France - Next Year
Comments
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Sorry Freddy, I misled you - it was June - but hopefully the sun is still shining there.
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Overnight Brittany Ferries is my idea of hell but each to their own.
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Depends on the size of dish but if your intention was to visit France on a regular basis and head further south it would be worth considering at least an 80/85cms automatic dish. There are a other things you can add into the mix like autoskew which helps a bit on the edges of the reception area. Cost wise probably somewhere between £1400 and £2500 for an automatic system. The Mecatronic 85 cms dish on our last motorhome cost £1866 fitted so not cheap but a lot easier than a manual dish.
David
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Or on the other hand you can buy a an 85cm dish, tripod, LNB and receiver for about £100 - £150 you might even get a secondhand one for less.
We had a fixed autoskew 85cm all singing and dancing one on our MH, fantastic all the way down to the south of France, as long as you didn't want to pitch under trees in the shade.
We now have gone back to a caravan and also back to a manual 85cm dish with a good satellite finder. It takes OH minutes to set up and we still get a good signal down at the south of France. Best is we can pitch under trees in the shade but the dish can sit out in the open
Given the poor weight allowance on caravans I wouldn't go down the route of a fixed 85cm automatic dish or the associated cost.
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Hiya folks.
As said earlier, the plan is/was to take a month in France, next June. I’m minded to visit the Dordogne region. With that in mind, I’m wondering if I could actually go a bit earlier, maybe mid May - mid June. I’m assuming that the weather should be ok that far south? Also, could someone recommend a site in the region? A good location is a ‘must’ (views, maybe beside a river, with places to visit not too far away). Not looking for lots of amusements but a bar would work
BTW, I probably won’t worry too much about tv, I’ll just take a few dvd’s, but thanks for the suggestions 👍
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Hi Freddy, I presume you will be trying to get on the BF website to look at the available ferry's?!
I can only say what we do and like as a guide for you but the bulk of our overseas trips have been mid May to Mid June. When we use BF we almost always travel out on a Thursday night and back on a Sunday morning so that we are on the Pont Aven.
If you want more details on routes please say but using Google Maps, viaMichelin and Streetview should help in narrowing down the options.
We had one overnight in Couhe which is app 330 miles,on a toll free route, from Roscoff.
The weather has always suited us and unless you are after higher tems should be fine.
Re sites there are many CT users who have more experience but we stayed at Camping Soleil Plage, south of Sarlat, near to Vitrac.
The site suited us as it has a great pool area, very good restaurant and is on the river. I think euror may mention/recommend the site next door.
There are many lovely places to see nearby, we had a great time and would go back . One point on pitches, there are some by the river but theses are at a supplement and we preferred the area we were in as its more convenient for the facilities.
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Freddy we booked quite early through the club to go Portsmouth to Caen and back, in September this year, (we had booked originally for a March sailing but circumstances forced postponement and fare was transferred to September) and it cost just over £220. OK we only had a 5.80 metres caravan and weren't going overnight but I think if you are definitely going then ask the club as soon as they open up for bookings as you might be surprised.
In addition the extra cost of travelling to Dover and the back again to Brittany shouldn't be underestimated plus the time it takes out your holiday. Admittedly there are plenty of places of interest that you could stop en route but bear this in mind when making a decision.
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A couple of years ago we stayed at Camping Perpetuum, near Domme and not that far from Sarlat. It's on the river, in a walnut orchard, has a small bar and pool but not huge, is near all of the main tourist spots in the south of Dordogne region and is in the ASCI scheme. We paid €13 per night, probably a tad dearer now but won't be by much. Owners were very friendly and decent sized pitches.
Only caveat is to be aware of the branches of the walnut trees.
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Hiya folks, some great replies, which I’ll return to later, thank you 👍
Right, I’ve just got off the phone to the club, and the ferry is booked. 14th May - 14th June (14:45 outward - 08:30 inward) sailing Portsmouth - Caen, car and van. £165 plus the cost of 4 nights site stay. Riva Bella this year were apparently charging around £20 a night. Based on that, maybe £245 total, pretty good I reckon 🙂
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Thanks for that fulsome reply👍
Soleil Plage looks like it might suit. Looks to be in a lovely spot, but as yet they aren’t taking bookings or displaying prices. Probably a more commercial site than I normally gravitate towards, but I can certainly see myself spending a few nights there 🙂
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Freddy, there are no bad campsites along that stretch of the Dordogne - there must be 20 or 30 sites to choose from, and competition keeps standards high.
My own suggestion would be to choose a site within walking distance of a small town or village, for shops, bars and cafes. Some of the campsites are rather remote from those things, and campsite shops, bars and restaurants are not always as good as the ones in the town
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we visited Camping Soleil Plage a couple of years ago for an Owners Club rally...
the weather was not too kind (we whizzed to spain at the end of the meet) but the site was terrific.
enjoy the tour.
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Ok, scratch that, I can see it’s an interesting area, with the landing beaches and all that. I’ll book Riva Bella for one night at the start, and three nights at the end.
Right, toll roads. Is there a consensus on the best/easiest way of tackling these? I’m planning on just one overnight stay just outside Poitiers, and there are toll roads en-route. Any idea on costs?
TIA
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Freddy, Via Michelin website gives you the tolls from anywhere to anywhere - Caen to Dordogne via Poitiers will cost you 59 euros in tolls with a caravan. Other cheaper routes are available.
If you are travelling alone you might want to get a tag to save having to get out and walk around at toll booths. If you have someone with you he/she can just reach out and take a ticket at the start of a toll section and stick a bank card in at the end.
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I think you have the makings of a great holiday. In June you wont find any sites are full and I would be inclined to build up an itinerary as you go, following the good weather. Plenty of info. on the internet and still loads of very good value Municipal sites.
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Aye up👍
Looking for some suggestions please. As already mentioned, we set off on 14th May, and return 14th June. From the port (Caen) we’re heading south to Sarlat, with an overnight stay en route. We will stay here for a few nights, maybe up to a week if we like it there. We will make our way to Brittany/Normandy for the last week, so handy for the port. So, it’s the middle two weeks that I need help with. As already stated, I really like the idea of going as I please. The problem is I don’t want to be wandering aimlessly? Taking pot-luck? Not particularly looking at travelling further south, unless weather dictates. I have considered perhaps going to the Alsace region then on to the Loire region? Or maybe the Dordogne, and again the Loire? As for my preferences, looking for picturesque/peaceful locations, with nice towns and villages. Opportunities for peaceful (riverside/canal?) walks. Not really looking for seaside locations as I anticipate getting those in the last week. I realise there are probably lots of locations that fit the bill, but some suggestions would really be appreciated, ta 👍
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Hi Freddy,
One or two suggestions.
Taking in Alsace will involve a long drive from Sarlat! And its a long slog back from there to Brittany.
My guess would be that you will probably enjoy a week meandering around the Dordogne area, and then my suggestion would be a gentle return north stopping off at a number of interesting towns en route.
Here is tried and tested itinerary, each about 2-3 hours driving
near Limoges..Camping Municipal Les Greves Aixe Sur Vienne
near Poitiers ..Camping Municipal Vouille
Clisson Camping du Moulin
Vitre Camping Municipal.
All these towns/cities have much of interest/charm. From Vitre you are in striking distance of a number of Breton/Norman coastal sites.
Good luck!
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Hello Freddy, I'm struggling to reduce Sarlat to Caen to two weeks.
So far I'm thinking of market day at Bergerac, wine tasting at St Emilion, a park and ride for the trams into Bordeaux centre, and maybe out to their botanic garden too, Roman history at Saintes, French naval history at Rochefort, a small boat ride to the island of Aix where Napoleon was hiding and hoping to escape to America before we caught him, La Rochelle of course, show time at Puy du Fou, the amazing mechanical machines at Nantes and a very expensive dinner there at the Manoir de la Regate if you are rich, Rennes if you have time, Mont St Michel despite the crowds, and the whole range of WW2 1944 history before you get back to Caen.
There are campsites almost everywhere along the way. Can you extend your visit?
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Agree with with AD re Millau area stunning scenery and if you wanted to stop on the way there what about the Lot department lots of villages and scenery our local is St. Cirq la Popie only 6 miles from where we live also Rocamadour further north of us and local caves also our main town of Cahors with its Pont Valentre bridge.
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We visited Rocamadour and Collonges la Rouge from our base in the Dordogne and then headed into the Lot for St Circ la Popie and the wonderful caves, then on to the Auvergne. Pictures of all we saw and enjoyed are in my blog of the area. I would say end up at the beautiful medieval town of Bourges for a couple of nights on your way back to Caen.
https://jennyandjohngocaravanning.wordpress.com/2016/05/29/dordogne-lot-and-auvergne-2016/
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Hiya folks. Been giving this some thought, and I’m still undecided, too much choice! Anyway, I’m looking for suggestions for an overnight stop on the way to Le Domaine de Soleil Plage, Sarlat, travelling from Caen. I’m thinking maybe somewhere near Limoges? Would that be a sensible half way point? For info, I’m planning on sticking to non toll roads, doable?
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