Viewing 17 posts - 1 through 17 (of 17 total)
  • Camping in France in August – Need to Book?
  • BigJohn
    Full Member

    Mrs BigJohn & I are planning to head off in the car to France & Spain at the end of July taking bikes, windsurfers and camping gear and just mooching around for a few weeks as the mood takes us. I’m thinking of Mediterranean coast from the Camargue down to Perpignan and then doing some riding in the Pyrennees.

    I thought that if we stayed away from the more crowded tourist hot spots we would be able to find a camp site when we needed one, but Mrs BigJohn is getting a bit jittery and thinks we will need to book. I think that will spoil the fun – having to have a schedule.

    Does anybody have any recent experience or recommendations?

    tracknicko
    Free Member

    depends where/when/how popular it is. we booked on west coast two years ago and got stung for a fairly substantial booking fee, only to turn up and the site be half empty.

    so last year we didn’t book, and got turned away from site we aimed for!

    actually turned out to be a good thing as we drove round a bit and found a beautiful old chatueax/farm place that let us camp for absolute peanuts compared to the full place, which was also full of screaming kids.

    win win.

    oh and… wing it is my conclusion. booking/planning is for girls!

    atlaz
    Free Member

    I’d say if you’re going somewhere busy in August, book. The coast closest to where my folks live is HEAVING and the sites within walking distance of the beach are always rammed. If you’re prepared to go somewhere inland or what have you, you can wing it.

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    grum
    Free Member

    We did something similar last August. We didn’t book on the way down and tried to camp in/around Bergerac in the Dordogne and the campsites were all full. We eventually found somewhere that was fine (cheap/basic) and not busy but by this point it was 10pm and we were tired, stressed and hungry.

    We did book in Luchon and I’m glad we did – thik we might have squeezed in but it was very busy. I can thoroughly recommend Luchon by the way if you’re going to the Pyrenees. Lovely spot.

    I reckon it’s quite doable not to book but be prepared not to get into your preferred option and don’t rock up late assuming you’ll get in.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    Anywhere South, book or you’ll find no where to camp. Ended up in Italy one summer as there was no where in France with any space. Not kidding, was driving for about 20 hours camp site to camp site, hotel to hotel, everything was full and there loads of people doing the same. Eventually gave up and drove across the border, found a hotel and collapsed…..

    ocrider
    Full Member

    Wing it!

    Just head for the campsites further inland than Palavas, Cap dAgde, Serignan, etc because are generally huge and packed. The whole coast from Aigues Mortes to Argeles is an effing great holiday camp from July 14th to Aug 15th and is thus best avoided if you like to move freely!
    A better idea would be to use sites along the Herault river (Belarga, Montagnac, the Bueges valley) or if you insist on bringing windsurfers, lac Salagou where there are hills, nice singletrack, a bit of shade, bloody good wine and what have you.

    ocrider
    Full Member

    Glitchy phoney bollix

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    Hmmm. I might try to book a few days then at somewhere like Leucate for the windsurfing and then look around for other stuff.

    We’re usually happier off the beaten track anyway, and with bikes it doesn’t really matter if you’re a couple of miles away from the bars and cafes.

    ocrider
    Full Member

    Yeah, you’d definately need to book for somewhere near Leucate.

    simons_nicolai-uk
    Free Member

    end of July

    Check the French holiday dates – their season is pretty much 4 weeks in August and for those 4 weeks the country pretty much shuts down, everyone goes on holiday and everything is booked. The week before you’ll probably be fine.

    scuttler
    Full Member

    Never had any bother when travelling around in the summer holidays with a little tent staying one or two nights max through the Alpes, South Coast, Dordogne, Pyrenees, Atlantic Coast and other less busy areas but that’s for une nuit, petite tent. A week with an apartment style tent might be different. We always used the Michelin Green camping guide plus the detailed road atlas to decide where to head and in some cases call in advance.

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Camping-Guide-France-Michelin-Guides/dp/2067169343

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    Just bought the guide, so I’ll get booking. (for the Med coast only, pot luck elsewhere)

    TuckerUK
    Free Member

    I hope no one minds if I tag along with a question here…

    We’re driving down from Calais to the Tarn region in August to stay with friends. Planing on spending a leisurely three days/nights getting there and three days/nights getting back. Will only be camping the night, so no glamping 4-star sites required, just a flat field will be fine. Worst case scenario a quiet clearing off the beaten track, although technically not legal, would do.

    Two adults one child, this tent

    Should we book in advance or wing it?

    finishthat
    Free Member

    make sure you check <bison fute> for the best days to be OFF the roads

    ocrider
    Full Member

    Bigjohn +1 thats the spirit!

    Tuckeruk, just stay southwest of That Paris and you’ll be fine outside of the touristy areas.

    The crafty bison thing is only if you want to be stuck behind dutch caravans on the weekends on D roads. Be smart: don’t drive on the weekend. Unlike me, but I don’t have the choice. 😕

    TuckerUK
    Free Member

    Just returned from our 1,917 mile tour of France. Didn’t book and didn’t encounter any full campsites (unrated, one or two star), although some of them were very busy (as predicted, those further north).

    Surprised by the small pitches though. Perhaps we’re spoilt, we usually camp in the New Forest, where if one chooses a spot carefully it is perfectly possible to avoid seeing other campers.

    Washroom facilities good to excellent even on the cheaper sites (under 10 Euro per night).

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    Yes we were pretty lucky with sites. The only day we were turned away was near boulogne. The prices went up a fair bit near the Med. 37 euro a night in carcassonne was the most we paid.

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