So, thinking about a trip to France this year, found a really nice site in Brittany and was wondering if anyone on here as done a similar trip and can offer advice, I have stayed in this country for the past 3 years but fancy a bit of a change.

My idea is to set off from Bolton, overnight stay near the M25, then the following day jump on the Eurotunnel, then once in France head an hour from Calais towards Brittany, overnight stay then the following day head into Brittany for about 10 nights, the return will be the reverse of the above.

Any suggestions?

Chris

How about overnight ferry Portsmouth to St Malo? Return journey overnight Caen to Portsmouth.

Expensive, but low stress, and a short journey on the France side.

We used to do this when I was a kid. It was always a toss-up between a longer ferry journey but less driving, or vice versa. In the spring and autumn the sea can be really bad, but it can be unpleasant at any time of year. I hated the ferry.

From the above, your second day seems short. Oh and I know of a decent site near the Eurotunnel but it was ALL Brits – this may or may not be a good thing for you! And they were all in spanking new flashy vans, so if you are of a jealous disposition or have a working class chip on your shoulder it might not be ideal either 😉

I think the plan was to get to France and drive for an hour away from Calais, gives the kids a break(aged 5 & 3)and we can have a rest before finishing the journey, we did look at the ferry but it was working out almost triple the tunnel.

live nr rochdale and done the same four times i think.. we travel overnight and get ferry to st malo stay overnight locally and travel through france next day.. cut out as much driving as possible.. even if you enjoy it! the miles from calais to brittany stack up big time and the roads in northern france are busy.. so keep it simples st malo or sherbourg if you want to drive a bit but calais is tooo far if you only dropping down as far as brittany

Have a gander over on Ukcampsite, they are a very helpful bunch and have massive knowledge of exactly what your after. I have been toying with buying a folding camper to do the same as you(and weekends at home in Scotland), even though we have a 10hr journey to the channel i reckon it would be worth it as we would stay for 3 weeks. Also our kids are the same age as yours and luckily for us they are superb travellers..

The ferry ,Dover -Calais should always be cheaper than the tunnel,and by some margin.The Dover ferries are always cheaper during the night,and the roads quieter on each side of the channel.
Michelin have an online service that will plan you a route telling you the distance and toll charges if any(the tolls towing a caravan are horrendous).
Depending on the time of year it may be worth getting an ACSI discount card.You can use this off season,generally not July/August,but it can give you quite good savings.
Its not a difficult drive from Calais,just Rouen to negotiate,and now there is a new Autoroute down to Le Mans(again extortionately priced).