Tips on Where to Stay in France
Hi everybody,
We are doing our first trip to France and are travelling to Sarlat in the Dordogne region. The route we are thinking of taking is via Le Mans as to avoid Paris. Has anybody experienced any good sites or aires on this route.
Look forward to your thoughts and ideas.
Lynsey Wallace
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I'm sorry I can't help you with Aires, but once you are past Rouen there are good overnight sites at Le Bec Hellouin, Sees, Beaumont sur Sarthe, Le Mans, Eccommoy, Tours, Loches and Chateauroux - among others! A good source of reference is the Club's Touring France guide. I hope your holiday goes well.
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A bit more information should help with a few more responses. I assume you are crossing to Calais, what time do you get there and how far do you wish to travel on arrival? Do you only require night stops? There are plenty of good aires south of Calais it all depends on how far you wish to go. Are you in a hurry to do the journey, i.e do you intend to use toll routes or are you happy to meader a bit on country routes. Perhaps as a first timer it may be better to stick to the toll routes? Rouen can be a bit tricky to get through unless you stick to the main route to the A13. I can help with a few aires but not so good on French camp sites.
peedee
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We have done this route lots of times. We travel from Ouistreham port down to Le Mans for the first night at Chanteloup (L13) site in CC brochure. This is a lovely very welcoming site and even though it's just an over nighter we love to go there. We also stopped there when travelling down from Zeebrugger. We then rejoin the A28 and continue to A10 towards Tours. After Tours we join the D943 towards Loches and Chateauroux. There we join the A20 and this would take you all the way to Souillac, where you turn off for Sarlat. There are a couple of options to leave the A20 earlier towards Sarlat, especially if you want to avoid the toll part. We also prefer to have another over nighter, to make the overall journey more relaxing. This we take at Leychoisier camping (L11) north of Limoges (Bonnac la cote). This site is just about 1 mile from the A20. Then, the next morning after just a couple of hours you're at Sarlat, ready to pitch and not at all tired from the journey.
We're off on 5th June to do the above journey.
You'll love the Dordogne and the Sarlat area - all very beautiful.
Our member photograph is of Castelnaud - we stay near there at Bel Ombrages campsite. Can't wait to return!
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Thank you for your reply and the information.
We have decided we are going to do a stopover just past Le Mans as we would have done a 7 hour drive by this time.
I am eagerly waiting for a copy of the of the club's Touring France guide.
Lynsey
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Thank you Peedee for your reply.
We are travelling to Calais via the Eurotunnel and we are due to arrive at 10am.
We have decided that we are going to do an overnight stop just past Le mans as this means we would have done a 7 hour drive by this time and then the following day we already have a site booked for the next 2 nights in Sarlat and then decide from there if we will stay longer or move on.
We are used to driving abroad as we have been driving to Greece for a number of years but this is only by car. This will be our first motorhome which we are due to collect this week so maybe better to stick to the toll routes.
I have just purchased the books of the French Aires both in North & South of France but would be good to have some advice on aires that you have stayed at in the past.
Thanks.
Lynsey
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Just check the dates for the 24 hour motor racing at Le Mans - mid June as a rule - because campsites in the area are packed around that time.
A real cheapy we have used just south of Le Mans is the municipal camp site at Eccommoy. Full facilities for €8.50 a night - plus €3 if you want electricity. That's about your halfway point if you are aiming to do the 570 miles in two days. But play it by ear and see how it goes. Take care.
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Thank you very much for the information.
We are travelling into Calais via the Eurotunnel and arrive into France just before 10am. We are now planning to stay in or just past Le Mans as we would have been driving for 7 hours by this time. We also have dogs with us so need to take them into account too with a few stops on the way down. I have had a look at Chanteloup which looks lovely but its not due to open until the 1st June and we are travelling on the 6th May. Have you stayed at another site near Chanteloup before that you can recommend ? We plan on the second day to drive to Sarlat rather than have another overnight stay as we have already booked 2 nights at Le Domaine de Soleil Plage (D15) in the CC brochure. If we like it there we may stay longer or move on to another site.I have also looked at Bel Ombrage but again they are not opening until the 1st June.
I'm looking forward to the visiting the Dordogne & Sarlat. We have been to France a few times before but never this area. This will be our first ever motorhome trip and our first motorhome which we collect this week.
If you have anymore information it would be greatly appreciated seeing as we are new to camping.
I hope you have a great trip on the 5th June.
Lynsey
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Lynsey, thanks for the addition information, afraid I cannot recommend many because all the campsites and aires I have used have been north of Le Mans the latter at Broglie and Le Sap. Both have been fine for a night stop. Slightly more off your route is the Municiple campsite at La Fleche which is very good, there is also has an aire by the riverside although it can be a bit noisy being next to the main road as well. If you have an ACSI card >Camping Le Pont Romain< may well suit you. To see what is available in the Le Manns area click >here< If you want a good App have a look at >Camper Contact<
peedee
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Hi again Lynsey
We've not stayed at any other campsite near to Le Mans, but pass a one right next to the motorway. It's called Camping Le pont Romain. Have a look on the website. The reviews seem to be fine, and it's open from March.
Your choice of site looks very nice. Every year we canoe down that part of the river. Lots of great places to visit - Roque Gageac, Domme, Beynac, Castelnaud to name a few. Most people have a day on the river canoeing, complete with picnics. If you travel up to Les Eyzes there are several caves with cave paintings and Roques st Christophe. Lascaux near Montignac is well worth a visit. Also, but a longer journey away is the Gouffre de Padirac, a massive cave where you take a boat trip underground.
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Lynsey - I wonder if you're just looking at sites offered by the Caravan Club in the Overseas section? There are thousands of other sites, and plenty near ot Le Mans.
In May you really don't need to worry about booking anything. When you're ready to stop just keep a look out for campsite signs, or look in your guides, and find the nearest site to where you are. You also have the advantage in being able to use Aires in a motorhome, and every town and village of any size will have a motorhome Aire (NOT just those in the guide) - just keep a look out for the Aire de Service Camping Car signs.
Have a look at the ACSI Card website (www.campingcard.co.uk) for a lot of sites on one website, and make a note of any which you might fancy, either on the way, or in the Dordogne. We liked Le Perpetuum at Domme (or rather down in the valley at the bottom of the hill up to Domme) which is nicely situated.
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If you want an Aire just south of La Mans, the one at LA SUZE SUR SARTHE is fine. It is next to the river, in the centre of town and next to the Camping Municipal Le Port campsite if you prefer that.
Carl
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