Route Napoleon?

Joined
Apr 26, 2022
Posts
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Location
Kent, UK
Funster No
88,320
MH
Malibu Charming 600
Was on my bike wishlist for years but never quite made it.

So looking seriously looking at it for June in the 6m campervan.

Thoughts?


(My biking mates say "keep off"!!)
 
The Route Napoleon is an excellent and well engineered road. No problems at all in a camper van. There are a few bikers and supercar racers and so there is occasionally a heightened police presence. For me, it is the best route from Lyon to the Nice end of the Med.

Dignes les Bains is a lovely village. I have never stayed the night and so don’t have any recommendations. Castellane is also well worth a stop. There is a good aire in the centre of the town and lots of campsites. From there you can also venture along the Gorge du Verdon which is also OK in a 6m van.

After Castellane you can continue with the Route Napoleon down into Grasse or, better still, head across to Greolieres (excellent lunch at the Vieille Auberge (closed on Tuesday) - you can park easily at the exit from the village) and then on to France’s best free aire in Gourdon. The last few kilometres above Greolieres have a couple of hairpins and eye of the needle cuts through the rock - which won’t trouble you in your van.
 
My parents did it in a car in the 1980s when visiting my sister who was living in France at the time.

I think they enjoyed it more looking back on the trip than when driving it! Dad was never very good at hairpin bends and had a panic driving through Cheddar Gorge so I don't imagine he enjoyed the drive very much - especially with Mum's navigational skills and her mix up of right and left as it might be different when driving on the other side of the road!!!!!
 
I’ve done it a couple of times on a motorbike. I’d not expect it to be trouble in a motorhome. Route Grande Alpes is a little tighter, but still doable.

I remember overtaking a long truck full of bulls up a hill. Then a car came round the corner and I cancelled the overtake. Just to make life interesting, as I was pulling back towards the back of the truck, a bull popped his head, with long horns, out the side to say hello!

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Just do it....as a biker, I have no issue at all with pretty much any other vehicle using the road I am also on....something to 'match, catch and despatch'. (It is a glorious road in most parts, thru a wonderful part of France)
 
Sabine le lac has an aire also and isn’t too far from Embrun, lovely route you will enjoy it.
 
There are several great roads just off the route that we have done quite a few of on our 110 cc scooter.

Worthy of a look at this site if you are unaware of it


I ve posted this before but its just a great video to waste 16 minutes on with many of them right in your area
 
It’s a nice road easy for MH, just watch out for the level crossings the ones down there seem even worse than the rest of France
 
Have been that way a few times, didn't know it was something important, what's special about it?

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Have been that way a few times, didn't know it was something important, what's special about it?
For motorcyclists, it is one of those iconic roads....like the Route des Grande Alpes or the n260 across the Southern Pyrenees...any road in the Picos de Europa, Transfagarasan Pass etc etc...... Riders/drivers roads.
 

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