derk Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 I am a little confused in the advice given for overnight stopping when transiting France. I have done a search on various aspects of secuity to get a feel for best practice for overnight stopping. The general theme is for careful consideration and not stopping at aires where there are no exits on or off the main carrigeway. However, some participants advocate leaving the motorway to find quiet spots for free, others recommend service area's where other MH,s are present, and others suggest finding secure established camping areas away from the motorway. I would be grateful for any advice you nice people may be able to offer. In conclusion, as a newcommer to the world of MH ( yet to purchase).I would like to say that this forum is absolutely fandabidozy for the likes of myself and other less experienced motorhomers. My thanks to all the previous contributers and hopefully one day, I will be able to offer advice based on my own experience rather than just asking questions. Thanks for listening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillian107 Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 We use the aires system extensively for overnighting but ONLY the non autoroute ones. We have never stopped on an autoroute overnight. At the last count we had stayed overnight on more than 100 different aires, on some of them more than one night and some of them on a number of occasions. There have been one or two where we have not felt completely comfortable, perhaps a bit isolated but we have simply moved on to another. As an alternative to aires you may care to search the forum archives for references to France Passion ( www.france-passion.com ). They have unsophisticated places where you can overnight for free although you have to join first and receive the book of stopovers, usually wine-growers or farmers. This isn't of course the advice you seek but merely our experience which you can consider with the experience of others in order to reach your own conclusions. Gillian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smifee Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 hi derk i stop anywhere that i feel is safe. in my experience you either have a 'nose' for it or you don't. i do stop for a kip on the autoroute aires during long drives but i often pull into one and drive straight out again. the same applies to the town & village aires de stationment. what puts me off? litter particularly beer bottles & cans, broken glass, dodgy motors, gypsies, loitering youths. sometimes it's just a feeling that it's not right. mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxy Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 hi there, it all depends on why you are transiting France. if it is to get to the sun or other southern countries in as short as time as poss. Then your options are 1. risk staying on a motorway aire taking all usual precautions. 2. Come off and look for a suitable parking spot ie village parking place or an aire provided by local communities. 3. a camping site for one night. If you have time on your hands then forget the Auto routes and meander down quieter roads, get a book that provides info on aires such as Etapes Camping Cars. Ther is also another excellent way of staying overnight if you are exploring andn that is to join French Passion. You can do it on line, costs 27 Euro to join and lasts Easter to Easter. This will list participating owners who will let you stay overnight, this could be a farm or Vine yard etc. Which ever way you choose. Enjoy Foxy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southwind Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 [QUOTE]derk - 2006-05-30 2:40 PM I am a little confused in the advice given for overnight stopping when transiting France. [/QUOTE] We have now 'transited' and toured france about a dozen times. From staying in Camperniles, to camping in their carparks, or outside them, been there,done that etc. We have done it by car, car & caravan, and motorhome. A lot of the stories about knockout gas or chloroform being used to overpower unsuspecting tourists, are, I am sure just that, - stories or urban myths. We have stayed and 'rested' on toll road aires for a couple days doing a bit of routine maintenance, or just because we liked the quiet well laid out picnic areas with the fishponds and ducks, not to mention the local countryside walks. Last year, whilst my wife flew home to attend a funeral, I camped alone in an aire on the outskirts of Bordeaux whilst she returned a week later. That being said, if you like a peaceful nights kip, then pulling off the autoroutes or main roads is sometimes the only way. The best 'free' places tend to be the 'small village' municipal aires, (if you can get in before they fill up!). France Passion comes next as it's virtually free, though it helps if you drink wine and speak a little French. France is the 'home' of camping, and particularly in Motorhomes. Their small municipal camp sites are usually cheap and cheerful, so free or not so free, you generally can't go wrong. As somebody said previously - just use your common sense, as you would in the UK, if it looks a bit rough - don't stop. If you see a number of similar vehicles of various nationalities - pull in you will feel safe and usual make some interesting new friends and acquaintances. Worst stop ever - big commercial site in south western France - indifferent staff, excrement on the walls of the shower blocks, expensive and horrible. Best stop ever - field in a vineyard near St Emillion, Bordeaux - £4 a night, free grapes, water, waste disposal - no noise, barking dogs, screaming kids, germans - oops :$ Finally get the Rogers guide - not cheap, and not cheap sites, but generally pretty accurate book about pretty good sites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 Is this relavent to you? decide for yourself. My worst experience of 'free' camping was not in one of these 'orible foriegn countries' but in 'nice safe england' We where in calstock(cornwall/devon border) it seemed like a nice place asked around and locals said park next to sports ground. That evening all hell let lose, it was the nearest I've been to a street riot. As it was heading towards our van we made a break for it, got pelted by glasses and bottles, drove several miles to find site with to much drink inside but considered better to be caught drink driving than risk ending up in hospital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Yes, I believe that's summed up the situation perfectly. The only thing perhaps worth adding is that, for 2006, France Passion appears to have an arrangement with the "Masters Accessoires" group that currently has a 21-strong network of motorhome/caravan dealership associates across France. This allows you to subscribe to the France Passion scheme directly by paying the annual fee at the dealership and immediately receiving all the necessary documentation 'across the counter'. There's another scheme called "Camping-Car d'Hotes". Subscription involves buying a rather flashy 'guidebook' (I've seen this on sale in Masters accessory shops) and, from what I recall, you can have up to two nights stay at participating members' properties rather than France Passion's one night limit. Scanning through the guidebook indicates that there are far fewer participating sites than in the much longer-established France Passion scheme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derk Posted May 31, 2006 Author Share Posted May 31, 2006 Many many thanks for all your contributions and advice. Info on the France passion and the other similar organisation is much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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