France and double axle caravans
i am looking to replace my van and we are looking to buy a swift challenger 645 double axle. The dealer has kindly pointed out whether I really want a double axle given that we holiday in France and there are a lot of issues with sites accepting a double axle van. I have holidays din France for four years and so far have never seen any issues with the sites we use for double axles, but they have all either been CC or Castel sites. What are others experiences as the other option is a single axle challenger 580 with the same layout which is approx 44 cm shorter (made me wonder why we are looking at a double axle. Any advice would be appreciated as well as any views on the van
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No comment on caravan itself, just to say that some sites in France either ban twin-axles, or charge a hefty pitch fee for them; it's to discourage the travelling fraternity. However, I have also read on various forums that genuine caravanners with TAs have had no problem on such sites. Perhaps, if you do decide on getting a TA, check relevant sites, and contact them to check?
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Without doubt there are some sites which don't accept twin axles, or charge a huge premium for a twin. There is a post on another forum today: I stayed at Bourges three years ago and was charged €51 for a night because I had a Twin axle van. I tried to argue it but the girl on reception wasn't having any of it. Eventually I agreed after what had been a very tiring day. Check their site and it states right at the bottom of their price list that there's a €35 supplement.
Whilst you will find lots of people saying 'it's no problem', from our experience sites which don't accept twins either tend to be on routes used by, shall we say, the travelling fraternity, in an attempt to discourage them, or sites which really are unsuitable because of narrow access roads, tight corners within the site, and smaller than average pitches.
You will find many sites have no problems with a twin axle, so as long as you do your homework first then you should be ok - but it will limit your choice of sites in some areas. If you tend to do 'turn up without booking holidays' (doesn't sound as if you do), then you will need to check sources of information before just turning up - or risk being sent away. We were very sad for an elderly couple who had travelled a very long way, and were turned away from Les Cochards at St Aignan sur Cher. Fortunately we knew an alternative site not too far away, and gave them the details.
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MemberWe took our twin axle abroad on three or four occasions but I always used to email any site that I thought I might use to ask if they accepted them. Only one came back with a no and several said that they would take us out of season.
However without a motor mover we would have been in trouble on a few sites with narrow access roads to the pitch although the pitch itself was plenty big enough.
In the end taking it abroad was a quite significant factor in us decided to down size back to a single axle.
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We have not considered a twin axle for a number of reasons but no doubt the main one is the difficulty maneuvering and, as LTC says, there are pitches we have had to choose that would not have been accessible even with a single axle without a mover
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Not all campsites in France have confined hedged squares. Even with a small single axle caravan I prefer wide open spaces where I can tow straight in and tow straight out. Here's a website photo from one of our old favourite sites in the French Alps. No problems for twin axles here.
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Where is that?
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Jenny, Camping Le Pelly at Sixt Fer a Cheval - near the end of the road from Samoens.
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We have had a twin axle caravan for the past 2 years now and have toured around France from the vendee to Brittany staying at about 7 campsites in this time. we use camping cheques so choose the sites before we leave the uk and always email. I can honestly say we have never been refused. Even at Tologot in St Pol De Leon where the sign outside states no twin axle caravan!!
We have a mover fitted so we can get onto all but the very smallest pitches, and boy we have ad a couple of tight spots.
If you want a twin don't be put off by some folk saying you get refused in France, maybe but not where we have been!
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Kevin, I am glad your two visits to France have gone well.
But restricting choice only to Camping Cheque sites, selecting them in advance, and then e.mailing ahead to check whether they will accept your caravan is a rather restrictive way of touring. Perhaps, without knowing it, you are making the argument for not taking a twin axle van over there. It doesn't sound like freedom of the open road to me.
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Hi MDD10, We have a van with an end bedroom and bathroom and whilst this layout was available for some time before we got one it was only as a twin so we waited til it was available as a single.
You will doubtless have a number considerations and at the time ours was that the twin was longer and less manoeuvrable so would be no good for our preferred site in Italy. However if the advantages add up for you, and you have said you have not had issues re pitching, then it may be viable.
In regard to booking for us it is like many things, a compromise. We wanted to stay at a particular site, Bella Italia on Garda, but the only cost effective way was using Camping Cheques. My wife only agreed as she had fallen in love with the site but every year would ask why we could not book-they don't take bookings in low season-and still does as we use Cheques or ACSI, but there are situations when if we could book then we probably would.
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Hi MDD10, We have a van with an end bedroom and bathroom and whilst this layout was available for some time before we got one it was only as a twin so we waited til it was available as a single.
You will likely have a number considerations and at the time ours was that the twin was longer and less manoeuvrable so would be no good for our preferred site in Italy. However if the advantages add up for you, and you have said you have not had issues re pitching, then it may be viable.
In regard to booking for us it is like many things, a compromise. We wanted to stay at a particular site, Bella Italia on Garda, but the only cost effective way was using Camping Cheques. My wife only agreed as she had fallen in love with the site but every year would ask why we could not book-they don't take bookings in low season-and still does as we use Cheques or ACSI, but there are situations when if we could book then we probably would.
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Thank you. Looks brilliant.
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Exactly. When touring in France we have often 'diverted' from any 'plans' (or rather thoughts) we might have made, by a village Fete, a signpost for a waterfall, or any number of other things. In such an event we know we can simply look in a guide, find the nearest site, turn up and be sure of a pitch - not turned away (because believe me it does happen) and have to go elsewhere. We have stayed a fortnight on a site where we planned an overnight stop, and we have stayed just one overnight stop on a site we thought might be great for two weeks. Booking, emailing, and ringing ahead isn't in our scheme of things, and whilst some people may not mind, we like to keep our options as open as possible so we can stop exactly where we want,, when we want.
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We have a twin axle and three dogs so according to ACSI only one or two sites would be available for us. However on contacting several sites prior to our departure, all stated that they were happy to accept us even though the ACSI details did not reference twin axles..
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We have had to odd site that was a bit awkward to gain entry as we were a twin axle. As soon as we showed our various cards etc. the mood changed and in we went. We always check through the ACSI book to check if twins are banned. Most areas we want to go, we have not had a problem.
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We have had to odd site that was a bit awkward to gain entry as we were a twin axle. As soon as we showed our various cards etc. the mood changed and in we went. We always check through the ACSI book to check if twins are banned. Most areas we want to go, we have not had a problem.
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