Can I just pick up David Klyne, saying most French sites have pools, restaurants etc? Not so, most of the ones we use do not have either of those facilities, and we've been on a lot. Generally we find the camping experience in France better than UK, but we do go out of season, try to avoid children.(been there, done that).
Franbee
My view was based on 20 years of visiting France and experience of staying at well over 100 campsites so as a sample I think my observation is fair. Like you we go out of the main season and don't seek out the facilities I mentioned. Without doubt you can find the campsite you prefer but I would suggest you have to specifially look for them. I note you seem to use a fair number of Municipal campsites and many would fall into your no frills category. We tend to look for sites in the area we want to visit and decide that way, particularly if they are in one of the discount schemes.
David
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From my experience there is little difference between some of the sites in Europe/France and in the UK. Some of the better sites in Europe are equally as good as the better sites in the UK and the poorer ones are equally as poor.
Sometimes the facilities are distibuted in a different way. You might get a larger outdoor swimming complex and other outdoor facilities in France, but more indoor facilities in the UK - places like Lincoln Farm in Oxfordshire spring to mind. Some pitches on the continent tend to be a little smaller (those on sies in the Black forest tend to be more restricted than a lot.
I think what makes the sites better in France is the more laid back holiday attitude. I'm sure this has much to do with the weather and the wine. In the UK we all lock ourselves away for the night as soon as it goes colder. In Provence you can be sitting outside by someone else's caravan having a drink still wearing shorts (and sometimes drinking them) until the early hours. It's not the sites that are any better. It's the weather and the people.
If it rains, we run the risk of it being a bit muddy, wherever it is. It's just that it rains more here than in France (generally). A thunderstorm in Provence could result in an extremely heavy downpour, but after it stops, the sun comes straight back out and a few hours later it is as if it never happened.
On balance, I don't think there is much to choose with the overall quality of sites, IMHO, but there are certainly other factors.
nelmo, thanks for the recommendation ... I'll check out that review.
And good guess: no kids. Find them quite amusing though, running around the campsite.
Anybody got any suggestions for Wales? I've had a look around the reviews and there are so many to choose from. Some kind of review scoring system would really help, stars out of 5 for different aspects, that kind of thing.
I have read through this thread and in my opinion we have stayed on wonderful sites in both countries but we have also stayed on awful sites in both countries. What you do get in France, which can make the worse sites better, is the weather ! although not this year it seems).
We have stayed in this country for the last 3 yeats as we find the costs in France prohibitive. Fuel being the main one and the fact you have to travel much greater distances. We now stay here travel 150/200 miles at a time and we have not had a bad site in those 3 years and we have seen some wonderful parts of the country.
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The reason for my initial post was really that I was hoping someone who loves tent-camping in France like me, could make a couple of recommendations for sites in the UK. And thanks for the ones I've received - much appreciated.
But I do seem to have opened up a bit of a debate here .
Am I right in suspecting a slight bias towards tent-camping in France? Here's my reasoning ... unless you're lucky enough to be retired, most of us only have two or three weeks for a holiday, max. With the additional effort and expense of getting a caravan half-way down France, I guess that would tend to be for longer stays (you lucky people), and I'm also guessing less frequent. Hence my suspicion that there's a bias towards tent camping in France. Mind you there did seem to be one hell of a lot of retirees enjoying their caravans when we where there in May, most of them there for the pre-summer break, i.e. 3 months. Lucky blighters.
I stand ready to be corrected.
I got into camping in the first place as a means to an end, for the immediate availablity of great walking/biking/kayaking, and anything else I can get stuck into in a big chunk of nature. It didn't take long until I started enjoying the camping just as much as the activities. Now, our nature may not be quite as chunky as over the channel, but I'm sure we can give them a run for their money on the campsites.
Quote: Originally posted by pitchperfect on 14/7/2010
Am I right in suspecting a slight bias towards tent-camping in France? Here's my reasoning ... unless you're lucky enough to be retired, most of us only have two or three weeks for a holiday, max. With the additional effort and expense of getting a caravan half-way down France, I guess that would tend to be for longer stays (you lucky people), and I'm also guessing less frequent. Hence my suspicion that there's a bias towards tent camping in France. Mind you there did seem to be one hell of a lot of retirees enjoying their caravans when we where there in May, most of them there for the pre-summer break, i.e. 3 months. Lucky blighters.
I stand ready to be corrected.
Come on people, spill the beans ...
Thats certainly not my experience. We tend to go May/June and then September/October and I would say that tent campers are very much in the minority. The only time to see them in any numbers is if there is an event going on locally where a tent is a means to an end and not part of a hobby. Its different in the main summer weeks when I suspect tents are more numerous. Although now retired we always took our holidays at the same time albeit not quite so long in duration!
I think it could possibly be down to the time of year also. We went to France in May this year (normally we go end of August/early September) and where we camped in the Tarn Gorge for a week it was mostly caravans. It's always been almost exclusively tents wherever we've been before, although we do tend to be in the more outdoor action type areas. It was a 4 star site which takes Camping Cheques, which may have something to do with it. Who knows. By the way, it's a great site (Les Peupliers), and if you're up for some pretty hardcore kayaking I recommend the full day kayak, after loads of rain, that finishes at the site. Don't get it confused with the nice cruise much further up the gorge (we did and got a pleasant suprise ).
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Francophile1947: Local ... errr ... it'd just around the corner from me on my regular bike route - I go past it all the time. And yes, it's a lovely looking site, right on the river in a great village, with loads of great walking and cycling options. We moved here from London last year for exactly those reasons ... great minds think alike
Quote: Originally posted by pitchperfect on 13/7/2010
nelmo, thanks for the recommendation ... I'll check out that review.
And good guess: no kids. Find them quite amusing though, running around the campsite.
Anybody got any suggestions for Wales? I've had a look around the reviews and there are so many to choose from. Some kind of review scoring system would really help, stars out of 5 for different aspects, that kind of thing.
Spoken like a true childless person...
Well, I hope I'm not getting boring but Pencelli Castle in the Brecon Beacons is a great site (again, see my review) - right next to the Taff trail (big, circular bike trail), canal nearby and you can hire kayaks for it (probably a bit dull compared to what you're used to).
I think the reviews have star ratings for various categories (I know I entered them when doing the reviews)...
------------- 'In later life, you will be more disappointed with the things you didn't do than with the things you did.' - Mark Twain
What happens to the star ratings? I keep entering them when I review, but can't yet see what others have rated, or the average stars awarded etc? Ratty?
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You mention in your review the pitches are quite small? Are we talking 5mx7m kind of size? Is that just for EHU/caravan ptiches? ... there's a picture on their site of a field full of tents, so I'm guessing pitch size is less of a problem if you're sited there (non-EHU probably).
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: UK campsites as good as French ones
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... great minds think alike 
