Aires - can someone please explain why they think they are a good Ida?

[Rob and Val]

We prefer Aires & Stellplatz , always in convenient places, not keen on sites refer wild spots.
Here are a few German Stellplatz.

Hi, @lennyhb, can you tell us where the stellplatzs in your photos are, please?

 

[hilldweller]

into the aire right into the centre of Reims went for a walk round

DING. Thank you. Thinking for entering southern Germany via Reims/Mulhouse for a change.

Last time we were in Reims was on a bike in September and we stopped and took shelter in the cathedral because we were so hot we could not continue.

Be nice to have another look round.

 

[Clive and Kerri]

This is another example of an expensive aire, 5 euros a night including electric and they had the cheek to charge extra for water I't in Btittany

 

[lorger]

Here's a Stelplatz we stopped off at on the way home from Berlin Madgeburg

 

[Soozywoozy]

Wonderful stellplatz in Roschbach, Rheinland-Palatinate, Germany discovered from Bord Atlas & ADAC
3 m/homes maximum €7 per night including electric, water, and disposa

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[Lenny HB]

Hi, @lennyhb, can you tell us where the stellplatzs in your photos are, please?

That's taking a bit of brain wracking, and a bit of work with Google satellite views. Pleased I've just brought a new camera with GPS, it records location.

1st, 51.792987, 11.148089 Quedlinburg, about 350 km east of Dortmond, has best preserved ½ timber building in Germany, the war ignored it.

2nd, 54.671614, 13.407778 Putgarten northern extreme of Isle of Rugen

3rd, 54.449364, 13.560450 Prora about 4km north of Binz on Isle of Rugen, good spot for visiting Hitlers Prora, was an old Russian tank training ground.

4th 49.934419, 7.061361 Grassh an der Mosel, this one is on the banks of the Mosel close to Bernkastel.

 

[TheTwoOfUs]

Thanks for all your comments and pics. What are my thoughts of aires now? Some of them look really inviting, however some look totally unappealing to me. I am still not convinced that aires are conducive to the style of motorhoming we indulge in. Having said that we will probably at least have a look at some next time we are over there.

 

[Encantador]

We tow a scooter and like you prefer to set up camp, at least for a while, but use aires for overnight stops en-route.

 

[DavidG58]

Thanks for all your comments and pics. What are my thoughts of aires now? Some of them look really inviting, however some look totally unappealing to me. I am still not convinced that aires are conducive to the style of motorhoming we indulge in. Having said that we will probably at least have a look at some next time we are over there.

I think technically you are still 'tuggers', just in reverse

Bev would love to do it your way, it really takes some mind training to get away from the idea of using a car (or bike in your case) for local work for those of us who have quite recently 'done' France by caravan, very much still work in progress for us

I have already added earlier in thread that we have found some aires that only just did for us, but arriving in the dark helps!! We are off to France at the end of April, we will use a few sites but also hope to have more nights on aires than sites, I would have liked to use some of those mentioned in this thread, but I see a few are keeping them anonymous to avoid overcrowding I guess

Good thread,

 

[FIDGET]

Hi Davidg58, if you need info on any of mine just ask I can give gps etc

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[spitfire]

This is another example of an expensive aire, 5 euros a night including electric and they had the cheek to charge extra for water I't in Btittany
View attachment 55955

I assume that is tongue in cheek !!

 

[Judge Mental]

At €5 hardly a money spinner, it very convenient for town restaurants and nice walk/bike ride to the nature reserve. The one at the north end of town by the sand dunes is quite pleasant.

Probably the poorest quality moules we have ever had...and yes have stayed multiple times...must be a glutton for punishment. In Italy they would ot dare serve but bin them.....

 

[FIDGET]

This is another example of an expensive aire, 5 euros a night including electric and they had the cheek to charge extra for water I't in Btittany
View attachment 55955

Off to brittany in sept , where is this aire.

 

[Lenny HB]

Probably the poorest quality moules we have ever had...and yes have stayed multiple times...must be a glutton for punishment. In Italy they would ot dare serve but bin them.....

You have to know the restaurants there, had a superb sea food platter for €17.

 

[Clive and Kerri]

Off to brittany in sept , where is this aire.

it was at Landerneau

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[Chockswahay]

We spent 3 months in France 2013 and 4 weeks last year........... never used anything BUT aires

We love 'em, arrive, park, wander around the village/town/city.............. move on...........and repeat

For us touring in the van is all about the journey........... we can stay still back at home

 

[mjltigger]

DING. Thank you. Thinking for entering southern Germany via Reims/Mulhouse for a change.

Last time we were in Reims was on a bike in September and we stopped and took shelter in the cathedral because we were so hot we could not continue.

Be nice to have another look round.

To be honest it's an aire of the type I wasn't expecting to like. Parking bays all together like a car park. But for an overnight so close to a city centre it was ideal..

 

[hilldweller]

We love 'em, arrive, park, wander around the village/town/city.............. move on...........and repeat

Quite sad this. You mean you've never been to a place where you've thought "I don't want to leave".

Well maybe I haven't but I like when after 3 or 4 days I think "Needed longer, we'll be back". Bruges, The Moselle, Fussen, Pesciera, Peurto del Sta Maria, Benidorm, Essaouira, Mekness and any many others fit that.

 

[mjltigger]

Quite sad this. You mean you've never been to a place where you've thought "I don't want to leave".

Well maybe I haven't but I like when after 3 or 4 days I think "Needed longer, we'll be back". Bruges, The Moselle, Fussen, Pesciera, Peurto del Sta Maria, Benidorm, Essaouira, Mekness and any many others fit that.

We have loads of places we want to go back to but there's always somewhere new to go so we never do...

 

[hilldweller]

We have loads of places we want to go back to but there's always somewhere new to go so we never do...

Well one day you'll driving or planning and DING we must go there again.

Some places are just so good. Fussen for instance. It has the most spectacular castle in the whole world ( ticked off and it's expensive ), it has a second castle ( work in progress ), it has a lovely town to walk round, it has loads of excellent cycling, it has one of the finest campsites next to a lake. I make no apologies for returning.

But Venice, so famous, well one day walking round got the feel of it. Crowded, queues too long and anyway I'm a peasant and too much art fries my brain.

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[Rob and Val]

@lennyhb, Many thanks for the co-ordinates. Much appreciated. Just 'liking' your post wasn't enough so a BIG thank you to you.

 

[Chockswahay]

Quite sad this. You mean you've never been to a place where you've thought "I don't want to leave".

We have been to plenty of places that we don't want to leave, but if we don't leave we won't find even more places that we 'don't want to leave'

The one place that we really did not want to leave was NORWAY.... the whole of it

As I said, for us , motorhome travel is exactly that......... travel

 

[Chockswahay]

As my son would say.......... 'sleep when your dead' ...... lol

 

[hilldweller]

As I said, for us , motorhome travel is exactly that......... travel

I think we may remain a little apart on this, I have been accused of "itchy feet" more than once but with age and retirement I've slowed down and come to terms with a week in one place. Garda for instance, it can be a week without driving but with bicycles, buses, trains and boats it's not a week stuck in one location.

The Rhein is similar. Cycle and boat up and down it. Find the best Schwarzwalderkirchtorte ( could be in Sankt Goer or Cochem, it's a close run race ) which bares no resemblance to what is served in the UK.

A week in Tafraoute, southern Morocco, was too short. So much to explore that is quite different to us Europeans.

 

[Techno]

I haven't read the thread at all so bearing this in mind this is my view.
Aires are specifically for us and us alone. I find that they are often much better placed for touring (than campsites) being in town or the very edge. We don't have kids and neither do most aire users (bonus).
There is no booking so no plans to make. I don't like to pay for facilities that I'm not using so Aires fit the bill perfectly.
I see no advantages for us personally in using a campsite.
Really the advantages go on and on if you don't have to keep anyone entertained.
I don't care what an aire charges, in fact a good fee helps keep numbers on site down

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[TheTwoOfUs]

I think technically you are still 'tuggers', just in reverse

Never been a tugger. Used to camp (tent) with the motorbike and then went straight to a motorhome. That was 16 years ago. First van was a Laika which had a wind out bumper/scooter rack on which we carried a Gilera 180. Swapped that (the Laika, not the Gilera) for the Frankia and bought an Excalibur trailer in which we carry the Wing and that's what we've been doing ever since. Have toured abroad every year in either France, Spain, Germany or Italy but with the exception of the 2 mentioned in my OP we've never used aires.

 

[scotjimland]

Have toured abroad every year in either France, Spain, Germany or Italy but with the exception of the 2 mentioned in my OP we've never used aires.

May have missed it, but I don't think you have specifically said why you don't like the idea of aires.. ?
I'm guessing it's a security issue.. you do a lot of touring on the bike, leaving the van on site all day.. maybe even overnight ?

If that is the case I can appreciate your concern.. and probably not ideal for your style of traveling.. aires by their very nature are not as secure as a gated site... most are open to the public.. many have footpaths going through them.. and at night you can get unwelcome visitors, boy racers and the like..

In saying that we've only had one theft on an aire.. Cap Breton, bike cut off the rack .. but that is over many years and hundreds of nights using them..same could have happened anywhere..

I guess you have to assess when you arrive... as you would with parking anywhere.. if it looks iffy.. move on.. if going out ask a neighbour to keep an eye on the van.. most vanners are very friendly and keep a look out anyway.. I love nosy neighbours..

If you feel more relaxed and secure on a site try the Municipals.

We don't do wild camping because we had a bad experience at Aldeburgh while parked on the sea wall.. it has put us off.. irrational maybe.. but we prefer the security of a site or CL now, but oddly have never felt insecure on a French aire..

 

[TheTwoOfUs]

As I said earlier, we do use municipal sites. You are right in that one of the reasons we don't use aires is becausae of security but also we don't like being "crowded", we like to spread out and get comfortable, we don't like the thought that we may have to move on every couple of days whether we want to or not, we don't have to carry water for showers etc as we use the site facilities and finally, to be blunt, some of the aires we've seen look like car parks or worse.

 

[Chockswahay]

@TheTwoOfUs

I agree with your sentiment and clearly Aires are not for you........ but........ you did ask members of the forum to explain why they are a good idea

Many reasons have been given and quite clearly it can be seen that Aires are not as bad as you initially thought............ it is simply a personal choice and lifestyle

The motorbike issue does of course change things a little and help explain why you would not wish to use Aires.

All I would add to the debate is that now you are aware that Aires are not all as you thought perhaps you might try one or two on your next trip?

As has been said many times , we're all different and that's what make life interesting

 

[Deleted member 29692]

some of the aires we've seen look like car parks

That's exactly what a lot of them are If they are in the right place it makes no difference to us.

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