A day of travelling with no time to detour just get from Clermont - Ferrand to Caen, nearly 600km of motorway with many tolls, but thankfully they are good roads and we made good time in Caen.
Caen is a much larger place than I thought and although 80% destroyed in the immediate aftermath of D-Day, mainly through Allied bombing with 2000 people killed, it still retains the Normandy charm and is pleasant to be in.