CAMPING SITES GUIDE FOR FRANCE

[Clive]

Help, The Mrs wants to purchase a sites book. We visited Smiths in Basingstoke today and saw a couple, the best seemed to be a publication from the Caravan Club covering Europe. I objected to her giving them her money because of their stance on wild camping. Has anybody got any alternative suggestions please? Ta

[JohnP]

Clive Was the book entitled "Caravan Europe" There are two volumes. Vol 1 covering France, Spain, Portugal and Andorra. Vol 2 covers the rest of Europe. If this is what you saw the C.C is obviously branching out and supplying the general public, which is new to me. That said, their publication is probably the best and most comprehensive. I agree with your sentiments about their attitude to wild camping but it was me I would buy it. At least we don't have to pay their subscription fee to get it.

[Clive]

Hi John, Thanks for the comments. You are correct, it was the book you describe and on the shelf in Smiths at £12.95. Meanwhile I have ordered on-line the French publication which claims to contain ALL 11000 French sites at EU15.5 delivered. If this is not suitable i will probably swallow my pride as others have sung the accolades of the same CC publication. Regards

[foxy]

Hi Clive I have both volumes and they have been invaluable when touring Europe, they are cheaper if you join the club and my thoughts are if you want to change a philosophy then you fight from within. Foxy

[Don Madge]

[QUOTE]Clive - 2006-09-01 9:41 PM Help, The Mrs wants to purchase a sites book. We visited Smiths in Basingstoke today and saw a couple, the best seemed to be a publication from the Caravan Club covering Europe. I objected to her giving them her money because of their stance on wild camping. Has anybody got any alternative suggestions please? Ta [/QUOTE] Clive, I've got a 2005 edition of Caravan Europe 1 that you can have, I'll mail it to you if you would like it. We wont be at York. Don

[Clive]

Don, Most generous indeed. I have sent you a PM Best regards Clive

[Brian Kirby]

Clive, as others have said, the CC guide is probably the best going.  Reason: the comments in the guide come from CC members, and not from touring inspectors, so are made by people who have actually camped on the sites.

Basically, you're buying late in the season, so won't really get value from the best guides, because they are updated annually and tend to publish in spring.  The other I'd reccomend, for France, is the Michelin Camping France.  Michelin uses inspectors, but the guide generally gives a fair idea of what to expect - although you'll need to visit one or two sites first, to learn to interpret what the the the icon type facilities codes really mean.  Most good booksellers, and possibly Amazon.  Both CC and Michelin update annually.

Also, if you're going out of season, do get the ACSI guide.  If you do a Google under ACSI, you'll get to their site.  There is a UK contact, Suncamp Holidays, who will supply the guide, but if you have insufficient time, look on the website for sites that offer the out of season discounts, head for one of those and you should be able to buy a copy at the site.  Membership card is inside, no fee, just buy the guide.  It is Dutch, so the sites are favoured by the Dutch, and they use inspectors, but the deal is quite good and the site standard seems reasonable.

[colin]

I've never seen any guide that is anywhere near as comprehensive as Michelin, does the CC book cover as many sites?

[Nick Miller]

I usually purchase Michelin/CC1 year and year about. Think CC is preferable but Michelin does have sites not in the Caravan Club publication. Take care with the ACSI publication. I believe Lidl sold it very cheaply but it was the guide only.No membership card was inside.It was 'cellophane' wrapped of course so you wouldnt know before purchase. N

[BrianR]

The guide you have ordered for €15.5 is probably the FFCC guide, in which case it is far far more comprehensive than Michelin or the CC. I buy it every year, along with its partner guide for the aires. Where the CC guide gains is in giving you a better "feel" for the site, as to whether it is what you are looking for. The FFCC guide has almost every campsite in France, but for many it lacks clear directions to them, opening dates and cost. It is most useful for finding the cheaper, municipal sites, which are usually excellent value. Brian

[Brian Kirby]

[QUOTE]BrianR - 2006-09-02 8:56 PM The guide you have ordered for €15.5 is probably the FFCC guide, in which case it is far far more comprehensive than Michelin or the CC. I buy it every year, along with its partner guide for the aires. Where the CC guide gains is in giving you a better "feel" for the site, as to whether it is what you are looking for. The FFCC guide has almost every campsite in France, but for many it lacks clear directions to them, opening dates and cost. It is most useful for finding the cheaper, municipal sites, which are usually excellent value. Brian[/QUOTE]

Agreed

Its main drawback is that there is no qualitative filter.  If it's a campsite, and it's french, its there - whatever state the facilities, however many itinerants are present or however many of the pitches are in permanent occupation.

For ACSI, as I said, buy from them, or their UK outlet.

[Clive]

Thanks all for their contribution and to Don for his most kind offer. Its been an interesting outpouring of viewpoints. Regards C.

[MOTORHOMER]

[QUOTE]Clive - 2006-09-02 10:23 AM Hi John, Thanks for the comments. You are correct, it was the book you describe and on the shelf in Smiths at £12.95. Meanwhile I have ordered on-line the French publication which claims to contain ALL 11000 French sites at EU15.5 delivered. If this is not suitable i will probably swallow my pride as others have sung the accolades of the same CC publication. Regards [/QUOTE] You can get this guide cheaper at shows even if a non member. Mmembers buy it at a doscount. They were eleven pounds for non members earlier in the year

[michele]

Brian , Please What's FFCC we use Michelin and have never had a problem . But would like to know where to get your book & what it stand's for regards PS We mostly do france . Sad really .

[Mel E]

Clive, We've tried Michelin, but it is just facts - no review of the sites. We've tried Alan Rogers, but there aren't enough sites in it. We always use the CC Guide, and we always try to contribute updates whenever we stay somewhere mentione or aomewhere new. John P, the CC Guides have always been available to non-members, just at a higher price.

[RonB]

Clive We use the Dutch ANWB European Camping Guides, two volumes like the CC guides. However, unlike the CC they use a standard rating system which we have found very accurate over the years and avoids the highly personal view you often get otherwise. The guides also come with a CD showing a map of Europe and it's just a matter of clicking on a site, area, or road you wish to follow to bring up all the info you need. This is a real boon, especially for pre-planning, and avoids all the to and fro of page searching. You can purchase the guides direct from Holland via any ANWB outlet but we get ours from our local British ANWB affiliated campsite owners who receive a complimentary copy that they don't use. Mabe you know someone similar and could give them a try? Incidentaly, the guides are in Dutch but so simple to use that its not a problem. Have fun.

[robin]

The Official Guide to Aires and Stopping places lists Camp Sites that have MH service Points, I can't remember where to get hold ofit, but it is widely available. Also see (in French only) http://www.campingcar-infos.com/index1.htm I have to ask the question - why you are looking for Camping Sites in France if you like wild camping? We spend about six weeks a year touring round France and have spent only one or two nights on camp sites in the past three years - with no problems I know some people do prefer camp sites though. Robin

[Brian Kirby]

[QUOTE]Mel E - 2006-09-04 12:00 AM Clive, We've tried Michelin, but it is just facts - no review of the sites. We've tried Alan Rogers, but there aren't enough sites in it. We always use the CC Guide, and we always try to contribute updates whenever we stay somewhere mentione or aomewhere new. John P, the CC Guides have always been available to non-members, just at a higher price.[/QUOTE]

I agree there is no written review of sites in the Michelin, but once you become familiar with the icon type symbols they tell you a surprising amount about the site.  Flat or sloping; shaded, part shaded or no shade; grassy, stony, or sandy soil; hot water for washing/washing up; whether there are statics, and whether they dominate; whether there is a pool; whether there are individual or communual washing facilities, whether there are hot showers, facilities for the disabled etc. etc.

I have never found the more verbose guides such a Alan Rogers much use, or particularly accurate.  The Daddy of them all, however, as above is the CC guide, because the comments come from users of the sites, and only from users.

[David Dwight]

Last year in Book Ends at Swindon Retail outlet, around NOvember time, they had both edition of CC sites book the 2 for £5 or there abouts. They were the 2005 editions Ok they were at the end of their year. We still use one that is about 8 years old, I thinkl that good value for money, having said that we dont often use it, as there are so many sites on the continet why worry. David