I know this is probably a really daft question but is the weather generally better in France in August than in the UK?
We only ever get the last 2 weeks off work and are fed up of constant wet, cold windy weather wherever we go in the UK.
We were planning on the vendee. Don't want to go too far down as it will be our first time in France with our caravan
Thanks
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The weather in the north of France is fairly similar to that of the South of the Uk. Venturing to Southern Brittany and into the Vendee it gets better. July/August generally warm and sunny with the odd overcast day. If you want good and reliable weather you need to go to the Med, but you should be fine in the Vendee. We have been there numerous times in August and never had bad weather. But.......nothing is ever guaranteed, France has been a bit troublesom of late!
There's a weather anomaly & if you venture just a tiny bit further south along that coast you get a lot better weather. Scroll down to the map on this page for the visuals.
you should be fine in the Vendee that time of year. We went last year; had a couple of grey days, but headed for the beach and the sun was shining!
Had half day of rain when we went inland to Puy du Fou, but not enough to ruin it. We started going to France when we spent three weeks in the rain in the UK one summer, and nothing has convinced us in the last 6 years that we made a wrong decision!
Distance is round about the same to get to the Vendee as it is to Brittany, so worth heading south-west as better weather likely. And the beaches are simply fantastic.....
If you do, recommend you do an overnight stop (plenty of recommendations on here, but we regularly use Beaumont Sur Sarthe near to Le Mans) on the way down there as it can be a bit of a trek (assuming that you go from Dover/Calais?) unless you go from Portsmouth.
------------- Glyn W.
What if the Hokey Cokey really is what it's all about....?
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I think the South East of France gets the best of the weather, we had stunning weather down in the Ardeche, and last year Frejus, of course we were there July, but there were many other parts of France that we're getting poor weather at the time, especialy down that Southern end of the Atlantic.
Thanks everyone. Looks like the vendee it is. We will prob do Portsmouth-Caen even though it seems well expensive! Too much driving otherwise to Dover and from Calais with a caravan and 2 kids :)
Portsmouth>St Malo and you're in the southern Vendee by lunchtime. But we're starting from well further north, and the crossing acts as an overnighter for us.
That said the return sailing is no good for us and we now go Caen/Ouistreham back. The run up also allows time for the WW11 beaches etc. It'll be a cold day in hell before we use Cherbourg again.
Weatherwise, the Vendee supposed to have its own micro-climate but in summer we've had every variation. That said, as low as La Rochelle and you're 400 miles due south of London. So ought to expect something decent
Good luck.
------------- Mike
My advice is worth no more than the price paid for it
Prague May/Jun 2017
Lake Annecy Aug 2017
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We spent 10 summers camping at La Foret, St Julien des Landes. Sometimes, when we stayed on site for the day and the weather was cloudy, people would return from the beach with sunburn. the beach was only about 12 miles away. My point is that if the weather is not so good, you may not have to travel far for something better.
Julia
Look at Portsmouth to St Malo on the way out and return via Caen on the way back. It does not increase the price by doing two separate routes and will shorten your journey time the day you arrive
------------- Nick
2017
April - New Forest(9)
May - Dorset (9)
August - Camping Le Pin Parasol, Vendee (18)
October - East Mersea (8)
and five nights in the one man tent!
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: French weather
