Ideas please!
We are retired - one of us is not so good walking - especially downhill! However we do like to sightsee and plan visits with lots of sitting down points. We have (will have it hasn't arrived yet) a new caravan. Anyway.... we can't agree/decide where to go in Europe this year. We are looking to be away about 6 weeks. We would like sun and somewhere to swim.
We are happy to use autoroutes - not very confident on narrow passes etc.
We want a site with easy walking to an interesting town.
Views would be good.
Lots of places to visit in the car (we like a bit of culture).
.......and if possible some sort of wow factor!
Any suggestions would be gratefully accepted.
Comments
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Hi, when are you thinking of going?
You say you want a site-does this mean just the one as that's a long time in one place even with the car to get about sightseeing.
We are in a similar, walking, situation and anything steep is to be avoided-I walked up the Dune Du Pylat this year, last time we both did it.
We don't do long walks but those we do are centered around level ground, so being on a lake could be suitable, and we love the Italian lakes.
We stay on Lake Garda, scenery to die for, cable cars, lake steamers and Verona just a half hour in the car with Venice about an hour or so.
We have stayed there numerous times, usually for about 3 weeks, and head there first with any other sites being visited on the way back.
If you fancy France then maybe the St Jean Du Luz area, lots of sites, mountain trains, trips into Spain, great beaches etc and maybe the Dordogne???
Enjoy the planning!
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One of the four campsites at St Remy de Provence - warm enough to swim, close enough to walk into town, and near enough to drive to the lavender fields if you get your timing right.
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David's suggestion of the Bay of Rosas is a good one. You can stay anywhere from L'Estartit up to Rosas and find plenty of flat walking along long promenades. Culture wise you have Dali in Figueres and Cadaques plus Barcelona for a day trip.
If you go out of high season you can find campsites offering good discounts for a longer stay. We're heading that way and will stay for 4 weeks on a site and it will work out at roughly €15 per night.
If wanting to visit France then maybe one of the islands, both flat, of either Ile de Re or Ile D'Oleron.
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How about the Costa Brava, loads of sites around the Bay of Roses fabulous coast with Barcelona and Figueras nearby for culture. We have several times used Camping Palmeras adjacent to a beach outside San Per Pescador a small town but very nice as is L'Escala at the other end of the bay.
yes this is a great area and have stayed at Camping Palmeras, but be warned, this area is not known as one of the best wind surfing sites in the world, so it does get very very windy in the beach side areas, and some areas of the beach have not seen the sea in years so the sand is very fine and very dry.
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We don't swim but apart from that you seem a bit like us so you may find something of interest in my blogs about our holidays in Europe.
https://jennyandjohngocaravanning.wordpress.com/category/caravanning-in-europe/
One thing I would say is if you are going early or late season and by that I mean not July and August you really don't need to book your sites. We never do so if you go somewhere and don't like it you can just move on. Likewise if the weather is not as good as you hoped.
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Wow! So exciting on a dull Sunday to get replies and so quickly. Many thanks.
Some answers to some of the questions.
We would be looking at several sites en route and then a main site for a couple of weeks.
One of the options, allanandjean, we've been looking at is the Dordorgne - staying perhaps at Beaulieu sur dordogne, and also St Jean Du Luz. Perhaps also taking in Toulouse and Albi. We wondered if st Jean would be enough to busy us? Also put off a bit by possibly windy?
Deleted User User - yes I am that Beverley! Yes we also thought of bay of Roses - it was on our list last year but we passed it as wind forecast was 40 +. So that still concerns us really. However I will look at the sites you suggest. Is it always windy there or just certain times of the year? We would be going end of May/June/ beginning of July time.
Longtimecaravanner I often look at and enjoy your blog information - thank you.
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I think you will find a lot of the Spanish mediterranean coast is subject to strong winds at certain times of the day. When we had an apartment on the Costa Blanca, it would be calm on the beach early in the day but as the land warmed up, the thermal onshore winds became quite strong and by early afternoon we would retreat back to the apartment.
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....CY, hence we always get an early(ish) tee-off time!
plenty of good suggestions, and its now apparent that the swimming isnt (necessarily) in the sea....
many, many continental sites have wonderful swimming pools...
also, do you cycle?
if so, this will give ypu plenty of extra 'distance' and variety without recourse to the car. also, somewhere like iles de Re or Oleron are cycling heaven...plenty of walking too.
camping La Grainetiere at La Flotte gives easy access to La Flotte and St Martin, a world heritage site, fabulous pool and bar/restaurant...
st jean de luz is great and gives easy access to Bidard, Bayonne, Biarritz etc....
also, st jean de monts in the Vendee has miles of promenades and wonderful beaches...
the resorts mentioned around the Bay of Roses are very attractive, large beaches and loads of sites to choose from.
the world is your oyster....enjoy
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Warm memories of all those places are just what one needs on a grey wet Monday.
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One of the options, allanandjean, we've been looking at is the Dordorgne - staying perhaps at Beaulieu sur dordogne, and also St Jean Du Luz. Perhaps also taking in Toulouse and Albi. We wondered if st Jean would be enough to busy us? Also put off a bit by possibly windy?
Hi Beverley, we stayed at Soleil Plage which has a great pool and a riverside beach. Suppose St Jean suitability will depend how long you stay but a good variety as I mentioned.
Don’t recall too much wind, as opposed to Roses where it drove us off the beach, but surf can be quite big.
Maybe think about Carcassonne as it certainly has the wow factor and is not too bad walking wise with a nice little site, La Cite, on the doorstep.0
