Looks like present employment will end next April, so the plan is to try long term holidays, something 6 weeks to 8 weeks early summer come back home for peak season then back out in September. Just looking to keep cost's down, last September we paid 140 euros week for our pitch and seeing it was a 2 week holiday was not to worried about the cost. Just after some tips, where to go, sites doing long term deals etc. Would like to go to Spain but will stay in France, on the west/southern side as that is where our caravan is stored. Quite basic sites are fine by us.
------------- TomnGill
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There are much cheaper sites than paying 20 euros. I think our average spend is about 11 euros per night, including electricity. This is a combination of municipal campsites, ACSI Card and Camping Cheque sites, and the Camping Cheques have usually been purchased at less than the normal cost - from other people on forums such as this one. There are some ACSI Card sites, which charge only 10 euros per night. Additionally some sites in these schemes do seven nights for the price of 6, or 14 nights for the price of 11. There is one ACSI Card site inland from Tarragona which charges 12 euros per night, but does 30 nights for the price of 21 which is just 8.4 euros per night.
I know ACSI Card and Camping Cheques sites aren't everyone's cup of tea, because they seem to be 'family' sites, but outside school holidays they can be very peaceful indeed, and very early in the season you may even find yourselves the only one on pitch.
For France you could also look at the municipal campsite website - some of these charge only 6 to 8 euros per night (Martel in the Lot is 8 euros including hook-up, for instance).
Additionally we've approached the idea of a seasonal pitch, so that during peak periods our families can use the caravan - and got quotes of 900 euros upwards! That is from March to the end of October! We've had several quotes of 1500 euros but these are from April to the end of September. But this is nearly as cheap as taking the caravan back to storage, and certainly cheaper if you include two extra return journeys!
I'd be very interested, though, in reading other people's experiences, as it's definitely something we're thinking of doing next year! There have been mentions on another forum of long term sites in Portugal for around 12 euros per night for stays of four to six weeks.
Stuart - do you bring the caravan back between holidays? With ferry prices rising so much the cost of two return journeys with caravan would be a significant cost now, and especially as we have a long journey back home in England. This is why we leave the caravan in France 'between trips' - and with our trips becoming longer and the storage time becoming less, we may look for storage which charges by the month rather than annually.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
We have always brought the caravan home, but as the halcyon days of cheap fares seems to have gone, we may have to think again. But the van does manage to carry more wine than we can get into the car!
Sorry about delay getting back to you, had a bit of a last 10 days... We tend to go and stay, we used to tour around more in years past but nowadays we just got plain lazy. Been on plenty of Municipals, never had a bad one, but don,t fancy staying long term on one, dunno why really. We do tend to stay on Brit owned sites, I know some people will throw there hands up in the air about that but do we care..just like the sociable side of staying on Brit sites. The site at Tarragona looks interesting, 8 euros a night is very cheap for Spain.
Val, can you not get your van stored on a site that does storage, we do that, just send the guy an e mail and he sets it up for us when we arrive, even plugs in the hook up cable, cheaper than a seasonal and of course your can just toddle off if you want. We pay 275 euros a year. As a footnote we have just coughed up over £1600 for our seasonal pitch in the UK, it is all year tho.
The place in the link at the bottom does free caravan storage, but you have to stay so many nights, never been myself, but talked to a couple who go regular who stated it was a cracking site, it is at, least a second hand recommendation.
Where do you store, Tom and Gill? We pay 250 euros for indoor storage in a very large barn in central France, with owner living on site, accessible at any time. We just pick up and take it to a site at Chemille sur Indrois, about 5 km away, for our first and last nights and then head off from there. We've never found anywhere that does indoor storage, on a campsite, in an area that is accessible to our 'main routes' and yet far enough away from the ferry ports to ensure better weather.
Our friends store their caravan somewhere near the site you mention, and pay 250 euros per year, plus 10 euros per night, plus electricity, when they stay on the site. We actually prefer a more rugged area to the Charente - other friends have a house there, and we've never 'gelled' with the area, certainly not around where they live.
We're still mulling over options for this winter. Favourite at the moment is renting an apartment or small 'villa' in Spain, long term - 60 euros per week is one quote for an apartment with a sea view and access to a pool which is covered in the winter!! Friends are going there on the 7th December until the end of March!
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
We store at La Cormeir, near Loche, it is out in the sticks, but the campsite is lovely, and Mike and Kath are good people. No indoor storage, but at the end of the season we put a "hat" on our van, it is a white industrial tarp cost us £25, not keen on the caravan covers because of condensation. would imagine where we store is about 50 kilometers from where you store so think you will have a feel for the area.
60 euros a week for an apartment, got to be good value, not a Torrevieja by any chance? Where ever it is, still seems a bargain. Forgot pitch prices 20 euro with elec. peak price, goes a bit cheaper out of season, check the linkie at the bottom.
No, definitely not Torrevieja! My friend's brother had a 'house' there, which she visited once, and said never again! I would trust her taste - so well down on list of potential areas to visit! We're looking uphill from the coast in Andalusia, near to where (other) friends live.
Yes, you do store near to us! Shame about the lack of indoor storage. That's one of the reasons we chose to store in France - our van is getting old, and though it's currently totally damp free, we were worried about it ageing on top of a windy and wet hill near us. Nowadays it spends the winter in a dry (but draughty barn) and the summer in the heat of France somewhere! We keep an eye on the seals at the end of each visit, and so far everything looks OK.
Having spent last few years long term between Cannes and St Tropez am looking at Spain coastal for May/June 2015.As Barcelona seems not too far can anyone recommend a site for long stay nearby.We do camping cheque and acsi but am struggling to find a site with good reviews.
Pitch with enough room for full awning.I was told about a site with a,poss free,shuttle to town but again can't find it.
Would appreciate any help.Active couple but I have just reached my seventieth!
Many thanks in advance.
I personally wouldn't stay too near Barcelona - though it's a lovely place to visit for a day or two. I would choose a site in a more scenic area.
We liked L'Amfora (with Camping Cheques) on the Bay of Roses and spent a week or more there in May this year, when the weather in France was awful. It's a big site, but there are different 'areas' and we were to the west of the site, adjacent to the woodland and farmland which surround the site, and we had wonderful bird-watching opportunities. The newest toilet block is built from marble, with state of the art sanitary fitments, and is heated. It's immaculately clean,with two 'resident' cleaners, one on the male side and one on the female side. The on site supermarket is very good, not expensive, and with good bread. Reception staff were friendly, and the restaurant is OK too.
In May/June I wouldn't even book, I would just go and see what you find, and stay longer term on a site that you feel comfortable on, and which has what you're looking for. Only the 'Public Holiday' weekends are likely to be busy, so make sure you don't arrive on site on the day before a public holiday.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Colmax, the site with the shuttle bus is probably Vilanova Park, in Vilanova i la Geltru. It's on the coast, about 30 miles south of Barcelona, which you can reach by train or bus. The site has excellent facilities and plenty of large pitches - the first time we stayed there we had an RV plus a small car on a neighbouring pitch, which gives you some idea of the size. Not all the pitches are that size, but in May/June you should be able to take your pick.
There is a pleasant seafront and beach, not too developed. There are plenty of interesting places to visit in the vicinity, especially if you like Modernista architecture - Reus, Tarragona, Sitges, L'Arbos - and pleasant countryside inland with some Romanesque churches, castles and Iberian ruins. There's a campsite at Sitges, El Garrofer, which is popular, and Sitges is a lovely little town with a good beach.
------------- Il vaut mieux vivre ses reves que rever sa vie
Only mentioned Torrevieja as a acquaintance "winters" there, he pays 60 euros a week and bemoans the fact they charge the 2 weeks he comes home for the festive season. Apparently the owners bought it for themselves Xmas 2007 and are stuck with it, they moan at him that they pay more mortgage than they charge him rent!!!! Val I suspect we travel the same around the same mileage going to France, we travel as far as a B&B in Couqelles then the following morning down to the campsite. Tried a few different routes, but nowadays just want to get there asap so just go on the autoroute, and just pay the tolls.
http://www.camping-lasirena.com/
Charges around 100 euro a week low season, not massive pitches, but you can get an awning on. Don,t pitch against the wall as that floods first if the weather really gets bad.
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: Long term France Spain
