Advice on travelling to and in France.
Hi Folks
We are planning (my wife and I and two dogs) a trip to France staying for six or seven days at the Le Mas De Reilhe (Sommieres Nr Montpelier) followed by another six or seven days at Le Champ De Moulin (not far from Grenoble).
We would if possible like advice on which route to the first (from Calais) and route back from the second (to Calais). We are probably going to drive down to the Eurotunnel overnight so will be staying overnight within a hundred or so miles of Calais and do not want to do much more than 300/350 miles per day so will probably have another overnight stay on the way down.
On the way back we will probably (again) stay overnight near Calais and the same daily mileage as outward means another overnighter on the way back.
We live on the Wirral near Chester BTW and any advice on any subject would be very gratefully received as this will be our first overseas trip with a caravan.
Thanks
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Ron, you seem to have asked this question three times under three different headings. I answered one of the others and asked what sort of route you wanted.
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Hi Ron ,
So you asked this question before ? so what i know it can be quite muddling to sort out when it is your first time to France with dogs as well. We do not travel to that area but we do take dogs two in fact. Just make sure they are up to date with Vaccinations and are also microchipped. They will need a Rabies Vaccination as well this is done around 6 weeks before travelling. Between 1-5 before your ferry back you need to take your dogs to a vet to have them wormed we normally take our own tablets with us the vet also checks them over to make sure they are well to travel back to the uk. For the dogs you need to use flea control before travel , put a flea and tick collar on them before travel . Our dogs have never picked up any ticks but again depends where in France you are going to .. Our dogs love it there and the French are Animal Friendly so dont worry..As for the Caravan we had no problems for 4 years the roads are very good . Just take it easy and you should be ok..Good Luck and enjoy France
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Hi Ron, Do you mind paying tolls - if not then the straightforward route to Sommieres would be down the Rhone Valley, almost as far as Montpellier,, and then a few miles north towards Sommieres. Or if you want to spend less on tolls, but longer on the journey then you could so the Abbeville/Rouen/Evreux/Chartres/Orleans/Nevers/Moulins route and go over the Millau viaduct on the way. We've just come down to the Languedoc that way, and spent just 12 euros in tolls (no caravan though!).
Towing in France is easier than in Britain and there are more places to stop for picnics/comfort stops. You shouldn't need to book overnight sites unless you are travelling during peak French holiday periods (usually mid-July to mid-August). Have a look at the website http://www.camping-municipal.org/ for municipal campsites near to your planned route - usually great places for an overnight stop.
Are you using an ACSI Card (if travelling outside peak period) as Mas de Reilhe accepts the card, and the price for one night using it will be 17 euros (pitch, two adults, car and caravan, awning and electricity, and one dog) and they offer 7 nights for the price of 6.
There are some many things to pass on and share, that it's almost difficult to know what else to tell you, but do ask more questions in this thread and we'll do our best to help.
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Val
Thanks for your great advice, we had a nice little break in Anglesey last year at a lovely CL near Moelfre. I think most of the time we will probably be travelling on non toll roads we are not going to be in any rush and 12 euros sounds a lot better than 150. We will need to look at the ACSI card (I assume you can do this online) and just one further question at present (I am sure there will be others). If using an ACSI card do you contact the site direct to book your stay.
Thanks once again
Rgds
Ron
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No Ron, there is no need to pre book sites in France, unless travelling in their high season, usually after first week in July until third week in August. Just turn up, even before 12.00 if you want,(one caveat would be to be mindful that the French do like their lunchtime and you may find some sites closed for lunch sometimes well into the afternoon) tell them you wish to make use of the ACSI card, show it to them, then pay at the end of your stay. The ACSI book that you receive will show lots of sites in France and also tell you when the dates are that their discount card applies.
You can get in online direct from ACSI or from the club or from places like Vicarious books. I'm sure someone will be able to post live links to these.
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A site we use when returning from the south and 30 minutes from the tunnel is 'Camping Municipal L'olympic' at Wimereux.
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