DATES: 

 

COST PER PERSON:   based on 2 people, per car, sharing a room

The costs are based upon £1sterling = 1.15 euros and we reserve the right to make a surcharge or give a reduction if the conversion rates move either way.

The costs include the following:

 

• Accommodation in 4 star or 3 star hotels
• 3 course dinners each night
• Continental breakfast daily
• Rally plates
• Comprehensive road books with daily itineraries and detailed route notes
• Michelin  map of France with highlighted route
• Copy of DK's Eyewitness travel guide "France"
• Services of a CCTI Tour Director throughout the tour
• Brittany Ferries Plymouth- Santander overnight crossing
•  from Toulon, France to Bastia Corsica
• Daytime ferry from Caen to Portsmouth

NOT INCLUDED ARE THE FOLLOWING :

• Lunches, snacks, coffees etc.
• Drinks with dinner
• Entry to places of interest
• Autoroute tolls

 

 

 

TOUR SUMMARY

Day 1 Sunday Plymouth to Santander Ferry

The overnight ferry leaves to Santander Plymouth at 16.45 and arrives in Santander at 15.00 Monday

Day 2 Monday Santander to Ezcaray

( 140 miles including 120 on motorways )

The overnight ferry from Plymouth arrives in Santander 15.00 once disembarked we re-group and take the scenic motorway to Ezcaray, east of Burgos and south of Vitoria-Gastiez

Day 3 Tuesday Ezcaray to Oloron Ste Marie

We spend the morning driving into the Pyrenees. After lunch we cross into France then drive north out of the Pyrenees to our hotel in Oloron Ste Marie, near Pau.

Day 4 Wednesday

Oloron Ste. Marie to Floures, Carcassonne

We drive west to Carcassonne where our hotel for the night is Chateau Floure in the quiet village of Floure just east of Carcassonne. 

Day 5 Thursday

Floures to La Malene, Tarn Gorges

We take a scenic mountain route north east from Carcassonne to Millau driving
over the Col de Salette,(913 metres), Col de Serrieres,( 685 metres ), Col de
Uscats, ( 575 metres ) and the Col de la Baraque de Bral. We then join the A75
autoroute at Lodeve and drive to our lunch stop La Couvertoirade a stunning
walled village in the countryside south of Millau. We then drive over the Millau
bridge from south to north stopping to view the Millau bridge, arguably, the
world's most beautiful modern suspension bridge that spans the valley of the
River Tarn near Millau in the Aveyron.

From Millau we drive into the stunning Gorges des Tarn where Chateau de la Caze, a stunning 16th-century fortified chateau on the banks of the river Tarn, This is our hotel for the next three nights.

Day 6 - Friday,

Tarn Gorge local excursion ( 55 miles)
Today, after four days on the road, we spend a leisurely day exploring the
stunning Tarn Gorge. Leaving our hotel we drive 3 miles up the Gorge to Ste.
Enimie, one of France's most beautiful villages and our morning coffee stop.
We then cross the river and drive south over mountains to Meyrueis our lunch
stop. After lunch there is an option to visit the nearby beautiful caves at the
“Grotte de l'Aven Armand” before driving west through the Gorges de la Jonte
to Le Rosiers our afternoon coffee stop. We then drive north up the Tarn gorge
through La Malene stopping frequently, on route, to take photos of the
picturesque hamlets on the other side of the river. From La Malene it's just over 2 miles back to our chateau hotel.

Day 7- Saturday

Tarn Gorges, local excursion

We drive right through the Tarn Gorge to Florac where we take a wonderful scenic driving road, the Corniche des Cevennes to St. Jean du Gard, our morning coffee stop. We then drive on more scenic roads to Le Vigan then via Meyruies back to Florac

where we take a minor road to Montignac then back to St.Chely du Tarn

Day 8 Sunday, Tarn Gorgeto Beynac, Dordogne ( miles )

We leave Chateau de la Caze and drive 2 miles up the gorge to Ste. Enimie where we take a steep road with several hairpins climbing out of the gorge to La Canourgue. From here we drive across country on minor roads to St.Eulacie d' Olt, another of France's most beautiful villages and our morning coffee stop. We then continue west to Conques, another “beau village” and our lunch stop. After Conques we drive north-west up to Rocamadour our afternoon coffee stop. From Rocamadour we drive to Souillac then west through a gorge to Carsac.

We then drive a stunning route through La Roque Gageac and Beynac, two more of France’s most beautiful villages, to our chateau hotel overlooking the Dordogne river

 

 

 

Day 10, Tuesday

Loire valley to Ouistreham/Caen Ferry

On the final day of our tour, we head north  up to Caen to catch the afternoon ferry which arrives in Portsmouth at 9.30pm