FRANCE ADVICE

[benowl5]

Hi all, its been a while!

 

The time has come to embark on the 1st venture for the beast over the Channel & Im looking for a bit of advice n various areas to make the experience as pleasurable as possible for the whole family.

 

Initially, we were thinkinking of the Atlantic coast taking in a few nights on the Ile De Ri then onto Andorra taking in Biaritz on the way. Much to the confusion of the wife, I;m now thinking Atlantic coast via the 'ROUTE DES GRANDES ALPES' down to Menton then touring the coast.

 

Advice required is as follows:

 

1. I've got the Aires guide but should I not find one in a place on the route, will a layby be OK to use overnight?

 

2. The road over the alps looks quite narrow & of course has the occasional tunnel. Will the Bessacar E785 (not TAG) be able to nagotiate these roads?

 

3. Is it pretty well acceptable to pull into a campsite on the route & expect a pitch for the night or is it advisable to book? Being as we set off early July & the answer is yes then I suppose I've blown that option :$

 

Any advice about the above or any other comments will be really appreciated.

 

Many Thanks, Ben (fresh back from Kazakhstan) B-)

[duetto owner]

watching the tour of france bike race each year i noticed that the alps including the peak finishes are littered with motorhomes many kontiki size.

[malc d]

I would not recommend staying the night in a layby.

 

If you get onto a site by about 3 or 4pm you should get a place in early July. I think best value are municipal sites in small towns / villages.

 

Have a good trip.

 

 

 

[Guest JudgeMental]

malc d - 2009-06-12 10:14 PM

 

I would not recommend staying the night in a layby.

 

If you get onto a site by about 3 or 4pm you should get a place in early July. I think best value are municipal sites in small towns / villages.

Have a good trip.

 

Ditto...

 

Much safer to find an Aire of the motorway routes.

[benowl5]

JudgeMental - 2009-06-12 10:58 PM

 

malc d - 2009-06-12 10:14 PM

 

I would not recommend staying the night in a layby.

 

If you get onto a site by about 3 or 4pm you should get a place in early July. I think best value are municipal sites in small towns / villages.

Have a good trip.

 

Ditto...

 

Much safer to find an Aire of the motorway routes.

Agree completely, but is it illegal to park in the lay-by or would the old bill be moving me on? I'm just thinking of a last minute stop over around 9.00pm when all other options have failed.

[Tomo3090]

Ben, from my experience most aires, i.e those in the aires book, are starting to get busy by late afternoon, especially in the touristy areas. You don't say what your timescale is but can't you adapt your itinerary to be getting there by then? It's a long way round France too and if you've not got much time it will be more like a rally trying to fit it all in. You would be better off sticking to you original plan and taking your time. There will be places you will come across that will tempt you to stop and places people will tell you about as you are moving about that you will want to go to. There will also be places you plan to see that aren't much cop in the daylight and you will want to move on sharpish!

 

Mid July is also when the French have their holidays and the roads will be chaos then, so expect traffic congestion. Speed limits on non motorways are quite heavily policed in France too and radar traps are not advertised like here, so take care! the 50kph in urban areas is an example of this.

 

Driving until 9pm seems a long day too, will you and your passengers still want to be looking for a place to stay at that time of the night? It is baking hot too from Mid France down in July too, so that might be a factor that affects yoiu, because you will tire easier.

 

I can't say I've noticed vans parked up in a lay by too often at night they all head for aires or sites. Because you might not be sure of an area it might not be too safe to do this anyway.

 

But enjoy yourself. France is the spiritual home of motorhomes, everywhere is so set up for them. Have a safe trip.

 

 

[Usinmyknaus]

Ben, I would especially endorse what has been said about the demands on you as the driver and to suggest modest progress will be more enjoyable overall. You will be driving a large vehicle on the wrong side of the road in an unfamiliar environment at the busiest time of the year. At times the concentration required would bend spoons and that will tire you. It is then very easy to get caught by one of the many speed traps or to scare yourself and passengers.

 

Lunch time 1200-1400 hrs is a great time to make quicker progress 'cos most French still stop for lunch - just look in the picnic areas as you pass them for proof of this.

 

If you take the Caravan Club Europe Book 1 and a couple of the major aires guides and perhaps the ACSI DVD for good measure you should have lots of choice of places to stay.

 

People have already said how busy sites will be in July - it's almost like turning on a light the difference between some areas after the first weekend of July so patience, persistence and planning may be required.

 

At busy times we generally make an early start and aim to be on site by 14.30 ish and that works for us and gives us time to look at options B and C if the first is full. It also guarantees an afternoon stroll and daylight to suss out the general area and facilities before commiting to stay. We find that many site owners will squeeze you in if you ask, preferably with a little French language and a smile, but expect to be very close to neighbours!!! facilities may be stretched beyond limits so again patience and resigned tolerance may be the order of the day - not to mention a peg for your nose very occasionally when visiting the loos.

 

I have noticed that some French/continental vans simply park up in village squares and church yards, car parks etc and if you search this forum you will find lots about this. In extremis we would consider this but would be wary the first time. Basically, if I read it correctly in France a motorhome can park where a car can unless signs say otherwise and one can sleep in the van but not "camp" which means putting out chairs, BBQs etc. Obviously caution as to area is key and I am loathe to do it myself, preferring aires and municipals.

 

Hope you have a great time.

 

Bob

[Tony Jones]

benowl5 - 2009-06-12 7:20 PM

 

to make the experience as pleasurable as possible for the whole family.

 

Initially, we were thinkinking of the Atlantic coast taking in a few nights on the Ile De Ri then onto Andorra taking in Biaritz on the way. Much to the confusion of the wife, I;m now thinking Atlantic coast via the 'ROUTE DES GRANDES ALPES' down to Menton then touring the coast.

 

France is a BIG anmd varied country. While in the past I've done big circular tours in a fortnight, if you're looking for "pleasurable" I'd advise concentrating on one region per visit. If it's a more distant one, use the motorways to get there quickly, then chill out and potter around (remembering to leave time for the trip back).

This way, France will give you many years of enjoyable holidays, every one like a different country.

 

1. I've got the Aires guide but should I not find one in a place on the route, will a layby be OK to use overnight?

It's perfectly legal, no police will move you on, but it takes a bit of experience to get the vibes and suss out how SAFE a place seems. Until you've got the knack (which no-one can teach you) I'd advise sticking to cheap municipal sites and designated Aires (Camping-Car, not motorway!). Well worth joining France Passion as well, for free overnights all over the country.

 

2. The road over the alps looks quite narrow & of course has the occasional tunnel. Will the Bessacar E785 (not TAG) be able to nagotiate these roads?

Not tried the Alps in a coachbuilt, but the French DO seem to drive (and park) them in the most unlikely places!

 

3. Is it pretty well acceptable to pull into a campsite on the route & expect a pitch for the night or is it advisable to book?

As long as you start thinking about your nightstop during the afternoon, if one's full you can just try the next. I'd always rather take my chances, and have the flexibility to change my plans as I go along, than have things booked ahead, unless I KNOW it's going to be difficult. When we went to Venice and Florence in August a few years back, we booked sites ahead. otherwise we rarely do, even in the peak times.

 

Enjoy yourselves, but don't make it an endurance test!

 

Tony

[yesmad]

We see that you want to go to Andora, be prepared as the whole country is like a building site, the mountain roads are very twisty and at best you will not get out of 2nd possible third gear on them bends. We went last year and it was one of the places that we really wanted to travel too, but it really was very disapointing place. We were stopped by customs coming out and they went through the van like a dose of salts, so also be aware of this as Andora is a tax haven. On that note, we echo what everyone has said before about your trip, the best plan is to plan and always when you choose a place to stay have a back up site just in case you cannot get into the first place.

Don't forget to take you valid ECIH with you, and good luck, hope every thing goes well and ENJOY.

[benowl5]

Some cracking advice there Ladies & Gents.

 

We're just about to run the beast out for the night to Matlock so this will give the Bride & I some cause for discussion whilst the kids run riot, but after all the advice I think we'll be sticking to plan 'A' at least until I get the feel for things.

 

Many thanks again, keep the advice coming (i'm greener than I thought) (lol)

[derek500]

yesmad - 2009-06-13 11:22 AM

 

We see that you want to go to Andora, be prepared as the whole country is like a building site, the mountain roads are very twisty and at best you will not get out of 2nd possible third gear on them bends. We went last year and it was one of the places that we really wanted to travel too, but it really was very disapointing place. We were stopped by customs coming out and they went through the van like a dose of salts, so also be aware of this as Andora is a tax haven.

 

We drove through Andorra last year and the main road through from Pas de la Casa to the Spanish border wasn't too bad from memory.

 

We overnighted with many other MHs in the car park at Pas de la Casa.

 

Worthwhile arriving with an empty tank, as diesel is much cheaper than France. Last May we paid 1.06€ per litre, France then was 1.41€ from a supermarket!!

 

There was a slight delay going through customs on Andorra/Spanish border. They direct you into a covered parking bay and do a quick search.

 

 

 

 

[Tony Jones]

derek500 - 2009-06-13 12:03 PM

 

We drove through Andorra last year and the main road through from Pas de la Casa to the Spanish border wasn't too bad from memory.

 

We overnighted with many other MHs in the car park at Pas de la Casa.

 

 

Ah, memories! Sorry to go off thread, but my excuse is old age .......

First time we ever "wild camped" on the Continent in 1991 (no one had heard of Aires back then) was in exactly that spot, in an ancient Glendale (Mk1 Transit), with the kids in the back.

Although it was August, the road up the mountain had been shrouded in mist/drizzel, and when we crawled into Pas de la Casa we spotted a couple of MHs in the car park, and I said "Enough!" Didn't have levelling ramps, but I got out and found an old pallet which I bumped the back wheel onto, and that was that. All we had in the cupboard was a tin of corned beef, one of potatoes, and one of beans, so Liz fried up the lot and called it "Pyrenees Potato Pie!"