Calais to Carcassonne

We are travelling to our house just outside Carcassonne by car for the first time. We will be taking our dog and I DO NOT LIKE MOTORWAYS - does anyone have any ideas about a route and accommodation that is %26#39;dog and cigarette%26#39; friendly?

Many thanks Eve

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You want to take a route that avoids all motorways? That will take an eternity. Your route would be Rouen, Orleans , Limoges, Toulouse etc. Would probably take 20 hours? Just a guess. Its 1100 km via motorways. The Route Nationals all go through loads of towns.

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Hi Eve -

Morgan B is correct that getting to Carcassonne while (mostly) avoiding the Autoroutes will take longer than the most direct route, which is almost all Autoroute. Nevertheless, I think you should go for it. It would take you two days of about 6 hours driving to make it from Calais with any degree of comfort using the Autoroute. I%26#39;d allow three fairly relaxed days - perhaps 5-6 hours including a stop for a quick-ish lunch or a picnic - if you avoid the Autoroute for the most part.

Most of the towns along the way have bypass roads, and where they do not it is almost alwys possible to use the Autoroute for a few km just to get by the possible congestion. Usually the Autoroutes are toll-free close to the larger towns as well.

For overnight stops, Chartres would probably be a good first night, and somewhere south of Limoges would make a good second night choice - perhaps around Brive-la-Gaillarde.

Many of the towns along the way are worth seeing if you want to take the time, and some of the scenery is lovely too.

If you go to

www.viamichelin.com

you can get route suggestions. You can use the %26quot;customize your route%26quot; option to tell the site to give you a route that avoids tolls and most motorways. And you can use different stopover selections to find a different route home if you would like that. Heading up through the Auvergne and close to Clermont-Ferrand would be one option I can think of, and there are others.

I know quite a few people in the SE of England who have houses in southern France, and many of them (with dogs) do pretty much what you are thinking of. They think of the trip down and back as part of the holiday. Some of them stick to the same route and the same hotels every time. Some vary the route and so manage to explore a lot of France while travelling back and forth.

Most French hotels will not have a problem with a dog, provided it is not too big, and well-behaved. And (sadly) most French hotels and restaurants are all too tolerant of smokers. (I used to be one, and even if I were still, I would wish that France would ban cigarettes in its restaurants.)

Have a good trip and a great holiday!

And feel free to ask if you have any more questions.

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Thanks so much.

I also understand there are rules about returning to the UK with dogs and you have to find a vet - any ideas?