Hi Kathy,, There are many sites in France that would suit you, and many different area's, take a look at www.campingo.com or www.campingfrance.com or the one we prefer to use is www.les-castels.com they have sites all over France and are all of a good standard, we ever you go have fun.
Consider going to the Verdon Gorge or perhaps the Ardeche. Not seaside although its not that far away.Plenty of rivers and lakes for all kinds of water sports though, and the most fantastic scenary. My teenagers adored both areas.
As it's your first time, I would recommend not being too ambitious with your journey. Therefore I would suggest Southern Brittany which is a maximum of three to four hours from any of the western channel ports ie Le Havre, Caen, Cherbourg, St Malo, Roscoff. Obviously the further west you go the less driving time you have to your destination.
Brits going to France for the first time tend to underestimate distances. France is bloody huge and while the driving is an absolute pleasure hours and hours of it can be exhausting.
Get to the South of France, it really is not that far and we can highly recommend Holiday Marina campsite in Port Grimaud which is approx 8km fromSt Tropez.An english owned campsite with everything you need close to hand.
Quote: Originally posted by t6omy on 16/8/2006
Get to the South of France, it really is not that far and we can highly recommend Holiday Marina campsite in Port Grimaud which is approx 8km fromSt Tropez.An english owned campsite with everything you need close to hand.
I would agree about the South of France. Not so sure about the campsite mentioned, although I am sure it is a perfectly good one there are others directly on the beach in that area. Feel free to e-mail me for more info.
David
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
The worst part about the drive to the south of France, is getting to Dover (unless you are lucky like me and live 30mins away!!!) If you can get an early enough ferry, eat breakfast onboard and then drive steadily you will be down in the dordougne in time for a glass of wine before putting up your tent! Perfect!
We loved the Auvergne, devoid of people and very beautiful, all rivers and gorges and canoeing and outdoorsy things. This year we did the alps, also brilliant and not too far to drive - 480 miles of motorway out of 530, easy peasy.
My partner and I (we're in our 40's) have been to France 4 times ,3 times for a month and once for 2 and half weeks, so can recommend lots of places. First 3 times we made our way more or less down the centre to the South. Yes, Port Grimaud is great -we pitched on the beach. Swimming in the warm sea there was absolute heaven! We've also been to Frejus-also near the beach. Sorry , but I've lent all my French books to a friend who's touring at moment so can't remember all the sites. Are you taking bikes with you? If so, I can recommend places where it was nice cycling. We liked Pierrefond, Compiegne are 90km ne of Paris (incredibly cheap municipal site-and nice, and cycling trails in the forest)
We usually stop at a site for 2 nights and travel about 250/300 kms a day,so a typical itinerary I would recommend for heading south would be Paris(Bois de Boulogne) /Pierrefond/Rouen then Loire Valley(Moulin Fort by river Cher run by English couple is excellent)then Dordogne,then Carcassonne/Lake Naussac/Provence / Lyon then South Coast.
Not sure Id do Brittany - it gets all the weather from the Bay of Bascay there, stuck out like that. Looks like cornwall and feels like South Wales to me....
Id go just a bit further south on the Atlantic coast into the Charentes region, where th lcimate and scenery is a bit better. Lots of coastal activity at e.g. Royan, also handy for the Cognac distillery tours (!) and loads of Roman stuff around there if you fancy a break from all that windsuring and boating. Food and drink is excellent there. Try the Pinot de Charentes if you fancy somehting a little different.
Geoff
------------- Veni Vidi Velcro.... I came, I saw, I stuck around!
Check out what the Vendee has to offer - Le Garangeoire and Le Foret are a little inland but only 5/6 mins frim the sea and beaches - body boarding etc.
I'm with Geoff on this - the Charente Maritime area - South West coast from la Rochelle down towards Royan - fantastic beaches, a very good climate with lots of sun (you won't necessarily get this in Brittany) and loyts of inland stuff to do as well. For a relaxing journey, do Hull-Zeebrugge to avoid the nightmare drive to Dover and anywhere in the South! Then you could do an overnight stop in the Loire area, which would set you up nicely for an early afternoon arrival.
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: Caravanning in France
