Introduction
We have owned Le Vieux Mas for over 20 years, and have travelled there in many ways. Originally it was by car and ferry, the traditional adventure to foreign places, with a journey in France that was certainly two days. Quite quickly, though, the autoroute system expanded and the roads into the Cévennes improved so it became a one day journey from the coast. But would you want to do that? A more leisurely drive, with a break en route can be an enjoyable part of the holiday. But mostly, these days, we enjoy the relaxation of the train - and travel by air only if the price advantage is so strong we can't resist it.
Le Vieux Mas is in the south of France, north-west of Nîmes and less than two hours from the Mediterranean. For a fuller description and map, see the location page.
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Air More and more visitors to Le Vieux Mas are flying to the area and then hiring a car. You can fly from a range of regional airports in the UK and Ireland to several airports within striking distance of Le Vieux Mas. Nîmes is the nearest, just over an hour away, with Avignon, Montpellier and Marseilles around two hours, and further options around three hours. Click here to see more detail on airports in southern France, and the UK and Ireland airports which serve them. I try to keep these details up to date, but change is constant so you could also try a site such as Skyscanner to check options and prices - and always check on the airline's own site at an early stage in your planning. Especially from the more distant parts of the UK, it may be worth looking at the flybe site, because the airline has numerous single-ticket flights with reasonably timed connections to handy French airports. For example, you can book a return trip from Inverness to Avignon with a reasonably timed change at Birmingham. It is almost always best to book air travel early, especially for peak periods. Just bear in mind, though, that many airline promotions stretch only a few months ahead so if a price months ahead looks "standard" it can - sometimes - pay to wait. |
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Rail Train travel to the house is easy and relaxed. Return fares start at around £120, though you must book early to get such fares. On summer Saturdays you can travel by Eurostar direct from London or Ashford to Avignon in less than six hours, arriving early afternoon (the return journey leaving late afternoon). Otherwise, one easy change at Lille or a short metro trip in Paris gives you many more journey options, including arriving at Nîmes which is slightly more convenient for the house. Sleepers and Motorail services are no longer available from the north of France - only from Paris. Both Eurostar and Rail Europe sell through tickets priced in sterling from the UK to Nîmes and Avignon. These are competitively priced but may not be the cheapest option. To see fuller information and possibly better prices, see TGV-europe which is the international site of SNCF the French rail service. There is more detail on rail travel, including tips on how to get the best fares, here. |
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Road For many visitors, especially those arriving at one of the Normandy ports, the best route will be down the centre of France on the A71/A75 by Clermont-Ferrand as this is quieter, cheaper and more attractive. An increasingly viable alternative, for all points of arrival in northern France, is the A77 which leaves the A6 east of Paris and links to the N7 and then the A75 as above. A more easterly route, on the famed autoroute du soleil, will suit visitors from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. To plan a route try the Michelin route planner, which has good clear directions. Bison-fute is a useful site on roadworks, heavy traffic etc. There is much (much) more detail on route planning here. Although it is easily possible to drive to the house from the northern French coast in one day, a stop-over en route, perhaps around the Loire region, can add to the pleasure of the holiday. Since we mainly travel by train we don't have our own recent recommendations but here are a couple from a recent article on "Perfect French Pitstops": Hôtel de l'Abeille (Orléans) and Hôtel de Bourbon (Bourges). |
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Car Hire If you travel by air or train, you'll want to hire a car. It's entirely straightforward but, as ever, don't just leap for the first option. Booking car hire with your airline or train service can work out best, but often does not. Likewise, booking through re-sellers such as holiday autos can get the best deal but in my experience usually does not. It is best normally to book with one of the majors, such as Hertz and to use discounts such as from the AA to which you have access. More information about managing car hire here.
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Ferries For crossing the channel, some visitors, especially from the midlands northward, may find advantage in the crossings to Normandy, as this gives the chance of some sleep and an early start in France. Brittany Ferries goes to Caen from Portsmouth, and LD Lines goes to Le Havre from Portsmouth and to Dieppe from Newhaven. P&O and SeaFrance go from Dover to Calais, as does Eurotunnel. A useful site for all crossings is Direct ferries.
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Bookings, etc To make travel arrangements you may want to book via Chez Nous which can offer discounts if you give them my property booking number. However don't assume that these discounts are the best you can get, shop around. For example if you are a member of the AA or RAC they may be able to book your travel at good rates as well as provide other travel services such as insurance cover for driving outside the UK.
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About the photos on this page
All are from our holidays and all but one is from France. In order from the top:
1 Flamingos in the Camargue. This is from a pre-digital print, a picnic with my parents. My mother, enjoying the situation and maybe a glass of wine said "It's so lovely, especially with those penguins flying overhead". Naturally she was never allowed to forget it.
2 Every serious holiday destination must have its little train and rather surprisingly we have recently acquired our own. This fine machine runs all of 2km from St Cecile d'Andorge (where Jean Paul Sartre used to meet Simone de Beauvoir for walks in the woods) to St Julien des Points. The track is on the old line to Florac, and you can read more about that and the little train project here. A much better-known local attraction is the steam train which runs from Anduze to St Jean du Gard.
3 Jamie took this photo of a typical little road in autumn. They don't usually have speed limits but this is close to a village. Driving in France is much less demanding than in the UK, and can be good fun in the Cévennes.
4 A young Jamie practicing his skills in the cafe in our supermarket in Alès.
5 The boys canoeing in the Gorges du Tarn. A great way to spend a day.
6 This picture taken in Wales, I believe. Despite his evident enthusiasm here, I don't think Jamie plans to be an accountant.