New 2016 Aires Guide now Out

[robertandjean]

The 2016 edition of "Le Guide National des Aires de Service Camping Cars" is now available. In our opinion this is the best print based copy guide for Aires in France. This edition lists over 3900 Aires, although some are camp sites that just provide service vast majority are Aires to overnight on and pick up services. It is interesting to note how number of Aires in France keeps growing, a copy we have from 10years ago lists just over 2000 Aires! It should be noted however, that a trend the publishers note, and we have also seen, is for more Aires to have barrier entrances, have electric hook-ups and charge more than previously. We have no issues with these trends as we were never happy with those who came late and went early to avoid payment and applaud the greater introduction of hook-ups. Yes some Aires are now charging more than somet think reasonable, we note that Aigues-Mort, in the Gard department, is now charging 33€/night but given location right in town, then we will still use it, as yes some sites maybe cheaper but can you walk in to centre? For us Aires are and will always be about location not cost. But not to worry if cost is an issue for you the guide still lists over 1300 Aires that will not cost you a cent!

The guide is best purchased from the local newsagents in France, cost around 10€, but can be ordered direct from Le Monde du Camping-car web site.

[Derek Uzzell]

I’ve never been a fan of "Le Guide National”

 

http://boutique.editions-lariviere.fr/site/guides-le-guide-national-des-aires-de-services-2016--6855-18-9.html

 

preferring its more comprehensive competitor “Le Guide Officiel”

 

https://www.vicarious-shop.com/Le-Guide-Officiel-Aires-de-Services-Camping-Car-2016-ISBN9782358390460.html

 

It’s unrealistic to use either publication as a simple proof that there has been a radical growth in the number of French ‘aires’ over the last 10 years.

 

The campingcar-infos website currently has 8479 entries relating to aires in France, but when the website was originally set up about 15 years ago it had no more than 600 entries. The fact that the number of entries has increased by over 7000 does not mean that the number of aires has similarly increased over the 15 year period, just that the website’s database was incomplete initially, that what is now termed an aire by the website’s owner differs from 15 years ago and that aires that have disappeared haven’t all been removed. I’d be surprised if more than 200 new ’traditional’ aires have been installed since 2006.

 

Supposedly the publishers of the French book-guides check each year to ensure that the information the books contain is accurate, but this check relies on feedback from French local authorities that isn’t necessarily forthcoming. And, of course, the books are only updated annually. Still worth having a copy if one is a keen aires user, but on-line access to aires websites will provide more reliable information.

 

 

[Tracker]

After initially struggling with an Aires guide in French we switched to the Vicarious Books 'All the Aires' some 10 years ago and have used them ever since. For me the absolute total of Aires is of far less value that being able to understand the legend and get an idea of the immediate environment and then being abble to accurately locate and navigate straight to the Aire. For us no book does it better than Vicarious.

 

Every time we visit France we find at least one unrecorded Aire and on one trip to Brittany we found no less than six!

 

None of these were new Aires - they were just not recorded in the book which is probably why most of them were very quiet at the time.

 

As Derek says this does not suggest a rapid growth in Aires, more like a rapid growth in discovering and recording Aires as their use becomes more popular and nomadic camping carists wander further.

 

Indeed the discovery of a newly constructed Aire, unlike a refurbished Aire, seems to be a very rare event and possibly no a lot different in numbers to the ones that close, although I have no data either way to support that feeling.

 

We used to get a free book from Vicarious for our efforts in recording and photographing Aires but as the price has risen so the discount has fallen, nevertheless the benefit to us all of having a wider choice makes it well worth the effort as far as we are concerned - and a bit of discount always makes I smile!

 

I can see the attraction of online Aires but for us there is something satisfying about thumbing through a book comparing locations or poring over a map fine tuning potential routes that online just does not seem to give, but whatever works best for you is probably best for you!

[PJay]

We very rarely use aires, but do carry all the mentioned guides, (though not always up to date)

My French is good enough to understand the guide books,. I personally think the french ones are better than Vicarious, but if the language is a problem , then the Vicarious book is for you.

 

As Richard says , it is nice to be able to see and plan from a paper book/map. and you don't need WI FI for that

PJay

[starvin marvin]

We use both guides, but prefer the French "white" Aires book. I don't speak much French, but find the guide easy to follow.

[fjmike]

Our preference is the Camping car magazines Aires book. Purchased the 2016 edition back at the beginning of February. To supplement this we also use the Camper contact app, being able to see what an aire looks like even when no WiFi is a godsend

[robertandjean]

Derek Uzzell - 2016-02-26 7:50 AM

 

I’ve never been a fan of "Le Guide National”

 

http://boutique.editions-lariviere.fr/site/guides-le-guide-national-des-aires-de-services-2016--6855-18-9.html

 

preferring its more comprehensive competitor “Le Guide Officiel”

 

https://www.vicarious-shop.com/Le-Guide-Officiel-Aires-de-Services-Camping-Car-2016-ISBN9782358390460.html

 

It’s unrealistic to use either publication as a simple proof that there has been a radical growth in the number of French ‘aires’ over the last 10 years.

 

The campingcar-infos website currently has 8479 entries relating to aires in France, but when the website was originally set up about 15 years ago it had no more than 600 entries. The fact that the number of entries has increased by over 7000 does not mean that the number of aires has similarly increased over the 15 year period, just that the website’s database was incomplete initially, that what is now termed an aire by the website’s owner differs from 15 years ago and that aires that have disappeared haven’t all been removed. I’d be surprised if more than 200 new ’traditional’ aires have been installed since 2006.

 

Supposedly the publishers of the French book-guides check each year to ensure that the information the books contain is accurate, but this check relies on feedback from French local authorities that isn’t necessarily forthcoming. And, of course, the books are only updated annually. Still worth having a copy if one is a keen aires user, but on-line access to aires websites will provide more reliable information.

 

 

Derek, you are correct that on line sites such as camping car Info's and i-camping car are clearly more up to date than any print guide, but we still find it useful to be able to quickly flick through such a guide. We find Le Guide National much more user friendly than Le Guide Official, which we do not consider more comprehensive. Regarding the growth in numbers of Aires then yes some of the increase maybe due to the guides or web sites not including in earlier editions, but there does seem to us to have been a real increase due to new Aires opening over recent years. If for example we just look at the Nord Pas de Calais region, then the Aires at Marck, Boulogne, Montreuil, Le Treport, st Omer, Arras, Cambrai, Bertry, Lens are just ones we know did not exist 10 years ago so does suggest new Aires are opening all the time. This trend is helped by a lot of former municipal camp sites converting to Aires.