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Thinking of heading to France

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    #32
    Dexter Bip
    Closed Accounts Posts: 142 ✭✭Dexter Bip


    moodrater wrote: »
    Don't know why people think you have to drive so much I'm camping around Ireland 35 years and only see a fraction of it. We spent 18 days in France last summer and only drove about 350km. There is something cool at least every 5km in coastal France. Also worth cycling you see more in 10km on your bike than 1000km driving.

    Couldn't agree more. Distance doesn't equate to something worth travelling to see. We once spent two weeks in the van in the Haute Vienne and didn't travel more than 80km the whole time. We remember it as one of the best ( kids and parents ). Bit like travelling from Killarney to Kenmare and next day to Sneem followed by a long trip to Dingle. The one thing I would say is if you are expecting unlimited sunshine you need to go south. Once there settle and have a good time. If you have a quarter of the fun we've had in France in the past 12 years you will be blessed. Go
    For it!


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    #33
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users Posts: 6,702 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    moodrater wrote: »
    Don't know why people think you have to drive so much I'm camping around Ireland 35 years and only see a fraction of it. We spent 18 days in France last summer and only drove about 350km. There is something cool at least every 5km in coastal France. Also worth cycling you see more in 10km on your bike than 1000km driving.

    You don't have to drive, but one of the benefits of having a campervan is that you can cover a lot of distance and see several different aspects of the country. In many ways, if you're not going to take advantage of that mobility, you'd be better off doing a cycling (or walking) holiday.

    Mind you, the walkers that come through my area are typically doing about 1-2000km en route to Santiago, or training for it. We never get any Irish though. The lazy feckers only seem to do the last little bit through Spain. :P

    The point is: France is a huge country. If you've paid the fare to bring a camper over, it's a missed opportunity to park it just outside the port for two weeks.

    La Rochelle has changed. The large free car park in the centre ( Parc les Esplanades) has been reduced to about twenty places with a barrierd aire at the edge of town instead at € 15 per night.

    Since February this year? :confused:

    I've remembered that there's another aire on the far side of the port with a lot more space, but although I found it on foot, I never figured out how to get in with the MH.


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    #34
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users Posts: 6,702 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    Dexter Bip wrote: »
    We once spent two weeks in the van in the Haute Vienne and didn't travel more than 80km the whole time.

    I live on the edge of Haute Vienne and would do 80km just going to the shops and back! Besides, you forgot to count the 1000km before and after your 80km ...


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    #35
    Dexter Bip
    Closed Accounts Posts: 142 ✭✭Dexter Bip


    CelticRambler wrote: »
    I live on the edge of Haute Vienne and would do 80km just going to the shops and back! Besides, you forgot to count the 1000km before and after your 80km ...

    Lucky you. Yes it is a long trip. But we spent a week and a half within a radius of 30 km of Serrieres en Chautangue ( forgive my spelling ) jJust went on to the next beautiful village and on again. Cycled along the dam and just took it easy. Never was too far from a supermarket as far as I remember. Still have the cheap barbecue that I found at the Super U nearby Serrieres


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    #36
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users Posts: 6,702 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    Dexter Bip wrote: »
    Lucky you. Yes it is a long trip. But we spent a week and a half within a radius of 30 km of Serrieres en Chautangue

    Ehhhh, are you sure you've got your geography right? Serrieres en Chautangue is in the Savoie - about 500km from Haute-Vienne, definitely too far for me to go for a baguette and a litre of milk! :D Was it Haute-Savoie you were thinking of? I tried to go there last week while I was out for a drive, but Switzerland got in the way. I have a proper trip pencilled in for September/October.


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    #37
    Benbecul97
    Registered Users Posts: 988 ✭✭✭Benbecul97


    CelticRambler wrote: »
    You don't have to drive, but one of the benefits of having a campervan is that you can cover a lot of distance and see several different aspects of the country. In many ways, if you're not going to take advantage of that mobility, you'd be better off doing a cycling (or walking) holiday.

    The point is: France is a huge country. If you've paid the fare to bring a camper over, it's a missed opportunity to park it just outside the port for two weeks.

    For many (not all) folks travelling to France this is their annual two week holiday - an extended period of leisure and recreation - not covering hundreds of kms in two weeks to pack in as much as possible. Many (not all) folks will return year after year to explore a different parts of France. Just because your not going to take advantage of the campervan mobility far from means you'd be better off doing a cycling (or walking) holiday. Some folks (not many) might like to park just outside the port for two weeks. :-)


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    #38
    Benbecul97
    Registered Users Posts: 988 ✭✭✭Benbecul97


    Dexter Bip wrote: »
    Just go and enjoy it. All the advice given above is good. Don't try to see it all in one go and make good use of the municipal campings and the aires. Get a good guide book for both ( These have been posted before on this forum so go have a look).

    @OP:Here you go
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=94147668


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    #39
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users Posts: 6,702 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    Benbecul97 wrote: »
    For many (not all) folks travelling to France this is their annual two week holiday - an extended period of leisure and recreation - not covering hundreds of kms in two weeks to pack in as much as possible.

    That's a fair point, but if that's the enquiry, wouldn't it be more appropriate to the Travel forum? You kind of expect someone posting in Motoring & Transport to enjoy the driving bit! ;)


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    #40
    Benbecul97
    Registered Users Posts: 988 ✭✭✭Benbecul97


    CelticRambler wrote: »
    That's a fair point, but if that's the enquiry, wouldn't it be more appropriate to the Travel forum? You kind of expect someone posting in Motoring & Transport to enjoy the driving bit! ;)

    Well, their holiday accomodation is in a motorhome so more appropriate where it is, I think.

    Yes, but enjoy driving to get to a destination and then relax for a few days, and then on again. Don't forget OP is traveling with 5 a year-old. I don't think OP wants to hear a daily mantra of "Are we there yet?":D


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    #41
    moodrater
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,638 ✭✭✭moodrater


    CelticRambler wrote: »
    You don't have to drive, but one of the benefits of having a campervan is that you can cover a lot of distance and see several different aspects of the country. In many ways, if you're not going to take advantage of that mobility, you'd be better off doing a cycling (or walking) holiday.

    Mind you, the walkers that come through my area are typically doing about 1-2000km en route to Santiago, or training for it. We never get any Irish though. The lazy feckers only seem to do the last little bit through Spain. :P

    The point is: France is a huge country. If you've paid the fare to bring a camper over, it's a missed opportunity to park it just outside the port for two weeks.

    No ones suggesting parking outside the port. Its just everytime the topic comes up people suggest you drive 500 -700km in the first couple of days I think theres no need especially with a 5 year old (unless the long term forecast is awful). There are tons of interesting things in brittany and normandy, pays loire.

    I've been all over france my favourite would be area around Nimes, les baux, provence but I wouldn't drive all the way from roscoff to see them with kids. My dad was a 500-700km a day man it was torture.

    I know what you mean about the camino i have a few friends that started in france and ended up skipping the final 40km because it was black with people that wanted to pretend they had done it and eejits on mountain bikes.


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    #42
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users Posts: 6,702 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    OK, I've obviously bred a litter of unusual children! Between the ages of 5 and 10, they used to fight over who got to be chief navigator and had control of the map ... :cool:

    However, I'm not one of those who suggests driving 500km the first day to get to a "destination" unless you really need to be there in a hurry, or for a specific event. But doing three short drives a day (stop for lunch, stop for afternoon sight-seeing, stop for the night) it's easy to clock up several hundred kms/day in France without feeling like you've driven several hundred kms.

    Getting back to the suject of stopping spots, it's worth remembering that in France you are allowed park (and sleep) overnight on any public hard-standing unless it's specifically prohibited. This means that you can stay in any picnic site or municipal car park if that's where you are when you decide you've done enough driving for the day.

    Also, if you time your arrival to coincide with a festival, parking/camping is almost always free or included in your ticket. It's particularly worth looking out for traditional music and dance events in out-of-the-way villages, as they cater for the whole family. Follow the sign marked "Bal Trad" if you see one! :cool:


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    #43
    Dexter Bip
    Closed Accounts Posts: 142 ✭✭Dexter Bip


    CelticRambler wrote: »
    Ehhhh, are you sure you've got your geography right? Serrieres en Chautangue is in the Savoie - about 500km from Haute-Vienne, definitely too far for me to go for a baguette and a litre of milk! :D Was it Haute-Savoie you were thinking of? I tried to go there last week while I was out for a drive, but Switzerland got in the way. I have a proper trip pencilled in for September/October.

    :o:o:o:o:o Yes - A slip of the pen. I meant the Haute-Savoie...You'd definitely be buying in bulk if you had to go that far to the boulangerie!


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    #44
    colmll
    Registered Users Posts: 52 ✭✭colmll


    CelticRambler wrote: »
    That route crosses territory I'm not particularly familiar with, but as you've got two days, I'd recommend swinging around the bottom of the Cotentin Peninsula on your first day and stopping in Dinan (again!). It'll add about 50km to your journey, but the total is only 600km, so only one day's drive and you've got three days to do it.

    Depending on how close to La Rochelle and/or your final destination you want to be on Day 2, you could do 300-350km to end up in either La Rochelle itself or the town of Niort, both of which have good aires (and, like Dinan, apply a small charge for 24hrs parking).

    The "aire" in La Rochelle is just part of a big carpark, but almost smack in the city centre. Very easy to get into and out of, but not always easy to get space, especially if you arrive after 16h00. I've only used it in the winter season and there could be 30-40 MHs there, a good number parked in the ordinary (car) bays. I've never had any trouble, but in August it might be a different story.

    Edit: in fact, I think the camper spaces might be free in La Rochelle ... can't quite remember. Car spaces are free overnight and on Sundays, like just about everywhere in France.

    Niort is a much nicer facility, but tricky to find. On my first trip, I was fortunate to be following someone else who did all the hesitating for me! Even so, I couldn't quite believe he was indicating left and about to turn into what seemed like a crack in the wall. :eek: He was and he did, and I did too. It was more of an optical illusion than a really tight squeeze.

    Hi Celtic Rambler, thanks for the suggestions. Do you know where exactly is the aires in Dinan?


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    #45
    SeamusG97
    Closed Accounts Posts: 384 ✭✭SeamusG97


    colmll wrote: »
    Hi Celtic Rambler, thanks for the suggestions. Do you know where exactly is the aires in Dinan?

    Here it is:

    https://www.google.com/maps/@48.4542992,-2.0383269,20z/data=!3m1!1e3

    It's underneath the viaduct.


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    #46
    Benbecul97
    Registered Users Posts: 988 ✭✭✭Benbecul97


    SeamusG97 wrote: »
    Here it is:

    https://www.google.com/maps/@48.4542992,-2.0383269,20z/data=!3m1!1e3

    It's underneath the viaduct.

    There seems to be many aires in the Dinan area.
    The one in google maps above (underneath the viaduct) is marked #2 (green) in this link http://en.calameo.com/read/001173285de6991609826
    Note its parking only - no services. Plenty there with services (# in pink).


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    #47
    moodrater
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,638 ✭✭✭moodrater


    colmll wrote: »
    Hi Celtic Rambler, thanks for the suggestions. Do you know where exactly is the aires in Dinan?

    If you have an android phones be there are several aire apps. Cant remember the name of it but the Dutch one has excellent reviews for the Aires by visitors, visitor photos, services listed you can sort by surface type and facilities etc. Most of them you can just click to navigate to the aire. It's worth trying out all the aire apps before you go one was so up to date it told us an aire nearby had just opened when we got theres it was brand new.it had thousand more listed than the others and some swanky private ones too that were more like campsites with internet all services for about a tenner a night.


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    #48
    moodrater
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,638 ✭✭✭moodrater


    I took a look back at the Android Aire apps, the dutch one is:

    All Motorhome Parkings:
    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.nkc.camperplaats&hl=en

    Good: Pictures, site description, user reviews, services, navigation
    Bad: small number of sites

    Park4night:
    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fr.tramb.park4night&hl=en

    Good: Very large number of places, some pictures, user reviews, etc. decent interface, some translations

    Aires Campingcar-infos:
    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fr.aires.ccinfos&hl=en

    Good: Probably the most complete list of aires (8611), municipal campings and parking areas
    Bad: Clunky non intuitive interface, not translated

    There may be others now, those were the best I found.


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    #49
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users Posts: 6,702 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    SeamusG97 wrote: »
    Here it is:

    https://www.google.com/maps/@48.4542992,-2.0383269,20z/data=!3m1!1e3

    It's underneath the viaduct.

    That's the one - the only aire in Dinan itself. The fact that it's under the viaduct should also warn you that there's a bit of a climb to the town centre! :cool:

    (But still a much shorter walk than if you stay on an aire in any of the other communes marked on the calameo link).

    There's not much need to worry about whether or not an aire has "services" when your on the move. If you're sticking to the main roads, you'll pass a waste dump every half hour or so (usually well signposted). If you're dependent on mains electricty, aires are rarely satisfactory (one hour, regardless of how many Ah you need). That just leaves fresh water which can be sourced in small quantities in many areas apart from the aires (e.g. picnic spot toilet blocks).


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    #50
    moodrater
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,638 ✭✭✭moodrater


    CelticRambler wrote: »
    That's the one - the only aire in Dinan itself.

    Thats the advantage of the apps. If you look at the park4night aire app theres another aire at the entrance to the campsite, theres also a camping car area at the hospital a few meters away. Theres two more serviced aires at lanvallay and léhon another 800m away.


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    #51
    Benbecul97
    Registered Users Posts: 988 ✭✭✭Benbecul97


    #1 (pink) in this link http://en.calameo.com/read/001173285de6991609826
    Camping Chateaubriand is down as an Aire de Services.

    but here http://www.campingfrance.com/uk/find-your-campsite/brittany/cotes-d-armor/dinan/camp-municipal-chateaubriand its a Camping Municipal

    So which is it? Both? Do some municipal campsites allow the use of services without staying the night?


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    #52
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users Posts: 6,702 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    moodrater wrote: »
    Thats the advantage of the apps. If you look at the park4night aire app theres another aire at the entrance to the campsite, theres also a camping car area at the hospital a few meters away. Theres two more serviced aires at lanvallay and léhon another 800m away.

    That's the disadvantage of apps - the "aire" at the entrance to the campsite is just a service point, you can't park there. Similarly, "another 800m" puts Léhon at 2km from Dinan town centre. You wouldn't want to do that walk in this heat! :eek:

    Not sure what they're identifying as a "camping car area" at the hospital - I can't find it on any of my resources, but looking at satellite views, I suspect it's just an accessible car park, and again it's a 1.5km (dreary) walk from Dinan town centre.

    The official aire is about 800m from the centre, but it's a gorgeous walk as soon as you cross the road, and you've got the option of going down instead of up and doing a tour of the old port.
    Benbecul97 wrote: »
    #1 (pink) in this link http://en.calameo.com/read/001173285de6991609826
    Camping Chateaubriand is down as an Aire de Services.

    but here http://www.campingfrance.com/uk/find-your-campsite/brittany/cotes-d-armor/dinan/camp-municipal-chateaubriand its a Camping Municipal

    So which is it? Both? Do some municipal campsites allow the use of services without staying the night?

    Yes, that's exactly the case. It'll be marked "campings cars de passage autorisés".


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    #53
    moodrater
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,638 ✭✭✭moodrater


    Benbecul97 wrote: »
    #1 (pink) in this link http://en.calameo.com/read/001173285de6991609826
    Camping Chateaubriand is down as an Aire de Services.

    but here http://www.campingfrance.com/uk/find-your-campsite/brittany/cotes-d-armor/dinan/camp-municipal-chateaubriand its a Camping Municipal

    So which is it? Both? Do some municipal campsites allow the use of services without staying the night?

    Some sites will have an are outside the campsite or adjacent that is an aire.

    This one is a dump aparently and people including the police recommended the viaduct area instead

    The reviews say rough translation:
    Effectively the aire is at the entrance of the campsite ... it is very poorly managed ... bathrooms are dirty ... No maintenance is done

    closed from September until late May .. service terminal is managed by the campsite, can not be used during the closed period.

    a hassle to park ... Thanks to Dinan police officials who had the courtesy to guide us to the bridge near the port. A quiet location and close to everything.


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    #54
    moodrater
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,638 ✭✭✭moodrater


    CelticRambler wrote: »
    That's the disadvantage of apps - the "aire" at the entrance to the campsite is just a service point, you can't park there. Similarly, "another 800m" puts Léhon at 2km from Dinan town centre. You wouldn't want to do that walk in this heat! :eek:

    Its not a disadvantage the official aire is of course in the apps and recommended in the reviews.

    I was merely pointing out that if the aire is full - as many were when we we've been in France the app quickly show all the alternatives nearby. You can look at the reviews and know whether its worth bothering with.


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    #55
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users Posts: 6,702 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    Mmmmmmmmmm. Not if the app directs you to a borne with no parking, or an aire with 4 places when the one you're at has 20 and they're already full. IMO, in those situations, you're better off just driving on and finding a nice spot by the side of the road. There'll probably be half a dozen other campers already there!

    The problems with apps & websites in that situation are that (a) you may need an internet connection; (b) everyone else arriving before and after you will be reading the same reviews and heading for the same place; (c) it's the end of the day and the last thing you want is to be following wild geese!

    It's at times like this that France Passion comes into its own, because the sites are hidden from non-members and apps. :)


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    #56
    moodrater
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,638 ✭✭✭moodrater


    CelticRambler wrote: »
    Mmmmmmmmmm. Not if the app directs you to a borne with no parking, or an aire with 4 places when the one you're at has 20 and they're already full. IMO, in those situations, you're better off just driving on and finding a nice spot by the side of the road. There'll probably be half a dozen other campers already there!

    The problems with apps & websites in that situation are that (a) you may need an internet connection; (b) everyone else arriving before and after you will be reading the same reviews and heading for the same place; (c) it's the end of the day and the last thing you want is to be following wild geese!

    It's at times like this that France Passion comes into its own, because the sites are hidden from non-members and apps. :)

    I wouldn't have been without the apps anyway. We noticed that if its really busy you just go to the next price level people would be wedged into the free aires and there would be a beautiful place a few hundred meters away empty because it cost €4. I wanted to do France Passion last year but didn't reckon the wife could walk away without buying a wheel of cheese or a case of wine :p


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    #57
    niloc1951
    Registered Users Posts: 2,037 ✭✭✭niloc1951


    Last April we stayed the day under the viaduct but moved to a new Aire on Rue du Terrain des Sports at Lanvallay (N48.454302° W02.030374°) which is just a 10 minutes walk to the viaduct and a nice quiet place to spend the night.

    We've also used the Aire at Léhon Tennis Club (N48.442003° W02.042673°) which has free services and is about a 15 minute walk from the old town.


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    #58
    SeamusG97
    Closed Accounts Posts: 384 ✭✭SeamusG97


    niloc1951 wrote: »
    Last April we stayed the day under the viaduct but moved to a new Aire on Rue du Terrain des Sports at Lanvallay (N48.454302° W02.030374°) which is just a 10 minutes walk to the viaduct and a nice quiet place to spend the night.

    We've also used the Aire at Léhon Tennis Club (N48.442003° W02.042673°) which has free services and is about a 15 minute walk from the old town.

    We used Lanvallay for the services on the way into the aire under the bridge - so there's something to suit everybody! :D:D

    Wherever you park Dinan is a lovely town and a great last night/first night stop on the way in or out.


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    #59
    m8
    Registered Users Posts: 905 ✭✭✭m8


    Benbecul97 wrote: »
    Well, their holiday accomodation is in a motorhome so more appropriate where it is, I think.

    Y I don't think OP wants to hear a daily mantra of "Are we there yet?":D

    How did you know that was her mantra :D


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    #60
    m8
    Registered Users Posts: 905 ✭✭✭m8


    The wife said we would be mad not to visit disneyland paris as a suprise for the little one, how handy is this to visit?

    I'm sure some have done this but just wondering that handiest way about it?

    If we did got to eurodisney would we have any problems getting tickets?


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    #61
    SeamusG97
    Closed Accounts Posts: 384 ✭✭SeamusG97


    m8 wrote: »
    The wife said we would be mad not to visit disneyland paris as a suprise for the little one, how handy is this to visit?

    I'm sure some have done this but just wondering that handiest way about it?

    If we did got to eurodisney would we have any problems getting tickets?
    There's a big carpark which has a motorhome section - I couldn't find any services there though I think they were meant to be available.

    You pay at the barrier on entry and there is a daily charge after that which you can pay at an office nearby.
    It's quite expensive per day but there isn't (or wasn't in 2012) any barrier on the exit...;)

    We queued up for tickets at the entry to the park in the morning and it wasn't a problem although there was a wait of about 45mins (It was early July).


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