Decided to take the plunge and take caravan to France next year for the first time ever! As I do all the driving in the family I really dont want to drive very far in France at all (basically I'm being a chicken and dont want to drive "on the wrong side" any more than I have to). Was looking to go to Brittany and have heard you can get a ferry to Brittany which only leaves about an hour's drive. does anyone know if this is true and if so can you give me moooooooore details!
AND - can anyone recommend a good CLEAN site, suitable for young kids (not bothered about entertainment, just a playground would be ok). AND does anyone know of a site close to beaches, etc etc
AND - have heard you can travel abroad in convoy via one of the clubs - does anyone know which club it is and how it works.
Thanks sooooooooo much!
Ange
Blimey - so many questions and I'm only little!
------------- why is there so much month left at the end of the money?
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Deep breath...... yep - you can get a ferry to Brittany, Plymouth Roscoff. Gonna be damned expensive though. Portsmouth - Cherbourg would be a lot cheaper. Can't comment on Campsites though, but try the Caravan Club European Travel service - they did for us last year. Also theres Eurocamp Independent and Siblu (Haven Europe) All 3 companies will do packages for you, the CC will obviously be the most dedicated to tourers - cos thats what they do.
NOTE - French petrol last week had rocketed to £1.10/ Litre - 1.5 Euros/litre.... ouch!
Ange - If you go Portsmouth to St Malo there are sites at St Malo and St Cast amongst others that are a short drive but as Pete says, it'll cost ya........bigtime!!!
I was just that nervous about driving in France at first but done about 4 trips there now and just gotr back from the Loire (250 miles into central France) - absolute piece of cake. It takes all of a couple of miles to get used to driving on the right and going the "wrong way" round roundabouts, and then you will be driving like a veteran continental, believe me!
My advice - go Dover/Calais, save a bomb, stopover one night at a site near Calais, drive about a bit to gain confidence, then set off the next day to wherever in France takes your fancy!!
Jon
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We have camped on French campsites a lot during the last 20 years, with children, (now flown the nest). We may have been lucky but we have found them better and cleaner than in England. At first we went with Eurocamp, then Eurosites, and after gaining confidence we booked with the sites direct. The roads are usually good if you avoid Paris area. Brittany is good for starters. It is more expensive on the longer ferry routes though. You could have a look what Eurocamp etc offer, then go it alone. Watch out for toll motorways - good but expensive. There is often a normal autoroute that will take you the same way. The ones our kids (and we) loved were Camping Des Menhirs, Carnac Plage and one in the vendee at Talmont St Hilaire who's name escapes me!
Oh just remembered. For overnight stops we used some of the cheaper motel type accommodation ... B&B (a chain) and Formule 1. You could book on line a few years back. This was cheaper than using the expensive ferry crossing and compared favourably with an overnight stop on a campsite.
hey ang like you a do a fair bit of driving and will admitt to some nerves the first time we went over, however i actually find that is easier than here, not so congested and stuff so things are a lot more relaxed just becareful if you pull out to overtake
Condor Seacat cost us approx £84 per adult ,£42 per child ,car was about £85 and folding camper was £160 for return journey .The only problem that you will have is i don`t think you are allowed to take caravans to Guernsey which was one of the reasons we chose a camper .
Dover Calais Caravan Club offer £110.00, save ££££££££££
Really easy driving in Frnce as roads are much clearer, wider - caravan & large vehicle friendly
French HGV's are limited to weekday travel accross most of France
Diesel cost is 1.04 / litre - I filled up in Abbeyville at 4.00pm today !
In Brittany look for Concarneau, Begmeil and Carnac. All nice and why not go with a municiple site.
I have found the Caravan Club rallies also a great option for the first time. All is organised, you can travel with a few likeminded caravanners and the sites have been viewed.
------------- Disco TD5
Chipped and Cooled at 202BHP
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
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: help going abroad
As I do all the driving in the family I really dont want to drive very far in France at all (basically I'm being a chicken and dont want to drive "on the wrong side" any more than I have to). Was looking to go to Brittany and have heard you can get a ferry to Brittany which only leaves about an hour's drive. does anyone know if this is true and if so can you give me moooooooore details!
