France/Benelux - Day 17

Drove from the Ardeche to Provence on day 10 (140 miles)

Total mileage 1290

France/Benelux - Day 8

Day 6 mileage 40

Day 7 mileage 30

Day 8 mileage 20

Total mileage 840

France/Benelux - Day 5

Day 3 mileage 30

Day 4 mileage 0

Day 5 mileage 0

Total mileage 750

France/Benelux - Day 2

Villefranche sur Saone > Ardeche

Dep 0745

Arrive 1515

Daily mileage 150

Total mileage 720

It's not called "Samedi noir" on the roads for nothing. Weekends are known as "chasses-croisses" (l"comings and going" or, in this context, "massive traffic jams") and the one at the start of August is the worst as those coming home from holiday (the juillettistes) "cross" and "chase" those starting (the aoutiens). The result was an average speed of around 20mph over seven and a half hours without a stop. The previous day I had managed over three times the distance from Calais to Villefranche in half an hour less with two stops. Thank goodness for air con and my back catalogue of Radio 4 comedy shows! There was even gridlock on the national road having abandoned that on the motorway south of Lyon.

France/Benelux - Day 1

Harrow > Villefranche sur Saone (via Channel Tunnel)

Depart 0515 (BST)

Channel Crossing 0850

Arrive 1800 (CET)

Daily mileage 570