First time in France
We are looking to go to France in the summer for the first time. We don't,t want to travel too far from ferries for our first time. Could anyone recommend any sites please.
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I can help with suggestions if you are taking a ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo or from Plymouth to Roscoff. Will that be of interest?
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I'm sure we can find something to suit you within a reasonable distance of any ferry port, but it would help to know a little more first in order to make appropriate suggestions.
1. What are you hoping to do and see when you are in France?
2. Do you have children with you?
3. What dates are you planning to travel?
4. Which ferry port do you prefer?
5. What sort of sites do you like?
6. How far is a 'reasonable distance'
France has everything from farm sites with a few pitches in an orchard or next to a vineyard, to all-singing, all-dancing five star sites with an entertainment team for the children, and profesional entertainment
at night. Some sites have pool complexes with slides, fountains, whirrlpools and rushing rivers - some have no pool at all.We prefer one type of site, others prefer something completely different - so it does help to know a bit more about you and the things you like.
As far as distances are concerned bear in mind that in France it is easier to drive further - roads are (generally) quieter and there are more caravan-friendly places to stop for comfort stops, plus more 'one-night' campsites so that you can break a longer
journey much more easily.0 -
Thank you for your replies. We hadn't thought of going to more than one site because our holiday is our time to relax. Like other people we wok so hard rest of year we want to do as little as possible.
We have talked about maybe two different sites and are looking at Normandy Or Brittany for our first time.we like to explore villages and maybe in Normandy look at war museums etc. We do not have any children or pets. We do like a site that has bar to it
on a night, food sometimes available, shop or supermarket near.by. I think we are just a bit nervous as it is our first time abroad. We live in Durham so will have to travel some distance to get a ferry no matter where we go.We are looking at end of august. Thank you
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For Normandy and Brittany you're probably better getting a ferry to one of the western ports. Check out the costs on this website (under Overseas Holidays) and check with and without site bookings or Camping Cheques as you may benefit from a reduction on the ferry costs of more than the additional cost of the sites or Cheques. Using the western crossings may cost more, but will get you nearer the area you want to be without a long drive.
At the end of August have a look at the ACSI Card website (or if you get a good ferry reduction with Camping Cheques then check out their website. These both give you a way of looking at what's available on a whole selection of sites, without having to trawl through different websites.
As far as more than one site is concerned, many of us 'tour' without booking in advance, because you can do that in France in low season. You may find, at the end of August, that some site are very quiet, or even winding down to closing in very early September.
Don't worry - everyone on here crossed to Europe for the first time at some stage, and like us, many other members have been going back every year for years and years! It will be our 36th year this year - and we're crossing again shortly.
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The choices are endless, but I suggest the Portsmouth to St Malo ferry - dinner on board in the smart restaurant, sleep in a better than ordinary cabin and arrive in the morning. Drive 20 miles west from the ferry port to Matignon and stay at the well kept
campsite there - camping Le Vallon aux Merlettes. Julien won't mind you arriving in time for breakfast. The ferry will not be cheap but the convenience factor will be great. Enjoy your holiday.0 -
You cannot go far wrong if you use one of the Castles and Campings sites in France. They are superb quality and have the facilities you seem to want. I wouldn't worry about going too far for your first trip because the sites in Brittany and Normandy are superb. We particularly like La Bien-Assise in Guines even though it is only a few miles from the Calais ferry port. If you go to Cherbourg the site at L'Ans du Brick is superb and our son and his family's favourite in northern France. Have a look at their website to see if you fancy them. I think they can all also be booked through the Club.
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We toured France for the first time last year. The best decision we made was not to book sites. (great advice from this forum!) We booked 3 nights in Normandy so we had somewhere to aim for after getting off the ferry at Chebourg, however the weather was
awful so we headed south and had a fantastic 14 days. 4 weeks later friends went; booked 14 nights and pre paid in Normandy but had shocking weather but as they had pre paid couldn't / wouldn't leave.We drove to Poole from Cumbria - the roads in France are so much quieter than in the UK the OH said towing was easy and a lot less stressful than in the UK.
We have already booked again for this year - we haven't planned to tour in the UK this year - we've saved our time off for France!
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Thank you all for your advice. We are looking at ferry to Caen and have looked at Portland campsite. Has anyone stayed there.
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Sorry that was Portland campsite in Normandy.
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Sorry, I don't know it, but I just googled Camping Portland Reviews and it gave me 339 reports to look at. Most people seem to like it. If that is the part of France you really want then I think you will just have to trust them. I hope it goes well.
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Hello Soulman
I have not stayed at Portland, but briefly visited the site in 2014. My notes say the following:
Excellent site, huge pitches, nice ponds, feeling of space all over the site, very friendly staff and great facilities - I gave the site a score of 10/10
The site has some very positive reviews on our
website (you need to scroll down to the bottom of the page)Hope you have a great holiday!
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Thank you all. There is so many beautiful places in France,we seem to see something else and change our mind. We have just seen a programme about St malo and that looks beautiful. We will have to decide and stick with it.
Portsmouth to St malo ferry . book site for a few days then decide where to go. Does this sound like a plan?
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Thank you all. There is so many beautiful places in France,we seem to see something else and change our mind. We have just seen a programme about St malo and that looks beautiful. We will have to decide and stick with it.
Portsmouth to St malo ferry . book site for a few days then decide where to go. Does this sound like a plan?
Sounds like a really good idea - and after chatting to people on your first site, you're likely to end up with loads of recommendations! This could be the start of many years of exploring!
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Looking forward. Now to the planning and booking
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