We have only been caravanning for a year and have decided we would like to go to France at the beginning of October. We have a 3 year old and a dog, we plan to get the ferry to Calais but that is as far as we have got. We would love to see some sun but have no idea what the weather will be like in the different areas. Any advice, site recommendations, tips on keeping kids happy in the car etc would be hugely appreciated! Also any info on how expensive it is for food over there whether to cook in the van or restaurants wouldn't go amiss, similar to here or more expensive?
Thank you very much in advance!
Lynsey
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Supermarket food prices in France are probably now cheaper than UK due to falling €. Resturant food generally a bit dearer than UK pub type meals but not by much. Diesel now well over 20p/litre cheaper. For warm weather early Oct you may have to drive 700miles south or 300 to 500miles south west might do it. Otherwise hope for reasonable weather down the north coast if you don't want to drive that far.
You will have to do some research on campsites as many in France will be closed for the season by then but you won't need to book anywhere as those that are open shouldn't be crowded.
We take lots of audio books to keep the kids entertained - may not be your first choice of listening material but it works for us! We borrow them from our local library. Enjoy your trip.
If you are near a decent size town you will probably find a Lidl that will provide you with cheapest overall shop. In general supermarket prices are dearer for most things (apart from wine and some seafood of course) even with better rate IMO
Find the local market for some fresh fruit and veg and your fish and meat - generally good local quality stuff but again not necessarily cheap
France isn't cheap IMO like years of old, and if watching teh pennies you do need to be careful where and what you buy
Diesel as Tentz says is noticeably cheaper off the autoroutes
One of our first french trips was to northern France for 5 days inland from Le Touquet in a British owned gite in october. Weather was pretty cold, similar to southern England.
Nightime temps could be very cold in certain places In October, although daytimes still get wamer than UK in general south of say the Loire
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Many people swear by a portable DVD player, but they weren't around when our kids were small!
The west coast around Royan would be my choice, but certainly go as far as the Loire Valley. Keep an eye on the weather at www.lachainemeteo.fr and head for the best area for the sunshine. The sites are more likely to be open where the sun shines!
You could try Le Chant d'Oiseau in the Loire ( loads of reviews on here) for a fantastic welcome and a family friendly campsite, Stu and Syb will make everything easy for you!
Either look at camping cheque or ACSI so you can get your pitch with hook up for about 15 euros or cheaper if you go on the french camping cheque website, you may have to pay for your dog though, check the dates as most of the french sites close end of Sept, the best weather will be down on the med but its a long drive with a small child. you could get lucky Royan, la rochelle area but you will need to just keep looking at the weather, theres no need to book a site, just turn up if you know it will be open and there will be plenty of space, All the supermarkets are about the same as uk, hyper and super u, carrefour, intermarche, leclerc etc and have everything you could possibly want and more. We took small kids to Spain and it was a 3 day drive, we gave them lap tables and a basket with books, crayons, lego etc which kept them amused and they also slept a lot. Hope you have a great time. J x Dont forget about doggy passport/vaccination etc
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It's a big ask to know what the weather will be but you can see what it has been like in previous years. Here is La Rochelle last October - you can change the year and the location to see other months elsewhere.
Thank you all so much for your responses, you've given us some really useful info, particularly the part about not booking the sites in advance, that seems sensible since we won't know until we get going how well our little boy will travel therefore how much we can do in a day. We have bought him an in car DVD player and a Leappad computer so hopefully between those and sleep he will get through a few hours a day. I think we'll try the site in Loire and then go from there if he is coping with the journeys!
You can get a return ferry crossing with DFDS for around £100 for car and trailer. I tried 29th September outwards, and return two weeks later, with two adults, car and trailer, and there are a variety of times available at £49.00 each way.
The Caravan Club did have an offer of Sunday outwards and Friday home, so if you're members it might be worth trying them. I think they offered crossings for £39.00 each way, but limited to those days.
Camping Cheques did have a summer offer, but I'm not sure if that still applies.
It's always worth trying the ferry operators themselves, and getting some prices, and then comparing them with what is available as a 'package' or through one of the Clubs. 'CheapFerriesForU' and similar sites are sometimes OK for solo cars, but rarely for those who are towing.
The longer, western channel, or North Sea crossings will cost considerably more but may involve a shorter drive to some destinations.
If you're a member of CC or CCC, they tend to have the best ferry prices I've found.
We've been back from Loire Atlantique area a week and found it very warm indeed...30deg+ most days but each week makes a difference. You'll probably find the evenings go cooler and can be quite chilly. Make sure you've a fleece blanket to throw over the duvet if necessary!
Above all, you'll adapt and enjoy!
------------- Life's not a rehearsal..don't put it off DO IT NOW!
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
If you save Tesco clubcard points you can use them towards the cost of a eurotunnel crossing. Every little helps as they say. We only had to pay about £8 for our crossing in August as we had a good stash of points.
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: First time France campers - Help!
