AlanS Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Well, here we are in wet, soggy and cold France. We arrived Sunday and it started to rain in the evening and hasn't stopped since. My wife woke up at 6.00 this morning and said the river was at the top of the bank. The owner came around at 7.00 to tell us to watch the river and be prepared to move quickly. Just after this the river breached and started to invade our pitch. We quickly moved off to the Aire next to us on higher ground. Where are we? - Camping Site Claire at Neufchatel en Bray. We have stopped here for years on our way south and never seen it like this before. The owner has closed the site to new arrivals and the Aire is full now. We have been watching French TV and flooding problems in many areas down as far as Limoges. At least we are on hardstanding, a supermarket just down the road and still managing to get fuel. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George.. Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Hi Alan, likewise we have had to move to higher ground. Had to be towed of by council tractor , we were bogged down, who was moving caravans whose owners were off site. The river Creuse is rising fast and is now into lower part of site. Site is Les Chambons at Argenton sur Creuse. Forcast is to improve on Thursday. We're heading south, no trouble getting fuel. George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Hi folks, just to let you know that it has just started raining at Agde. It has been quite cool all day, with a few bursts of weakish sun breaking through but now it looks not very pleasant. We have been here a week, and have not yet visited the swimming pool. Weather has been unseasonably not as warm as previous years.. hope it picks up soon. Currently wearing a jumper to keep comfortable. We were planning to return via the Creuse valley but unless weather inproves in 2 weeks time, I guess plans will have to be revised. We are currently full on diesel front, and considering options for return to uk at end of june, so watching the strike/fuel/weather situation. Booked to return via cherbourg, june 30. can someone do something to warm up, turn on the sun, and solve the fuel strike problems please. tong3nwl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 tonyg3nwl - 2016-05-31 5:39 PM can someone do something to warm up, turn on the sun, and solve the fuel strike problems please. tong3nwl. Come back to England, it's warm and sunny here in the Welsh Marches...and there's plenty of diesel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david lloyd Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 But beware.....it's not the same everywhere.........there's plenty of diesel in North Yorkshire (but it's more expensive than France) and there's also plenty of water falling from the skies this week!! David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 We have had some lovely weather here in the south of UK. BUT yesterday it changed the wind has changed and is now coming from the north, and it has turned wintery again. Looked on weather site and even some of Spain close to the Pyrenees looks pretty wet. We are hoping to come over in the next week, just keeping an eye on the situation It's June now, so should change ? Let's hope so PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archiesgrandad Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 In the Lot valley we are enduring our 4th consecutive day of more or less continuous rain, sometimes heavy with thunder and lightning, sometimes just drizzly rain. Still no problem with fuel, but the locals are agreed that the weather is pretty unusual, apparently due to a stationery low pressure system over France and Germany. AGD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanS Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 A little bit of an update. Weather at Neufchatel en Bray overcast and cold but no rain as yet today just a little 'mizzle' at the moment - thank heavens. We have been watching French TV for updates and the flooding has been very bad in areas down to Orleans. In Paris the River Seine is so high that boats cannot navigate the bridges and certain areas look like overtopping the river walls. Nemours was flooded to about 600mm or so with people looking on in disbelief. The A10 going towards Orleans was totally flooded and showed one car with water up to the roof. The following lorries and car, caravan traffic was backlogged for miles from the helicopter shots that were shown and the people in vehicles were rescued and taken to a sports complex in Orleans to stay. One service station on the A10 was completely cut off with flood water and some of the lorries on the lower areas of the parking had water up to their cabs - all in all a right mess. There are severe warnings for the Seine, Loire, Cher, Indre, Loiret rivers plus the Moselle in Germany. The water level at Camping St Claire has gone down and now it is a clearing up exercise on site with the owners jet washing the site roads to get rid of the mud and picking up river debris - they are doing an excellent job. The grass pitches adjacent to the river are still a little soggy but they have opened their gates again. A few pitches on the Aire are still available. We are sitting it out still and hope to move on at the weekend but where to as most of the sites we would like to go to are on rivers or very close to them. If anyone is in the Loire or Dordogne can they please give an update on what its like getting on to sites and Aires where they are or have been ? The forecast is for the weather to change for the better on Monday with temperatures up to about 25 to 28 across France - we cross our fingers and hope ! Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave225 Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Very sorry to hear of your situation. We stayed at Camping St Claire last Wednesday and Thursday and the sun shone and it was warm. However, like others we were concerned regarding the fuel situation as on the Wednesday everything was closed and Leclerc was fenced off for fuel. However, we had a full tank so on the Thursday decided to go for the Dordogne and sit it out there, but lo and behold as we passed LeClerc the fuel station was open so we nipped in for a top up. Then all the way down fuel was available everywhere so we decided to keep going south. At St Jean de Luz it rained heavily, but then again it always does there and we skipped into Spain and are now at Benicassim where it is 23-26 and glorious sun. So, if you have the time and can get the fuel, head to Spain. If you get even 100 miles south of Barcelona the sun is shining, there is plenty of fuel and the peple are friendlier than the French. For a tank of fuel and and extra day or so, it is worth it. Of course if time is short that will not work and my sympathies to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanS Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 Just in case my recent post didn't get updated I will add this. Weather cold with a little drizzle at the.moment but river levels where we are dropping. Not the same for other areas though with red warnings for the Seine, Loire, Cher, Indre, Loiret, Moselle. Sites at Sablis under water and a friend who is at Moulin Fort on the Cher near Chenonceaux has just texted to say that all on site have been evacuated to a car park of the local wine warehouse on the main road to Blere - apparently photos of the flooded site on Facebook. The A10 at Orleans is still impassable as are towns such as Nemours, Montargis, Sablis etc. Even areas of Paris adjacent to the Seine look possible to flooding. We are sitting it out here as at least we are on hardstanding and shops and town just a short walk away and will move on when we know what it is like south of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archiesgrandad Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 In the Lot valley we have had no rain so far today, and it is forecast that the weather is set to improve from today, becoming warm and sunny by the weekend. No apparent problems with fuel supplies. AGD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonaldson Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 We're in Ae valley here near Dumfries and its normally dismal, damp, wet and windy here, The trees around adds to it as well. Wind is coming from the north, east coast Edinburgh way not as good as us which is a change. As you look in Weather Map, we are sort of, silly to say this, hotter than most and its to stay this way, sunny blue sky to Sunday and beyond. Loads of Caravan sites Dumfriesshire for guaranteed dry sunny weather. Just hope we don't get wind from the south or we will fry. Love France, quiet roads, sun, sea and the rest. Mind you there was floods in France a few years back. Hope you guys stay safe and get something out of your holidays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wills Wagon Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 I congratulate those posting about the weather in France. Very good to have hands on info. This is our time for visiting France so if we hadn't made arrangements to fly to the sun we would have been caught up in the fuel and weather problems. Many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagHal Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 What is the situation in the Ardeche and south of Carcasonne? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George.. Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Hi all, at La Roche Posay, no rain, forecast getting better. Campsites with grass only pitches closed. River levels have dropped. Some roads have been closed but now open. Fuel seems ok George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanS Posted June 4, 2016 Author Share Posted June 4, 2016 Mag&Hal - 2016-06-04 8:52 AM What is the situation in the Ardeche and south of Carcasonne? From the Metro forecast this morning it looked OK today but with thunder storms and hail later tomorrow. Then the weather on the west coast and south starting to improve. The flooding in Nemours is starting to go down but Paris in the south and west has problems. We spoke to a fellow Brit MH couple who had come up from the south and had.trouble getting towards Paris because of the problems and arrived at Neufchate en Bray via Let Mans. Keep the reports coming because it is helpful as there are a lot of MH owners looking for sites that have decent ground. Another couple who were on the site at Chartres told of one guy getting bogged down and being charged 180 euros to tow him off - others parked in a line on the site roads. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagHal Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Very grateful for the updates. We're some weeks away from trip but it's all useful to know and gratefully received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dolken Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 What a difference a week makes. At Le Mont St Michel and it's blooming hot. Just wondered, have showers at Neufchatel aire opened yet? Bye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dolken Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 What a difference a week makes. At Le Mont St Michel and it's blooming hot. Just wondered, have showers at Neufchatel aire opened yet? Bye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanS Posted June 6, 2016 Author Share Posted June 6, 2016 dolken - 2016-06-06 4:36 PM What a difference a week makes. At Le Mont St Michel and it's blooming hot. Just wondered, have showers at Neufchatel aire opened yet? Bye Yes they are but don't tell anyone (lol) Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Acsi site 1865 at Salbris, just north of Vierzon on the A20 is closed for at least another month because of severe flooding. Met the owners of a Brit Motorhome who got caught in the floods last week and the water came up to 2 feet above floor level. The van has been written off by the insurers. They've spent the last 6 nights in the local community hall. We really felt sorry for them. Fortunately, they had a Brit registered car to still get around in and retrieve their salvageable belongings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanS Posted June 11, 2016 Author Share Posted June 11, 2016 It is very sad for some who have been affected by the floods with reports of Motorhomes and caravans being written off but give a thought to site owners too. We have been communicating with 2 site owners that we know and regularly visit whose sites have been affected on the River Cher in the Touraine region. Le Moulin Fort site at Francueil near Chenonceaux was severely under water but is drying out now the river levels have dropped - they hope to be open very soon as long as the pumping systems for the sanitaires haven't been affected. Sarah and John are working hard to get the site open again and have said that they hope that those who have booked should be able to still come but those who pop in on an ad hoc basis may not be able to be accommodated just yet. The other site at Faverolles on the opposite side of the bridge from Montrichard has been badly affected and they have 'lost' all their mobile homes but with a lot of help they are trying to get back to normality and get the camping side of the site open later this year. The site is Couleurs du Monde and it is a lovely site with a great covered swimming pool, restaurant, and a handy Intermarche supermarket along the road next to the site. To flood the mobile homes which are on terraces, the pool, sanitaires and their house must have been flooded too so our thoughts are with Bruno and Lydie Maris and family who work so hard to make their site welcoming to all. Have a look at their websites for further updates - they will need all 'campers' support to visit them once they have recovered from these terrible floods. Of course these are but 2 of the many sites that have had problems. We headed for Saumur and Isle d'Offard site was flooded but we stayed at Camping Chantepie which is some 70 metres above the Loire, so no problems but did look down on the very flooded Loire and surrounding area. We are near Royan now and the weather has been hot and sunny with the exception of yesterday when we had rain for a while. More rain is forecast for the whole of France over the weekend - when will it get back to normal ? Alan . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 Forecast for w/c 20/6 remains indifferent, with widespread showers and thunderstorms. The following week looks to be much better, but forecasting weather more than a day or two ahead is very uncertain, so fingers crossed? :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 Hi folks, can anyone give an update on flooding, particularly damage or otherwise around Creuse valley area. We plan to start heading north in a few days time, and debating wisdom of that route..campsites out of action, etc.. weather here at agde today, breezy and sunny at present..outlook cloudy, some rain possible tomorrow no storms damage or floods reported locally, site pitches full. tonyg3nwl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeco Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 Hi , sorry to hear of the weather & damage problems in France. Currently we are in Scilla, Calabria and the 4 motorhomes parked at the beach yesterday were all French registered, maybe they knew something! FYGI weather here is mostly sunny with temp 26-28C. Had one shower yesterday that washed the rental & saved me a trip to the car wash. Hope the weather improves for the rest of you stay in France. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.