Hooked (up) on Aires

[robertandjean]

Each of the following aires provide an electiric hook-up facility, proper hook-ups not just 60mins on borne for 2/3€. We have stayed overnight on each of these aires during the last 2/3 years but if you have any more up to date info please ammend or better add some more you have found.

Charleville-Mezieres (08) P free, el 3.5€ (24hrs), 8 hook-ups.

 

Honfleur (14) P incl el 7€, A lot of hook-ups but many more spaces.

 

St-Yrieix-sous-Charante (16) Free P and el. 9 spaces, 4 hook-ups. Lovely country park setting, individual hedged pitches, bus to Angouleme.

 

Mortagne -sur- Grionde (17) P+el 6€, Lovely setting by marina.

 

Soubise (17) P+el 5€ nice setting, worth a visit.

 

Uzerch (19) Free P+el. Old 2 pin pts, some work! (no P Sat AM mkt)

 

Sadroc (19) Free P+el Now with new European sockets, which are to be found in unlocked metal box, lift lid, on wall near empty point.

 

St.-Cyprien (24) P+el (16A) 5€ Nice view of village.

 

Beaume-les-Dames (25) 5€ inc el, 5star arrive before 3.00PM gets very full.

 

Cadillac-sur-Garonne (33) Free P+el, 3 hook-ups, 5star in res area, short walk to bastide town. Ex. mkt in town on Sat AM but best not to arrive then.

 

Palavas-les-Flots (34) 12€ P+E (14€ in summer) 5star, like site with showers, entry barriers etc.

 

Ordres Plage (40) 7€ P+E only 2 pts, on borne, el from 19.00 to 00.00 and 7.00 to 11.00. OK for overnight.

 

Vieux-Boucau-les-Bains (40) P+E 5€, 10€ summer but more places than hook-ups. Like camp site, near lake.

 

Ouzouer-sur-Trezee (45) Free P+E, (1/4-31/10) 5 spaces. A real gem with free showers, but spaces very tight.

 

Cardaillac (46) Free P+E, 1el pt. Nice village, nice setting for aire. no waste run-off.

 

Villeneuve-Rennevill-Chevigny (51) P free. Services inc el €. Well set out in owners back garden.

 

Vandiers (51) P+E 7€ but free for France Passion members. A real hybrid -aire, France Passion and caravan site! Lovely setting with showers, BBQ, table tennis etc.

 

Juzennecourt (52) P+E Free, 4pts. Right in village square. Spend a day or two in the heart of a French village!

 

Pont-a-Mousson (54) P+E 6€, Secure aire, warden lives on barge, barrier down at 9.00 PM. Interesting town and can take train to Nancy.

 

Stenay (55) P+E 6€ 5STAR no more to say.

 

Cattilon-sur-Sambre (59) P+E free, but low amps. nice setting by canal.

 

Tinchebray(61) Free P+E 1pt. nice town

 

Biarritz (64) P+E 10€ more spaces than hook-ups. Good base for visits to centre, bus at entrance or 20 min walk.

 

Cautrets (65) P+E 8€ Arrive early, large aire but only 30 pts. Ex. location and ambience.

 

Collioure (66) P+E 7.5€ V. secure 24 hr guard. Free bus to centre. Open 1/05 to 30/09. Spaces tight.

 

St.-Gengoux-Le-National (71) P+E free. 4pts need long leads. 5min walk to nice old town.

 

La-Suze-sur-Sarthe (72) P+E 3€ 6 pts by old toilet block. Nice setting by river.

 

Forges-les-Eaux (76) P+E 5€ Many events in Forges in summer.

 

Le Treport (76) P+E 6.40 € Popular, arrive in good time.

 

Cleres (76) P+E Free. 4pts only, need long leads. Hedged pitches, can be muddy, nice village.

 

Trigance (83) P+E 5€ Ex. Great views like "Place in the Sun"

 

Visan (84) P free E 2€ Vineyard, nice setting well set out.

 

Chateau-Larcher (86) 2€ P+E. Like top quality CL

 

Magnac-Bourg (86) Free P+E 2pts on borne. Nice setting by lake Free wi-fi

 

Charmes (88) P+E 6€ 5 star on canal. Individual el and water.

 

Hope this is of value and some of you will be able to add to it.

 

Jean and Robert.

 

 

[Herri]

Wow !

Thanks folks, thats the sort of information I like to see on the forum.

[mom]

Thanks Jean and Robert!  That's going the extra mile.  Excellent!

 

To save me researching the location of each, could you possibly tell me if any of these are in the Provence-ish region?

 

[robertandjean]

Hi,

Ones that are in/near Provance are Palavas-les-Flots, Trigance and Visan.

Just remembered a couple more to add to list:

 

Audingham (62). This is fairly new and is also a France Passion stop. Name of owners place is Cap Nature, and is just off roundabout of the D191 and D940 heading towards Boulogne. You stay in owners court yard, so very secure, and P plus water is free, no waste/toilet drop. Electric hook-up costs 5€ and you can walk into village for bread etc. A good stop for tunnel or ferry.

 

Pompierre, south of Neufchateau (55) Small sign edge of village on D1 towards Sartes. 2 spaces next to village hall both with hook-ups. P+E both free. No waste or toilet dump and need to contact caretaker for water, no charge.

 

Thanks for supportive comments.

 

Jean and Robert

[Den]

Hookup available for the last 3 years at Cognac Free. Next to the river and the Cognac Distillery. Quick tour around the distillery and stagger back to the MH.

[LordThornber]

Robert & Jean, what a top drawer post, thankyou for your efforts and I will contribute as and when.

 

Martyn

[Tomo3090]

Mimizan Plage has electric hook up, a beach type shower, toilets, (automatic cleaning after use), space for at least 50 vans of all shapes & sizes and in 2007 cost 7.20 Euros. It backs onto a fantastic beach with excellent surf and is about half a mile walk to shops and the village centre.

 

Well worth a visit!

[Curly]

Hi Jean and Robert you sure do have time for a forum chat but you could have at least included the long & lats, no seriously good bit of info, have used lots and are A OK.

The only difference now is forget the Euro might just as well put the £ sign in front of the figs, makes calculating a lot easier.

I forecast the 1 for 1 exchange rate at the beginning of the year and the campers I spoke to thought it would never be but I did not have the cash to buy mega amounts.

Our ferry is booked at £46 return for 12 weeks starting Jan 7th but am seriously considering to wait until the last minute to get the Euros and the rate will be the deciding factor and tour the UK which dont do a lot of for obvious reasons

:-( :-( :-(

[ike]

Thanks from me too. Have printed it off for my folder. Like Curly I'd been considering spending one of our breaks in the UK but I think even if the £ ends up the same value as the euro we'll still be cheaper going to France/Spain. Has the price of diesel dropped there too recently? It's about a £ per litre in Glasgow at the moment?

Cheers ike

[Don Madge]

ike - 2008-12-12 1:15 PM

Has the price of diesel dropped in France recently? It's about a £ per litre in Glasgow at the moment?

Cheers ike

Hi Ike,You can check the price of fuel in France http://www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr/Don

[zulurita]

The Aire at Joinville 52 Haute Marne, GPS: N48* 26' 44" E5* 08' 59"

 

Also has electric and by canal. Nearby is Lidl and Super U and for those with pets a lovely modern vets adj to Super U and the cheapest we have encountered for the treatment "return to UK".

[arturus]

A couple more for the list.

 

Donzenac (19) Across the other side of the A20 from Sadroc. Couple of minutes walk into pleasant village with shops and restaurants. All facilities free.

 

Martizay (36) North of Le Blanc on the D975 in the Brenne area. Space for about 6 vans. All facilities free. Small village with bakery and one shop.

 

Fanjeaux (11) ESE from Carcassonne on the D4.All facilities free.Space for about 8 or 10 vans.Nice historical hill village. Has a bakery but as of 18 months ago no shop. Not far away is Mirepoix which is a lovely old town. Supermarket and plenty of restaurants.

 

Regards

BrianM

[robertandjean]

Hi,

Thanks for all replies so far. Regarding points raised:

 

GPS for each of the aires: Only had sat nav this year so have not taken readings for all of these aires and decided to leave out rather than include some and not others. However, if you go to campingcar-infos web site every aire listed includes GPS and we have found them very reliable.

 

Joinville (52) This should have been on our list as we have been 2 or 3 times and it is a 5 star stop. Thanks for reminding us.

 

Donzenac (19) Left this one out as since we were there a few years ago we were told by French vanners that no longer on car park near village but now further out next to camp site and we were not sure if still had hook-ups.

 

A couple that are said to have hook-ups but no longer do are:

Le Touquet (62) Hippodrome now just 60 mins for 2€ on borne and

Granville (50) hook-ups taken out of service in 2007.

 

Regarding falling £ against € then fact that of the 40 or so aires mentioned so far 15 provide parking, services and an electic hook-up for free speaks for itself. When UK can offer similar might consider the odd trip!

 

Jean and Robert

 

[BrianR]

Thanks for this list. The new aire at Donzenac doesn't have hook-ups. Here are a few more for the list - all are open all year unless otherwise stated:-

 

Fanjeaux - (11) on the edge of the village (bakers, restaurant, etc), quiet, with views. 4 points, P, S and E free. nominally only 4 places but upto 10 if no cars.

 

Felines Termenes (11) in the Cathar country. On the edge of the village by the tennis courts. No shops. P and E free - only one point.

 

Mery-sur-Cher (18) Very popular, by the N76, so quite noisy. 8 places. P, S and E 3€, payable at barrier by card.

 

Fraisse-sur-Agout (34) Definitely 5*, one of my favourite aires and one of the few really worth paying a fee close to that of a small municipal campsite. On the banks of the Agout (shew the ducks out of the way to pitch), close to the village shops. Very quiet and peaceful. Open 15/3 to 15/11. P, S and E 7€ - someone collects.

 

Le Grand Pressigny (37) At the parking for the swimming pool and next to the municipal campsite (f you talk to them nicely you can use their showers, etc.). Near the shops. Quiet, once the pool has closed. Only two points (on the borne). P, S and E free.

 

Alpes du Grand Serres (38) A large car park at the side of the (quiet) road at the top of the pass. Shops are only open during the ski season and the summer. 25 places P, S and E 8€, payable at the OT, so when they are closed you get it free.

 

Chalmazel (42) At the parking for the ski station, off the D6. 20 places. P, S and E free,but the services are very "artisanal"

 

Roanne (42) On the canal bank between the canal and the Loire and close to the town centre. Quiet. P free, S 4€, E 2€x12 hours, 3€ x 36 hours. Payment is by jetons dispensed from a machine which takes cards.

 

Caullery (59) Les Jardins de Delphine. Parking outside the house on the edge of a beautiful market garden. Expensive for what you get - P5€, E 2.50€ and no dumping of any sort.

 

Visan (84) Domaine des Lauribert, off the Visan to Valreas road. This is a vineyard selling very good Côte du Rhône Village wine. It is very quiet and peaceful and the hostess is charming and helpful. There is no pressure to buy the wine. P & S free and E 2€.

 

Writing about these aires makes one long for the time when one can get back over there! :-(

[Guest JudgeMental]

Can some enterprising individual set all these up as POI's?

 

you will need Loooong leads and a piggy back adapter and be prepared to argue *-)

 

personally I would rather stay on a site.......

[Cattwg]

Robert and Jean,

I would like to add my thanks for your excellent post.

Regards Cattwg :-D :-D

[BrianR]

JudgeMental - 2008-12-12 10:56 PM

 

you will need Loooong leads and a piggy back adapter and be prepared to argue *-)

 

personally I would rather stay on a site.......

 

I have only once had to use a piggy back adapter and only at Le Grand Pressigny have I needed an extra long lead. I am not trying to say that it is wrong to prefer to use a campsite, it's just that I wouldn't want other people to be put off from trying these aires. On second thoughts, given that any aire with free electricity tends to be very popular out of season, perhaps I should be a dog in a manger and keep quiet about them!

[Patricia]

JudgeMental - 2008-12-12 10:56 PM

 

you will need Loooong leads and a piggy back adapter and be prepared to argue *-)

 

QUOTE]

 

Just off the main road (N102?) between Aubenas and Le Puy-en-Velay, not too far from where the long ascent finishes, there is a very small aire at a farm shop where you certainly would not need a long lead - you actually back up to the electric point on each "pitch". All free but maybe honour bound to buy something in the shop! I think it is near the village of Pradelles but unfortunately my book is in the m/home!

 

Thanks everyone, especially Robert and Jean for starting the thread, for all the suggestions - have copied them ready for next trip which can't come soon enough!

[robertandjean]

Hi Judge,

Only on 2 or 3 of the aires we list do you need long leads but often on campsites long leads are also required. We carry 2 leads and find this is enough for most situations. Regarding splitting the electricity then yes sometimes this is required but to be honest not that often. Again we carry splitters for both European and continental plugs and find few problems. Almost all French vanners will split, if you ask them. Only problems we encountered were with some British vanners but a friendly chat over a glass of wine soon sorted it out. Never had arguments, why would we? We are spending our time visting a great country enjoying hospitality unheard of in UK; if no hook-up available and not possible to share then so be it. But each to his/her own and we wish you well on your camp sites but feel you are missing out on the freedom that staying on aires brings.

 

To everyone else thanks for your supportive comments, much appreciated, and youir additions to what is now becoming an authoritative list.

 

Jean and Robert

 

[arturus]

Thanks for the update on Donzenac. Sorry to have been the provider of duff info. Been having a look on Camping Car Infos and it must have been at least 2 years ago when the "old" aire was closed.Hadn't realised how long ago was the last time I stayed their. I suppose it comes with age!!

Regards

BriaNM

[BrianR]

Patricia - 2008-12-13 5:46 PM

 

 

 

Just off the main road (N102?) between Aubenas and Le Puy-en-Velay, not too far from where the long ascent finishes, there is a very small aire at a farm shop where you certainly would not need a long lead - you actually back up to the electric point on each "pitch". All free but maybe honour bound to buy something in the shop! I think it is near the village of Pradelles but unfortunately my book is in the m/home!

 

 

You are quite right, it is at the butchers shop just North of Pradelles on the N88. Free if you buy at the shop but nominally 6€ for parking and services (including the electricity). I was thinking of stopping there this summer but it was tippling down with rain so I pressed on to Roanne.

[Patricia]

BrianR - 2008-12-13 9:38 PM

 

You are quite right, it is at the butchers shop just North of Pradelles on the N88. Free if you buy at the shop but nominally 6€ for parking and services (including the electricity). I was thinking of stopping there this summer but it was tippling down with rain so I pressed on to Roanne.

 

I was there in May - absolutely awful weather so that may explain why no-one asked for money. Still I spent 25 to 30 euros in the shop so perhaps that made it ok. However, I don't remember seeing a charge in the book.

[Guest JudgeMental]

robertandjean - 2008-12-13 7:55 PM

We are spending our time visting a great country enjoying hospitality unheard of in UK; if no hook-up available and not possible to share then so be it. But each to his/her own and we wish you well on your camp sites but feel you are missing out on the freedom that staying on aires brings.

 

I find your tone condescending and somewhat irritating....particularly the opinion that everything French is somehow better, IMO it’s not. If you want decent weather, food and hospitality you need to travel a little further. We are a family and mainly travel school holidays/busy periods. We stay on Aires all the time, and have observed the bun fight’s to obtain electricity when it’s been available. My initial point was if you NEED electricity best to stay on a site as at an Aire it will never be guaranteed. We have electric bikes so we need electricity once and a while.

 

[hymer1942]

Its just amazing how these threads deteriorate from what was very good information and very welcome by most to what amounts to a slanging match. It baffles me, as it happened to one of my threads.

[Den]

This is one of the more interesting threads involving most on this site.

We too have electric bikes, but find with the solar panel and the Efoy 1600 we do not look for electric hook ups. Very rarely do we use sites and must congratulate the French and other Countries for the forward thinking. So hopefully this thread will grow and more people will add there favorite Aires for all to enjoy.