We thought we knew our way around Preuilly and its environs - we have owned this house for 14 years, and lived here for over 11 years. However, our new car would seem to think we have much to learn.
One of the setting on its GPS system is "eco". I am not sure what criteria it applies to "eco", but as far as we can work out it involves finding roads no-one has driven down in 50 years, and trying to join them all up. We use it quite a lot when we have time to spare, because it takes us places we have never been, along roads we didnt even suspect existed.
Take the route from Blois, for instance. We have been to Blois many times and have always known we have a choice of three or four routes. Now we can make that five routes. (link here)
It's not the shortest route, nor the fastest. It doesn't even avoid hills to save us fuel, and it seems to take us through a lot of hamlets and villages that have 30km/h speed limits and hairpin bends. It is, however, interesting.
Google Maps' time calculation is extremely ambitious - just allow yourself plenty of time...
8 comments:
The eco route ought to be for pedal bikes or walkers!
I remember well how the Tom Tom used to find the narrowest of roads which at some point usually went to gravel or even grass... The thrill for us was the prospect of "Will we make it through!!!" It was great.
The first time we rented a car with GPS in France, it took us down roads we'd never suspected were there, and this is in an area we'd been to many times and thought we knew very well. Like Colin and Elizabeth, we had an experience of following a dirt road through farm fields and scaring up quail and then had to back up half a mile, but it was fun. If we can, we always take eco.
I had a gps for a while several years ago and it told me to turn into people's cow yards and always took me directly through the Etoile in the center of Paris. I was not fond of it.
bonnie in provence
Good point!
We had one that turned to grass the other day, but we turned around and retraced our route -- mainly because we had an appointment looming.
Us too.
Ours is much more flexible. We have 4 choices of route and can modify them to suit ourselves. We love it.
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