Brittany: Will hopping from Aire to Aire enable the kids enough access to Sea and Beaches?

[kevandali]

Hi All Thanks to all the info received in past posts, we are now heading towards Honfleur from Dunkerque via the toll roads. We want to alternate the holiday with stops at various Aires near to the sea as well as some wild camping and also maybe try a few days at a more organised site that is kid friendly similar to the one at www.chateau-martragny.com I have compiled a quite comprehensive list of all the Aires in the area (didn't realise there were so many!) and I would now like to know if any of you lot have come across a more official type campsite that has good services and a pool just in case we want a change. Is it worth looking for these sort of sites or will there be plenty of Aires right on the coast that will enable the kids and me to hit the waves on the boogie boards. We want to see quite a bit of Brittany but also cater for the kids regarding sea, pool, beaches etc In your own experiences, will there be enough access to the sea and beaches for the kids by just hopping from Aire to Aire within Brittany? Any help as always, much appreciated (14 days and counting :-D ) Alternatively, am I worrying about nothing and should just go with the flow, the kids will love it??

[Derek Uzzell]

I suggest you visit www.campingcar-infos.com and check out comments relating to the aires on your list. There are certainly plenty of aires in Brittany that have very easy access to the beach. Trouble is lots of people know about them and they can get horribly congested in the tourist high season. I think you'll need to take pot luck - if you find the aires are full to bursting, then you should be able to get on to campsites OK. Good luck with your trip and it will be very useful to learn how you get on.

[John H]

Hi Kevandali, We visited Brittany at the beginning of June and had a great time. I haven't been to many places in France but Brittany is wonderful. We were probably in a different position to you though because we are both in our 50's and have no kids to keep occupied and we weren't too bothered about facilities such as swimming pools etc. We also didn't stay at any Aires except to dump our grey water once or twice. We went via the tunnel and our first stop was at the Auchan to fill up with diesel and stock up the fridge with cheeses, beer etc. etc. Then, like you, we headed, via the toll roads for Honfleur for our first stop. This is a lovely little place with a really nice atmosphere. We stayed at "Camping Du Phare" which is a fairly basic site for a couple of nights but it's only a 5 or 10 minute walk into the main part of Honfleur. We then decided to head south with the intention of making our way back in a kind of horseshoe (if you know what I mean). Oh by the way, a word of warning, if you have got a Tom Tom, Jane will direct you out of Honfleur through streets where you will need to fold your mirrors in to get through. This wouldn't have been so bad but it was Saturday morning and there was a market on. Our next stop was at "Merlin L'Enchanteur" in Loyat. This is north west of Ploermel and north east of Josselin. This site is run by an English man and again it's a fairly basic site but it's quite a short drive to Josselin which is well worth a visit. We the headed for Carnac and stayed at "La Grande Metairie". This is one of "Les Castels" sites and has all the kids entertainment you could ask for. It has an outdoor pool, indoor pool, water slide, animals etc. etc. We had a Castels card which cost about £7.00 from the CC and we only paid 16 euros per night but I don't think you can use them in July & August. When we left this site we went to have a look at Quiberon. There is an Aire on the coast road which I think costs about 4 euros for 24 hours. We only stopped for a couple of hours but it's a really nice position by the coast. We then headed for Quimper, calling in Pont Aven on the way. There is a car park on the way in and again, it's worth a visit. We stayed at "L'Orangerie de Lanniron" in Quimper which is another big Les Castels sites with all the facilties you could ask for. It's about 30 minutes walk into the town and but it's worth the effort. Concarneau was the next port of call which is a lovely town. We went on the little train because it was really hot and we let the train take the strain. We then headed for Pont L'Abbe, another nice little coastal town. Perros Guirec was next. We stayed at "Trestraou Camping" which has some great views of Trestraou beach. It's only a couple of minutes walk to as much sand and sea as you will ever need. The site is quite basic but the location is wonderful. We then moved to "Le P'Tit Bois", near St Malo but I can't remember much about this so it can't have been very memorable. We tried to get into St Malo but it was on Sunday and the weather was hot and the town was compltely devoid of parking spaces. I think every French person in the whole of France had decided to visit the town that day. If you have never been to "Mont St Michel", make sure you leave enough time to go there. When you are heading towards the Mont, it just appears in front of you and you can't wait to get there to have a closer look. You can park overnight there for 8 euros which is well worth it, if you have the time. We then started heading back towards Calais calling at "Pegasus Bridge Memorial" This is well worth a visit if you are interested in military matters. For our last night, we stayed at "La Bien-Assise" which is convenient for the tunnel, Auchan & Calais. It's another of the Les Castels sites with swimming pool etc. It's also a member of "ACSI" so we got in for 14 Euros per night. Anyway, I've gone on long enough. I hope you are still awake. I'm sure you and the kids will enjoy you trip. Good Luck Pat & John.

[A W]

Its important to be aware that the French have a relaxed attitude to wild camping.However liberties should not be taken by blocking a sea view from a house etc.Overnighting but paying consideration to others is not an issue.On that basis very many of the beach car parks are used to wild camp. During the course of the day water etc can be sorted at an aire. Don't be concerned about crime as this area has a very low incidence of problems and indeed it is unusual for people to lock their houses in the countryside. Honfleur centre is best avoided but as you come into the town from the bridge of Normandy there is a massive aire on the right at the start of the car park.Short walk into town. Bonne vacance