We both have 3 weeks off in August and a little self converted van to take away full of toys.

Currently deliberating with either another west coast/highlands Scottish road trip or a bit of sun on a european road trip. A drift through France, Switzerland, maybe Austria and to the Italian lakes appeals. Whichever we choose plenty of open water swimming either at sea or in lakes is a must with a bit of quality biking a big bonus.

Thing is, I’m looking for some peace and quiet too and have a complete aversion to big holiday camp style sites, cheek by jowl camping and crowded tourist honey pots. I know I’ll get that in Scotland but all my initial research for the continent for that time of year has made me shudder. Am I wrong, can you have a chilled out time in that part of the world at that time of year? If so, some recommended places worth investigating would be great.

Ta.

some places have big holiday park campsites – and you can’t really get alternatives other places have nice secluded campsites- plenty of space – plenty of privacy you just need to take time selecting them – and probably stay away from the beach resorts…

Hell yes. We did an august road trip in the camper around the Brittany Coast then south down the Bay of Biscay with some island hopping thrown in. There’s some great secluded beaches on the coastline and some gems on belle ille and llles de grenan. Occasionally we stopped at busier sites in towns like Camaret but on the whole it was quiet coastal campsites.

on the roads – never ever travel on Saturdays

http://www.bison-fute.gouv.fr/previsions-bison-fute,langen.html

“advice” tab for a calendar of predicted busy days on the road.

Weather/midges vs easily accessible quiet camping

Stay away from the mainland Europe holiday hotspots and you’ll be fine.

Spend 2 out of 3 nights in lay-bys or remote beach car parks instead of on sites and it’s a no brainier*

*I’ll be spending a week in the highlands in August but after 2 weeks of glorious sunshine, walking, road riding and beaches in Southern Europe.

Germany, northern France – all deserted in high summer because all the residents have buggered off. Went to Paris in middle of July last year and it was very quiet!

Thanks for the info so far. Any more hidden gems of tranquility alternatives to Lake Garda?

I’ve certainly had pleasant camping in the Pyrenees. It wasn’t empty but far from unpleasant

Locations Chalets / Mobilhomes

It was a while back. Hmm last century. But the point remains that there are pleasant mountains which aren’t crazy packed with people

I also like camping here

http://www.le-tedey.com/campsite-france-gironde.html

The big coastal towns are busy but just walk to find a beach with lots of empty space

the Alpes is busier

The Alps is busier but its still possible to find pleasant campsites that aren’t theme parks

Oh and the North west of Spain is lovely really not that busy (I have cycled past empty town beaches in August). Perhaps look at the Picos du Europa for Mountains

Bourg Saint Maurice is a nice alpine town with a decent but not massive campsite. Great riding to be had nearby in Les Arcs, La Thuile, La Rosiere, Tignes, St Foy etc and then only an hour or so from Lake Annecy, which is stunning. There are plenty of other towns to try for camping as well for an even quieter stay.

Stay away from the Med coast and most of Spain would be fine – just avoid major cities on Friday and Sunday afternoons.

Though inland Spain isn’t so good for swimming, of course!

Switzerland is very quiet but pretty expensive (might be okay if you’re camping and have own supplies I suppose).

There are tons of sites in France that aren’t big holiday camps – no brainer that one. Just shop wisely, as in all areas of life.

As for traffic, become familiar with the bison-fute site 🙂

I really like this site, it’s not very big but has everything you need. Lake Maggiore