Overnight campsites to stop within an hour of Caen
We are planning a trip to France via the Ferry Crossing from Portsmouth to Caen. We are trying to find a suitable campsite within perhaps 1-1.5hrs of Caen, heading either south via A88 / A28 route towards Le Mans & Tours, or perhaps the western route via A84 towards Renne and then south via E3 towards Nantes.
Final destination is near Bordeaux and whilst we know many sites en route, the problem is near to Caen, as we will not arrive until 3pm after an early start, and we would prefer not to travel too far these days, before finding a site with hopefully a restaurant and bar!
This is our first time in France with a motorhome, having been many times with a caravan, and now we want to be able to enjoy the journey, as well as the stays, so no Aires please!
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well i had booked this one but have had to cxl, was due out 14th April, looked ok for overnight stay and they give you a code to open barrier if you are going to be late, valid until 2200 hrs, They may be closed just now but i did get a nice email from them to say they would give me a €20 credit valid for 18 months from when they open
Tel : +33 (0)2 47 44 08 16
E-mail : contact@camping-tours.fr
Camping Les Acacias0 -
Of your two routes I myself would go towards Rennes because it's dual carriageway and toll free. One hour from the ferry port is a respectable site at Villedieu les Poeles - it was once municipal but was privatised 3 or 4 years ago and upgraded and improved by the new owners. They now call it Camping des Chevaliers de Malte. You can get some food and drinks on site but a short stroll onto the village will give you more choice.
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Camping de la Bord d' Aure at Bayeux is good for an overnight. There's a McDonalds nearby and various restaurants within a km of the site.
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This is our first time in France with a motorhome, having been many times with a caravan, and now we want to be able to enjoy the journey, as well as the stays, so no Aires please!
Why no Aires, unless you try them you will never know, picture of a couple we have stayed on attached...
MH are completely different to caravans and are meant for touring IMHO so make the journey part of the adventure, being able to stop in towns and villages with all the facilities is great.
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totally agree with Michael, as will Keith of course....
some aires arent what many think...
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Good photos from two contributors. Thank you.
But are they an hour from Caen ferryport with restaurant and bar on site - which is what the OP asked for ?
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like michael, my quick post was just to illustrate that not all 'aires' are the sort of places a former caravanner wouldnt set foot..
however, back to the OP and Avranches has an aire behind the Jardin des Plantes, is just an hour away from Caen and gives strolling access to this lovely hilltop town....
ok, this is just a dedicated MH car park with facilities, but for an overnight in a wonderful town with the Jardins and the Eglise Notre Dame des Champs D'Avranches a couple of hundred metres away, certainly worth a try.
also, terrific restaurants, views across the Baie and, of course, the aire is free
a great first timer to illustrate just how easy it is to roam and park (usually for free) close to wonderful French towns/villages, with no booking and generally easy walking to Centre Ville.
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Many thanks for all your replies! Lots of food for thought there, - will definitely reconsider some aires, as I have always previously associated them with little more than rudimentary lay-bays on the side of the road, with zero facilities and the constant risk of theft! Just shows that we have a lot to learn on this new type of holiday!
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Not like any I have seen....
take a look at Search for Sites to see what is available with real reviews.
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ill add campingcar-infos.com and park4night app to Michaels post.
good luck.
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ColBur
Excellent recommendations above can i also add this company which are starting to run quite a few local aires,
https://campingcarpark.com/en/
you will find for 10e a night electricity, wifi and hard standing and a lot are better then some municipal site we have been on.
Phil
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Aires are certainly worth considering ColBur. We were also new to Motorhoming (but not France) when we took our 6 month old van to France last September. Our first night over there was on a Camping Car Park Aire, our introduction to that type of touring. We were sold and although using campsites as well, stopped on 7 more during our 6 week tour. Some for more than one night.
Of the chargeable variety, the Camping Car Park ones are particularly easy to use. You can purchase a card for a few euros before leaving home. This can be charged up online. When you get to the Aire you tap it on a pad at the barrier and it lets you in. You tap it again to leave and it debits your stay from the card. There are no other charges, services are inclusive, including electric and WiFi if provided. I must admit I am not keen on those that suck your credit card in. I am always afraid I am not going to get it back.
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Pontorson - Camping Haliotis, Acsi site, fuel 300m away and supermarket
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one of our first French site visits, lovely....great position, amazing facilities and, as you say, ACSI priced....a terrific site.
im determined to fit in a Brittany/Vendee tour soon and Haliotis will be our first stop (from Cherbourg probably)....
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Visited this site the first year of its private ownership and the proprietors were very keen to tell us of their plans for their ownership. We [i.e. me, the big kid] nicknamed the site 'Halitosis' and had a great time, if somewhat testing stay in our [then] new frame tent, in a frame tent in a 3 day stay with unremitting strong winds.
We were able to cycle to Mont St Michel and avoid the aggro + cost of car parking, whilst feeling all virtuous [i.e. smug!] about our eco credentials
Steve
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An hour from the Caen ferry? Only if you're Lewis Hamilton.
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in fairness, the OP did say 1-1.5 hr and googlemaps suggests 1hr 31mins solo in a car, not much longer in a MH....but heading towards 2 hrs with a caravan.
still, worth it when you get there.
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Hi BB, my Google just said 1 hour 51 mins in a car for 112 miles. But I will add this site to our list, not come across it before. Also, another find on that route, even if not for the current OP. In March on our way from Spain when we discovered Camping Nantes had closed we found Camping La Pindiere at Heric, just North of Nantes heading for Rennes. A very rural relaxed and informal site, good for a o/n.
BillC
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