We are off a week on thursday to the south of france for our first camping holiday! I have camped a few times for 2/3 nights over the last couple of years but this is our first serious attempt! I have a list as long as my arm of stuff to pack but am worried that i will forget something very obvious! The campsite has direct access to the beach and therefore the pitches are fairly sandy so which pegs do I need? Also anybody who has camped in that area is there any essentials that you couldn't have managed without or wished you'd had? Thanks
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Forgot sun cream and after sun last year, won't do that again!
A good cool box to which block ice or cubes can be added, anything else you can sort over there or do without Perhaps a puncture repair kit for the airbeds
Mosquito repellant - bites can make you so uncomfortable.
A corkscrew!
Sun umbrella and windbreak in case the beach is windy! We tried to buy a windbreak this year and couldn't find one anywhere. I've just bought one on ebay, because there's nothing quite like being sand-papered by windblown sand!
A good book - although lots of sites have book swops - take one in and take one out!
These are 'off the top of my head' things which we've forgotten in the past.
A tarp! We used one for our first trip to the South of France last year - one of the best bits of kit we had! Last year was very, very hot where we were so the tarp was an essential for having a decent-sized shaded area, for us and the dog. Also, on the rare occasion it rained (when we had moved up to the Dordogne) again the tarp proved its worth. We also used it when we picnicked on the beach at the river etc etc. Of course it's not an essential but a handy piece!
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We have just come back from Spain and we were on the beach, we needed to buy a corkscrew base for the parasol that are mega cheap over there and beneficial if you don't want to run down the beach after you unbrella and also we needed to buy storm straps for the awning again much cheaper over there than here. It was very windy when the tide was coming in!
They have shops in France, and you can buy anything you forget/run out of camping wise! More difficult to get some favourite foods, like Marmite or baked beans, so worth taking anything "essential".
Seconding the tea bags nomination. The french ones are definitely a bit dodgy.
Dried milk powder is a handy back up. I couldn't find it in the french supermarkets when I looked for it last time, but that was probably just me being blind.
If you're not fluent in french, then some kind of french dictionary or phrase book is very useful (you get a lot more choice if you buy it over here, and it's probably cheaper as well). If you get something genuinely pocket size it may not be comprehensive, but you'll be more likely to have it on you when you need it.
it is really hot down there, so geta shadypitch if you can or take something to create some shade, sun cream, a large pitcher jug to make up fluid which has lots of ice, berlizt book, basket for markets.
------------- sueze
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I always think if you have room then it's worth taking as many staple foods as possible - all the basic stuff that you have in your cupboards at home - salt and paper, vinegar and sauces, spices, tins of tomatoes, pasta and rice, etc - things you don't really want to be spending your holiday money on - then you can treat yourself to all the lovely fresh salads, vegetables, fruit, cheeses, pates, fish and meat that is available, and which tastes so much better than over here. Even the cooked chickens taste better than they do in this country - and the potatoes and onions cooked in the bottom are just delicious.
Don't be fooled by the 'cheese-tasting' on markets - you may be offered some delicious cheese - and ask for a piece - but it nearly always weighs 'un demi kilo' or more, and often costs you an arm and a leg - perhaps upwards of 15 euros or more for effectively a pound of cheese. There's a story on one of the forums of someone who was asked to pay 35 euros! You can buy similar stuff in delis, or the supermarket for a lot less and it tastes just the same - so taste it, ask the name, and then look for it elsewhere!
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: so excited! A few last minute Q
