Well I'm all booked for two weeks in the Vendee in August.
I have wracked my brains over ferries. I want to avoid a horrendous drive (it's just me and a 10 year old), so I was planning to drive from W.Mids to Portsmouth and get a ferry to Le Havre and drive to the Vendee from there. Problem is that the outgoing cabins are booked up (overnight ferry) - can anyone recommend somewhere cheap, cheerful and possibly English speaking between Le Havre and the Vendee? Any driving/camping suggestions for France most welcome!
------------- It won't be long till Friday...
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I agree, Etaps are fab. There is also Formula 1 group of hotels. We now take the cheap Dover Calais or Dover Bologne crossing and stay in a hotel overnight to break up the journey. Etaps are about £30 a night for 3 people with a breakfast - fab eh? The rooms are very clean but basic. you get your own tv, a comfy bed and an ensuite wit a toilet and shower. Ther is a large sink in a vanity unit with mirrors in the corner of the room. You can't go wrong.
Personally I'd just get some kip in one of the reclining chairs on the ferry. It's about 7-8 hour crossing isn't it? by the time you've left the port and looked around the boat, had something to eat you wouldn't have much time for a proper kip anyway.
Just bite the bullet, get some sleep the day before, snooze in the chair and stop for coffee next day en-route. Pro-plus if you need it.
I drive from the EM to Spain each year without too much difficulty. A one-off drive in France whilst a bit of a drag shouldn't pose too many problems as you'll have a decent amount of time to recover when you get there.
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we're ideally situated between Le Havre & the Vendee here at Le Chant d'Oiseau. Before we moved to France permanently, we stopped here in the Loire Valley ourselves en route back from Royan, on the Vendee/Gascony border. We loved this area so much we eventually bought this place!
If you need some more info, either give us a call (our details are in my profile), or respond to this thread!
Wherever you end up, have a fantastic time here in France!
It's quite a long drive from Le Havre to the Vendee (5 hours or so) - especially if you are the only driver and might not get much sleep. It would indeed be a good idea to break the journey by stopping overnight en route. However, had you thought of the Brittany Ferries crossing from Portsmouth to St-Malo? Even if you did the reclining-seat thing, at least it's only 3 hours to the Vendee from there. (Though maybe this is a much more expensive option.)
And of you crossed to St Malo you could stay at one of their four excellent municipal campsites. We like the one at Rotheneuf and there's a brasserie in the village that's walkable-to.
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 Camping
