We live on the east coast of Spain and it gets very hot in July and August. To escape the heat of August we want to try camping in northern France, where the temperatures will be cooler.
We are both in our 70´s and have no experience or equipment.
Where do we start, and how soon do we need to book a site for August 2026.
Any advice, especially where to go, would be greatly appreciated.
We like cooking and are looking forward to sampling the fish and shellfish available in northern France.
A swimming pool and electrical hook-up would be nice but not a deal breaker
Kindest regards
Steve and Dawn
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Choose a campsite which has good reviews , good facilities and is well located. You might like the coast of Brittany. As you have no camping equipment of your own reserve a static caravan or fixed tent or on site cabin . Good luck.
Suggestion - if it's your first time camping why not try one of the established tour operators like Eurocamp or Canvas Holidays. They have pre-erected tents, fully equipped (including EHU, a fridge), and with a decent bed and matress. Gives you a chance to try camping without the initial outlay on equipment - and what they provide is more than you're likely to get in your average car. We used Eurocamp a few times in the late 90's when our youngest was a toddler and simply couldn't fit all camping gear, push chair, cot, two kids and two large adults in one car even with a roof rack.
Not exactly cheap in August although last week of the month is usually a fair bit cheaper as for French families with school age kids, holiday season is over. Youll find - as Netherton above has posred - you can book direct with many sites with a range of options and are cheaper than the operators as a rule.
Brittany is the obvious choice for seafood - oysters, fruits de mer etc.
But why not try the Costa Verde, Cantabria in Spain? Temps rarely average above 75F in August and you'll save a fair old bit on petrol and tolls. Also an area renowned for its seafood. In Eurocamp days we stayed at Playa Joyel in Noja, almost on the beach. We did find there wasn't a great deal of space between tents though.
Good luck - I'm 70 and we stopped tenting 8 years ago (I'd been camping since the age of 5 with parents). We now use mainly statics ("locations" or "mobile homes" in France) in early Sept when you can still get good weather but prices often about half of main season. And we live in France so access to sites is comparatively simple.
Thank you for the replies so far. They have been helpful. I had not thought about camping in Spain. I did look at the cost of Eurocamp, but as we plan to stay for the whole month of August, the cost would be prohibitive. We were looking for a very economical way to spend a month in cooler climes, with campsite/electricity and our own, new, equipment we are looking at much less than 2,000€.
We are sold on the idea, so any tips for equipment purchase will be gratefully received.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Quote: Originally posted by Espanabum on 10/6/2025
Thank you for the replies so far. They have been helpful. I had not thought about camping in Spain. I did look at the cost of Eurocamp, but as we plan to stay for the whole month of August, the cost would be prohibitive. We were looking for a very economical way to spend a month in cooler climes, with campsite/electricity and our own, new, equipment we are looking at much less than 2,000€.
We are sold on the idea, so any tips for equipment purchase will be gratefully received.
Do you mean you want to purchase a tent and all the other necessary gear - beds/ lilos, cooking gear, table, chairs etc, plus 4 weeks site fees in the height of the French season for much less than 2k euro? Does it include petrol, food etc?
I think Longcol has raised a VERY valid point, the cost of acquiring a full set of camping kit from scratch can be quite substantial!
If you are going to 'live' in a tent for a month, you really need a decent sized tent with space, you would be 'miserable' and likely hate it within a few days in a too small tent where you needed to crawl around on hands and knees! A decent tent is going to set you back a few hundred Euros to start with.
I've camped in northern France quite a lot in June/July, the weather can be hugely variable, ranging from really scorching sunny and 40C or so to single figures over night! And the rain and thunderstorms can be spectacular. Think of English weather pushed to more extremes, and just as unpredictable! From bitter experience you do need to be prepared for almost anything. - I've melted in the sun to putting on every item of clothing I can to stay warm overnight, including hat and socks! ….. and that's one good reason alone to have a decent tent that copes with the extremes of weather, good ventilation tends only to come on the better tents too, you'll appreciate it in both keeping cooler and minimising condensation when wet!
You don't need to buy 'everything', you can improvise with stuff 'borrowed' from home, like pots and pans and cutlery etc., but the list of stuff that makes camping comfortable is quite long and would likely need buying! A good way of doing a costing is to use a 'Camping must haves' tick list, mark off the things you can borrow from home, and cost the things you need to buy, you might be surprised at how the cost totals up! Good list here: https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/articles/view.asp?id=7
If having food on your pitch (almost any food), you need insect proof storage containers, both to discourage the bugs who won't smell it so easily AND to stop them infesting and spoiling it. An ordinary 'picnic' coolbox is not up to the task of storing perishable foods safely either, it gets very hot in a tent with the sun on it, you'll need a very high quality one with excellent insulation (Igloo, Icytec etc. - not cheap!) AND frequent supplies of ice from a local shop. Don't even think about electric (thermoelectric/Peltier) type coolboxes, useless! Camping fridge/freezers if you have an electric supply, are brilliant but expensive!
Often overlooked until you try and get it all in the car, and many fall at that hurdle! Can you get ALL of your camping kit in your car, it turns out to be surprisingly bulky, and I doubt there's a camper out there who hasn't had a wobbly moment about where's it going to go or what do we leave behind! Believe me, it WORSE breaking camp and coming home, you are in a rush to get off site and nothing seems to fit as well as it did at home! An old trick of seasoned campers is 'don't transport fresh air', meaning empty pots, washing up bowls, even kettles etc. get squidgy or smaller items stuffed into them - it's a black art, taking a certain degree of ingenuity perhaps, but so worth while. Do a dummy car pack BEFORE the day of departure - you'll learn! One thing is that dedicated camping equipment like collapsible bowls and nesting cooking pots etc. take up so much less space than ordinary domestic equivalents and can make transport and even on site living so much easier. An expense, but sometimes the difference between what you can and can't take.
A Eurocamp type holiday will look a LOT more appealing for a one off camp once you've sorted the essentials and costed what you need I fear. For most of us, buying camping gear is for long term use and many trips, so an investment to be utilised over years usually. If you do buy your own kit, what are you going to do with it after your one and only trip? There is a market (at least in the UK there is) for s/h camping gear, but often for much less than new price, so you need to consider the write off cost of the kit you buy.
Certainly not saying don't do it, but do your homework to see if it's as cheap as you think it may be - it's certainly not just the cost of a tent and a pitch!
I've not camped in Northern Spain, but have stayed in an apartment up in the Picos de Europa a couple of times, visiting the coastal region on days out, and absolutely loved it. TBH, I've friends living in Southern Spain and have visited them, but I hate the terrain and the climate, the north is much more to my liking. The Picos de Europa region is the summer retreat for Madrid's wealthy, with their holiday homes almost taking over some parts, as they like to escape the heat. Few years since I've been there, but got the impression of the region being almost secret from the tourist industry, so 'Spanish' and unspoilt in many ways.
If you intend to camp for a few years then the cost of gear is a one off for year 1. Easiest place to buy all your gear as a 1 stop shop in Spain will be Decathlon. Search online there will be a branch near you.
In France cheapest sites are camping municipals. Look slightly inland from coast & you might find one for about 25€ pn in August.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
It does not include food or travel, just the equipment and site fees. The idea is to camp every year during August, so the kit is not just for a one off trip. I intend to get a tent with a bedroom at either end, and some living accommodation in the middle. Decathlon has been my main point of investigation, although I have already bought some beds from Amazon, to see how good they are to sleep on, a pair for less than 120€, https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0DHVQFYZ9?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
Thanks for the link to the equipment, that is a great help.
Good tips about food storage too, although, apart from a few basics, we intend to buy fresh 3 or 4 times a week.
We will be doing one or two trials, this year, but more local, to iron out the packing of the car and striking camp.
Thanks once again for your advice, I really will take it on board.
Talking about fridges, I have a table top fridge in our guest bedroom, similar to this on amazon, Fridgemaster-MUR4545-Small-Table-Fridge Could I use this with an electrical hookup?
Quote: Originally posted by Espanabum on 12/6/2025
Talking about fridges, I have a table top fridge in our guest bedroom, similar to this on amazon, Fridgemaster-MUR4545-Small-Table-Fridge Could I use this with an electrical hookup?
Yes, people do use domestic fridges when camping, and I have indeed used an undercounter fridge and small chest freezer when we've been a large group in France.
They are not ideal, as the rather fragile heat exchanger is exposed at the rear and needs great care to avoid damaging it during transit/handling, also without handles they are rather awkward to handle. They are not designed for that kind of use and there is a tendency for them to fail earlier than in a static domestic situation.
As with any electrical device in a tent, a proper EHU cable should be used that has MCB and RCD to protect users.
I’m quite a fan of the Huttopia chain, who hire pre erected tents, cabins, and ‘roulottes’.
For buying kit, before Brexit got in the way, I used to use Obelink in the Netherlands, who do mail order, and have great kit. The Dutch know how to do camping! They do a cotton canvas bell tent for €500 that looks useful. Good luck with your project - there’s some great advice on this thread already. But as another 70 something yo, my advice is to make sure you can sleep comfortably, and mind your back! It’s supposed to be relaxing, not an endurance test. Obelink bell tent Huttopia pre erected
Post last edited on 13/06/2025 07:22:27
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Quote: Originally posted by morepints on 13/6/2025
I’m quite a fan of the Huttopia chain, who hire pre erected tents, cabins, and ‘roulottes’.
For buying kit, before Brexit got in the way, I used to use Obelink in the Netherlands, who do mail order, and have great kit. The Dutch know how to do camping! They do a cotton canvas bell tent for €500 that looks useful. Good luck with your project - there’s some great advice on this thread already. But as another 70 something yo, my advice is to make sure you can sleep comfortably, and mind your back! It’s supposed to be relaxing, not an endurance test. Obelink bell tent Huttopia pre erected
Post last edited on 13/06/2025 07:22:27
The main reason we gave up tenting 7 years ago. We use cabins on campsites now.
Quote: Originally posted by Espanabum on 12/6/2025
...I have already bought some beds from Amazon, to see how good they are to sleep on, a pair for less than 120€, https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0DHVQFYZ9?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1...
Will you be towing a trailer? Those are bulky beds, so do think about what space you have to carry such items. We are a couple and nowadays try to get all our stuff into our estate car plus roof box, and we absolutely couldn't carry those two beds (we prefer our self inflating mats, luckily!).
We take bedding from home as don't like sleeping bags, but you'll be shocked at how much room a duvet, sheet and 4 pillows takes up (ours occupies the back seat, with heavier stuff on top).
I suggest you write a list of everything you want / need to take, then estimate what you can actually get into your vehicle.
As has been mentioned, Decathlon is a pretty good place for starters and you'll see lots of Quechua tents on campsites throughout France. We prefer to sleep under cotton canvas, as it's breathable so cooler, but it means we have to compromise on the size of tent due to weight and bulk. You can pick up decent used cotton canvas tents, if you don't feel like splashing out on new. Also, think about what kind of camping you plan to do; will you stay in one spot for the entire month, or plan to tour? If the latter, ensure you have a tent which is easy and quick to pitch, or you'll hate it!
After a tent you can trust, good beds, good chairs (possibly with leg rests), good table and decent fridge are the main priorities for us, for a comfortable camping holiday. We've camped for decades, so have perfected our kit to suit ourselves. If you do a couple of practice runs, make lists of what works for you and what doesn't, and what you wish you'd taken.
Even after decades of camping experience, and ever increasing car space with each car change, and additional space in form of roof box, getting all the kit in is a constant challenge!
I tend to lay all the kit out together at home, in a stacked square with roughly the footprint of car boot, to judge how close I am to exceeding scope of car! Having it scattered around home and only bringing it all together at car packing stage has proven VERY flawed in past, and then you have the 'what do I leave behind' dilemma, which often involves unpacking what you've already packed!
Friends with a HUGE camping trailer (twin axle jobbie that weighs nearly as much as my 4 berth caravan!!!) still suffer the same 'how do we get it all in' challenge! There is NEVER enough space!
When planning packing the car, GOLDEN RULE, from bitter experience of countless campers, ALWAYS pack tent and everything necessary to erect it LAST! That way it's first thing out of the car and saves unpacking the whole caboodle before getting the tent up amidst the utter chaos of all your scattered worldly goods.
It takes discipline and planning to avoid it becoming farcical, ad hoc is the road to 'never again', and possibly a divorce! ..... and of course getting it all back in at end of stay becomes an even bigger challenge! .... but most survive to do it all again
Quote: Originally posted by Monty15 on 20/6/2025
Even after decades of camping experience, and ever increasing car space with each car change, and additional space in form of roof box, getting all the kit in is a constant challenge!
I tend to lay all the kit out together at home, in a stacked square with roughly the footprint of car boot, to judge how close I am to exceeding scope of car! Having it scattered around home and only bringing it all together at car packing stage has proven VERY flawed in past, and then you have the 'what do I leave behind' dilemma, which often involves unpacking what you've already packed!
Friends with a HUGE camping trailer (twin axle jobbie that weighs nearly as much as my 4 berth caravan!!!) still suffer the same 'how do we get it all in' challenge! There is NEVER enough space!
When planning packing the car, GOLDEN RULE, from bitter experience of countless campers, ALWAYS pack tent and everything necessary to erect it LAST! That way it's first thing out of the car and saves unpacking the whole caboodle before getting the tent up amidst the utter chaos of all your scattered worldly goods.
It takes discipline and planning to avoid it becoming farcical, ad hoc is the road to 'never again', and possibly a divorce! ..... and of course getting it all back in at end of stay becomes an even bigger challenge! .... but most survive to do it all again
With our Berlingo and the back seats removed we had no problem taking all our gear to France every year and Italy a couple of times once the "kids" no longer holidayed with us.
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: First time campers
via mobile 12/6/2025 at 5:03pm
..... and of course getting it all back in at end of stay becomes an even bigger challenge!
