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MH Holiday Opinions

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  • 23-06-2009 1:09pm
    #1
    ShirleyH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 28 ✭


    We are trying to decide what to do for our hols, bearing in mind we will be travelling with a 3 yr old and an 8 week old in a motorhome.

    Our options are
    1. Stay in Ireland, spend about €350 for 10 days accom in campsites here, probably near the beach.

    2. Head to Wales on ferry for €300, spend about €300 on 10 days accom in campsites as above, but prob better facilities.

    3. Head to France via UK for €550, spend €300 on 7 nights accom in 4 star campsite, indoor and outdoor pools, playgrounds, in a butlins type set up. Only thing is it would mean driving Cork- Rosslare then getting ferry, then driving Pembroke- Folkestone going through the chunnel then driving to campsite(3.5 hr). We would be breaking up the journey over 2 days but is it still a lot with the smallies?

    Each holiday would prob work out the same cost wise, as we would spend a fortune here on swimming trips and things to occupy DD1, Wales would be cheaper, but we have the sterling to contend with, and while it would cost the most to get to France, it is the cheapest place, plus we would have all the site facilities.

    I'm leaning towards France, but am concerned about the journey. I know we would be able to pull in and stop whenever we wanted and the girls would be able to sleep on stopovers and DD1 could watch dvd's while travelling, but its still a lot with a baby.

    I kind of feel if we don't go to France we might as well stay in Ireland, cause the weather would be more or less same as here in Wales, plus the sterling etc.

    Sorry for the long post- all advice appreciated.

    On another note, if anyone knows of any nice beaches where we can pull in for a night in the South, let me know:D


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    #2
    3ps
    Closed Accounts Posts: 723 ✭✭✭3ps


    Why not do Rosslare - Roscoff or Cherbourg overnight and save all the driving?

    You can easily then make it to southern Brittany or even the Vendee (where you are practically guarantees Med type weather).

    If you cross at Dover you are at the very northern tip of France, where there is nothing of interest i.e. sun or beaches.

    If you don't want to do France.... one year we did Scotland and really enjoyed ourselves.


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    #3
    ShirleyH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 28 ✭ShirleyH


    3ps wrote: »
    Why not do Rosslare - Roscoff or Cherbourg overnight and save all the driving?

    If you don't want to do France.... one year we did Scotland and really enjoyed ourselves.

    Mainly because of the ferry price, the difference is huge, and the holiday would be far more expensive that way.

    We did consider Scotland, would it be easier to drive to Larne and get ferry, or drive up from Pembroke?


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    #4
    3ps
    Closed Accounts Posts: 723 ✭✭✭3ps


    Where are you based? I would have thought Larne was easier.

    If you have to drive across England to get to France then try to make a holiday out of the trip. perhaps stop in Legoland Windsor for the kids? It's on the way, about 4 hours from Pembroke. Then it's about 2 hours to Dover.

    Don't underestimate the distances in France. Have you located any interested places to visit in Northern France that you would be happy with? Do you have a specific campsite selected? Sounds to me like you need a site with an indoor pool (in case of rain) and a beach nearby too (in case of sun). Ideally near some nice towns etc.

    Just by way of example to drive to Paris from Calais takes 3 hours. Granville, which is a beach area near Cherbourg takes, 4.5 hours.


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    #5
    ShirleyH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 28 ✭ShirleyH


    We're in Cork.

    Have seen a campsite in Normandy
    http://www.yellohvillage.com/en/cote-nacre/home/normandy-campsite_14492_34.html

    Weather issues never bother us, we've gone to France most years before we had MH and have never been particularly lucky with the weather, even down south:(

    We'd definitely break the drive across UK I think, we have relatives so might make a visit on either end of the journey if we decided to go that way


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    #6
    3ps
    Closed Accounts Posts: 723 ✭✭✭3ps


    I think it would be easier to drive up Ireland than across and up England.

    I've stayed in a Yello! campsite in France once. It was PACKED, mostly with Dutch and a few Germans. Lots of teenagers. Not my scene really but I suppose each campsite is different.


    An LDLlines ferry from Rosslare to Le Havre is €734 leaving 16 Aug returning 28 Aug including a cabin, and it practically drops you at that campsite.

    Your €550 via the UK I've worked out as being €800ish including all diesel.


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    #7
    ShirleyH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 28 ✭ShirleyH


    That price would be about right incl diesel, but we are tied to travelling last week of July/ 1st week Aug due to DH's holidays from work, so with LD, the ferry price for us would be €1120.
    Plus the ferry times with LD are a balls:mad:


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    #8
    ShirleyH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 28 ✭ShirleyH


    Irish Ferries is €858 on our date, including cabins, so that might be a better option, we'd only be saving €70 via uk once you factor in diesel:D


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    #9
    3ps
    Closed Accounts Posts: 723 ✭✭✭3ps


    enjoy France!


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    #10
    chrisblack
    Closed Accounts Posts: 161 ✭✭chrisblack


    Having just come back from France - I would definitely recommend you go there and you won't regret it.

    I couldn't believe how Motorhome friendly it is - almost every town has a place for you to dump your waste, fill up with water and charge your leisure battery.

    Your stay there can be as cheap or expensive as you want to make it - stay on the municipal aires from btwn €0 and €10 per night (we stayed on a campsites with waterparks etc for €30 per night - may be more at the time of year you are proposing)... If you have a SatNav, then you can download POI's for all the Aires, plus a massive database of campsites...

    Ferry from Rosslare to Roscoff - 18 hours, but included some entertainment, a good nights sleep and departs and arrives at a reasonable time of the day... and it looks like a reasonable price - we paid just over €600 in May (although I added the cabins at a later date, whihc may have cost us more) - and there's also the code that V10 has given in his posting for the 5% discount

    As someone pointed out the country is massive - it took us 12 hours to get from Roscoff to Eurodisney, but the trip was broken up with breaks on some of the Aires and visitng some Hypermarkets (so my wife could undertake some retail therapy). 8 hours from paris to a frineds near la rochelle and then 3 hours up to a site at st jean de mont.

    Diesel is cheap - off the motorway - approx 96c in the hypermarkets, compared with €1.10 on the motorways.

    Eating is cheap if you choose to use Hypermarkets and not restaraunts.. at the end of our hols we met with 2 other families we knew on a site in St Jean De Mont and we fed 18 people (adults and kids) on good healthy fresh food, plus had a couple of boxes of wine, for €30 per evening...

    A tip from the company reps on the site (we booked through an agent to stay there, as we were joining friends) was just to turn up as you often get a better deal than booking in advance.

    The time of year you are going the weather should be good up at the top, but if it isn't you can drive further South to chase the sun...

    FORGET IRELAND, FORGET WALES, until you've done France, you don't know what a motorohome is for - you should see all the French with their MH's lined up at the hypermarkets stocking up to go away themselves at the weekend..

    Need I say more???

    Chris

    p.s. whats this about a beach down South - are you talking Ireland?? I can reccomend a couple down here in West Cork...


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    #11
    ShirleyH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 28 ✭ShirleyH


    Thanks for the advice Chris- have to show your post to DH to convince him:D
    We've done the camping thing in France for years, but this would be the first time with a motorhome, we are dying to try it out, but not sure if it would be cost effective.... having said that sure we'd prob spend €1000 here trying to feed and entertain ourselves and a 3 yr old for 10 or 12 days

    Yes we are looking for a spot down South of Ireland for this weekend we are East Cork, but don't mind the spin West;)


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    #12
    Connie-Kal
    Registered Users Posts: 9 ✭Connie-Kal


    ShirleyH
    If you are a member of a club, such as the ICCC, you might consider going on one of their meets, some of them are up to 2 weeks long, and there are always plenty of children around. However, if the site is not a commercial one the facilities will be basic but the craic will be good. Have a look at http://www.iccc.ie/meets.htm#July
    This should give you an idea of local events.

    Happy holidays.


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    #13
    dowtchaboy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,490 ✭✭✭dowtchaboy


    Shirley - I would also recommend France - when you see signs that say "No Parking - except motorhomes" ("Interdit - sauf campingcars") you will be so pleased!
    It's a pity Brittany ferries are so expensive - because the service is superb, the staff make you feel WELCOME, and the trip is only 14 hrs. Brittany itself is lovely - great seafood - cheap (though some of the restaurants in Roscoff are pricey).

    But - if you want to justify the extra cost of France rather than UK - remember to bring home LOTS of wine! That's one big advantage of a motorhome - as you will not be using the living area once you reach the port until you get home you can load up a years worth of booze (quite acceptable under EU law) or even more if you can claim a big party coming up etc - so get the orders from friends and relations too. Nowadays you can get non-French wine in the hypermarkets near the ports if that's what you prefer, and I think beer etc is also cheap (don't drink it myself so not sure)
    Bikes are also cheaper - excellent mountain and leisure bikes at 100 - 150 at the hypermarkets, even the new non-rusting alloy ones and electric assist ones.....
    enjoy! db.


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