French overnight caravan sites open in February
Travelling to Spain feb 2022. Caravan trip. CAMC provided only a list of couple of sites open but not across Central France on non toll route. Intending route overnight stops to be Le Mans, Limoges, Narbonne. Or similar. Does anyone know of sites i can pre book or suggestions on how to stop overnight simply to rest and sleep?
CAMC not being helpful and only suggested I ask this forum. Many thanks for any information or advice offered.
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It’s not a problem Steve.
Ukcampsite.co.uk has a campsite search facility which includes France and allows you to select a list of campsites open all year. Google of course will identify other lists of all year campsites in France. Le Mans and Narbonne are possibles, but Limoges is a bit of a black hole. Do your research and come back on here if you are stuck
Sites will not need booking, but a phone call to check that the owners have not jetted off to Martinique is always wise at that time of year.
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PS .Steve, In case you don’t find the Narbonne site on an “open all year “ list it’s because Camping Figurotta closes from mid December to mid January (I think the owners do go to Martinique) but will be open for your February date.
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I didn't consider the Western route as waytogo suggests due to possible snow in the pyrenees in early Feb, crossing over on the far west side. Hence the Mediterranean side near narbonne..... is that an issue? Only over crossed into Spain (our destination) Mediterranean side so no experience. But thanks for ukcampsites suggestion. I was looking at ACSI but that was a blank mid france also.... thoughts pls and I much appreciate the guidance as a winter sun caravan newbie...!!!
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It’s really spooky the way you two think as one👻
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A couple of year ago we travelled the western route stopping firstly at the municipal site in Montreuil Sur Mer then at Les Acacias near Tours, just off the motorway, then Camping Beau Soleil at Gradignan just south of Bordeaux and then on to the municipal site at Zaragoza.
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And some people would go via Paris, Lyon, and Nimes with a couple of days sightseeing in each of those cities - they each have all year campsites. But on short winter days most would opt for autoroute driving to eat up the miles.
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Steve
We've used the western route numerous times in January, February and March, crossing the Pyrennes on autoroutes from the border at Henday, then autoroute A15 to Pamplona / Zaragoza. Snow has never been a problem. As others say, the ploughs are lined up waiting and that route is a priority.
Stopping for coffee over the top can be a bit chilly though!
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Hi Steve,
fwiw ...
Main body text copied over from my recent post on 'Caravan Talk' 'Overseas Touring' section & subject thread - similar question from a Caravanner with a dog. Sorry if any points are repeated or irrelevant.
We are regulars 2018/19/20 on the overland France towing route and then down the Med Spain coastal route down to northern Almeria (Jan down & March return). We intend to travel (we hope) this January 2022 & will use this route again. Dogs on the BIscay Ferry is an issue due to very limited Dog Cabins or limited exciting open Kennels on the bow, plus we just dont fancy the Biscay 'Cruise' in January.
My over view is ....
France, even in February can be very grey and snow is a real possibility on any higher ground. Suggest you also try to get pitched up & you / dog walked (we have two dogs) well before dark so shorter days of travel or earlier starts to consider. You do also need to factor in limited overnight stopover options on the way (certainly in France). ACSI etc assists greatly - CMC & CCC have limited sites & very poor help. Our stopovers choices were open & dog friendly (Jan to March 2020) and your route is always a little governed by the limited suitable convenient stopover options - I dont do / like lengthy detours off main roads / motorways.
We have always avoided the Paris area. We find the services poor for stopping over and worrying, the picnic aires are not good at night also - best to just use a handy campsite.
A common route with easy stops & the recent one we have followed (2020) from Leeds is
Day 1 down to Drum Inn CL & overnight. Day 2 very easy access to EuroTunnel over to Calais - A16 & A28 Toll to Rouen - (stop at Dreux 200mls - 2 sites) Day 3 Chartres - N154 onto A10 Toll past Orleans - A20 (Limoges) - (stop just south off A20 at St Germain Camping Montreal 250 mls )- Day 4 Toulouse - dog leg then to Narbonne - A9 toll to border (stop at Capmany Spain 315 mls) - Day 5 AP7 Toll / free ? on scenic Med Coast down Spain - (stop at Bennicassim as 3 popular sites in town 250 mls) - Day 6 onwards then down to northern Almeria c.320 miles. There are some other sites we have used on this route both down & back (March) for a change and depending on your return routing.
The key to French sites being likely open (albeit in a winter hibernation state) is that they often have seasonals / annuals / cabins on site and accept tourers as well. Municipals are often closed in Winter / wont answer the phone / dont open on advertised dates (horrible one at Chartres for example) so beware.
Central Spain in Winter can be very cold & snow is common. Clearly many other routes & alternative advice abounds ....
PM me if you want more detail or info.
M
await usual critic .....
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As the resident 'hasbeen', I can offer the route we used to take every year to Spain and Portugal. The route now has a gap ( Soissons) but the rest may be of interest. There's nothing to stop you, as a caravanner, from resting overnight on Autoroute Aires de Service. On the Peage ( toll motorway) there are frequent aires, some with full services others with basic parking and toilet. In February you may well encounter snow until well south of Lyons: the autoroutes are regularly swept and slip roads de-iced.
Here's our route:
from Calais:
1. Soissons - Camping Municipal du Mail -164 miles2. Beaune - Camping les Bouleaux - 250 miles
3. Nimes - Camping Domaine de la Bastide - 272 miles
4. le Barcares - Camping Club Europa - 156 miles or Les Olivers at Le Boulou.
5.Hospitalet de L'infante ( south of Barcelona) - Camping Cala d'Oques - 200 miles. (not in ACSI, but they give a discount to card holders)
None of them bookable but open all year. Soissons closed in winter
Head for St Quentin, Reims,Troyes,Dijon, Lyon (Rocade Est to Marseille), then Nimes, Montpellier, Narbonne, Perpignan. Barcelona then Valencia. Needless to say, don't enter any of these cities, just use them as indications of which routes to follow.
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Red Mike beat me to it. Is taking a ferry direct to Spain much more expensive?.
Colin
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fwiw ...
We have priced the Cruise (Ferry) alternative every year (2018/19/20) - 12.2m Car & Caravan outfit, 2 Adults, Cabin + 2 dogs and found for us the overall cost generally very similar.
Clearly the variables of :- your outfit's size & normal mpg, Routing & tolls, final destination in Spain / Portugal, travel timing, need or desire for a Dog Cabin on board the ferry, alternative channel crossing options / cost & start point in UK etc etc will change the comparison.
The main issue for us has always been with the shortage of Pet Cabins (and our great reluctance to use the also limited option of open kennels on the bow) and our general dislike of Ferry travel.
Whilst the 750 miles over 3 days down France in mid Winter can be tedious it is for us flexible and at our own pace, stopping as & when and in armchair comfort the journey passes. We are normally going down to SE Spain and for us its still a similar 500 mile plus journey from the Border (Capmany / La Jonquera ) or from when you disembark the Ferry.
M
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Have never been to Spain with caravan or motorhome but have been to the South of France many times and if I was travelling in winter, without question, I would go Autoroute all the way - tunnel, Reims, Lyon etc. Much faster, safer, snow free. Other routes through France we reserve for ambling back when we have plenty of time. I particularly hate the central route - Rouen, Dreux etc. and the Massif Central south of Clermont Ferrand is high and can suffer from adverse weather.
The other point about the Autoroute is that you can overnight at services. Many people won’t consider this but we did it every year first night in France for many years when the children travelled with us with the caravan. If you stick to well-lit 24 hour services you will find many have showers etc. and certainly dedicated caravan bays for parking.
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I have never been in winter either, but if I were to go it would be a Portsmouth to St Malo ferry, which runs four times a week in winter - it’s an overnight service which arrives at about 8a.m. From there it’s the shortest crossing of France, 450 miles down to the Spanish border with an all year site open at Fouras (Camping Le Cadoret ) just south of La Rochelle. But once Covid is over I am still of the view that there are better places to go in winter than taking a caravan to Spain.
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I would go Autoroute all the way - tunnel, Reims, Lyon etc. Much faster, safer, snow free.
Whilst generally this holds true it is not always the case. Anywhere in winter can be volatile. We were chased down the autoroute from Calais to Troyes by snowstorms which blocked the autoroute further north for a day or two in the first week of March some years ago and then chased into Spain by the Mistral from Orange area a few days later.
You should always have a plan B and know where you can pull over. Easier with a Motorhome but stopping on 24 hour service station best alternative for plan B for caravan.
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In the past going to portugal we’ve used
La Fontaine des Clercs - Montreuil sur Mer
Camping Le Futuriste - St Georges les Baillargeaux nr Poitiers
Camping Larrouleta - Urrugne
i think at the time all were in the ACSI book which is very useful with dates and discounts
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