Interactive Printable Routes from Alençon and the A28

We are 9km - 10 minutes - from the A28 Exit 19 Alençon South coming from the north
and the A28 Exit 20 Rouessé-Fontaine coming from the south.

View Larger Map of Alençon View Larger Map of A28 Exit 19 View Larger Map of A28 Exit 20

Arriving from Alençon, our driveway (marked by a green and yellow Gites de France sign) is on the left 50 metres past the church in Ancinnes village centre.

Routes from ports and major cities

Normandy and western France are extremely well served by ferry services from Britain and Ireland.
If arriving by ferry or Eurotunnel, you can find a route by clicking the name of the port in the list above.

Latest Ferry News

Check for Delays Before You Leave And Let Us Know Well In Advance If Your Are Going To Be Late!!!!

Driving in France

Check out this page - news on roadworks in France, driving in France, radar traps in France, French traffic signs etc.

Ferries, trains, planes, car hire in Normandy

Links to: Ferries France I Eurotunnel I Car Hire France I Air Travel France I Rail France

General directions

From Rouen and the North:

Follow A28 from Rouen to Alençon Junction 19; turn left at the péage roundabout and left again at second roundabout towards Champfleur. Turn left at Champfleur church and follow signs to Ancinnes.

From Paris and the East:

Approach Alençon on the N12. Before town centre bear left at the roundabout towards Le Mans on the N138/D438 (NOT the A28). After one more roundabout and two sets of lights turn left at a roundabout onto the D955/D311 direction Mamers and St Paterne. At St Paterne follow the D19 to Ancinnes.

From Caen and Ouistreham:

Take N158 from Caen signposted Alençon; join the A88 as far as Sées and merge on to the A28 to Alençon. Come off at Junction 19; turn left at the péage roundabout and left again at second roundabout towards Champfleur. Turn left at Champfleur church and follow signs to Ancinnes.

From The West:

Approach Alençon on the D311, passing Condé sur Sarthe and St Germain du Corbeis. At the roundabout with the N138/D438 turn left then immediately right at next roundabout direction St Paterne and Mamers D955/D311. At St Paterne follow D19 to Ancinnes.

From Alençon:

Take D955/D311 direction St Paterne and Mamers. At St Paterne follow D19 to Ancinnes.

From Mamers:

Take D311 direction Alençon, turn left at Neufchatel to Ancinnes.

From Le Mans and the south:

A28 north to Junction 20 signposted Coulomiers; head towards Mamers but a few hundred metres after passing under the autoroute, where the road bends left, turn left to Rouessé-Fontaine. At Rouessé you go straight on, passing a church on your right and then straight on at the bend in the road - don't bear left to Bourg le Roi. You'll shortly come to Ancinette where you go straight on to Ancinnes. Arriving in Ancinnes bear right to the village centre. The B&B is 10 mins from A28 junction 20.
If you miss A28 Junction 20:
Go on to A28 Junction 19; turn left at the péage roundabout and left at the next roundabout towards Champfleur. Turn left at Champfleur church and follow signs to Ancinnes. The B&B is 10 mins from A28 junction 19.

If you prefer to avoid the A28 motorway
Take the N138/D438 north from Le Mans, signposted Alençon; turn right after "la Hutte" via a country road signposted Bourg le Roi. From the centre of Bourg-le-Roi follow the roadsigns to Ancinnes.
and if you miss the turn off to Bourg-le-Roi
keep going towards Alençon but before Alençon turn right at Arçonnay traffic lights (Lidl) then go straight on at the roundabout towards Champfleur. Turn left at Champfleur church towards Ancinnes.

Channel Ferries and Eurotunnel

There are many options so it depends on what port/price combination is best for you. For booking online we have found the best fare and route comparisons through CheapForFerries.com - they are almost always the cheapest, their site is easy to use and they cover Eurotunnel as well as the ferry companies. Visit the site

Bear in mind that the shortest crossings tend to leave you the longest drive on the French side, but are probably quicker overall (assuming you drive faster than a ferry). Even from Boulogne, the drive can be done in under 3 hours 30 minutes without breaking any speed limits. We also know from personal experience that it is perfectly possible to drive from Newcastle to Dover, cross to Boulogne and drive to Ancinnes the same day, but we would not recommend it if you have children on board!

Brittany Ferries

The biggest choice of routes, including some very quick ones by catamaran.
Portsmouth-Caen 3hrs 45 mins by catamaran, 5hrs 45mins by normal ferry, 7 hrs overnight; Portsmouth-Cherbourg 3hrs by catamaran; Portsmouth-St Malo 10hrs 45mins overnight;
Poole-Cherbourg 2hr 15mins by catamaran, 6hrs 30mins by normal ferry, 6hrs 30mins overnight; Plymouth-Roscoff 5hrs 30mins; Cork-Roscoff 13hrs 30 mins. Visit the site

Eurotunnel

The option if you want to bring your own car and don't like boats! Very frequent service and fast at about 40 minutes from boarding to driving off. But there can be a bit of a wait to board, which reduces the relative gap between this and the catamarans. Visit the site

Speedferries

Very fast catamarans, lowest standard prices. Prices from £26 each way for a car and 5 passengers, depending how far in advance you book.
Dover-Boulogne in 50 minutes. Visit the site

Transmanche Ferries

This too can be very cheap depending on the time of day you are crossing and how far ahead you book.
Newhaven-Dieppe in 3 or 4hrs depending on the particular crossing. Visit the site

P&O Ferries

One of the best known and longest established operators.
Dover-Calais in 75 minutes. Visit the site

Sea France

Loads of crossings from Dover to Calais, with some excellent seasonal offers and deals.
Dover-Calais under 90 minutes. Visit the site

LD Lines

Only one crossing a day but very big and comfortable Pullman seats.
Portsmouth - Le Havre 7hrs 30mins; Le Havre - Portsmouth 5hrs 30mins. Visit the site

Norfolk Lines

New fleet of Norfolkline cross channel ferries.
1 hour 45 minutes from Dover to Dunkerque. Visit the site

Condor Ferries

Some crossings sail via the Channel Islands, so you can make it a 2-centre holiday if you wish.
Weymouth-St Malo 5hrs 15mins via the Channel Islands; Poole-St Malo 5hrs 45mins; Portsmouth-Cherbourg 5hrs. Visit the site

Car Hire in France

I was surprised to find, when looking for the best deal on a Zafira-size 7 seater, that Hertz offered the best deal in France, but only by booking through their UK website - bizarre. Try Hertz and then compare with the next one, which we highly recommend.

Holiday Autos is an award winning site that searches car hire companies to find the best offers. Clear language and clear prices with unlimited mileage and no hidden extras. Cars can be picked up and dropped off at almost every town, port and airport in France/Europe; choice of everything from a Corsa to an Espace. Book with them and if you later find the same car cheaper, they'll match it. Visit the site

Flights to Normandy & Pays de Loire

Perhaps because the area is so well served by ferries and most people like the convenience of driving over in their own car, the area is not so well served by airlines from the UK.

Ryanair

London Stansted to Tours (Tours is 150km, 1hr 30 by car from Alençon)
Shannon, Dublin, East Midlands and London Stansted to Nantes (240km, 2hrs 15)
East Midlands and London Stansted to Dinard (190km, 2hrs 40)
Shannon, Dublin and Glasgow Prestwick to Paris Beauvais (240km, 3hrs)

As an example, the Stansted-Tours flight time is 1hr 25 mins, 5 times a week.

In addition, both BA and Air France have daily services between London Gatwick and Nantes.

Rail travel in France

The French train companies are TGV, Corail and TER; timetables can be checked and tickets purchased online at discount prices from Rail Europe who offer discounts on normal rail company fares.

We are 10 minutes from the railway station at Alençon, which is served by frequent trains from Caen and Le Mans. Le Mans is served by both high-speed and regular trains from Paris Montparnasse.
Visit Rail Europe Site
Journey time:
Le Mans to Alençon in 30 minutes
Caen to Alençon in 1hr 10 mins
Paris to Alençon via Le Mans in just over 2 hours