Directions from Caen (Ouistreham) to Le Mans.

Leave ferry terminal - follow signs to CAEN, approx 8 miles. In Caen,when you see the big flyover above you - you want that road, the ring road, heading for FALAISE. 

At this junction only you can follow Paris/Rouen, so go under the flyover and immediately, before the roundabout, take the slip road to the right which will take you round in a circle and onto the ring road. Cross the river  and stay on the ring road until you have passed to the other side of the industrial zone when you will come to a turn-off for FALAISE, ARGENTAN and ALENCON, the RN158.  

Falaise is about 20miles away. Go straight round Falaise, or through, you choose, staying on the RN158 to ARGENTAN about 15 miles away.  

As you drop down into Argentan, the ring road goes to the right on the roundabout by MacDonald’s. Follow round on the ring road until you get to a T- junction at traffic lights, turn right for SEES, about 15 miles, still on the RN158.  

Approaching Sees, you go under the railway, and then just before you get into the village take the slip road to the right. You are now joining the RN138, heading to ALENCON, about 13 miles.  

Approaching Alençon you come to two roundabouts, each with a giant chess piece in its centre. You now need to choose if you are going to use the new Autoroute, recommended, or the old Nationale, more complicated!  

For the Autoroute, at the second roundabout, turn to the right signed to LE MANS. This is the Alençon ring road, keep following the signs to Le Mans, clearly marked but occasionally difficult to pick out, so take care as you do not automatically go straight on!!.  

On the Autoroute, simply follow the signs for Le Mans , take your ticket and go! As you reach Le Mans you meet another older autoroute going East to West, you need to get onto this one going west to ANGERS and NANTES. Soon after this the route splits into two, fork to the left heading still for ANGERS and NANTES.

Stay on this autoroute for another two junctions until you get to the one marked LE MANS SUD. Turn off here, pay the man, (around 5€ I think, it’s new and we haven’t yet come all the way from Alençon! ) Keep on this road for a couple of miles, over a couple of roundabouts until eventually you join the RN23, then there is a sharpish left bend, after which you will see the aeroport on your right with the main circuit grandstands behind. 

At the top of the hill you need to take the slip to the right signed for the circuit and this brings you out opposite the main entrance.  CAUTION: they closed this slip road during the motorbike GP in May this year at odd moments throughout the weekend and directed you on to another route, be careful and follow the signs;  

Back to Alençon, if you have chosen to use the Nationale, carry straight on over the roundabouts into Alençon centre. You will come to a large roundabout, take the exit off at the ’10 o’clock position’ marked to LE MANS  drop down to the bottom and turn to the right. 

Now a long road with several traffic lights, at the end follow the road round to the left, still for Le Mans. Still lots of lights etc, but just stay on this road for about 30 miles through Beaumont, round la Bazoge and through St Saturnin.  

You are now in Le Mans, where there is a large roundabout again to join the autoroute, carry straight on and you are on a dual carriageway going up between the shopping complex, you should see an Auchan hypermarket on your left. At the top of the hill is a large roundabout, take the slip road to the right immediately before it to join the ring road, heading for ANGERS and TOURS.  

Stay on the ring road, after a couple of miles you will go over a fairly new junction, carry on and you will come to traffic lights with an old metal flyover crossing over the ring road. Carry straight on and then at the next traffic lights (there is a big shop selling swimming pools on the right)  the road to the right is signed to TOURS, take this turn, it is the RN138. 

You should see the revamped Carrefour hypermarket on your left as you go up the hill, carry on over the top of the hill, now you have two options. EITHER carry straight on under a flyover and you are at Tertre Rouge corner and going onto the Mulsanne, OR there is a sliproad to the right just before the flyover and just before that there is a road to the right - it is just as you start to go downhill. If you take that road, at the far end turn left and this will bring you to the traffic lights at the main entrance.