat expensive for what it was.
We arrived at the hotel at 18:50 and after checking in to our rooms and freshening up, we went to the restaurant for dinner. The choice and standard of food was very good and we all enjoyed our meals. The other facilities in the hotel are basic, with free internet access in the reception area and a small bar and lounge area. The hotel is situated on a busy road near an industrial area and there are no footpaths along the road, this meant any walks were confined to the hotel grounds.
The next morning, having had a walk around the grounds and having made use of the free internet services, we sat down to a reasonable continental style breakfast before once more hitting the road and driving onwards to Germany, crossing the boarder not far from Strasbourg.
After our holiday in Germany (you can read about this in another of my reviews), we travelled once more through France, this time driving through the centre of Strasbourg before following the route that we had used to get to Germany a week earlier. On our return trip we had not booked our hotel en route or even our ferry back to the UK. Our plan was to see how the drive went and get as near to Calais as possible, allowing enough time to find a hotel and somewhere to have dinner.
We knew we wanted to get nearer Calais than Woippy so we had ruled out staying at the Ibis as we had on our outward journey. However, as I had picked up one of the Ibis hotel books at Woippy I used this to try to find somewhere to stay the night. We decided to try the Ibis in Saint Quentin, we had never ventured into the town of Saint Quentin before, only ever seeing the signs for it as we drove by on the motorway. As we negotiated the busy streets to find the hotel in the centre opposite the cathedral we were all surprised how big Saint Quentin town was. At the Ibis Hotel we viewed the rooms that we were offered, they were basic, clean, but very small. As the rooms were situated at the front of the building, overlooking a very busy and noisy street, we decided to try elsewhere.
Unusually, we had no more hotel books with us (very bad planning as I have dozens at home), we had to rely on the satellite navigation to give us the information we required, the only problem with this is that it doesn’t give any real indication of the standard of hotel. We decided to give the “Chateau Roupy” a look as it was only a few miles from where we were. Unfortunately, it appeared to have closed down and even a couple of locals that we spoke to seemed unaware of its existence. We searched the satellite navigation again, this time it took us five miles in the opposite direction from whence we came to yet another Chateau, Le Chateau de Neuville, St Quentin. Fortunately, this one was open and we managed to get two rooms for the night at a price of 87 euros per room and 12 euros each for breakfast.
The bedrooms were a little tired and old fashioned for my liking but the Chateau was set in beautiful grounds and the bar and restaurant were fine with good views over the gardens and serving some very tasty and generously proportioned meals. All in all a lucky find and a pleasant end to our holiday, only 113 miles from Calais.
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