I am hoping the seasoned campers who travel to Europe would be able to critique my itinerary for my first camping trip in France next year please. It has been a while since I drove to Europe and back.
Travelling via Eurotunnel, and the journey from home to the Tunnel is estimated to be 3h on a good day. The campsite is in Carnac about 7h drive away from the Tunnel.
Hence I am breaking the journey up by staying overnight in Bolougne-sur-mer to avoid staying overnight in Calais.
Outbound Saturday in the afternoon.
Overnight in a budget hotel along A16 near Bolougne-sur-mer (this way, I avoid the restriction of arriving at a campsite by a certain time).
If I arrive sufficiently, I shall go a do a grocery shop in a nearby supermarket.
Sunday continue with my journey to the campsite in Carnac, do a shop first if necessary.
Sunday to Saturday (6 nights) at campsite, off to the vets for return trip worm treatment on Friday.
Saturday head back to the budget hotel in Bolougne-sur-mer, do a shop if time allows to bring goodies back to UK.
Sunday head back home via the Tunnel early afternoon, do a shop if time allows.
Thanks for your help in advance.
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
I agree with Franbee; I'd head to a campsite on the first and last nights - especially since you have the ease and convenience of a van - and remember a supposed seven hour journey can easily turn into a nine hour journey, leaving you feeling frazzled.
What time are you thinking of setting off on Saturday afternoon? Is there any way you could set off a bit earlier in the day on Saturday, or even go late Friday afternoon? It could effectively gain you a day.
On your current itinerary, if you set off at, say 3pm, allowing a minimum of 4.5 hours to get to Eurotunnel and check in, that means a crossing at approx 7:30, arrive in France 9:00 pm (30 minute crossing olus add an hour on for French time). Drive to your hotel in Bolougne and it's already very late.
Remember that shopping opportunities are always more limited in France on Sundays, some supermarkets don't open at all and some close at lunchtime.
I would get a bit further than Boulogne on your first day. Firstly go earlier in the afternoon, and travel further, because from experience there is nothing worse than having four or five hours to kil in a hotel room the size of a shoebox, situated on some out of the way 'Business/retail park' with nothing else but chain restaurants within walking distance. When we use them we arrive just in time to have a shower and go to bed. We've started to look for privately owned properties, where you have more room, often a private garden to sit in, and a generally more positive experience.
Second, on the Sunday, do your shop early because supermarkets close at lunchtime (and many don't open at all in non-tourist areas).
Realistically, with an earlier afternoon crossing, you could get to the campsite Camping Ste Claire at Neufchatel en Bray which you can book in advance. Even better, there is a LeClerc and an Aldi within 'shopping distance' so you're all sorted for your onward journey of around five hours, meaning you get to Carnac in good time to set up on Sunday.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Thanks both. I may drive further down towards the campsite on Day 1. I decided against that as I know Bolougne.
First thing I checked was the supermarket opening times for the ones I intended to visit, and it looks like they open Sunday mornings until about 12:30 to 13:00!
I am not a morning person, hence I aim to start my journey from home at 10:00 on Saturday.
Allowing a pit stop roughly half way, I should reach Folkstone by about 14:00, add 1h buffer, 0.5h crossing, I should reach Calais by about 16:30.
I could continue to drive towards the campsite, with a break around 18:00 for a bite to eat, to reach the hotel along the route around 20:00ish.
The hotel chain I am likely to use would be the cheap and cheerful Premiere Classe that allows dogs. I had used this chain in the past and liked it. I may go up a notch and stay at an Ibis instead.
Not keen to drive to a campsite due to having to arrive at a certain time - I find that stressful having to arrive at a certain time while camping in UK!!!
With a hotel/motel, I can arrive anytime I like, and that's what I prefer, and it is worth the extra IMHO.
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
I forgot to mention, due to work, I avoid spending significant time on the road during weekdays.
In the past, I would set off at around 17:00 from home on a Friday to avoid the rush hour on the dreaded M25, to cross the Channel late at night, overnight stay near City Europe, then start the journey the next day bright and early (that was in a car to go to Bordeaux).
I do not wish to stay overnight in Calais so as to avoid any potential issues with immigrants etc...
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
Allowing a pit stop roughly half way, I should reach Folkstone by about 14:00, add 1h buffer, 0.5h crossing, I should reach Calais by about 16:30.
If you get to the tunnel terminal around 14.00, that means a train about an hour later or so (you have to check in at least 1 hour before booked departure time), so around 15.00 (unless it's quiet and they put you on an earlier train); crossing is about 35 minutes, add an hour as France is an hour ahead, so, yes, all being well you should get to France between 16.30-17.00.
If it's any help, we normally stay at a campsite very close to the tunnel, Les Epinettes, https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/reviews.asp?revid=6355, it's very quiet, and there is no barrier to stop you arriving at 8 or 9pm. Close to the A16 for an easy start next morning; but I think you've decided to stay in a hotel the first night so ignore that!
------------- Ina
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
If you reckon on arriving in Folkestone around 4.30 pm, having had bits of breaks whilst waiting to board, onboard etc, you should be able to get to a campsite by 6-7 pm, pitch up for the night and eat.
We used to leave home at 10am, and for us it is a full day travel. Short lunch break at Grantham, then stop at Maidstone services for a (not very exciting) meal, which means no cooking later or looking for somewhere to eat. Cross around 6pm, or earlier if possible, then to an (unbooked) campsite if cheap season, or to Aire de Baie de Somme if not.
And as Val A says, pitch up, brew, shower and bed.
There used to be showers at that Aire, in the main building, but it has been refurbished, so not sure now, someone else will know. We have showered at Autoroute Aires too, paid a modest amount for the key, both went in together, 1 washed 1 dried.
I wouldn’t go to Carnac via Calais.
Overnight with a cabin from Portsmouth to St Malo then it’s about 100 miles to drive instead of 400 from Calais.
Quote: Originally posted by dk168 on 01/8/2022
Allowing a pit stop roughly half way, I should reach Folkstone by about 14:00, add 1h buffer, 0.5h crossing, I should reach Calais by about 16:30.
I could continue to drive towards the campsite, with a break around 18:00 for a bite to eat, to reach the hotel along the route around 20:00ish.
The hotel chain I am likely to use would be the cheap and cheerful Premiere Classe that allows dogs. I had used this chain in the past and liked it. I may go up a notch and stay at an Ibis instead.
Not keen to drive to a campsite due to having to arrive at a certain time - I find that stressful having to arrive at a certain time while camping in UK!!!
Your profile shows you have a "MWB VW Crafter PVC" - I'm not sure if this is fully self-contained (ie. toilet, water etc) or not? If it is, then I'd suggest staying at an aire de camping car the first night instead of a campsite - you can arrive at any time.
I notice you are based in Devizes, not far from me in Mendip, We Went to Carnac Easter. Have you considered Going Plymouth -> Roscoff?
The Ferry Leaves approx 10pm, Docking at 8am, and it is a comfortable drive to Carnac in one go. For me it is about 90 Mins to Plymouth, adding possibly another 45 Mins from Devizes, it reduces the travel time to Dover.
I do both Dover and BRittany Ferry crossings regualarly, but with increased fuel costs, from the west Country to get to Dover, and the shorter traveling times, I am prefering the Brittany routes, Including Portsmouth - Caen, crossing depending upon where our ultimate destination is.
------------- Best Regards
Nathan
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
I would have a check of the other ferries to Caen / St Malo / Roscoff first, you're cutting your port-to-site journey at least in half, but more importantly adding 1 or 2 days to your trip (depending on overnights in the ferry, etc). Even if its more expensive, factor in the huge fuel cost nowadays of the extra 350 miles you'll be driving from Devizes to Caen.
I reckon Devizes to Folkestone via M25 in 3 hours is wildly optimistic! I'd say 4 hours for a good journey with extra time allowed for any delays. The M25 is pretty unreliable in planning journey times, occasionally it surprises and you make excellent progress, but mostly it's a struggle, AND if general density of traffic is high, the variable speed limits WILL drop to 40-50MPH, even 30MPH, and you'll be lucky if you can consistently reach those speeds. You will also be picking it up on the Surrey section which is one of the most troublesome/accident prone bits! When it goes wrong it's often spectacularly so and an hour's delay is not uncommon! One of the problems is, if you need to get off it because of say a major accident/closure there is/are no viable alternative road(s) to speak of, you are plugging through urban streets and country lanes! I'm a regular to and from near you from NW London, and on the M25, so know the roads well, there is good reason why the M25 has a dreadful reputation, but trying to avoid it, you will double your journey time, just never view M25 with optimism and be grateful if you negotiate it in good time!
Don't know the start or end of your route in France, but French roads are easy to drive in most cases (avoid THEIR holiday periods!), but 7 hours (again optimistic timing! - more like 8 hours from Bolougne-sur-mer) is a long slog (It's not so long as to deter me, but I'd plan it very carefully with a pre-planned leg stretch every 2-2.5 hours.), reckon you'd be better breaking your journey further along than Bolougne-sur-mer or depending on timing, possibly a second stop. Unless time is ultra critical, worth considering saving around 40 Euros in motorway tolls and taking the scenic A Roads, personally I enjoy the drive more than thrashing down a pretty boring motorway for hour after hour where it's difficult to keep your concentration levels up.
I'd also look at some of the ferry crossings, say a Newhaven-Dieppe ferry, which is only 4 hours crossing and relatively cheap, albeit the dog would have to stay in your van for the crossing, but it can work quite well on timings and probably doesn't work out so expensive when you take fuel savings into account as would have 200 miles less driving! I'm a well practised traveller to France, ultimately always heading for Le Mans with the odd deviation for sightseeing on route and using NW London as our start point, and we've studied all the channel crossing options, and the Dover/Tunnel crossing just doesn't work for us on time/fuel/cost basis as so far from both our start point AND destination, and your journey is even worse, we'd only do it if we had somewhere on route that we wanted to visit, not as a viable channel crossing alone.
As others have said, don't rely on French shops being open on a Sunday, or if open likely only for very restricted hours such as closing at mid-day even for the big hypermarkets. What you can bring back into UK duty free is now different since Brexit, so worth checking allowances. Of course all sorts of new restrictions on what you are allowed to take INTO France from UK food wise (including Dog food!), worth checking on that and making sure you have sufficient provisions either permitted for import or source immediately after arriving in France, although not encouraging law breaking, there do not seem to be very many checks being made and I know of hundreds of illegal food imports that have been made! - BUT risk involved and you may have contraband confiscated, so at least a contingency supply plan in place as well!
Consider getting a Crit'Air sticker for your van, at around £4 posted to UK it's a no brainer, just to have to never think or worry about the Emission Zones. You may not intend to visit the handful of cities that have permanent Emission Zones (Rouen does in a limited form), but legislation is in place for just about any Local Authority to declare an emergency 'pop-up' zone should pollution levels hit certain limits, those pop-up zones can be MUCH larger than the limited small permanent zones, and a pain to try and get around. Minimal risk of falling foul of a zone, but at under £4 is it worth even a small risk.
I've Critiqued your original plan, but do think many of the comments made are highly valid and worthy of consideration.
Half the fun of a new adventure is the planning, and the things it throws up that take you away from original bare bones ideas.
Thanks for the suggestion for cross the Channel by ferry.
However, based on previous painful experience for the short crossing between Calais and Dover a few times using different methods (hovercraft, cat and big ferry), as well as ferry to Cherbourg and St. Malo (at least once overnight on the ferry) before 2008 and before I had a dog, I would not use any ferry route again, and prefer to use the Tunnel and drive from Calais to Carnac or anywhere else, sorry!
I appreciate your concerns about staying at hotels/motels along the route. However, given I have yet to go camping in France in any type of units, to avoid the risk of any faux pas, I would prefer to stick with what I know as in hotel/motel.
And yes, the van is self-contained with its own onboard facilities.
I shall read all the responses in detail later as there is a lot to absorb and consider.
Thanks again!
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
With regard to on the road time, I always take it with a very large pinch of salt.
For example the route to Thetford Forest/East Anglia in general, Google Maps predicted about 4h via M40>A45>A14>A11 avoiding M25 (this is the route I use when I was travelling from work in Thetford back to Warminster), it took 6h including a pit stop at Cherwell Valley services just off M40.
So please be assured that I shall build it lots of buffers, especially if M25 is involved!
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
Quote: Originally posted by dk168 on 01/8/2022
With regard to on the road time, I always take it with a very large pinch of salt.
For example the route to Thetford Forest/East Anglia in general, Google Maps predicted about 4h via M40>A45>A14>A11 avoiding M25 (this is the route I use when I was travelling from work in Thetford back to Warminster), it took 6h including a pit stop at Cherwell Valley services just off M40.
So please be assured that I shall build it lots of buffers, especially if M25 is involved!
DK
I do a lot of driving to places and via routes I don't know for the dog rescue charity I do dog transports for, because it's often a relay effort involving several people doing legs of moving dog from one end of country to other, we need to be quite accurate on our estimated journey times to make rendezvous/handover timings work, I use TomTom Mydrive online route planner, set the vehicle to light camper (even though I've only got a car, but then you can set your max speed!), set max speed to 55 or 60 MPH depending on mostly A road or Motorway, and then plan the route, the estimated journey times given generally prove to be remarkable close to what I actually find on the road. Without the 'conditioning filters' the journey times only hold true in ideal conditions, and how often do we find those these days! Some of the route planners live in cloud cuckoo land and come up with sheer fantasy figures! https://mydrive.tomtom.com/en_gb/#mode=viewport+viewport=54.4641,-3.23499,4.67,0,-0+ver=3
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Critique please - France 2023
via mobile 01/8/2022 at 4:39am
