First time going to France - all advice needed!
Hi, we are travelling to France from Pembrokeshire in August for 2 weeks with 2 children (age 6 & 10) We were meant to go 3 years ago but COVID stopped us.
Any experienced France travellers.. could you answer these questions?
1. Should we cross from Dover to Calais and back or avoid it like the plague?? Price is important to a smooth journey is number 1 priority. Where is the best place to cross?
2. Should we book a 1 night stay somewhere near the ferry or just head straight to a site?
3. We don't want to travel too far. Thinking Normandy or Brittany. Are these nice areas for families? Anyone know any good sites in particular? Like friendly sites with some facilities like a pool and play area.
4. Are there any good sites around Euro Disney? Might go there for 3-4 nights.
5. Are there any amazing tips with regards to times, sites, costs, things to bring, weather etc that you think would be crucial to tell an enthusiastic France novice??
Thank you
Marc
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Ferry port very much depends on where you want to go. Dover is a long way from you and Brittany is a long way (320 miles to St Malo) from Calais. If wanting to visit Brittany you could sail to St Malo (although expensive) or Caen from Portsmouth which would be less expensive and 200 miles closer than Calais. Of course for Normandy which you also mention you are already there.
As to whether to book a night close to the ferry, that would depend on your crossing time. Although more expensive (as it would involve cabins) a night one from Portsmouth might work well, giving you time to get to the port from home and travel directly to your site on arrival the next day.
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Pembrokeshire to Brittany via Calais involves many needless miles of driving. I suggest an overnight sailing with a cabin from Portsmouth to Cherbourg or St Malo - and choose a seaside site within half a day of either of those arrival ports. There’s a big choice. I hope it goes well.
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Hi Marc
Assuming you're around Swansea (or west of it) I personally wouldn't want to tow all the way to Dover, just to cross the Channel, arrive at Calais and then drive all the way back to Normandy. I would be looking at the crossings from Poole or Portsmouth, especially in August and with a couple of youngsters! I understand the costs of doing so may be prohibitive but it will be less stressful. That said, I have crossed from Dover to Calais on numerous occasions and have found both easy (especially EuroTunnel) but have always "turned left" and headed in the opposite direction to where you're going! We always booked an early morning crossing and booked a ferry pitch at the Club's Folkestone site, whichever way we crossed.
I can't help you with Disney sites, as I've never been. However, we have friends who used the Caravan of 4 winds site, near the N36 when they visited Disneyland Paris and was less than 30 minutes away. They said it was fine.
I used the Club's travel and booking service and read extensively on here and the information freely given in the travel section. I found it invaluable, as well as the Club's European travel guide. The information in there was worth the price a dozen times over.
Do your research, read lots, make lists, buy a good map AND have a wonderful trip!
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If you are considering Brittany then why not look at Plymouth-Roscoff. Probably about 2 hrs longer travelling this side than using Portsmouth, but much less travelling in France. You can sail over night and arrive fresh early morning. What a pity that no ferry service runs from Pembrokeshire/Swansea over the Bristol Channel to SW England.
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Two tips.
The Poole - Cherbourg ferry is useful for visiting Normandy and Brittany.
Avoid France between Bastille Day (14th July) and the beginning of September. That's when the bulk of the French will be on holiday, everything will be open, prices will be at their peak, campsites will be rammed and booking is essential.
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Those dates to avoid are OK for you and me, but the questioner has two school age children and will be going to France in their school summer holiday. No other choice.
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Agree with WTG in that Jablines is great for Disney, shuttle bus on the door step.
for a first timer to Normandy, try Camping Haliotis at Pontorson. Great site, great cycling and easy access to Mont St Michel.
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As regards the crossing, I think the OP has to think what time they can realistically leave home to arrive at a port on the south coast, add on the crossing time and then make the choice. This will then give the answer on an overnight stop requirement on the way out. My choice would be for one in France as the holiday would seem to begin sooner, campsite costs are lower and you would not be worrying about getting up early on a campsite and rushing for a ferry check-in.
For choosing a site we've always used UKCampstes as a guide, which has reviews on sites across Europe. The filter facility is really useful to narrow down your choice.
The viamichelin website is great for working out realistic on the road travel times
Other things to consider are Red Pennant Cover and the all important fridge, not a cool box. A table top ST rated job really would be very useful for August as the caravan fridge will struggle.
Colin
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As Colin states a departure from Poole or Portsmouth will start the holiday earlier and the kids will be excited. Visit Disney at the end of your holiday and leaving the site in the morning this gives you a Calais crossing and the option of an overnight in Kent or a trip home to arrive late evening, with contented kids asleep on the back seat.
if on a budget look for ex municipal sites away from the coast (use an old ACSI discount book for a guide you won’t get the discounts but it’s a useful reference) most either have a pool or access to a local one and inland you won’t need to book after 15th August, providing you arrive at your chosen site before, or shortly after lunch.
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We had a lot of holidays in Brittany when our children were small, it's a great place to visit and the campsites are very child friendly. We used to time the trip for the second half of August when it is noticably quieter, though I think these days you'd still need to book in advance. We used one called Arzano near Quimperle a few times, it's by a river with a lot of organized kayaking etc, had good swimming pools slides etc, also entertainment. It's slightly inland but an easy drive to various beaches.
We used the Plymouth Roscoff ferry overnight and easily arrived at first campsite by early afternoon. Also Roscoff is a very easy port to use, and to get out of, compared to some of the busier ones.
I'm sure you will all have a fab trip.
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The Tunnel would always be my first choice but I live in Milton Keynes so its a relatively straightforward journey down to Folkestone. Having said that from where you live the Portsmouth/Poole options would probably be a lot more convenient. If you are heading for Paris then its a shorter journey from Caen than Calais. Other than Disneyland Paris you need to work out where you would like to be based for the bulk of your stay, seeing much of Brittany might be a bit tight if you only have two weeks unless you are prepared to make more frequent shorter stops.
David
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I know I've posted this on another forum, as the question on which crossing to use comes up frequently and there is no simple answer. but here goes:-
I've just done the number crunching on distances, times etc as a future guide. Looking at late August out, late Sept back, starting in Hatherleigh mid Devon and aiming for Limueil east of Bergerac in The Dordogne. We are 2 adults with car and caravan.
The initial obvious choice of a Plymouth crossing doesn't really pan out when you look at the results. It would seem in future I'd be looking at an a very early morning departure from Hatherleigh, take the Newhaven Ferry and then drive for an hour or so after arriving in Dieppe.Hatherleigh to Plymouth - 1hr 15mins + 38miles
Brittany Ferries Plymouth to Roscoff crossing - night out with cabin, midday back = £520 inc friends and family disc’
Roscoff to Limueil - N12 & D939 = 10hr 7mins + 446 miles and zero tollsHatherleigh to Poole - 2hr 40mins + 112 miles
Brittany Ferries - Poole to Cherbourg crossing - 08:30 out and 18:15 back = £423 inc friends and family disc’
Cherbourg to Limueil - D939 & N162 = 10h 38mins + 424 miles and zero tollsHatherleigh to Newhaven - 4hr 50mins + 220miles
DFDS - Newhaven to Dieppe crossing - 09:30 out and 12:00 back = £263 - 20% over 60’s disc = £210
Dieppe to Limueil - D565 & D704 = 9hr 49mins + 408 miles and zero tollsHatherleigh to Folkstone - 5hr 20mins + 270miles
Eurotunnel - Folkstone to Calais - Typically £520 return
Calais to Limueil - A20 & A16, via Dreux = 9hr 54mins + 528 miles and tolls at Euro 43 [non tolls = +2hr]I've done all the crossings except Poole to Cherbourg and each has there merits.
I was not surprised by the price differences in my 1/2 hour spent looking things up, but what I had not expected was how similar the journey times would be down to the Dordogne.
Colin
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I booked Newhaven - Dieppe on 30th Dec for August for 3 adults + 1 child through club & only paid £254....
I used this crossing last year & found it very easy.... Dover is equi distance from where I live & despite the longer crossing time, it went surprisingly quickly...
Obviously, much depends on where in France your final destination is!
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That’s a detailed breakdown from Colin, and many will find it helpful. Though they may be shocked at the way I myself spend money these days, regardless of economy..
If I go to France again it will be on the 1330 sailing on Pont Aven from Plymouth, with a window table in smart waiter service restaurant before they even cast off the mooring ropes. We wouldn’t want an overnight at Newhaven docks with HGVs waiting for a 7 am. check in - even though it’s cheaper still there on the midnight boat with a 5 am. arrival in Dieppe.
We go to Roscoff because we love it there and would always hang around for a few days before moving on. We ride a motor boat over to the island of Batz and take a picnic to the garden there. If the tide is right we walk over the causeway to the other island - Ile Callot- right opposite Carantec. We wait for market day in St Pol de Leon and warn the man at the tiny cafe in the Grande Rue that we shall want lunch. And on the way home we buy better wine at the warehouse by the red double decker bus and a 25kg sack of the famous local pink onions. And always we go for a final farewell meal in Roscoff at Restaurant Les Alyzes by the old stone lighthouse.
I don’t do cheap any more.
Happy travels to you all.
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Whilst members replies here have all been very informative and useful, most have or are based on the individual posters experiences. It should be considered that the OP has a journey of 120+ miles/4hrs just to reach England. For my part we live 30 mins from the M4 bridges and travel times to Plymouth and Portsmouth are comparable, Poole from this side is a real pain to get to. We have used all these crossings, mainly to Brittany but also Normandy. Unless travelling to northern France/Belgium we would never consider Dover. For the OP that would take at least 8Hrs.
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Scoutman, interesting that you discount Dover-Calais as a route for the OP.
For the 20 years of our trips to France when we lived in Essex we departed from Dover or Folkstone.
We then moved to Formby on Merseyside and continued to use Dover or Folkstone. The distance and timing, according to viamichelin, are near identical to Pembrokeshire.
We stayed with Dover or Folkstone for the competitive prices they offered along with the significant number of crossings that ran throughout day and night compared to other providers along the coast. This gave greater flexibility in planning the trip and if you arrived late or early at the port the benefit of knowing another crossing was probably available very soon. I really don't think this peace of mind can be ignored.
Colin
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Points for the OP – if you have not already got one apply for a Crit’Air sticker for France via their official website - ensure scanned documents are reduced size when sending them. Be aware of LEZ’s in UK – I believe there is one in Portsmouth area. Take insect repellent and probably best to book pitches if going during summer school hols. Enjoy.
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i would definitely use the ferry route, Two weeks isn't very long and there is lots to see in Brittany and Normandy for all the family.
Having previously visited the Disney and Universal theme parks in Florida, we thought that EuroDisney was a pale imitation. Much smaller than we expected and pretty disappointing.
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When we had two relatively young kids we never ever considered Dover. Portsmouth is a similar distance for us as the OP. It was always a night sailing out and often a day one back and the kids slept as we travelled home. Personally there is no way I would want to spend 7 hours driving to Dover, then onto the shuttle / short boat crossing and doing some mileage the other side before stopping. Not even when I was much younger. If Dover is an option I would consider a night stop near the port a necessity.
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Further to NB1805s post. Portsmouth dock is not in the LEZ. My twopeneth on crossings from Pembrokeshire. Long way to Dover and why head a long way East when you are going to to the Dordogne - not done the sums but it adds a lot of expensive mileage and time to your trip! The Portsmouth crossing would seem to be the best bet. If you are going in the school hols best to book crossings and sites asap and stay clear of any Olympics venues!!
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Of it were me and I was thinking of going to Brittany, Normandy and possibly Paris. I would use the Plymouth crossing work my way down the coast of Brittany, beautiful at that time of year. Then cut across to Nantes for the children to see La Machines'
Work my way up the coast of Normandy then cut across to Paris. Return home via Caen to Portsmouth. That way not crossing the same route to and from the ferry.
We travel from Scotland and have used both Portsmouth and Plymouth depending on where we are heading, always night ferries as that suits us. We do also use Dover/Folkstone. How good are the children on the longer crossings.
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