motorhome France next week

madmotors

hi all going to France next week rosslare to rosscof .it our first time going to France . And in a motorhome so i would appreciate any advice on what i should be aware of and nice campsite with pools . ill be going south but don't no how far ill get we have 21day so don't want to spent days driving all help would be great regards Ben

bbam

madmotors wrote: »

hi all going to France next week rosslare to rosscof .it our first time going to France . And in a motorhome so i would appreciate any advice on what i should be aware of and nice campsite with pools . ill be going south but don't no how far ill get we have 21day so don't want to spent days driving all help would be great regards Ben

Lucky you, we're not long back after 2 weeks and would go back at the drop of a hat.. 10 French holidays done now..

along the west cost you'll have your pick of top quality campsites and pools..

We'found the "Les Castles" and "Yelloh Village" groups of campsites to be top class, all 4 or 5 star sites so the facilities, pools and entertainment are second to none..
Sequoia Parc & Le Littoral would probably be my favourites so far, but I'll keep looking..

Think of gas, I don't think you'll get gas in france to fit the usual regulators in Irish caravans/motorhomes.

Swimming trunks, people still turn up at the pools in bermuda shorts/swimming trunks, you need speedo type shorts in near all of the campsites I've been on.

Diesel is considerably cheaper at the supermarkets, we paid €1.27 at super-U, but it was €1.48 along the roadside stations.

If you arrive on sunday morning and plan to buy anything, remember shops close by 12 noon, most restraunts outside tourist spots too, we would always look out for a "Buffalo Grill" chain of restraunts if travelling on Sundays, they open from 11:00am onwards 7 days a week and the grub is good.

Along the west cost the Vendee area is notoriously windy on the beaches, great for watersports, less good for kids to play on the beach... North or south of it is fine..

MammaZita

madmotors wrote: »

hi all going to France next week rosslare to rosscof .it our first time going to France . And in a motorhome so i would appreciate any advice on what i should be aware of and nice campsite with pools . ill be going south but don't no how far ill get we have 21day so don't want to spent days driving all help would be great regards Ben

Have to agree re Yelloh Village, facilities are fab- with water parks and spas. We stayed in Port Grimaud close to St Tropez- fab spot.

MammaZita

Also Les Tournels. This is the most luxurious and relaxing campsite we've stayed in:

http://www.yellohvillage.co.uk/camping/les_tournels

buttsoirl

did 3 weeks recently in the van in france and stayed in the sunelia chain of campgrounds.. signed up for the loyalty card.. was 17 euro per night in all bar 1 place..
they are fantastic campgrounds..
most of the campsites in the north had mini waterparks in them, and indoor pools with slides..

the best being out on il de re... outside la rochelle..called interlude.. www.interlude.fr

the island is 5km wide and 30km long, they campsite rents bikes. and has lovely cycle tracks all over the island through forests etc..




as for other handy things, I added a load of POI (points of interest) to my GPS

free wi-fi
free camping

have a great holiday

niloc1951

madmotors wrote: »

hi all going to France next week rosslare to rosscof .it our first time going to France . And in a motorhome so i would appreciate any advice on what i should be aware of and nice campsite with pools . ill be going south but don't no how far ill get we have 21day so don't want to spent days driving all help would be great regards Ben

Have you children with you. The reason I ask is if not it opens up the possibility of just ambling along and stopping at one of the more than seven and a half thousand 'Aires' (not to be confused with motorway or road side service/rest areas) as the humour takes you. You will find them in places ranging from small rural villages to major cities and resort areas both inland and coastal.

This time of the year the cost will range from free to about €12 per 24 hours depending on the area and popularity/demand for places.

kelbal

niloc1951 wrote: »

Have you children with you. The reason I ask is if not it opens up the possibility of just ambling along and stopping at one of the more than seven and a half thousand 'Aires'

We traveled with 3 kids this summer and last, and used the Aires extensively. For the most part they're designed to be near to town centers, attractive spots etc. There's usually a playground close by, and municipal swimming pools in lots of towns. Plenty of Aires are along lovely lakes or right by beaches. Meant it was a holiday for the whole family - each to their own taste, but we would have found it boring being stuck in campsites the whole time.

kelbal

some good tips from bbam btw - bring speedos and swimming hats! And like he said, the diesel is way cheaper in supermarket filling stations - don't go near the regular stations. Regarding gas - we were away for 7 weeks, we brought one full 11kg tank and there's still plenty left. You're wasting space/weight if you bring 2 tanks on a 2 week holiday
Bring a length of garden hose with a hozelock attachment that clips onto a 3/4 inch screw connector, so you can connect to the fresh water taps to easily fill your tank.
The milk is a bit different - the majority is the long-life UHT milk that you'll see unrefrigerated alongside the bottled water, its grand but if you'd prefer the 'normal' milk we're used to here, it's usually tucked in alongside the yogurts or cheese somewhere, called 'Lait Frais'.

Mountainsandh

You're probably there now OP, but this might be useful for others, or you might still be checking here

check out at the campsite reception, you might see a map of Camping Qualite, this is light blue. some maps are regional, others are for the whole country. These are free, and camping qualites have been checked and approved for ... quality so they're all pretty good, it's a good free way to find nice places.

I always head off with 3 guides but all have websites if you haven't got the paper versions :
~ the Acsi guide and card, this gives you great discounts although at this stage of the season, campsites are free to decide they won't give a discount. Acsi is really good, however, being a Dutch organisation originally, be aware that most campsites you find on the guide will be frequented by Dutch people a lot, and to be honest, it can get a bit overwhelming at times...
For example we're just back from this year's trip, and my 7 year old daughter prompted us to flee an otherwise beautiful campsite when she came back very upset from the kids club, as all children there as well as the animation team were Dutch, and she felt completely set aside as the only French/English speaker there. But the facilities in these sites are usually second to none.
~ The Camping Cheques guide, you won't be able to get the guide in the shops at this stage since it's mail order, but you can look at their website to find nice sites. We don't use the Camping Cheques at all, since with a dog and 2 kids, we don't have anything to gain by it, but I very much rely on their sites being brilliant for kids, great quality sites (pools, slides, bouncy castles, restaurants... the works).
~ The Michelin Campings en France guide. I get it in France, in French, since I'm French, but I'm sure there is an English version on Amazon. This is brilliant for Campings municipaux, and less glamourous campsites in smaller places. A lot of of towns and villages in France have a Camping Municipal : it's owned and run by the town, usually cheap, usually have free Wi-fi (depending on size of town), and free access to the town swimming pool. They are usually near the river in town, or near the swimming pool. Some are not so great, but a lot are actually very very nice, with a great atmosphere, and good facilities.
The Michelin guide also lists privately owned sites, and you find in it a lot of sites that only have a sign on the side of the road otherwise, and which don't advertise anywhere else. It's nice to take a gamble sometimes, and it's exciting to find the little gems. These sites are usually very French, with the few odd tourists, so be prepared to "bonjour" your way to the bathrooms and dish washing areas
I also like to use the site CampingdeFrance.com (not Campings en France, not as good). It tells you if sites have a swimming pool etc...
Hoping this info will help you and possibly some others, and enjoy your stay, we left as heatwave was starting 2 days ago, good luck with that ! And for those of you undecided, it was 28/30 in Calais, so if you don't fancy driving South, you'll be grand up the top !