Aires filling up

[Tracker]

Had Enough - 2014-06-28 8:36 PM

I think you need to keep your eye on the road Richard!

 

Thanks for the unsolicited advice Frank - I do, but I am fortunate enough to have a very observant wife.

 

I note what you say but you are quick to condemn others for 'forcing their views down everyone else's throats' as you often like to put it and yet you do the same to everyone else all the time? Double standards?

 

Maybe it is time for you to take a long hard look at Frank's World as seen by everyone else and consider modifying your approach towards those with whom you disagree because those with whom you disagree seem to be a rapidly expanding proportion on this forum.

 

It seems that just as I have no proof of the preference of Camping Car users in France regarding Sites or other means of camping neither do you - just personal experience in certain busy areas which may or may not be misleading?

 

I really don't know and, I suggest, neither do you so please stop ramming your views down everyone else's throats and do please try to be a little more open and tolerant towards other people and their own thoughts and opinions.

[Guest Had Enough]

Tracker - 2014-06-28 9:12 PM

 

Had Enough - 2014-06-28 8:36 PM

I think you need to keep your eye on the road Richard!

 

Thanks for the unsolicited advice Frank - I do, but I am fortunate enough to have a very observant wife.

 

I note what you say but you are quick to condemn others for 'forcing their views down everyone else's throats' as you often like to put it and yet you do the same to everyone else all the time? Double standards?

 

Maybe it is time for you to take a long hard look at Frank's World as seen by everyone else and consider modifying your approach towards those with whom you disagree because those with whom you disagree seem to be a rapidly expanding proportion on this forum.

 

It seems that just as I have no proof of the preference of Camping Car users in France regarding Sites or other means of camping neither do you - just personal experience in certain busy areas which may or may not be misleading?

 

I really don't know and, I suggest, neither do you so please stop ramming your views down everyone else's throats and do please try to be a little more open and tolerant towards other people and their own thoughts and opinions.

 

You really are a hypocrite - this is what you posted a couple of hours ago:

 

'It is always a shame when people choose to attack the poster instead of responding to the subject matter posted and the ongoing ego battles once again devalue a perfectly sensible topic. '

 

And this is precisely what you've just done. I answered your post with nothing more than logical argument, no nastiness or acrimony.

 

Your response is to answer none of my questions and make an incredibly rude personal attack!

 

And as for ramming opinions down throats - this thread came about because of a man who can't stop ramming his opinion down our throats, read the opening post for God's sake.

 

And then read his answers to Derek Uzzell. In both of them he just has to get in another bit of his obsession about aires!

 

Anyway, why not try answering my questions now?

 

But I suspect that you won't and that your personal attack is just a diversion because you can't! And please, don't come out with this crap about how many people I disagree with. I take part in about one thread in twenty, and whilst we're getting personal you're another person who seems to have got up the noses of many people on here! Those who live in glass houses Richard....!

 

[Derek Uzzell]

Our recent French trip involved 16 overnight stops. One was on a car-park, one was on an 'aire' (ie. an installation specifically for motorhome parking) and the rest were on inexpensive campsites. All of the campsites (admittedly all inland except for the one at Ouistreham) had plenty of room available and all had lots of motorhomes using them.

 

It's to be expected that, if there's an aire at a tourist hot-spot (especially a free aire) it will get masses of trade, as will a cheap campsite, but so what? If you want to roam around France in a motorhome paying nothing for overnight stops and 'servicing', it's pretty easy to do if you avoid the coast and tourist traps. But, if you insist on paying nothing and want to be on the coast or at touristy places, the experience may prove to be an interesting intellectual exercise, but it probably won't be very civilised.

 

Given the choice of a pleasant spacious sub-15€ campsite or a cheek-by-jowl crowded free aire, I'd be a masochist to opt for the latter. Conversely, given the choice of a pleasant spacious uncrowded free/cheap aire or a crammed campsite, I'd be foolish not to opt for the former. Are UK motorcaravanners unable to make that type of simple choice?

[kelly58]

Since 2007 we have been regular visitors to France mostly using Aires , last year on six visits over 89 nights we encountered two Aires where we had difficulty parking one was just outside Honfleur at La Riviere St Sauveur it was packed due to the Tall Ships Amada and the second one was at Wissant  it was packed due to the blessing of the fishing boats festival . Small Aires can get packed especially if there is FREE electric which I find the Dutch Motorhomers are the biggest culprits they seem to set up camp for eternity . We have noticed this year on our last 2 trips some of the Aires are looking unkempt St Nicolas De Bliquetuit was very run down with the service point shut down and the drive over drain filled in with tarmac . St Pourcain Sur Sioule also looks run down as the couple who used to live on site and kept it tidy are no longer there , although there are regular daily visits from the local Police Municipal. As I have said Aires are NOT campsites they are good / bad and indifferent mostly handy when touring for an overnight stopover , then there are some on nice locations which are ok to lay up for a couple of days. The most important thing is that they are there and us as motorhomers are lucky to have the facility which we are denied here in the UK. 

[rupert123]

Derek Uzzell - 2014-06-29 9:21 AM

 

 

. Are UK motorcaravanners unable to make that type of simple choice?

 

I suspect they are Derek but not prepared to admit it. We have several members of the 'we never use campsites' type but they continue to give their opinion of them, I am with Had Enough here 'how do they know'. Another point he makes that none of them have answered, if most use aires what do they do in places like Annecy? I have asked this question myself on occasion but I asked what do they do in places like the Tarn and Verdon gorges, there are no aires within the best parts of these places only at the ends of the gorges and way outside the best bits, perhaps they never visit. I suspect a lot of the 'I never use campsite, people only ever venture to places like Brittany where their are plenty of aires and never venture into the better bits of France.

[robertandjean]

Frank if I try to answer those questions you keep going on about, will that help?

First Annecy, yes it is a lovely place and we have been a few times. The provision of Aires there is, you are correct, poor whilst there are many sites. So particularly in summer you have little choice but to stay on a site as we did on a couple of occasions, and very pleasant they were overlooking the lake, but a long way out of town. Two other times we did manage to squeeze onto one of the Aires, but you are parked very close so unless this is OK, then say avoid. But you are close to town and can therefore wander in in the evening, have a meal etc which for us is an important part of our holiday.

Secondly St Jean. As stated earlier we think this is the worst aire in France so would not suggest any one use it. Why do people use it? Well we stayed on one night, as it is so near the town centre, but did not realise how bad it would be, perhaps given situation we should have. We then stayed put to end of second day, to visit town, then moved. So perhaps many of vans seen on there are in same situation. So again given lack of a decent aire then choice for most must be a campsite, of which there are a lot on that coast and have in passed stayed on a couple but tended to be a little out, very busy and poor value for money. What we tend to do now is stay on the renovated aire at Hendey Place and catch bus or train to St Jean, St Sebastian etc.

St Tropez. There is an aire at St Tropez, it is a private aire listed on most web sites and gets mixed reports, but we have not stayed on it. Again main choice for most here must be camp sites given lack of Aires. We tend to stay on the aire at St Maxine, up the coast, and visit St Tropez by boat, which is a great way to do it.

So in summary in areas where Aires are few or poor quality then clearly sites are the way to go. In areas where Aires are plentiful and good quality then clearly many will choose these. Which more or less agrees with the perceptive comments by Derek in his last post.

[Derek Uzzell]

rupert123 - 2014-06-29 10:41 AM

 

...Another point he makes that none of them have answered, if most use aires what do they do in places like Annecy?...

 

This type of cherry-picking question does not merit an answer.

 

It might be the case that more motorcaravanners stayed on French aires than on French campsites during, say, the last 12 month period but, to the best of my knowledge, there are no reliable data to support or dispute such a claim.

 

It would be difficult to counter a claim that motorcaravanners travelling in France during the period November through February will overnight on aires rather than on campsites simply because there are so few campsites open during those months. But it's anybody's guess what the annual overnighting usage is for French campsites versus aires.

 

Even if it were the case that more motorhome 'overnightings' annually involved French aires rather than French campsites, it's still a racing certainty that UK motorcaravanners overnight more on French campsites than on French aires.

[Barryd999]

Not been on here for a bit. Good to see nothings changed and the old Aires vs Campsites rant is still the topic of choice! :D

 

Haditoff (not) mentions Annecy and St. Jean de Luz as two examples of crap aires and where do people go when they stay there. I agree totally about the Aires at both these locations being pretty grim. However in the case of St. Jean de Luz probably quite a few just park there for a few hours, look around and bugger off. I think I parked in the Super U and went in on the scooter. As for Annecy its one of the most popular holiday destinations in France so your kind of either forced onto a site or put up with the crappy Aires. However there is a perfectly superb little Private Aire on a farm down the bottom end of the lake at La Thuile for €8 a night and its never crammed even in July / August which brings me onto saying DO YOUR RESEARCH!

 

Last summer we spent three months in France, wild camped for half of that in some stunning locations and the rest on Aires in July, august and September. I dont remember more than 2 or 3 times actually being on an Aire where I had vans either side of me or that were a bit close for comfort. It is true that cost is a factor and it maybe that some of you dont give a toss about the money but look at it this way.

 

total cost for our three month trip for all parking, camping and services. £46.

Had we gone an an ASCI site each night for 92 nights at say £14 a night that adds up to £1288. Now ACSI isnt even in season most of the time we were away but surely even the well healed amongst you would agree thats a sh1t load of money to spend on parking a van that has its own facilities.

 

I spend ages scouring the CC Infos sites for wild spots and nice aires. Literally days doing it. Ok so the places we like are generally the Alps, remote lakes etc and are not often the main hot spots plus we have a scooter which allows us a lot more flexibility but these free and easy places to park up are out there. You just have to try a bit harder to find them! :D

[snowie]

Hi all;

we haven't been to France for a couple of years now, so I expect things have changed since we were last there..

I always understood that Aires were set up as one night overnight stops for campervans passing through and around France. longer stays would be catered for by Municipal and Commercial campsites.

A "Campsite" is a place you stay for several days and get your kit out, awning, BBQ, etc and explore the area in detail; and spend money.

An "Aire" is a transit stop, to enable you to get further into France, so that you could stay longer and spend more in your chosen area.

When you can stay several days 3+ say; they start to compete with both municipal sites and commercial ones.

I think the original intention was very good, and the way Aire use has developed is regrettable.

Regardless of which type of site you use, I do think that equal safety standards should apply.

Van spacing should be regulated and enforced.

Having had people pitch up as little as 1.2 Metres from us on campsites in Sweden and Norway I am concerned that "Aire" standards are spreading to commercial sites; and I don't like it.

I appreciate that one-nighters don't need as much space as long stay tourers, but safety applies to us all.

I haven't seen any reports of campsite fire incidents, but then I haven't looked.

regards

alan b

[rupert123]

Derek Uzzell - 2014-06-29 11:15 AM

 

rupert123 - 2014-06-29 10:41 AM

 

...Another point he makes that none of them have answered, if most use aires what do they do in places like Annecy?...

 

This type of cherry-picking question does not merit an answer.

 

.

Really, why not may I ask? You should be a politician, maybe you are, never answer a specific question or answer any question with a yes or no, try and be all things to all people. Answering a specific point is usual a good way to argue a point, although you do not really do arguments just make pompous statements. I note though that Barry makes a good attempt at an answer which at least makes sense.

[Barryd999]

"Make Sense!" Moi? Bugger I must be slipping. :-D

[robertandjean]

Sorry to reopen this thread, but whilst waiting for car to be serviced did something rarely do and clicked on chatter box. Could not believe it but on a recent thread Frank was still coming back to the more motorhomes on Aires or sites debate. Nothing wrong with that, except was attacking us in a very personal way, suggesting we had a nasty side etc. Well no longer care who is right or wrong on the numbers game. We enjoy using Aires and will continue to give our thoughts and recommendations in hope that this helps others. In same way we find comments and advice on a range of topics by contributors with expertise and experience in fields we know less about most helpful. And yes Frank happy to include you in this category. We, along with many others, enjoy a good debate, but not personal attacks. Looking back through this and other threads Frank, yes the comment about vision being limited to confines of a campsite might, in retrospect, have better not having been made and if it caused you offence we apologise. Hope this clears the air.

[Guest pelmetman]

robertandjean - 2014-07-09 11:01 AM

 

Sorry to reopen this thread, but whilst waiting for car to be serviced did something rarely do and clicked on chatter box.

 

That's one of the first signs ;-)..................Its all down hill now :D..............