MagHal Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 Going back to France this year. Mag wants to go to the Med coast. Apart from being cooler, What’s it like Sept to October? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Den Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 We normally go to the med when the schools go back. Have to say it’s my favourite time weather wise. Still lots of Motorhomes around, but certainly lots of space. Favourite place being Saint Marie de la Mer This year for the first time we have to go in school holidays. Expecting it to be to busy. I’m sure you’ll find it really nice and the sea at this time a little warmer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spirou Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 Definitely not much cooler if at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laimeduck Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 It will be good. Less busy then and some sites and restaurants will start shutting up at end of September. So too will sites on your return in October. Not really a problem, but you have to plan things a bit more carefully. We have just returned from 6 weeks there - June to mid July. Very hot (as everywhere this year), but very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albertslad Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 We too plan to head for Bordeaux and The Gironde area; but watching the news coverage of the extreme weather in France, we are not overconfident of a straightforward trip. I heard that some campsites have been affected. We wouldn’t anyway book in September, so it’s just a case of establishing any long term effects. We’ll research it and make a decision when we need to sort out the Tunnel. Can you just turn up and get the next available train? Surely can’t be running at full capacity all the time? Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laimeduck Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 Albertslad - 2022-07-22 1:33 PM We’ll research it and make a decision when we need to sort out the Tunnel. Can you just turn up and get the next available train? Surely can’t be running at full capacity all the time? Regards The closer you leave the booking to your departure date the more the price increases to almost double. So I would guess that just turning up would be premium rate. For our Benimar they were asking £280 the day before travel and about £150 booked in advance. Jeremy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albertslad Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 The saving grace is that tickets are valid for a year, plenty of other costs that aren’t! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 laimeduck - 2022-07-22 12:38 PM................................... We have just returned from 6 weeks there - June to mid July. Very hot (as everywhere this year), but very good. We're currently planning a September trip, so how did you find the border formalities, Jeremy? Chunnel, or ferry? Did you travel out with "normal" food on board, or avoid taking meat and dairy etc? Inspected? I gather no passenger locator forms now required? Did you take your vaccine records in paper, or 'mobile phone, format? (Paper seems simpler to me.) Any comments/problems with this at border control? I get the impression mask use and distancing practices are now similar to here. Did you find that the case? Any other comments re entry - exit? Did you returned with bottles? Are UK customs their usual smiling selves? :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagHal Posted July 24, 2022 Author Share Posted July 24, 2022 We'll go Portsmouth Caen. Some friends went to Serbia via tunnel about 6 weeks ago and reported no issues. They took whatever food they wanted and there were no checks. Due to some commitments and an aged P It's hard to book too far in advance so I'll book about mid August. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruisecontrol Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 We returned on 13 July after 5 weeks on the Loire and Charante area using Brittany Ferries via Portsmouth/Caen . Took paper version and the app for proof of innoculisations. The paper version was preferred by Brittany ferries but the French customs didn't request anything. We used the outward evening route with the usual Brittany Ferry delays in loading and unloading at either end (never understand why it takes them so long cf Dover ferry companies - BF have a bigger boat - but nonetheless!!). The major delay was entering France and with French customs requiring a passport check & stamp. Just two of the booths were open out four. (Each booth can have two people , one either side). We were fairly early off the ferry and whole process took over an hour (agreed, that was nothing compared to Dover at the moment though!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laimeduck Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Brian Kirby - 2022-07-23 7:17 PM Brian - I’ve answered your questions as below:- A) Chunnel, or ferry? We went tunnel - it’s only 20 mins from us and we had enough Tesco vouchers to cover the cost. The border formalities were non-existent ….. The British side looked at passports, then waved us on …2 mins? The French side in their kiosks simply looked at passports , stamped them then waved us on. There were no facilities nor personnel for them to check for food in fridge/freezer and the passport girl did not ask. B) Did you travel out with "normal" food on board, or avoid taking meat and dairy etc? Inspected? We took a full freezer of meat and frozen veg and a fairly full fridge with “normal food” eg cheese, butter bacon and stuff from home fridge. Much of the cheese was French anyway! Not inspected … At Coquelles you just drive off, as in the past. C) I gather no passenger locator forms now required? Nope! D) Did you take your vaccine records in paper, or 'mobile phone, format? (Paper seems simpler to me.) Any comments/problems with this at border control? As above, not inspected - we simply took the NHS App, plus I had downloaded the info in .pdf format. You have to send Eurotunnel proof of Vaccinations when you book which you can do online, so my guess is that the customs people therefore know that you are covered? E) I get the impression mask use and distancing practices are now similar to here. Did you find that the case? At the start of the trip going down through Rouen towards Alencon and Bergerac to the Pyrenees, in eg supermarkets, very few people wore masks anywhere. Towards the end of the trip, as a result in the increase in Covid cases throughout Europe, more older people were in masks in supermarkets. In the hot-beds of Bergaerac, Carcassone, Beziers, Nice, Monaco (ie busy with lots of people) it was very rare to see masks. Although most establishments had hand sanitiser squirt bottles at the entrances, most were empty! F) Any other comments re entry - exit? Did you returned with bottles? Are UK customs their usual smiling selves? :-) We returned via Dunkirk Dover (could have used P&O at £40 -50 less, but they are “persona non grata” in this household and will not be used!) The French customs at Dunkirk checked the inside cupbards of the van for both people and powders, but no questions about wines/spirits etc. We were waved through UK customs, so no questions. We probably had more than we should as we stocked up with a few bottles and boxes at Leclerc, and took advantage of a good offer of a bottle of Bombay Gin at £14/litre on DFDS! In general we had no problem anywhere with the authorities - even the Swiss border control bods waved us through - have had problems with them in the past!. Diesel prices were fluctuating between €1.95 to €2.20 per litre, and I calculated that 100 miles was costing about £37-40, about double what it was on our last trip in 2019. Autoroute tolls were eye-watering out of Boulogne and round Rouen where we did use it for 60-80km total which cost €18, so we didn’t use toll autoroutes again. Not a problem as we are never in a rush and prefer to see the countryside on D roads. Jeremy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Excellent!! Thanks so much for such a comprehensive reply Jeremy. 100/10 !!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barryd999 Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 Best part of the med IMO is from Cassis (east of Marseille) to about Frejus (east of St Tropez). The Med from Marseille all the way to the Spanish border is a bit "see if your passing I think" although its more motorhome friendly I guess (kind of). You cant beat the Cote D'Azur though, its fabulous. Much much much better though if you have secondary transport. Been a few times both in the peak season and in September. September does start to cool down a bit but its generally a nice swimming in the sea temperature on the coast even in August. I did do a motorhome guide a few years back to the Cote D'Azur bottom of this page. https://sites.google.com/site/hanktestsite2/downloads?authuser=0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagHal Posted July 30, 2022 Author Share Posted July 30, 2022 Thank you all for your replies. Very helpful and I feel much more confident with the information you have given. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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