We are contemplating traveling in 2026 at a time we've not really tried before...late August!
June was great last year but still hotter than was ideal for my husband with his health issues in the Dordogne (35deg) . We ended up changing our itinerary and heading back to Normandy.
We've been there lots of times before and realise that we really love it, but wonder what it's like in late August ?
We're planning shuttle on the way out - we'd definitely book Camping St Claire at Neufchatel as our first night stopover because it's so nice and so convenient but then would quite like to 'wing it'. That would also give us the option to head further south if it turned out to be a really miserable wet summer in Normandy.
Is this doable in late August? We're in a motorhome so can use aires, but prefer a campsite for longer than a couple of nights. Equally because of the motorhome and no other transport, 4-5 nights in one place is enough.
Thoughts please !
We're happy with municipals and like coastal if possible but would consider inland.
------------- Seeking luxury in unexpected places
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I would say, absolutely 'Yes'. Normandy in later August isn't likely to be full. If you're happy anywhere, then you should be fine. Sites in popular resorts, and near the beaches may be still busy, but elsewhere things should be quieter and you should always find space.
We have been over mid August into September and never had problems . We don't go to seaside areas, preferring inland areas like Auvergne. Also some sites allow ACSI rates at that time!
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
We don't like it too hot for too long either, and tend to holiday in May, back first week in June, then last week in Aug for another 3 weeks. There are sites in the north where the ACSI discount starts in late August.
If the weather is nice when we cross to Calais, we often spend a couple of nights on the Channel coast/Baie de Somme before heading southwards, and have sometimes done the same on our return. But our general principle is to stay put if it's fine, and move on when it's not.
We have not been in Higher Normandy at all, so can't help with places there, but in the Spring tend to head down towards Chartres initially then the Loire and beyond. In the late Summer we head towards Champagne and beyond.
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Personally, Northern Europe should be fine in late August.
However, for someone who finds anything over 20degC as hot, it could still be too hot in late August!
Personally, I would go to Europe in June up to early July before the schools break up in UK.
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!
We have been in Northern France since the last 2 days in August. The only full site we have come across was Neufchatel en Bray (and even though it showed full they were fitting unbooked on where the could).
It's been fabulous weather until yesterday, early September in Loire we were in 32-34 degrees. As we have trundled back up through Normandy it's been low 20's so very pleasant.
We have had no problems with finding open sites, we have mostly used ACSI for ease but other municipal sites have been open and charged similar prices.
We're going for September. Last two times we've been to France in July it's been so hot we've been unable to do much at all, so are hoping early/mid September will bring temperatures down so we can explore.
We're going to tent, I think, but we're fairly hardy campers. I'm hoping we can follow the sun if we just book the Chunnel.
------------- Amanda
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It's a long time since we camped in France in August however, when we were in France in June, temperatures were hitting the high 30s/low 40s°C! We made our way north to northern Brittany where you'd expect it to be cooler but temperatures were still hitting 39°C, so in the grip of a heatwave nowhere is safe so it seems!
We went down to the Med in September going via St Malo/Nantes/Saintes/Bordeaux/Toulouse to the coast. We had some warm days (32°C at Mirambeau in early September and low 30s°C as we got towards the Med coast), but generally the temperatures were more comfortable in the low 20s°C, so maybe September may be worth considering?
I too have camped (tent) in northern France, Le Mans and around Ouistreham, in June/July countless times, and it certainly can be very hot by UK standards, high 30C's nudging into 40c's perhaps far from uncommon. There has been quite a wide temperature range, and some nights have actually even been chill, with 'layers' being piled on! I would assume August and further south could only be hotter and more consistently hot!
One thing I've learnt about the weather in France, at least the northern bit, is that it's just as variable as the UK, but more extreme in as much as the heat is hotter, the rain heavier (I've seen some scary storms when camping!), and it can change quickly. These days, pack clothes for all eventualities, as been caught out in the past.
Bear in mind the operational limitations of a thermo-electric coolbox that can only cool to 16degC or so below ambient.
Be careful when using one of these in hot weather. Fine for keep drinks cool, however, it might not be sufficient for perishable items such as meat and fish!
I keep one in my van for drinks, salad items and mushrooms etc., and it struggled inside the van when it was very hot (above 25degC ambient outside in the shade).
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!
TBH, there were days in June when our fridge was struggling and that was working on gas. Fortunately, the fridge is next to the hab door so on the same side as the wind-out awning. Giving the fridge a bit of shade helped no end.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
When tent camping, apart from many years ago, when we took domestic fridges and freezers and ran them off a generator (we were a 'mob' of about a dozen, self catering, and no EHU on pop-up site), we have always used a 3-way camping fridge (or two!), on 12v in the car (and it stayed cold enough on the 8h ferry crossing with power off), and gas on camp site. We've had to position it in the shade to give it a fighting chance against ambient of high 30C's, but they've served us well. If you've got EHU, or a solar-battery setup, a 12v/240v compressor fridge/freezer is also good, if not particularly cheap, option.
Wouldn't entertain a Peltier/Thermo electric coolbox, I've got a couple, fine in the car to keep drinks a little bit cooler, but useless for perishables as internal temp can easily reach (and stay at for some time!) 15-18C, unless supplemented with endless bags of ice/frozen ice blocks. If you want to go down the bags of ice/frozen ice blocks route, a really good well insulated Igloo/Icytec type cool box is the way to go, far, far better insulation and temp conservation than any rather poorly insulated typical Peltier/Thermo electric coolbox..... and they are horribly power hungry, so can't really be run off batteries. Perishables NEED a fridge in whatever form it takes, coolboxes are only for drinks and the like.
I was contemplating to upgrade to a better thermo-electric coolbox that is capable of cooling to 30degC below ambient before I stopped tent camping, a Tropicool TCX35.
Can't justify one of these now that I have a van with a 12V/24V/Mains 80L fridge/freezer. A cheapo one from Lidl will do nicely just for keeping drinks cooled and the more delicate vegetables from being frozen if kept in the fridge in the van (in order to keep frozen items such as meat packs frozen, the bottom of the fridge is so cold it will freeze fruits and vegetables with high water content).
Not a compressor one as they are too heavy for me to load and unload from the car.
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!
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: August !
via mobile 13/10/2025 at 4:02pm
