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Hi, We are thinking of camping in france during the october half term in our tent.

Has anyone got advice about how and where to camp for the first time in france(bearing in mind the Weather) in October.

Thanks in advance

If you are only going for a week, you probably don't want to go too far. I know you have your own tent, but do have a look at the Eurocamp website. We have our own trailer tent, but we wanted to go away for a week at May Half Term, didn't fancy driving too far, then having to lug all our kit with us etc just for a week, so ended up going to a fantastic site in the Netherlands. In a pre -erected tent, cost us £271 for the week including crossings, which I thought was pretty good.

It might be an option to consider, especially as you've not camped overseas before.

The other things I would ensure are that you go somewhere with decent facilities (ie indoor pool) in case of bad weather. Actually, have you thought about the Netherlands? The site we went to was easily day-trippable to Amsterdam and near a beach in case of a warm day. It was called Rijnsburg and is on the Eurocamp website.

Take a look at the Camping Cheque website for ideas for sites http://www.campingcheque.co.uk/en/.  They offer low-season prices of £10.30 per night, pitch, tent, electricity, and two people.  They also offer a range of sites, in all areas of France, so you should find something to suit.  Obviously in October the further south you go the more likely to find some sunshine - but a lot of French sites do close at the end of September.  However, there are quite a number open, looking quickly through my books, so you should find something.  

Apart from the weather, what is it you're looking for in France - what sort of things 'make' a holiday for you?   If you give us some ideas, then someone will come up with suggestions which can offer you what you're looking for - and be open in October.  Another question - are you taking children with you - in which case you may want different things - and yet another - which port are you thinking of using to cross the channel?   Sorry to ask - but all these things help with recommendations.

Hi exessexmum,

thanks for the recomendation, and no i have not thought of holland before, but i will take a look at the keycamp offers. Once again Thanks

Hi Val A, we would use Dover or the tunnel to cross to france. What are we looking for?  We enjoy to look around the local area, and day trips to places of interest.

Yes we do have kids, they are 10 and 12.

We also like to have at least 1 day chilling around the tent, and i agree with you, we would have to further south for the sun.

Thanks for replying

Camping Koningshof is another site in Holland with plenty of facilities for children, and an indoor pool complex.  The site is open all year.  (Also accepts Camping Cheques, so you'd pay only £10.30 per night, plus a supplement of 3.70 euros for each child - still a very good deal).  You may also get a ferry for as little as £60 return (there's a current offer in the Daily Telegraph for P and O).  However, in October, because of the weather, unless you go really far south then a mobile home sounds like an excellent option. 

We've done Eurocamp and Canvas Holidays, which also offer pre-erected tents, and mobile homes, and you can get some really good deals outside of the peak school holidays.  You could also try Leisure Direction which offers bargain mobile home holidays - but I'm not sure how many sites they offer will still be open in October. 

In Holland there are campsites from a organisations 'natuurparkkampeerterrein' (natureparcs) like WWW.tBeekdal.nl these are small campsites with badweatherfacilities. Also campsites from WWW.NIVON.nl and WWW.SVR.NL  is worth to look at.

   Have a nice holiday, Hans

Thanks for all your advice, I will take it on board and have a look around.

Colin

The main problem is that to get a chance of decent weather, in France, you'd more than likely need to go south - and with only a week holiday you'll spend much of the time travelling.  There are some lovely sites, but a long way to travel. 

One site which is open in October and only half a day from the ferry, is La Croix du Vieux Point at Berny Riviere, east of Paris.   I think at that time of year everything will still be open, and it does have a lot of facilities, including a spa, with massage, facials, etc (pay extra for this).  This would give you a chance to visit to Paris, Chantilly, Parc Asterix, or even Disney, the forests of Fontainbleau, etc.  It has a heated outdoor pool (which probably won't be open in October) but does have an indoor pool, bar, restaurant, take-away, pizzeria, a lake for fishing, etc., and good sized pitches.  It accepts Camping Cheque, so would be reasonably cheap (check out http://www.la-croix-du-vieux-pont.com/) compared to the 29 euros suggested on the site website.  It's not too far to travel for your first trip, and though you may not get the sun, you could be lucky.  It's also got plenty to see around, so lots of days sightseeing options if the weather is not so good.  Because it's open all year you're not likely to be the only people on site, which can happen at the end of a season (we've been in that position once!).