I have just started camping this year with my family and have visited quite a few UK campsites found through this website - all of which have been really good!
We would like to take our tent to France next year and would welcome some site recommendations . We are looking to visit the South of France and would like to hear from anyone who has stayed somewhere good near a beach with a swimming pool. Also could you let me know which ferry crossings you used or could recommend.
Hope to hear from you
Thanks
Charlotte
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Hi Charlotte, I would try the 'sites abroad' board if I were you. if you're doing the South of France you might consider a stopover as it's a very long drive down, and even further coming back!! I would advise the longest ferry crossing you can afford, we always did the St Malo overnight one. good luck!!
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I went here several times with my parents, when I was but a child; it may have changed since but I remember it being the best site I ever went to. Tree lined avenues, good sized pitches on well drained slightly sandy ground, the site is right on a huge lake.
we went here www.col-ibardin.com last year for three weeks and it was excellent. It has about 200 pitches, nice pool, great bar/restaurant. There is also a kids club which we did not use, and a small play area. They had traditional basque dancers one night, and a local band another. It was a quiet site, and we felt comfortable enough to let the kids wander about on their own. The surrounding area is beautiful, the site is at the foot of the Pyrenees and is almost half in France and half in Spain. There are lots of beaches within five miles. Some of the staff speak English but it is Basque France and all the better for it.
The loos/showers are excellent, pitches a good size. They fitted big, twin axle caravans and awnings on and our 12 man tent. There is a good mix of French, Spanish, Dutch, German and English people.
We travelled on the two night Portsmouth to Santender crossing with a 90 minute drive at the end on quick easy toll roads.
Hope all this helps, I am hoping to go back again in 2008.
Karen
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Hi we too have enjoyed Col D'Ibardin however we got a rather tight pitch. Also the location of Electrcity sources means that 6-8 pitches feed from the same point, which can give rise to some cables across pitches.
We prefferred Le Ruisseau at Bidart. Its a similar site but seemed to have a bit more room, and a better pool. In both cases the beaches are a 5-10 min drive away.
I've posted on here a few times about another good one; Le Vieux Port at Messanges which is a bit further up. The beach is just superb, and can be walked to from your pitch, just.
We've used Le Harve and Calais crossings, then stopped twice on the way down using either small hotels or variuos sites.
We've been to various places in France with our tent, but the past 2 years we've been to the south. We travel from Dover to Calais or Dover to Dunkirque - this year it cost £78 return with Norfolkline. If you're not towing you can also go with speedferries. The toll roads are not too expensive and are brilliant, you can travel safely with ease. We started off using 'Sites Abroad' and 'Eurocamp Independant' but have now started to book our own ferry and our own site through the internet - lots cheaper! This year our fortnight's holiday, including toll roads and diesel, cost around £650 for 14 nights on site and a night either side for travelling spent in a 'hotel bb' - similar to travelodge + found just off the motorways. That was for 4 of us! We drove for around 6-7 hours per day and had stops etc and then stayed at these hotel bb's where we had a buffet breakfast the next morning - so you're set for a day's travelling again.
Have fun looking and planning your trip.
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The idea of going to France for next summer is great.
The only things you should really think about are the cost of crossings - Dover - Calais is the cheapest if towing but you should check out Speed Ferries if not towing.
The timings from different ports is: slightly less than 9 hours from Calais, slightly more from St Malo, over 6 hours from Blibao. (according to Auto route)
Driving in France is a joy - the roads are generally quiet. I have also heard of folk putting thier car onto the train in the UK and getting it off in the South of France. So it's up to you!
If you decide to drive you would be well advised to stop over at least once en route.
Jo
We were thinking about stopping in a roadside hotel. Did you leave your tent etc in car? It may sound like a stupid question - we use a trailer and I would be worried that it may not be there the next morning!!
Many of the BB and Accor owned hotels have lockable carparking/garages - only get in and out with a pass. Look on line at the ones for the town you plan to stop in.
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We've just returned from the south of France. We stayed at a campsite called Camping Club Holiday Marina: http://www.holiday-marina.com/
It's a really nice site - can't recommend it enough. We've got 2 nippers - 10 and 8 - and they were never bored. There's a swimming pool, a kids pool, a play area, a kids club etc etc. It's about 5-10mins walk to the beach.
We went in a caravan, but there were loads of folks there with tents.
The site itself is in a good location for sightseeing too - Port Grimaud (a.k.a. Little Venice) is a couple of minutes walk up the road, St Tropez is about 5-10mins drive away, and Monaco is an hour away.
Quote: Originally posted by charlotte1973 on 30/8/2006
Jo We were thinking about stopping in a roadside hotel. Did you leave your tent etc in car? It may sound like a stupid question - we use a trailer and I would be worried that it may not be there the next morning!!
Charlotte
I've stopped at little roadside hotels, and have had this very concern, but touch wood (or as I prefer to say, touch canvas!) I've never had any issues overnight. There have been occasions where I've been able to park near enough to my room and kind of kept an ear out etc. Rest is just common sense, fit hitch and wheels locks, and be careful what you have in the trailer.
We did seafrance with a promotional code I saw in the Independent,"Bastille",and got dover-calais for only £48 return, in a Ford Galaxy with 2 bikes on top and 2 bikes on the back!
Let me know if you intend to travel for about 4.5 hrs from calais,as we stopped at agorgeous place s.normandy in an orchard next to a lake.
We stayed here: http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/reviews.asp?revid=5427
last year and it's very nearly perfect. Well, to my mind anyway.
We used speedferries & had 2 stopovers, both camping. We have a little tent for stopovers. Though we've recently been seduced by the cheap 3 to a room-ness of Etap Hotels
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: Camping in France
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