Some help from experienced members re French camping please

[sunnylord]

Hello all you experienced campers, as new comers to the camping game, we would appreciate any help or advice on what we should be doing for a trip to France in July/August.

 

We are looking to book campsites with our 7.2 mtr motor home, need

electric hookups starting 25th July, arrive in Calais early Sunday morning about 9 am, don't want to be driving to far on the first day so a nice camp within a couple of hours to stay for a couple nights then we are open to

suggestions as we have never done it before. Prefer smaller camps if they have facilities, like quiet restful places not hustle and bustle.

 

We don't want to be driving about all the time, maybe a couple of hours a day but then if we found a good site that keeps our 5 year old happy we would stay there longer. Our return date is the 14th August from Calais. We have Eurotunnel booked both ways.

 

As new members we would be grateful if any one would suggest an itinery for us and tell us how to arrange the bookings. We prefer smaller sites but with some facilities for our 5yr old.

After reading the story about French tolls we would want to stay away from those if possible, not understanding them and not able to speak French either which could be a problem.

 

Appreciate any help from you friendly people, thanks, Sunny

[maggyd]

Having only been going to France/Germany ourselves about three years I wouldn't call ourselves experienced but for what its worth ! Sunday shops and petrol stations are closed, only bakery open (I think) so you wont want to be going far, we use a site for one or two days at Escalles near Pont Blanc Nez only about twenty mins from Calais and we have never booked it or any other site in France or Germany.

 

In a Motorhome you are not likely to be stuck for a place to stay as there are plenty of Aires and sites. If you are needing a hookup all the time you need a good sites book, the C.C. do a Europe 1 France book I think it is £9.99 also the ASCI book from Vicarious books, and the Aires book comes in very handy.

 

One of our Sons is like you doing France for the first time this year,but in a caravan. Just decide which area,s you like the sound of and work out the time schedule/mls etc; Someone else that uses sites will probably be more help than me, as we use lots of Aires and only stay at a couple of sites and they are usually Municipal sites which we find adequate as we don't want all the Bells and Whistle,s swimming pools etc; we mostly like peace and quiet.

 

Wherever you go you will find it much easier and more relaxing than in U.K. have a lovely time :-D I'm sure you will, we took to it easy enough and we are O.A.P,s ;-)

 

p.s. And we never use the Tolls either we find the motorways and roads are good. One tip though if you havent got one a Sat Nav is a must!! I would hate to be without ours. And AVOID the peripherique around Paris!! uness you have nerves of steel. :-D

[vindiboy]

Hi, the French have a system of Municipal Camp sites which are well run and cheaper than most commercial sites, they are usually in super locations and usually close to all the local facilities ie,local swimming pools and sports facilities,booking is not usually required although in August it is the traditional French Holiday time so could be busy, there are lots of publications available to buy to help you find these sites,VICARIOUS BOOKS is a good starting place for these, Google Vicarious and have a look, the more experienced Frenchies amongst us use the French Aires .An Aire is an official stopping place for Motorhomes and are in some stunning locations, most are free to stay on,provide parking, water and toilet dumping facilities and often free electricty, as these Aires are for Motorhomes only you will be amongst like minded people.Look at Vicarious books again for ALL THE AIRES IN FRANCE a great publication in English and all sites [AIRES ] are submitted by people who have used them,so you get a very accurate description of them, hope this helps, you will love France and have a great time.

[malc d]

Welcome to the forum.

 

Have been going to France for many years although never stay 'up north' and have never booked a site anywhere, but it might be necessary in July /Aug.

 

Best advice is to get yourself a good book of camp sites such as the caravan Club book or something from Vicarious as mentioned before.

We have also used guides from Alan Rogers for many years and found them very accurate in their descriptions of sites.

 

I agree that the Municipal sites are very good value - it's best to arrive by mid afternoon ( 3 - 4) - after that a lot of other people are looking for a place to stop as well.

 

The French sites have a star rating system which indicates the facilities available ( NOT necessarily the quality of the site).

The more stars, the more you pay.

 

I'm sure some others will be along to give you some site recommendations.

 

Enjoy your trip.

 

 

[Mike88]

Play around with this site here which will give you all the information you need for planning your trip:

 

http://www.france-voyage.com/en/

[rupert123]

Not going to suggest an itinerary as this will depend very much on what you like to do but would suggest buying a copy of something like a 'Rough Guide to France'. One a few years old on Ebay is fine, the major things do not change much. We use mainly campsites as aires do not suite us, fine if you are just staying one night, feeling hard up or get stuck but prefer sites. We have never, ever booked a campsite in France, just do not turn up to late especially in August. As has been said join the ACSI scheme and buy C.Club site book for France. Do not worry about not being able to speak French, most camp sites have an English speaker and even if not you have arrived at site for only one reason so easy to sort out. It is a myth these days that municiple sites are a lot cheaper, as a rule they are not, although often well sited for towns. On Sunday a lot of things in France still close although you can always find a supermarket open and fuel can be bought now at 24 hour card only pumps. Probably better to stay away from popular area's of the coast in August but even here, as their is a campsite in popular places every two feet, not a problem to find a pitch if you turn up before about 2pm. It is always a bit stressful taking a M/H to Europe for the first time but in reality is easy. In France it is usual to pay on leaving a site and they may require you leave some ID at reception, probably an idea to get an international camping card to avoid leaving your passport.

[Mike88]

ACSI was previously mentioned but it will be of no use to you as it is an off peak discount card which does not cover the July/August period of your holiday.

[MandyAndy]

These books are excellent for anyone with children of any age, give loads of ideas to visit and campsites suitable for children.

 

Many of them come up on Ebay but watch prices as they can vary alot.

 

http://tinyurl.com/frommers-Family

 

You will have a great time I bet :-D

 

Mandy

[Patricia]

Hi Sunny

 

I stayed at Val de Trie campsite 2 or 3 years ago. You can find details on the following website: http://www.france-voyage.com/en/. This would not be too far to travel on the first day and very close to the free motorway which would take you on to Rouen.

 

I was there at the end of May when it was very quiet. Unfortunately the weather was too cold to go in the pool but you would be able to sit outside at the small bar next to the pool. I think there was a play area. There are a few more small sites in this area but they were full even in May so you may need to book.

 

I often stay at the site in Pont de l'Arche which is just outside Rouen. This is on the River Eure and you can see the Seine also and watch the big river boats. The site is safe for children as there is view-through fencing with access gates to the river bank. Nice walks, again calm and quiet, despite being in the town. Lots of lovely small shops and restaurants. Supermarkets near with cheap fuel! Some muted traffic noise in the daytime but quiet at night. Lots of English people stay on here so might be helpful if you do not speak French. The warden is charming but does not speak English. I usually pay about 8€ including electric.

 

I endorse the suggestion to get an international camping card otherwise you will have to leave your passports at many sites and this can become complicated if you want to withdraw money at a bank, you are stopped by police or sometimes even in a supermarket if you try to pay with a credit card. Incidentally no supermarkets I know of now have plastic bags so don't forget to take some shopping bags with you.

 

You can also search for campsite locations on www.pages-jaune.fr where maps are also displayed as well as phone numbers and website addresses.

 

When you have some idea of where you would like to visit I can probably help further.

 

Have a great time and I forgot to say welcome.

[mondo]

Yes the Val de Trie campsite is nice although with a 7.2 meter motorhome you may be better on the site straight opposite it actually belongs to the same people that own val de Trie the name actually escapes me but it's in the Alan Rogers France guide!! but the size of the pitches are HUGE and it's not as closed in (we like the feeling of space there) that time of year it should be around 15/20 euros but a great site with good showers EHUs and water/drainage on your pitch there is a washer/dryer there Jetons (tokens) available from reception 4 euros if I remember rightly!! and if you want fresh baguettes next morning they will deliver em try getting that on a site in UK!! and there are a couple of swings and a climbing frame for the younger ones and a little petting zoo thing with a couple of donkeys goats and rabbits etc we were there September last year on our last visit.

An hour and half down the road from there in the direction of ROUEN is a great aire at Forget les Eaux it's in the aires book last year it was 5.60 Euros per night and you can stay for at least 3 nights in a row no worries..we used that one 3 times last year..April 3 nights and July/August 3 nights each time EHUs available fresh water grey water and toilet dump available..nice and quiet there and a chicken roast van comes on a Friday and the local bakers come every morning including Sundays

Hope you have a good trip..don't just rely on SAT Nav buy a good road map too a large scale one if possible Collins do a good one as then you can see a lot of the area where you will be driving..I'm a former truck driver believe me it works better that way..Happy Trails matey!!

[Brian Kirby]

mondo - 2010-04-20 1:59 PM ............ An hour and half down the road from there in the direction of ROUEN is a great aire at Forget les Eaux it's in the aires book last year it was 5.60 Euros per night ..........

Mondo's been on the forgetting water!  In case of confusion, the place with the aire is Forges-les-Eaux.

[Tony Jones]

Hi Sunny, and welcome - to motorhoming, to the forum, and to the joys of France. You'll all love it. We've just come back from our umpteenth trip, and all the advice above is pretty good stuff (as ever).

 

Do pay particular attention to the points Maggy makes about Sunday shutdown - once away from the Channel area, you'll only find bakeries open in the mornings, and the occasional café. For fuel on Sundays, you'll need your plastic for a "24/24" pump at a supermarket. Nowadays these DO take our cards.

 

Try to scrape together a few "courtesy" phrases of French, and you'll find a lot of French people will try to meet you halfway. Shout at them and they'll most likely act dumb (wouldn't you?)!

"La politesse" is still important over there, so a "bonjour" even at the supermarket checkout is appreciated. It's fine to say that to ANYONE you make eye contact with, even passing through a shop doorway. And when they say "bonne journeé" as you leave, it's not about your travels, it means "have a good day" - and they mean it!

Passing someone's pitch on site while they're eating outside, "bon appetit" is welcomed. If someone says that to you, don't say it back unless they're eating too - "Merci" (thanks!) will do fine.

 

That's enough of a French lesson for now.

What about geography? It's an ENORMOUS country by our standards, and will provide you with many years of varied holidays. With 3 weeks available, you can get pretty much anywhere and have a worthwhile amount of time before heading for home, so choose an area you fancy. While travelling to your chosen area, use the Aires for any overnight stops - it saves time and money - but with a youngster on board you'll need a decent site whenever you stay any length of time.

If you're interested, and if your youngster would cope with it, try France Passion - a network of farms and vineyards which offer free overnight stops but no facilities (you do your "watery" stuff at Aires en route during the day). No obligation, but you'll be offered the chance to try whatever they produce! Vicarious can supply the book, which counts as membership.

 

Money: the £ seems to be creeping back up against the €, but it's still not healthy. If you can get a Flexaccount with Nationwide (there's some question about how open they are to new customers for this) that gives a good rate, and no commission charge for using the Debit card - even for cash withdrawals.

 

If I think of anything else I'll post again!

[mondo]

Brian Kirby - 2010-04-20 5:55 PM

mondo - 2010-04-20 1:59 PM ............ An hour and half down the road from there in the direction of ROUEN is a great aire at Forget les Eaux it's in the aires book last year it was 5.60 Euros per night ..........

Mondo's been on the forgetting water!  In case of confusion, the place with the aire is Forges-les-Eaux.

You are so right Brian..oops pardon me!! it's just those silly tryping errorts oops again apologies to Sunny

[Patricia]

Just a few more observations. I am afraid Maggie and Tony are not totally correct about Sunday opening. You will find bakers, cake shops, small food and wine shops, butchers and bars all open in the villagers and smaller towns (even on Christmas Day) until mid-day or one o'clock. In towns designated as tourist towns, and certainly those with casinos, supermarkets have been allowed to open until mid-day and since last August they can stay open until 13.00. Since August many shops in Paris have stayed open until 22.00 on Sundays. This new law applies to other outlets as well as food shops.

 

Another tip about the language is to remember to say "s'il vous plait" particularly if you are asked if you want something else. As well as "merci" meaning "thank you" it also means "no". So if you want to order a coffee and it doesn't arrive this might be the reason. If you try to speak a few words, as Tony says, don't worry if you cannot understand them but a smile goes a very long way and you will find they will try to make you understand.

 

Much of the fun of visiting France is noticing the differences in all sorts of things, for example, the sequence in traffic lights are different, they stay on red much longer and many are very high up in the air. Traffic does not necessarily stop at crossings (but they are getting better - but beware Belgian registered vehicles!) and cars are parked right up to the lines so it is difficult to see pedestrians. Signposts seem to point left or right but actually mean go straight on (we found ourselves back in Calais once many years ago!) and sometimes they are non-existent! Roads are suddenly closed without prior warning if there is a market or street celebration or even road works. Dogs are allowed in restaurants but you are not allowed to feed them. Toilets may be of the "stand up" type (not easy for ladies) and often unisex. Microwaves are situated in cafeterias to reheat your meal. I could go on but to keep your little girl occupied you could ask her to tell you when she notices differences. In fact when my children were small (and my grandchildren and now my great-grandchildren) I always encouraged them to make a scrapbook of their experiences and they still cherish them. You will remember your first visit for years to come.

 

Just one last warning - always have your driving licence with you (huge on-the-spot fine without it, watch the speed linit in towns and villages (if the name sign is in red then a 50km (30m) limit applies (if in black there is no speed limit unless signs to say differently), if cars flash you they are warning that the speed police are just round the corner and enjoy the wine but remember their drink/drive limit is much lower than in England.

[Tony Jones]

Thanks for that correction/update Patricia. We weren't in big cities or tourist spots much on this last trip, so I hadn't noticed the loosening up of Sunday laws. I hope it doesn't go too far as it has here. There's something very relaxed and gentle about Sundays in France - even more than the rest of the week! - and I wouldn't want them to lose that.

 

Good tip too about the scrapbook - when our kids used to travel with us they always did that, and to begin with even included things like French crisp packets (mainly because they thought it was funny that they were called "Chips!").