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For everyone driving to the French Alps this winter

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
The new Reims by-pass opens next week.

http://www.a4csr-sanef.com/
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
nice spot, thanks. Just booked my trip today.

Wonder if that means no camera's no you don't have to trundle round Reims at 100kph when its absolutely deserted Happy
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Does this mean that the sudden change from wide open autoroute to single lane right hand bend when you're doing 130kph is now gone?
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Yoda wrote:
Does this mean that the sudden change from wide open autoroute to single lane right hand bend when you're doing 130kph is now gone?
Quote:

Does this mean that the sudden change from wide open autoroute to single lane right hand bend when you're doing 130kph is now gone?

Yes, I would also think that the Peage before and after Reims will also go.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Of course my Sat Nav won't know about this, which always adds a frisson of excitement to an otherwise straightforward trip... Madeye-Smiley
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Yoda, No, that will now be replaced by the sharp left turn just south of Troyes.
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
A minor downside is I always filled up at the Carrefour at the Tinqueux exit. Cheapest fuel with easy access before Switzerland.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
P10DW, So did I, will now have to fill up at the truck stop in Calais and again at the Geant Casino, Albertville.
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Fogliettaz, Excellent news - thank you
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Quote:

Of course my Sat Nav won't know about this

just as well there will be loads of absolutely ginormous road signs plastered all over the place then!
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pam w wrote:
Quote:

Of course my Sat Nav won't know about this

just as well there will be loads of absolutely ginormous road signs plastered all over the place then!



What will they look like then Puzzled
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Will this make much of a difference to the journey? How much of Reims is going to bypassed?
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
I remember driving down in the summer and passing the construction site. It appears to completely miss the dual carraigeway that was unavoidable and was a bit of a nightmare in terms of congestion and idiot drivers.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
rob@rar, yes, that's what I am wondering too - if it avoids coming off the peage, through town, then out the other side it will be great. But the signs say something about a north Reims bypass - which suggests it might be something less.

Timbobaggins, Puzzled
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
More money in tolls no doubt
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
rob@rar, pam w, Yep straight past Reims (in a curving arc) the road was almost finished last month when we went through Very Happy
I'll let you know when I have driven it in 29 days time Toofy Grin
The road is actually opening over 6 moths ahead of schedule, not bad going eh!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Boredsurfing, yes, that'd be useful. It's 35 days till I'll be down there.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I'm heading down in 21 days...
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rob@rar, well you can tell us where the road goes then!
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Fogliettaz, Thanks for that.

I'm heading down in around 12 days so hopefully it won't came as to much of a surprise when my map starts making no sense. As pam w, says I'll just have to look out for the ginormous road signs Shocked
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I don't think it makes too much difference to us, as we often stop in Reims on at least one leg of the journey. The lads like it at christmas, busy bars, xmas markets etc. Keep me up to date, as I've got hotels to book in January.
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
OK, so do we have an advance on Alan R's winning bid of 12 days...?
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Alan R, presumably we'll now head out of Calais, pick up signposting for Reims, then Dijon, Bourg en Bresse, Geneva. Just like we did before, but it'll be quicker. Every motorway junction signposted several times in advance. Zzzzz. If you can remember 5 place names you don't need a map or a satnav. wink But when I'm not driving (which is rarely) I do like to look at the map, just to see which bits of France are nearby and get some of the wider geography in my head.

Recent maps will presumably have that new motorway in dotted lines - the motorway down south from Geneva to Annecy was in dotted lines for a good ten years before you could drive along it. But I'm too mean to buy a new Michelin atlas every year.
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looking forward to my first drive to the alps.... going south through England though will not be fun i expect
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chrisb, no, that'll be the worst bit. Unless you're going on a busy Saturday, in which case the last 40 miles could be the worst bit. wink
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pam w, half term so the last 40 miles will be the worst bit. Plan to leave Troyes at 7am on the saturday morning, so hopefully will beat the rush
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
chrisb wrote:
so hopefully will beat the rush

Hate to say it, but I don't think there's much chance of beating the rush if you leave Troyes at 7am.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
rob@rar, we will be in the queue then, so would need to leave troyes at what time?
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
chrisb wrote:
rob@rar, we will be in the queue then, so would need to leave troyes at what time?

Is there any way you can travel further than Troyes on the Friday night? What resort are you driving to? Routes to all the major resorts will have a lot of traffic on them for much of the day, probably from Noon'ish though until the evening.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
rob@rar, We're driving down that weekend too - Samoens, the same as chrisb, I believe - we are hoping to get as far as Dole on the Friday - do you think we will avoid the worst of the queues if we leave there between 7 and 8.
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Poster: A snowHead
rob@rar wrote:
chrisb wrote:
rob@rar, we will be in the queue then, so would need to leave troyes at what time?

Is there any way you can travel further than Troyes on the Friday night? What resort are you driving to? Routes to all the major resorts will have a lot of traffic on them for much of the day, probably from Noon'ish though until the evening.


TBH, having done the journey from the NE on many occasions, Troyes is about as far south as I would stop after the long drive the previous day.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
chrisb wrote:
pam w, half term so the last 40 miles will be the worst bit. Plan to leave Troyes at 7am on the saturday morning, so hopefully will beat the rush


If you left lyon at 7 am on a saturday you might be ok - I've done that before on a peak week and been ok..

Unfortunately your car probably doesn't come with hyperspace
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
chrisb, I've left Troyes at 7am at half term and while I wouldn't say "beat the rush" exactly it was OK as long as we didn't stop for petrol etc - only a few slow bits which we avoided by some detours (107.7 gives you warning). Don't know about the Tarentaise though - we were going to the Maurienne or Beaufortain. The worst bit was past Bourg en Bresse where the A40 becomes the A42 - we aim to be there by 10 - 10.30 or it can be difficult. If you left Troyes at 6.30 it would be better I think, but 7 is doable - a few delays but not horrendous.
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I'd agree with rob - leaving Troyes at 7 am is a bit late.

I'd aim to leave at 5 - 6, then stop 2 hours down the road for a (very) quick breakfast.

I'd say that getting into the Tarentaise is the worst - worse than the Maurienne or Beaufortain.

Trouble is, most resort accommodation is not available till about 4 pm in the afternoon - so whilst some people get up into resort early to beat the rush, they're still driving up in droves at 4 pm - so you need to go quite late to be after the rush.

When you leave, I'd have a final day or at least half a day, on the quiet Saturday slopes and aim to leave resort around 3 pm (when you'll be driving past the queues coming up). If you want to get away earlier, make it very early. I drove down to Geneva on the New Year Saturday changeover last year. We left resort about 6 am and had no problem despite very snowy roads. I dropped my folks and drove straight back so I was driving back up the Arly Valley about 10 am. Queues for the peages on the A40, and down the road in the Arly Valley, were pretty solid by then. It was busy going up, but OK - got much busier later.

If changeover day is very snowy, of course, all bets are off. wink There's something about Saturdays which seems to produce heavy falls more often than any other day. Or maybe it just seems that way.
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The timings I use to Bourg St Maurice are,

Lyon 2 hrs
Bourg en Bresse 3 hrs
Dijon 4 hrs
Troyes 5 1/2 hrs
Calais 8 1/2- 9hrs with 2 10-15 minute stops.

Driving @ 85 mph/130 kph on a clear dry road.

I do this route 3-4 times a year.
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Fogliettaz, you'd better be careful; it's not 85 mph. wink But your point is well made. With a busy road, or rain (which reduces the speed limit to 69 mph) it will take a lot more than 5.5 hours from Troyes to BsM - with still some way to go up to resort.
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Left Dijon at 05.00 on the way down last half term and had no queing en-route. Left at 05.00 to come back and again no queueing. Blush
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Zwee, We had to go over half term two years ago and were pretty much resigned to meeting queues at some stage. However, it wasn't as bad as we feared - we stayed overnight on the Friday in the Formule 1 in Dole and headed down to Le Grand Bornand on the Saturday morning so a similarish direction to you. Maybe we were just lucky. As far as I remember we left between 6.30 and 7.00 a.m on Saturday but to be honest might as well have left earlier as there wasn't a lot of sleep to be had on the Friday night - having flashbacks of memories of a yapping dog in the next room to us! I do remember thinking that for the sake of the extra 3 hours drive on the Saturday morning and the fact that we didn't get much sleep on the Friday anyway, we may have been better off just stopping for dinner and driving all the way in one hit - but that's just a personal preference and of course, if accommodation isn't available until the Saturday then you have to stay somewhere overnight. Dole was fine in terms of convenience and finding something to eat. Hope your journey goes well.
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Dole is a good place - much nearer, but obviously takes longer to get there than to get to Troyes. I have had several nights like that in hotels - not sleeping, wishing I was on the road. 0500 from Dijon sounds ideal, too - much better than 7 from Dole. wink
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Fogliettaz, thanks for the heads up on this, i missed the thread yesterday

rob@rar, I might beat the 12 days time if I can get stuff sorted will post up the new route, must say I did like the section through Reims as it keeps me awake Shocked Shocked

I have usually driven overnight Fridays non stop to Bourg arriving at about 4am to 5am Saturday, I hate traffic jams rolling eyes its a good journey overnight with little or no traffic.
Very Happy Very Happy
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