Route - Rouen, Chartres, to Tours?

[just john]

Recently thought about trying a different route for a change via N154 Rouen, Chartres, N10 to Tours, principally slower speed but saves over €40 on tolls. Does anyone travel this route? is the lack of autoroute a pain or are the traffic flows good?

[mint]

It's fine provided you don't get lost in Rouen and it's rush hour!

[f1steveuk]

Yep, gone that route instead of Rouen, Druex, Orleans etc etc.

It's ok, and much of the N roads (N138?) are duelled anyway, but where they're not, one lorry can be a major pain!

You do get the bonus of going down the Mulsanne staight though!

Are you thinking Le Mans, Tours, Poitier, Angouleme as the route?

[Judith]

[quote user="just john "]Recently thought about trying a different route for a change via N154 Rouen, Chartres, N10 to Tours, principally slower speed but saves over €40 on tolls. Does anyone travel this route? is the lack of autoroute a pain or are the traffic flows good?[/quote]

Used to do this in preference to autoroute, but not done for some time.  Last was 2 years ago, going north, one Sunday morning.  Plenty of dual carriage ways, but several parts not so, and can be a problem with slower traffic.  As I'd just come off the autoroute it felt even slower, but it went at the correct speed for the road.  Not unpleasant, and a chance to look around at sometimes very flat scenery, improving of course as you go southwards.  Certainly worth a try, especially if saving on tolls is more (or as) important as speed.

[just john]

[quote user="f1steveuk"]Yep, gone that route instead of Rouen, Druex, Orleans etc etc.

It's ok, and much of the N roads (N138?) are duelled anyway, but where they're not, one lorry can be a major pain!

You do get the bonus of going down the Mulsanne staight though!

Are you thinking Le Mans, Tours, Poitier, Angouleme as the route?
[/quote]

Done the Mulsanne many times including once in a calvacade of Big Healeys on the circuit jockeying for position[:-))] but too many cars and not enough space to really give it beans;[:)] in real trafic its just boring now, after driving straight through while a bike event was on last year I now understand why there is such an enormous diversion by the autoroute all the way round Le Mans.[:$]

Le Mans, Tours, Poitier, Angouleme is the route I normally travel, autoroute mostly all the way and in a van its about 6 hours and €40 tolls, no prob, though a tad expensive, tolls creeping up. I can't be the only one thinking that since many times we are the only one on the autoroute and have finally stopped taking pictures of empty autoroute stretching into the distance. It is also slightly the long way down, the old route is shorter though slower and when I clicked on Michelin for economic it came up Rouen, Dreux, Chartres, N10 to Tours (no Le Mans let alone mulsanne) with slightly less miles, less speed, and no tolls saving a gallon to boot. I do occasionally have a co-pilot that's awake and TomTom so route finding is not a prob. Trafic flow is my bugbear, if I see a jam I would rather reroute. It's a little while since I came this route so I assumed some improvement, is it a route any others take?

[Théière]

Better places to stop and eat on that route and on a Sunday morning it's quiet but haven't used it for 2 years either but maybe soon. Fuel cheaper off the motorway too.

[NickP]

[quote user="just john "]Recently thought about trying a different route for a change via N154 Rouen, Chartres, N10 to Tours, principally slower speed but saves over €40 on tolls. Does anyone travel this route? is the lack of autoroute a pain or are the traffic flows good?[/quote]

We use this route regularly to get to Vendome, for Tours just keep going for about another 40 minutes. The only hold ups now are around Dreux, depending on the time of day, if you dodge the "rush hours " there is no problem. The route is now much better than it used to be and as you say you save toll money. We find that this route as opposed to our alternative; the Le Mans/ Rouen motorway takes about 20 minutes more and of course is much more interesting. Best days to miss this route because of the HGV's are Mondays and Fridays.

[just john]

Thanks for the input everyone, I think we'll possibly give it a go, pity I've booked the ferry for a Monday  . . . . . .

[PaulT]

Rouen is not a problem - at least not for me now I have sussed it.

Drive in to Rouen and keep to the left and watch out for the sign for the A13 - you will have gone through a long tunnel and then under some bridges. The road for the A13 is a single lane off on the right and consists of a very tight loop.

There is a L'Eclerc filling station at Nonacourt.

Certainly a lot cheaper going this way and popular judging by the number of UK registered vehicles.

Paul

[just john]

[quote user="PaulT"] Rouen is not a problem - at least not for me now I have sussed it. Drive in to Rouen and keep to the left and watch out for the sign for the A13 - you will have gone through a long tunnel and then under some bridges. The road for the A13 is a single lane off on the right and consists of a very tight loop.
There is a L'Eclerc filling station at Nonacourt.

Paul  [/quote]

For those planning on programming this into TomTom, it's is actually NONANCOURT 27320