campervanning in france

peteretep

im heading away to Brittany with the girlfriend and the van on the 8th of September for a week. its our first proper trip away and i have a few questions:

is it ok to park up anywhere for the night or will we get in trouble if we're not in a campsite?
can you just drive up to a campsite and ask for a pitch for the night?
how much do campsites generally cost in that area around that time?
and is there anywhere in particular that you'd recommend we should go?
is diesel cheaper in ireland or france? (should i fill up just before getting on the ferry?)


at the moment im planning to visit benodet and carnac because ive been there before, and hopefully la Baule a bit further south because theres a kitesurfing event there that week.

oh does anyone have a checklist of equipment i should bring along? as its our first proper trip im sure we will forget loads of important stuff...

thanks everyone!

peasant

Can't really help you with your French questions (ages since I've been, so not up to date) but as for equipment ...some things you might not necessarily think about:

- your power leads for the 230V hookup
- make sure the gas is full
- some gaffa tape and superglue and some wire for small emergencies (and maybe a small can of WD 40)
- any small bars of soap you may ever have nicked in hotels:D (handy for camping)
- some old gloves for any jobs around the water tanks and for filling up/checking the oil
- some spare engine oil
- a bit of clothes line to dry your towels / wet clothes
- some kitchen roll for inside spills
- photocopies of all important documents (licence/passport/tickets) and the emergency cancellation number for your credit card in case anything gets stolen (keep them in the place where the curtains live )

Have fun and enjoy !

stapeler

Carnac ant that area is nice. I envy you.

A couple of things. A speare set of bulbs and a breakdown triangle (legal requirment), also throw in a hi-viz jacket.
EI-111 medical form if you have time, always handy to have in an emergency.
I like to bring a LW radio to keep up with the news (LW252 for RTE1).

Diesel prices pretty much the same as here. Around the €1.15 on motorways and a bit cheaper at the supermarkets.

A lot of villages have Municipal campsites, work out approx €10/night. The season in kinda over now so I wouldn't expect the sites to be too busy so no real need to book. The motorways have airs which are a free camping space for the night. Just be on your guard as thay have been getting some nevative publicity.

Last year when heading up to Cherborg we stopped at Omaha beech and did a few of the Normandy beeches. Loved it and came across a kits surfing event which was very impressive.

corkbuoy

This site ( http://www.campingcar-infos.com/index1.htm )has lots of info on aires in France. The motorway ones are not recommended but we found the ones in towns and villages great. Municipal campsites are also very good and you will not need to book at this time of the year.

galwaycamper

Hi,
I would strongly advise staying in a site with some level of security or at the very least parking beside other campers at night

ousty

Peterelep
I know it is a bit late in the day to tell you about parking in France,
but for anyone else thinking of going there, a few things to remember
A car in France is classed as a vehicle,so is a motorhome(camping-car),that is what it is called !!.Anywhere you can legaly park a car so you can also park a motorhome. A lot of village's have what they call municipal
camp sites ,there upkeep is paid for by the village .The usual charge you €2 to empty your "black" water & your "grey" water fill up with fresh water ,if you stay overnight the charge is about 60cents,it is hoped you will buy your food & fuel in their village
In France there are 3308 places where you can empty your W.C .In England there are 2 (I don't think they like motorhomes) or mybe too many tinkers have moved over there !!.
The things you need if you are going to France
PEASANT has got it right ,it is good advice
ousty