France in June and July
Hi everyone
We are travelling with friends in France from 22nd June. I need EHU for medical reasons.
We have travelled in France on a number of occasions during school holidays. Now that my wife has retired from her job in education, we no longer have to adhere to these dates. On previous trips we have used larger Aires, where we know we could get in (St Valery, Honfleur, St malo).
My concerns are finding availability in some of the smaller Aires with EHU. Anyone have any ideas about how busy it's likely to be? We usually aim to drive between 10AM-1PM. Obviously, I don't want to find myself without EHU late in the day.
Thanks for looking.
AH
Comments
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Sorry, no idea about Aires, but we never had problems pulling in to mid range campsites for the late June date you mentIoned . Some were offering ACSI camping card discounts, some were not, some were municipal, some were family owned. All had EHU, hot water, showers, dishwashing, probably a washing machine or two, and many had free wi -fi as well. This photo shows how busy it was at the end of June down the west side France a few miles from the sea.
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Camping Car Park Aires have live information on the number of spaces. For an extra fee it is even possible to book some on the day so you are guaranteed a space. However, although some have EHU for all spaces, some don’t, but it does list the number of connections on the web site. You need a pre paid / loaded card to gain access to the Aires, which can be purchased prior to travel.
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AH, I cannot see if you are a caravan or motorhome owner. If the later then you do have more flexibility as French villages usually have a site for motorhomes with power frequently available.
First thing I did when I left teaching was join ACSI as I could now caravan out of high season. I trust you are aware of the ACSI set-up.
I wouldn't consider overnighting in an Aire, especially so when out of season you can get a pitch and good facilities for Euro 16 fairly easily.
I've had to back-track on my plans and book my sites for June-July this year in France and NL as I saw them getting full. This is because I want longer stays of a week+. If you only want a few days then you should be fine turning up without a booking.
Colin
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If you intend to stop by around 1.00pm each day wouldn't that allow you a bit of freedom to seek out alternatives including other Aires or Campsites? It might require a bit more forward planning.
David
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This is the alternative nearby aire to the photo I posted earlier in this thread. This aire costs 12 euros in June, the campsite I showed on here costs 18 euros. At this aire there are only 12 power points at a central point, at the campsite they were individual. The campsite had full facilities and a swimming pool. The aire is a tarmac car park. So why do motorhomes stop in car parks like this? Because it’s near the sea and the campsite is three miles inland. Location trumps everything.
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Thanks for the replies everyone. Previous trips have not been problematic, as we stick to known Aires. Never had an issue getting EHU at Honfleur or St Valery Sur Somme. The Aire at Rotheneuf is busy, but loads of EHU's.
This trip, with friends, has thrown us a curve ball. Our friends have suggested some nice locations which lack EHU. And, yes, our experience tells us to aim for our next Aire between 11AM-1PM to avoid disappointment.
I am researching the possibility of an electric power pack battery back-up for stops without EHU. This will give us more flexibility and reduce stress.
AH
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AH, You asked about motorhome aires with electricity . Here’s a photo of a typical modern set up - electric hook ups at a central service point and labelled in French that they are just to be used for charging batteries. Does that meet your needs? But , as Way Two Go has already said , if you require a continuous power supply to your own vehicle then you need to consider campsites rather than Aires. There are thousands which will have availability all day long in June - not just between 11 am.and 1 pm.
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Despite needing EHU, we still have a great deal of freedom to travel to many places we have never been before.
My original post asked how busy france was likely to be in June/July, and about getting into smaller Aires as we have not travelled at this time before.
None of our journey is set in stone. And I don't like the idea of booking into campsites to be certain of a pitch, as this negates the freedom of choice. We've all driven to an Aire before and driven straight out again because we didn't like the look of it! Previous trips are based on a rough route/destination and then adapted as we feel on the day.
My decision to explore power packs was made after I had made my original post, on my friends suggestion. I have a CPAP machine and had no idea that battery power was a viable option. Hence my concern about going to smaller, unknown Aires. And why I asked for advice here.
AH
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Following further research, I have managed to get a suitable battery which appears to be able to provide power for up to five nights. I'm sure this will be sufficient to allow us the freedom of choice which we desire.
For those members who feel that aiming for their next Aire around midday is restrictive, our decision to do this is based on previous experiences. We have tried finding spaces at Aires in Normandy late in the day, only to find that we had to drive past around ten before finding a vacant spot. When in Brittany, it seemed that the majority of movement was between 10am and 2pm. And, again, by four oclock there was not a space to be had anywhere along the stretch of coast and its hinterland. However, I must remind readers that this has been during the summer holiday. We have no experience of travelling in France in June/July.
Whilst we have used municipal sites (and are likely to do so again), part of the beauty of motorhoming is turning up at a free Aire with all facilites and discovering a real gem.
AH
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