Has anybody taken their camper to the Languedoc region of France in January, February or March? I have just been looking on a web site and it states the temp can reach 25c some days. My wife and I fancy a few weeks away in the winter, without going all the way to southern Spain. As North West Spain can have better weather than the south, it will be there or France.
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It was only 25 degrees some days when we were there in September!!! I would have though the later you go the better chance of improved weather. There are lots of websites where you can find average sunshine/rain records for each month of the year. You won't find many campsites open, although there will be a few. There will be lots of Aires, no doubt with plenty of space but you might want to make sure they have their service on at that time of year.
This site shows January and February are the winter months. Lots of rain, occasional frosts and snowfalls on the plains, consistent snow in the mountains. March and April are unpredictable, with glorious sunny interspersed with cloudy, rainy cool days. If you click on the average monthly temperatures in the Languedoc link, it shows average minimum temperatures of 0 - 5C and average maximum between 10 - 15C.
I suspect 25C was a freak day
------------- Cheers
John
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Hi, we came back over the Pyrenees into France in Feb this year. We had snow near Barcelona and the main route at La Junquera was closed to high sided vehicles because of high winds - there were miles of queuing lorries on the French and Spanish sides!
Along the French coast it was very windy and it started to snow.
We took the motorway up to Millau. Click on 'My Homepage' and have alook at our blog called' Meandering down the Costas' to see the photos of the weather conditions on the way down and back!
We are going to Spain for a month at the beginning of Jaanuary and even then you really need to go below Valencia for decent weather.
We spent Easter (March) a few years ago. The weather was mixed - some lovely sunny days, some damp and quite a bit of wind. Temperature between 10 and 15 degrees on average though we did get up to 18 for a couple of days. Certainly not beach weather.
It was very quiet in the tourist towns with most restaurants closed in the evening, though some were open at lunchtime on the coast. Check which Aires and campsites are open before leaving if you can.
We drove down on the A6 route (via Lyon) and had good weather all the way and back via Milleau where there was a lot of snow though the roads were clear.
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I have spent the day sunbathing au naturel in that region in January but that was a one off. Usually it is much more akin to a English late autumn day.
You do really need to get down to Southern Spain.
We went just inland of Biarritz in early April 3 years ago. One day it was luring & cold, another day we had snow and another day we all caught the sun on San Sebastian beach!
It was a fantastic holiday though!
Hi Ronecc, rather than the Languedoc coast -which can be wind blasted , or the Atlantic Coast of Spain - which is so green and wet, a February visit to the Menton area on the French Riviera Coast might be a possibility. That's where the wealthy Victorians went for the winter and built big houses and established gardens which will be coming into bloom by February.
We've been in the Languedoc in January and February, it can be cold, but in the direct sun, sheltered from the wind, you can feel the sun's heat. It's warmest down by the coast, where the sea temperature warms things up. It does begin to warm up as you move into March.
You can check out day by day temperatures in (say) Perpignan using this weather data website. It will show you that in January 2014 the highest day temperature was 18 degrees, the coldest 10 degrees, and in February temperatures were at a similar level, but in March the warmest day was 26 degrees, and the coolest 13 degrees. Night temperatures can drop significantly and you may just get frost even down on the coast.
In reality there were relatively few rainy days in Perpignan during any of those three months last year. (Other years may differ, I haven't had a look).
Carcassonne however, is a different story, with many more rainy days! Montpellier, is similarly wetter and cooler! So choose your area carefully!
I would always take predicted temperatures in the winter months in France with a large pinch of snuff.
We lived in France for 10 beautiful years in the Dordogne and it never ceased to amaze us how spine chillingly cold it was every single winter. Every winter we would have -7 to -8C for 4 to 6 weeks and then we would have a cold snap where the temperatures would tumble down to as low as -20C.
Occasionally we tried to escape and would head further South only to find that unless you were within 20 to 30 kms of the Med. then the temperatures were very similar.
------------- There is a great World to be found out there, but by the very day, to find where it is becomes more of a challenge!
We are at Argeles at present and it is lovely but as site is right on sea could be a bit blowy when the wind gets up. Quite a few people here and all looked settled in for Xmas with decorations etc. Site is La Roullisonnaise on Plage Nord. Open all winter at 12 euros per night inc hook up and excellent wifi
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: France in winter months?
