Getting to the Ardeche in 2015

Given its more remote location some consideration to how you might choose to travel to the Ardeche

We guess not everyone is as adventurous (i.e. daft) as Johnny and myself (Picture above: Johnny in Pricilla, on the peak of the Ardeche mountains).  And as such you may wish to fly drive or let the train take the strain and so forth so let us guide you:

Driving from the UK:

It’s approximately 940km (8-9 hrs) from Calais nonstop assuming you take a very wide easterly avoidance of Paris and have no traffic delays (it’s the same distance as going through Paris but saves huge amounts of time and stress  - head for Reims and the champagne region!)  If you go anywhere near the Paris area you can assume 10 hours upwards.   If you include a nights stop over then its 2 days of 4-5 hrs.  Dijon and Beaune are half way points and good for hotels and campsites.  One of our favourite stop overs on route to the UK is a visit to Baume-les-messieurs a French village of character, set in the  heart of the Jura wine region so lots of tastings opportunities! And an overnight stay at Hôtel Auberge de Chavannes  www.auberge-de-chavannes.com/en/ nearby, the hotel consistently tops the ratings scales reasonable value and a good restaurant.

Hotels in France (en route):

I recommend Accor hotels http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/united-kingdom/index.shtml  Accor cover the key brands from budget Ibis up to midrange Mercure/ Novotel and premium Sofitel.  They have a useful app.

My personal favourite is Logis de France as they mostly come attached with traditional good quality French restaurants.  Their app and website are great resources for planning an overnight stop.  www.logishotels.com/en.html

Camping (en route):

For camping it’s hard to go wrong in France!  Our personal favourites are camping cheque sites as part of the Alan Rodgers group so see www.alanrogers.com Both organisations websites and apps are free and an invaluable resource for finding a campsite on your phone or GPS.    We have never had a bad campsite with these guides!  Of course there is nothing like an adventure if your following signs when you’ve had enough and fancy a stop off!

Crossing the channel:

• Eurotunnel  - www.eurotunnel.com  for speed & convenience but this obviously comes at a price! 

• Ferry – We’d advise to be wary of myferrylink its predicted to close in 2015 due to monopoly commission ruling (its currently perhaps the cheapest way to cross the channel.) 

• A good place to head is the ferry comparison site www.aferry.co.uk to see who’s offering the cheaper/better times for your journey.

Flying:

• Nimes - 104km away (1hr 40mins) only bucketair (Ryanair for the uninitiated!) fly direct from Liverpool.  

• Montpellier - 130km away (2hrs 15mins) ~ Easy Jet and Air France from South East; bucket air from Leeds Bradford.

• Lyon - 190km away (2hrs 15min) ~ BA EasyJet and Air France from the South East;  Easy Jet from Edinburgh and Manchester

• Marseille – 220km away (2hr 45min) ~. BA, Easy Jet, Air France from the South East

• Beziers -  226KM (2hr 55min)  bucketair fly from Edinburgh and Manchester

• For flight prices and comparisons we recommend www.skyscanner.net

• For car rental we recommend www.holidayautos.co.uk has always beaten the multi nationals on price for me (and I’ve always ended up in a multinational’s car)

Train:

• Eurostar to Lille or Paris then SNCF or TGV train to Gare SNCF de Montélimar then hire car (note hire cars in Montelimar can be a little tricky but Europ Car have a location here)  55km (1 hour) drive Don't forget to get some nougat,  Montelimar is the home of nougat!