First time outside UK
Hi all, we will be planning a 8 to 10 day break in early September, we are thinking about extending it into France for a couple of days.
I have never dropped into this section of discussions before and I am sure it is inundated with people like us that have not been outside the UK in their motor home or Caravan so apologies for that
As I say this would be our first time outside UK even though we have been caravan users and now Motor Home users for many years.
Anyone have any thoughts or recommendations on a site about a couple of hours from the ferry or tunnel terminal that we can park up in and have a few facility’s about us , food, shop restaurant etc or near a town of village we can walk into.
I have driven in France and most of Europe just never towed a caravan or driven a Motor Home, understandably we are a little nervous. I know many go there for weeks on end but we have to start somewhere and a couple of days in the middle of a UK holiday around or about the ports or tunnel over this end would seem like a good place to start
Many thanks in anticipation of recommendations or thoughts or ideas
Roy and Bev
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Your ferry/tunnel fares plus insurances make such a short trip across the channel expensive, but I have heard of people who did that and just drove about 45 minutes south of Calais to stay for a few days at Camping du Chateau at Condette. I have not stayed there myself but detailed reviews of the site are on UKCampsite.co.uk
They said that it's Motorhome friendly because you can walk easily into the village, cycle to the beach, or take a bus into Boulogne where the main high street leading up to the walled old town is always attractive. Try to go into Boulogne on market day - Wednesdays or Saturdays - mornings only as usual in France.
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As you have a motorhome you could make use of dedicated Aires. You will be able to come and go as you please, and will be on the edge of towns or villages.
The Aire at Le Crotoy on the Baie de Somme overlooks the harbour. It is a large and popular Aire with plenty of room and is an easy, short stroll to the town centre with all its cafés and restaurants. I think it was 7 Euros a night when we stayed there in December.
Just further around the Baie is, we think, a more pleasant Aire at St Valery-Sur-Somme. It is, like Le Crotoy, a large Aire, but it is landscaped and divided up by trees and shrubs. Entrance is barrier controlled and you pay per hour up to 8 hours - useful if you just want explore the town and not stay overnight. After that the maximum is 10 Euros for 24 hours. It's a short walk (downhill) to a delightful town with its ramparts, lovely walks and quay side cafés.
And it might be worth stopping at the Aire at Montreuil, maybe not to stay the night (it is not quite as pleasant as the other 2), but just to explore the town.
In the other direction, if you don't want to travel so far, there are Aires at Bergues (very pretty little town) and one on a quayside at Grand Fort Philippe. Both are free but have no services.
Have a look at the campingcar-infos website for more locations.
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Roy and Bev
I tend to agree with ET that to go just for a couple of days will be quite expensive, any chance you could extend it to about a week to make it worthwhile? That would give you the opportunity to try a couple of places and get a taste of motorhoming in France. Having not so long ago changed from a caravan to a motorhome I would suggest driving a motorhome in France is as easy as in the UK if not easier.
David
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We have been to both, but so long ago that my reviews would hardly be valid. I do remember Esterel being somewhat crowded in, on terraces, and at Hippocampe we loved our large pitch, which had cherry trees (ready for picking) on top of the lovely old stone terracing. But the 'facilities' were somewhat tired and the pool not as good as it looked in the brochure. I'm sure this will have been improved by now.
Check out the website Zoover, which is a Dutch campsite review website - there are lots of reviews of Esterel and Hippocampe in English.
I notice that these are both listed by the Caravan Club in their overseas sites section. But I would add that unless you really want a large site, in my opinion there are a lot nicer sites to be found in Provence, outside of the few offered by the Caravan Club and perhaps those who have visited some recently may be able to offer recommendations..
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I'm sorry, this should be in the other post about Esterel/Hippocampe - my apologies.
But in answer, I would agree that it's just expensive for a couple of days, and if you're able then I would spend a week at least and get a taste of both a motorhome Aire and a French campsite. That way when you go back again you'll be just a bit more informed about the different ways of motorhoming in France.
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But if you just want to get the feel of it why not go for it you will almost certainly want to stay longer. It is motorhomers paradise in France! Emptying points all over the place easy Peasy and masses of under used sites with great facilities. It's the only time I hanker after a Motorhome!
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Many thanks for the thoughts particularly with cost for a couple of days when you conceder the tunnel/ferry and insurance cost so we have decided to extend to 5 nights and spend the majority of out last week in France (sadly don’t have any more holiday days left)
At the moment think we will book into a site for 3 night and try a couple of Aires before we come home.
We are very intrigued by Aires; can they be booked in advance? From what i have read you can’t do that and as a UK camper i am well aware of the need to book particularly on weekends or you might struggle to get a pitch.
Are they really as easy as drive up pay and stay? We will be going first or second week in September not sure of the local holidays over there and how busy the sites will be.
When is it best to travel weekend days or midweek?
Once again thanks for info and any thoughts or advice gladly received.
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In September you won't need to book into a campsite either - only those very near the channel ports, used by people heading off or returning home on busy weekends. Sites in other areas will not be busy in September and indeed a lot may be closing down or closed.
Why not have a look at the ACSI Card website (www.campingcard.co.uk) for a lot of sites on one website, and find those which are open in the area(s) you may want to visit, when you want to go, have a look at the facilities, read the reviews, and then go to the site's own website to check the site's tariffs for the dates you want. It may be worth buying and using an ACSI card to get a discount on site tariffs if they are sufficient to more than cover the cost of the card - but for five days it may not be worth it.
We holiday in early and late season, and have never ever not been able to find a pitch without any need to book in advance.
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Roy and Bev, Yes, five days will give you many more possibilities - perhaps up into Belgium to stroll around Bruges and Ghent, or down the Normandy coast to have a look at Yport and Etretat where the impressionists went often to paint, or even a day or two in Paris. Just as you wish.
You cannot book Motorhome Aires and you need not book campsites either, or even decide on them now - you really can simply go as you please, wherever you wish. Good wishes to you.
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Re the French Aires (i,e, not the motorway aires) , German Stellplatz, Italian Sostas etc. It is just as simple as turning up and staying overnight. They will all be very quiet in September, most towns and villages have them and they normally offer sufficient facilities for water and waste disposal. A few offer electricity via a coin operated 16Amp Euro socket.
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