New to motor home travel going to South France
Hi all out there off to South France any help and advice on travel there and sites on route would be much appreciated as currently we haven't got a clue.
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from which ferry port, time of year, duration of trip, in a hurry or not, just you or a family.....etc....?
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And destination please. The south of France is 350 miles wide from the border with Italy to the border with Spain. Advice will follow!
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A good choice.
If you are aiming for the Narbonne end of that canal it's nearly 700 miles and most people would go via Rouen, Chartres and Clermont Ferrand on motorway most of the way - class two tollls costing about 80 euros each way. . Other people would take their time and zig zag via places of interest - so your choice, just as you wish. A big map and a felt pen needed I think. Take care.
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And you get to see France, rather than disappearing into the tube which is the Autoroute and re-emerging blinking at the other end without being much aware of what was in between!
Haven't been for a few years, but Municipale sites usually worked really well for us.
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Welcome to CT Edey. An alternative route from Chartres would be Orleans - Vierzon - Chateroux - Limoges - Toulouse - Narbonne. Don't know the cost of tolls because I tend to use non toll roads on that route except for going round major cities like Orleans and Toulouse. A lot of the bottom end of the route runs pretty close to the Canal du Midi
peedee
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New to Motor Homing myself, I bought 'ALL THE AIRES IN FRANCE NORTH AND SOUTH 2 TOGETHER, from Vicarious Books. It has been an absolute godsend from a budget point of view, sight seeing point of view and a way to get a convenient stop en route.
i WAS nervous about staying on Aires but, many others stay too so I felt very safe.
good luck with your travels.
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Good luck, go and explore. Take a guide book and find interesting things - and when you get back let us know how it went.
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ah....two weeks......
you can get from the tunnel to the 'south' in two days.....but you wont be seeing much of france.....if you go non toll youll possibly want three days.......and back......thats six of your 14 or so gone....
yes, you could have a lovely 8 days cycling about on the Canal area (Tammy Girl is there now, i believe, and might help with specific areas etc) and this may be enough.....but it costs plenty to cross and belt down and back for little more than a weeks 'sightseeing'.
this post not to discourage you in any way, merely to raise awareness of a first timer who (like many) might think they can 'do the med' in such a short time.
enjoy your break, but be prepared for many hours in the cab.....
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We go to visit our daughter in Castres in the Midi Pyrenees and make 4 to 5 stops each way. I tend to travel down the east side stopping 2 or 3 nights at each site depending on what there is to see. I can give you copies of my itineraries if it would help but I think you would need to get the club to contact me so that we can get them to you.
When I plan my routes I always locate the campsites on google earth to see where they are located and what the surroundings are like.
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When we go to Provence we usually go across to Chalon-en-Champagne and then down the Rhone, so it's a little out of the way for where you want to go. Whichever way, it's along way for 2 weeks, and quite a few sites will be shutting down this time of the year so I'd check and sort some sites before going.
Whatever you decide to do, enjoy the trip, welcome to Club Together and do let us know how you get on.
David
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One of the wonderful thing about holidaying in France out of the main season i.e. now is that you don't have to book anywhere, so you start off with the intention of going to the south of France, but if you find somewhere you like on the way you are not committed. I plan exactly where I am going and have all my sites in mind, and then someone on a site tells me of somewhere wonderful and we deviate off there and plans go out the window.
You will have a wonderful time.
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Thanks all for your help and advice we have realised that 2 weeks is not long enough and we have left it a bit late to cram plans so going to The Isle of White instead and plan for France for May and go for 3/4 weeks. Without all these tips we may have had a more than stressful time so thanks again all.
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We are indeed still at Agde (near the canal du midi)
Edey, probably your change of plans might be for the best, I've never known it so chilly down here. Weather this September has been pretty awful, certainly not the usual. Quite a few of the sites are on the verge of closing and a lot have already closed.
Spring is a much better time to come especially if you can take more time. We were up at the canal today watching the boats, we have now done 3 different areas of the canal.
Have fun in the Spring and if you are not yet an Acsi member look into it for next year you won't regret it.
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We are indeed still at Agde (near the canal du midi)
We're near Carpentras and temps here have been down on previous years too, TG. Also had a few days of the mistral for good measure! Today also forecast strong winds, but from tomorrow warmer and not windy.
Enjoy the Canal du Midi, it's a few years since we were there, may go back that way this time.
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Bear in mind you drive round the IOW in a day and see most if not all sights, we went for a week in March and got bored... plus the ferry fares and site fees will be much more expensive.
Maybe better to pop over to France and stay north, maybe do Normandy or WW1 areas, even get down to Beaune/Champagne for the vindage so you get a taste of France and what to expect next year.
Of course your holiday and choice but just a suggestion.
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great suggestion....
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Well having given it a good telling off yesterday the weather has sorted itself out and normal service resumed today. Woke to complete beautiful blue skies. Been fantastic all day by 2pm it was as hot as it normally is, wind gone too.
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"Bear in mind you drive round the IOW in a day and see most if not all sights, we went for a week in March and got bored... plus the ferry fares and site fees will be much more expensive."
Strange. I have been spending at least a couple of weeks every year for 30+ years on IOW and am still not bored! (I visit by boat and pay minimal amounts for anchoring, but agree the ferry charges are steep).
The bus service on the Island is excellent and good value if you buy a weekly ticket (or have a pass!). I wouldn't want to be touring the Island roads in a MH. There are numerous campsites, ranging from isolated CLs all the way to full-on holiday parks.
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If you drive round the I.o.W in a day and got bored you've obviously not taken in ALL that the I.o.W offers .I've been there three times already this year (similar to last year) and still not seen it all !! Each to their own !! 
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Hooray!
now, dont get burnt, you two.....
we went to Valencia on the coach from the site here, yesterday. went a couple of years ago, to visit the old city, nice to stroll around and just enjoy without 'having to do the sights' as we did last time....weather 'as normal' here too (blooming hot) and we are off biking to Marina d'Or (to the north) where the public showers on the beach are statues of elephants with the water coming out of their raised trunks..
on Tuesday i did the local 'Mountain ride', 28 km up the steep, winding CV-147 behind the campsite, up into the Desert de les Palmes, through the pass and down the other side to the coast and back to the site.exhilarating stuff.....hard work, but a great view....
keep the factor 30 on
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Thanks all for the positives on IOW was starting to feel we had made another mistake but friends have been and said how lovely it is well whatever. Van packed now and nearly ready for off starting to feel more excited now than dubious. I suppose it's experimental and you learn on the way. Thanks Bolero boy gave me confidence 😀
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