Got two weeks off in September, the missus is struck with our new tent and likes the idea of camping in France (for the weather) and taking the dog with us. I've not been abroad since God was a lad so I'm happy with this too...
So, anyone know of somewhere coastal, that may be warm? Shall we just blast down on the east coast and pitch up for 10 days or shall we travel a little. We've both been working really hard all year so looking to relax and if I've got to drive for 15 hours to get there I'm not moving once I get there, or shall we do what sensible people would do and pitch overnight en route half way?
I've literally NO idea how long it take to get to the South East coast!
1) Check out the tunnel and the dog and the current rabies rules to make sure you have enough time to take the dog.
2) Driving 15hrs in 1 go is pointless unless it's life or death.
Stick some pins in google maps and see what the timings are for driving, for the SE have a look at the ferries out of Portsmouth to avoid some of the drive.
First time we stayed in Brittany there was a downpour within an hour of arriving and a river developed through the tent, the good lady was at the camp office booking a caravan within minutes !
Weve been back loads of times and its one of may favourite holidays, you will need to get down to the La Rochelle area to be pretty certain of good weather.
I live in the south east but even using the tunnel couldnt make it that far in one go but suspect im a bit of a wimp when it comes to endurance driving.
Youll have a great time.
This post is coming to you live from a corsican campsite. Just grabbing a coffee after a morning walk with junior.
We have the benefit of a camper van so can break up long journeys at will using commune Aires to stop overnight at for free. We took 3 days to get to nice and our ferry over to corsica. Campsites in burgundy are well used by the Belgians and Dutch as halfway stops on their annual migration to the south of France. Look at sites around Beaune and santenay for some nice ones.
It's still another long day on to the south coast so many stop in burgundy for a few days en route. It's very pleasant and there's even some reasonable xc MTB to be done.
September is a nice time to travel but be aware that it's towards the end of the season and some facilities will be winding down.
@geordie - so you are starting from Newcastle and you definitely want the coast ? The Med is too far. I would suggest day 1 involves getting to France, stopping somehwere not too far from the tunnel, perhaps around Le Touquet (nice open beaches) or one of the pretty harbour towns like Honfluer. Day 2 I would head for Vendee or around La Rochelle. That's quite far South.
Alternative might be to do Portsmouth Caen on Ferry or overnight boat to St Malo so you can sleep. Spend a day in St Malo then go down to Southern Brittany, eg around Carnac or Gulf du Morbihan.
The advantage with September is most of the French will have gone back to school/work.
@geordie - so you are starting from Newcastle and you definitely want the coast ?
No, from Wigan, couple of hours head start from the toon. I can be a le chunnel in 5 hours leaving at right time of day.
Coast not too important, just war a good chance of warm dry weather really.
Ferries are a no no, unfortunately my missus just won't get on one, otherwise we'd be on one to Bilbao.
From Leeds we tend to get the an overnight from Portsmouth to one of the Brittany ports. Then drive to S Coast of Brittany or maybe Vendee. It's really doable - and driving in France is pretty stress free - particularly if you are prepared to spend a few quid and use the motorway.
Coming back there isn't an overnight boat - so either a stop near the port and early boat or stop in the S of England somewhere if getting a later boat.
... the big downside is the cost - Brittany ferries are expensive. LD Lines much cheaper - but very basic - I would get a cabin both ways as there is nothing much on the boats
We've never had much trouble getting on sites at any time of year (I think we've been turned away once or twice over 4 years travel through Europe)
Pick a final destination/area you want to get to then drive til about 3:30/4 pm each day (or later if you're on a mission to get somewhere) and start looking for a spot to camp. I use my iPhone and iPad a lot when looking for sites. Google maps and search for camping or campsite. Most cities have a municipal site and they are usually pretty good.
We've camped in France for the past 5 years, always in August.
first year we went to La Rochelle and the weather was crap. IMO if you're gonna drive all that way, you might as well do the last few hours and get to the Med for guaranteed (pretty much) good weather.
Last 3 years we've been to Gorge Du Verdon area - stunning scenery, striking distance of Monaco, Nice, Cannes etc for day trips. Some good riding too if you take the bike.
Personally we go for cheap roadside motels if we want to get there quickly, or decent B&B/gites if we want to enjoy a more leisurely journey. Couldn't be arsed getting the tent set up just for a stopover (but our tent is mahoosive and takes us ages to set up).
Most sites will be getting quieter by end of August as all the French holidays have finished - usually still quite a few Brits and Dutch around though.
When working out travelling times in France - you cqn pretty much assume setting the cruise control at 80 and only slowing down for fuel and toll booths if you stick to the autoroutes. Sooooo much better than UK roads.
We are off on Thursday. As said, the miles slip be easily on the French toll roads, even towing a caravan.
Roll in Thursday. (Well, the 4am ferry on Friday anyway). 😉
If you're used to the long drive get it out of the way and nail it down, I do it in one normally. If you're not used to long drives then break it up.
I'd say either have a couple of days en route somewhere nice, or find a hotel F1 on the way. Really wouldn't bother pitching and sorting gear for an overnighter if it's just breaking the journey up for the 20 euros it costs to get a hotel there. Just don't pay for breakfast!
What do you want, adventure filled holiday or just deckchair in the med and a weeks sleep? There's quite a bit you could do on the way down with minimal kit, i.e. bouldering in Fontainebleau, via ferrata/hire a bike in the upper alps, or go down the west coast and go for booze and food?
If i were driving down to south france, which i am soon via tunnel 🙂 i would be checking out annecy and lac de serre poncon? then gorge du verdon. then down to the coast to find some beaches.
Dont know what beaches or where yet though. think the missus wanted to check out la ciotat.. i want to do a beach on iles dhyrees? or something around saint tropez hmm dunno, just want some camping in pine forests that back onto the beach on the south east coast.
nick d +1 for chaep F1 or other cheap stop over but -1 for trying to do it all in one go. ive done alps from southcoast which was plain sailing but tiring, the extra from wigan and to the coast is not worth the risk, break it down and go see something or have a meal out on your extra day over.
I spent two weeks camping with the caravan between St Tropez and Cannes in the Esterel mountains. Really nice beaches with some fair sized mountains to play in too. I have driven down to the south coast from London in one go but that was with with three of us driving through the night (in fact thinking about it we even had evening dinner in Paris visiting one of my friend's grandmother) but I wouldn't say it is a particularly nice way to begin a relaxing holiday
Atlantic Coast south of Bordeaux is pretty special.Les Landes. Cycle lanes through the forest pretty much the whole way to Biarritz. Pine forests and long Atlantic beaches. A lot less people than the Med, depending where you go. Capbreton full of cool kids. Bassin Arcachon too built up though. Dune de Pyla biggest in Europe pretty ecial esp. at Sunset. Just back from a 3 week cycle touring trip there with our kids. We live in Grenoble and would never go to the Med in the summer.
From my experience, you're already too late to get a passport for your dog.
My vote would be for the Vendee, the coast around Les Sables d'Olonne.
[quoteFrom my experience, you're already too late to get a passport for your dog.
he's chipped, up to date with vaccinations and booked in for rabies jab tomorrow, which according to DEFRA is over the minimum 28 days before travel.
This time in two weeks we'll be sat having a beer in a campsite somewhere near Calais. Travelling from Sunderland so the first day is a long one so once we're out of the tunnel that's about it. The other half then wants to go to Paris for a couple of days then we have no idea where we'll be going. It's pretty much going to be us sticking a pin in the map and as long as it's not much more than 3-4hrs from Paris we 'll be going there for the rest of our two weeks. It would be nice to go right down to the Med or south west coast but we've got a 2 year old so don't want to travel too far. Maybe next year.
OK,from your post I thought you had just come up with the idea, but clearly you're well on with it!
I can't help you with camping or campsites in France. However, I can help you with getting from (near) Wigan to South East France. This message comes to you from (an apartment in) Cannes.
It can be done in two days (heck, I've done it in one), but three is nicer. Mainly because we have a young child with us, so need to stop reasonably often.
Day 1: Wigan to Folkestone (or Northern France, eg Arras). This is the worst day of your trip: this time it took only 9 hours to get down the M6/M1/M25/M20 (it was 10 hours last year).
Day 2: Folkestone/Northern France to Lyon. It's a long way, but the motorways north of Paris are empty, and towards Lyon get a bit busier. We stay at the Hilton in Lyon - this is Mrs North's idea of roughing it... 😉
Day 3: Lyon to the South East. Takes around 5-6 hours unless you hit bad traffic south of Lyon towards Orange (before the turnoff onto the A8).
(For old time's sake, we're stopping at a lovely B&B near Beaune on the way back - c100 miles north of Lyon.)
Being France there will be loads of decent campsites near all if these places. Have fun - I'm here in the sun and already jealous of your trip!
@northernmatt - our daughter had her first birthday in Lyon (yes, the Hilton) and has holidayed in southern France each year since (she's on her fourth trip right now).
There are plenty of service stations, and some of the original unmanned picnic sites. We have an electric coolbox and load it with picnic food. There's always somewhere to sit and chill under a tree. And the first time you're sitting in the shade and realise you're listening to the cicadas is special on every trip.
Bonnes routes a tous!
Ref September lots of campsites tend to shut up around the end of the second week of sept in France. You will find some sites open but it'll take a bit more looking around/ you'll have less choice.
We tend to go to Brittany but we have a campervan so if weather rubbish on n Coast we hit the south west coast of Brittany and have been down to the vendee if weather is bad in Brittany. The vendee has a microclimate apparently and is dryer and hotter generally than the surrounding area.
I downloaded a good app a few yrs ago "I campsites" it lists campsites in Europe and will search by location if you're in a town and want to find a site. Even without 3 g it will bring up the details etc.
The area of Brittany on the southern entrance to the bay de morbihan is nice and there's a great municipal campsite at sarzeau which we use a lot. It's the sort of place you can just park up at for a week or so. Walk to supermarket, bars, harbour, little town, markets etc... Island boat trips etc. lovely.