tonyl101 Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 hi i am new to this so please be gentle lol me and my wife are planning a trip to the south of france around march the 20th is and wounder if some one could share there knowledge with us we have a swift kontiki tag and are towing a smart on a trailer so we are quite big i was pondering the following tunnel or ferry ? were to stay near the sea would be nice stop over on way ? thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 We tow an iQ on a trailer and have had little trouble toring in France, although we tend to avoid those French campsites which have small demarcated pitches and when tranisting we prefer to use Aires. Only occasionally have we had to unhitch to park up but it always seems to be possible to park up somehow. In low season site owners will often allow you to park the trailer on an adjacent pitch when necessary and we've never been charged for this. We used to use the Tunnel and Tesco vouchers but now use ferries on cost/expediency grounds. We only book a single journey to allow us flexibility on our return - and as long as you book at least 5/6 days ahead (on line for the return trip) you can avoid the higher prices of last minute bookings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 Forgot to add that we used the (mostly free) A75 to head South and aimed for Cap D'Adge, purely because it looked on the map to be the closest coastal opportunity. The campsite was closed and the Aires was just a section of car park behind the harbour-side flats - but the fact that it was a very popular resort with the Gay community made it educational as well as entertaining. We didn't stay long. The Carmargue is nice and there are some Aires actually on the coast, eg at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, where there is a large car park behind the sea wall, a section of which is reserved for MHs.. Aigues Mort was awful for MH parking (one area closed, the other remote, unattractive and expensive, but we found a nice site a couple of miles out of town in a farming area, compete with horses (and ticks) where we stayed for over a week. Camping Le Ferme, decent facilities, under €20 per night, N43 34.367 E4 13.131 (approx but signposted) Dodgy-looking bridge over a drainage canal as you turn S on to the approach road to the site but we saw a huge eight-wheeler lorry use it ahead of us so it was obviously strong enough. Site is on sandy ground with trees for shade. Tick protection for your dog is essential. There is a nice walk down from the site past farms etc to the sea but it's well over a mile. Very flat terrain. Take care to stick to the firmer sand on the camp site - we got bogged down by driving too far aming the trees without checking for loose ground on foot. "Madame, je ai besoin d'un tracteur" got us rescued by the owner. Easy drive to supermarkets and into Aiges Mortes (attractive ancient walled town) where parking a car is easy. Driving around the Petit Carmargue was nice too. Bird sanctuary not far away. Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is certainly worth a visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea Cup Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 The ACSI site at Narbonne is good, not on the sea but close to it and next to a lagoon. Each site has its own toilet block, and there's plenty of pitches big enough for a trailer. And it's so cheap using ACSI it's hardly worth using an aires (IMO). There are pretty villages nearby, and Narbonne is well worth a visit. It's also handy if you are going to Spain. Mosies are plentiful at certain times of the year, due to the lagoon. March should be OK, we were there last year in March. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 March? Can be well grim in France with not much open.... (^) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 March? Can be well grim in France with not much open.... (^) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 Toll roads will be expensive with that rig, so look at the alternative routes. A good series of articles in MMM magazine recently, and you could search on this forum for no tolls routes. The south west has has very bad weather recently, Argeles Sur mer on the news with floods and there were downpours last September when we were there. I prefer inland, away from the Mistral wind, which can be quite fierce at times. Some stunning sites with pools, but check when they open, France has colder winters than us in many areas, and it takes a while to warm up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertandjean Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 We have been to France every month except January and yes it can be cold in winter but often days are blue skies, unlike the grey damp days we often suffer, also winters tend to be much shorter. Have been to south of France many times in March and had more warm sunny days than wet cold ones so do not be put off. Regarding where to stay then if happy using Aires then the aire at Narbonne, not Narbonne plage, is good. All services including hook up, marked pitches and free bus into Narbonne with interesting museums, restaurants etc. Another good place to stay is on the aire at Palavas les Flots, more like a site really with hook ups, showers etc and good bus service to Montpellier, where there is much to see. As another poster mentioned st. Marie de la mer is worth a visit with three Aires to choose from, we prefer one nearest town. Another possibility is Guissan, two Aires, we think one at marina, aire of the 4 winds, is best but not as name suggests when mistral is blowing! If you need any more info on these or any other Aires please PM us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 Billggski - 2014-12-05 2:01 PM Toll roads will be expensive with that rig ....... Not sure it works that way in France - I just got charged for the MH in September, Class 2, nothing for the trailer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 Low and long seems to get through on automatic booths easier than tall and short! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Den Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 Tunnel for us every time. Aigues Morte is great for motorhomes. The one next to the canal over looking the walled town of AM. Cost wise €12 payable by card for barrier. Not been over busy since they put the price up, but the last couple of times we've been, the barrier has been broken. ( French don't like paying ) Walk down by the canal to the coast and Flamingos are plentiful. In St Marie de la Mer is nice, with some good restaurants and the church is worth a visit with grat views from the roof. Den Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 How do you cook a flamingo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Den Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 In a very large pot !! Tastes a bit like turkey, so I'm told?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 Den - 2014-12-06 4:29 PM In a very large pot !! Tastes a bit like turkey, so I'm told?? That'll make a change ;-) ...........as apparently to some...... everything tastes like chicken :D .......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 pelmetman - 2014-12-06 5:27 PM Den - 2014-12-06 4:29 PM In a very large pot !! Tastes a bit like turkey, so I'm told?? That'll make a change ;-) ...........as apparently to some...... everything tastes like chicken :D .......... When discussing pigeon recipes with a work colleague, another butted in with "I suppose it tastes like chicken" :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 colin - 2014-12-06 5:52 PM pelmetman - 2014-12-06 5:27 PM Den - 2014-12-06 4:29 PM In a very large pot !! Tastes a bit like turkey, so I'm told?? That'll make a change ;-) ...........as apparently to some...... everything tastes like chicken :D .......... When discussing pigeon recipes with a work colleague, another butted in with "I suppose it tastes like chicken" :D He's obviously never had pigeon ;-) ....................although myself I find the wild ones a bit to liver'sh and prefer them in a game pie B-) ................plus you get to save your teeth from biting on a bit of shot 8-) .............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 Den - 2014-12-06 3:58 PM .....Aigues Morte is great for motorhomes. The one next to the canal over looking the walled town of AM. Cost wise €12 payable by card for barrier. Not been over busy since they put the price up, but the last couple of times we've been, the barrier has been broken. ( French don't like paying ) ...... I'm pretty sure it was €16 per night on that barried gravel patch by the canal, next to a boatyard, when we were there in September 2013 and the barrier was in place. You could see the West Wall of the Town form this "Aire" and there was a borne, but although I'm sure it would have been safe, for us it was just too uninviting as a parking location, so we moved on. The other MH parking in the book for Aigues Morte was supposed to be in the car park on the E side of the Town but that was height-barriered off.. The campsite we settled for was a coupleof miles away but having a car with us solved that problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyl101 Posted December 7, 2014 Author Share Posted December 7, 2014 blimey just checked in again and see all the comments thanks for the help tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 StuartO - 2014-12-06 7:57 PM Den - 2014-12-06 3:58 PM .....Aigues Morte is great for motorhomes. The one next to the canal over looking the walled town of AM. Cost wise €12 payable by card for barrier. Not been over busy since they put the price up, but the last couple of times we've been, the barrier has been broken. ( French don't like paying ) ...... I'm pretty sure it was €16 per night on that barried gravel patch by the canal, next to a boatyard, when we were there in September 2013 and the barrier was in place. You could see the West Wall of the Town form this "Aire" and there was a borne, but although I'm sure it would have been safe, for us it was just too uninviting as a parking location, so we moved on. The other MH parking in the book for Aigues Morte was supposed to be in the car park on the E side of the Town but that was height-barriered off.. The campsite we settled for was a coupleof miles away but having a car with us solved that problem. We were there last year the canal side Aire was the only place you could stop, all the other listed places now have height barriers. Several campers trying to get in most gave up as the barrier needed €16 in coins only. We managed to reverse up and park in the lane opposite, it had a no camping car sign but the lane was full of vans, didn't cause any problems. A lot of vans stayed overnight we moved down to the beach and found a wild spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Billggski - 2014-12-05 6:39 PM Low and long seems to get through on automatic booths easier than tall and short! The autoroute vehicle categories are shown here http://www.autoroutes.fr/en/vehicle-classification.htm It should be apparent that a Category 4 toll-charge should apply to a Swift Kon-Tiki with tandem rear axles even if it is not towing anything. Automated toll-booths don’t (apparently) have weight-sensors or any means of ‘seeing’ a vehicle’s configuration, relying only on vehicle height to decide which Catergory a vehicle should be in. As you rightly suggest, a 3-axle motorhome under 3 metres in height towing a trailer that’s under 3 metres in height will very likely be categorised (wrongly) as Catergory 2 by an automated toll-booth. What happens if the motorhome encounters a clued-up attendant at a manned toll-booth is unprediictable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 tonyl101 - 2014-12-05 9:15 AM hi i am new to this so please be gentle lol me and my wife are planning a trip to the south of france around march the 20th is and wounder if some one could share there knowledge with us we have a swift kontiki tag and are towing a smart on a trailer so we are quite big i was pondering the following tunnel or ferry ? I would choose on the basis of price. Tunnel is quicker, and generally quicker to access, but likely to be substantially more costly. Have a play on Eurotunnel's website for your dates and compare resulting prices with results from ferry Cos websites. Look also for promotional offers on ferries. were to stay near the sea would be nice Pass! :-) stop over on way ? Assuming in all cases you head for somewhere near Agde (which is near the end of the toll free A75) and start from Calais, driving from 09:00 to 17:00 with just a one hour break for lunch, and then using one of the following three route options (just for illustration): A) Autoroute all the way via Paris. Approx mileage 645. Approx driving time 11 hours 15 mins. Average speed 60MPH. One stop required, between Montlucon and Clermont Ferrand. Arrive 14:15 approx. B) Non toll roads via Paris. Approx mileage 655. Approx driving time 13 houre 45 minutes. Average speed 50MPH. One stop required between Briare and Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire. Arrive 17:00 approx. C) Non toll roads via Rouen (avoiding Paris). Approx mileage 670. Approx driving time 13 hours 50 minutes. Average speed 50MPH. One stop required as B) above. Arrive 17:00 approx. However, I doubt the above times (generated from MS AutoRoute, slowed as far as the program will allow) are practicable with your rig, even on the autoroutes, so you would need to apply your driving experience to arrive at more realistic forecasts. I would also strongly suggest you check the probable toll autoroute charges beforehand, as I think they will be punitive! So, for the non-toll route via Rouen, which would be my preference, I think you should base your calculations on two overnight stops en route. Where, will be dictated largely by when you would leave Calais, which I guess will be influenced strongly by where you live, and when you would leave home. thanks in advance FWIW, you're welcome, and I hope the above helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyl101 Posted December 8, 2014 Author Share Posted December 8, 2014 thanks brian will look into it further Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 I have tried the south of france several times in March and each time I have ended up in Spain due to appalling weather. The Camargue was mentioned in an earlier post in particular St Marie De La Mer. It's a very nice place to visit as long as you avoid the midge season. If you travel anywhere in France in March good weather cannot be guaranteed. My advice would be to go to Spain as the weather seems to improve markedly as soon as you cross the Pyrenees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Mike88 - 2014-12-08 5:54 PM The Camargue was mentioned in an earlier post in particular St Marie De La Mer. It's a very nice place to visit as long as you avoid the midge season. . Went their this Year and last year in September, Motorhomers out number the locals. There are 5 Aires (& 2 camp sites). More restaurants than shops and plenty of flamingos for Eddie to B-B-Q. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Show how different we all are. We reckon the Carmargue, as recommended by several on here, is one of the most boring places in France, right up their with the Ill de Re. If you reckon the mossies in Scotland are bad you have seen nothing compared to those in this flat landscape. Most of the coastal towns are full of bad restaurants and cheap shops selling tacky stuff. March is early for south of France though and most sites will still be closed, you will find some small aires awkward with a trailer, although as they will be pretty empty at this time you will probably get by. As recommended by someone else Camping La Nautique near Narbonne is worth a look if you have transport. It opens on 1 March and is ACSI, the coast is a short drive away and several other places to visit, Narbonne itself is not to much, probably a couple of hours will do it. If weather is kind I would try inland Provence as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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