Best Aire to stay overnight after Calais

[oggiebedworth]

We always head towards Rouen and stay at point d,Larche. A nice aire next to the town and river.
Phil

The entrance through the town is very tight, - with a trailer ????

 

[Gaston aires]

The entrance through the town is very tight, - with a trailer ????

The entrance is not through the town it’s off the main road by the river and signposted. You can go through the town but not recommended.
Phil

 

[gwyntaxi]

I thought using the tunnel at 9pm would get us to Calais at 9.30-45pm uk time and 8.30-45pm Euro time? What time do you guys think is sensible to start looking for an Aire in the afternoon?
Regards the Toad, I’ve read tonnes of stuff on here about A-frames, some say legal others say not, others say never been questioned about it. We’re not planning to use any peage type motorways in France, just non pay motorways and our equivalent of A & B roads, how likely are we to encounter plod? I don’t want to turn this into another interminable argument about the legality or otherwise of Toads!!

Cheers!


Russ

Hi Russ,
I have a toad but Never take it abroad for obvious reasons the same as other funsters will tell you, Just be prepared to pay a 2-300 euro fine if you encounter a keen cop which most out there are or they’ve had a bad day, and to compound matters further be prepared to unhitch when ordered so your wife can drive along behind you, then when you hitch back up 10 miles further be prepared to FaceTime repeat further on as the cop who just stopped you will radio his colleagues down the road to make sure you’ve not hitched back up, really not worth the stress mate.

 

[RustyRuss]

Well Boys n Girls we’ve looked at all the alternatives and decided not to take the toad, and further, take an early train to give us a relaxed drive down the top half of France then stop over somewhere in the middle and continue to Bezier/Carcassonne the following day. I discovered that we can rent a Renault Twingo for 2 weeks for about £150 when we get there, so that saves on channel tunnel fares, means Kathryn is more likely to share the driving, makes entering an Aire an easier proposition and will save fuel costs.
Why take a MoHo and then hire a car?! I hear you all shout. Well we like to set up for the duration with awning up and dogs settled, but still like to get out and about and explore, do shopping, visit wineries and castles and villages and farm shops and so on, so a little car will be ideal. When we go to Santorini (next time will be our 5th time) we hire a big quad bike for 2 weeks and buzz all over the island. When we went to Cornwall this year we did nearly 300 miles in the toad in 2 weeks so we like to get out and about!!
I like the idea of Le Touquet or similar on the way back before catching a mid-Sunday morning return to Blighty!!

Thanks for all your suggestions and advice. When we retire in 5-6 years time we intend to do an extended tour of Europe so we will very likely take the toad with us then. It’ll probably be a little PHEV by then I think, and sit on a trailer.



Cheers All!!


Russ

 

[orridge]

Why take a MoHo and then hire a car?! I hear you all shout.

We did the same in Skye this summer wanted to visit all over the Island but not necessarily drive a motorhome down to the Fairy Pools, Old Man of Storr etc and worked really well as some of those places were rammed over Summer.

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[gwyntaxi]

Last time we stopped there a bloke tried to break in to our MH and a caravan in front of us at around 4am. Alan and the caravan owner chased him off but he left our hab door lock damaged. Never been back since. This was early 2019 I think.

Good advice I can’t really understand anyone who’d risk a motorway aire in France having read others experiences on here including my own, you will only ever want it to happen once, just look at how many Motorhomes you see on a motorway Aire as opposed to a village/town aire, says it all.....just sayin.

 

[bellabee]

The old aire at Montreuil-sur-Mer is no longer used for the school buses but is usually rammed with moho's most nights. Hope this helps

We arrived there from the Tunnel at around 6.30pm (CET), at the beginning of September and it was, indeed, rammed. We just managed to squeeze a space for our 7m van.

 

[Fast Eddy]

Hi gang!

We’re planning our summer hols for last 2 weeks of June next year. We plan to get a 9pm ish channel tunnel crossing, then drive for a maximum of an hour in the general direction of southern France. Can you guys suggest a good overnight stop in an aire, or in a town? Planning to take our toad with us too.


Cheers!


Russ

Just outside St Omer is a very large LeClerc supermarket at a place called Lumbres. It has fuel, water and waste disposal. Park around the rear by the goods entrance and you will have a quiet night. Thank you leclerc for this excellent service

 

[chaser]

Here you are, filmed and produced just for you, a video on how to find Gravelines aire.

The field is now open as well so twice as much room now, and a new superb restaurant right on the Aire, and services are maybe half a mile away ,just around the corner really but you have to go around a couple of streets to get there.

 

[Clarky]

The field is now open as well so twice as much room now, and a new superb restaurant right on the Aire, and services are maybe half a mile away ,just around the corner really but you have to go around a couple of streets to get there.

I made that video quite a few years ago but we’ve been back to Gravelines quite a few times since.
Having that new'ish grassy area has certainly made a lot more space although I always prefer to park on the quayside to get a view of the boats and river.

Richard.

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[chaser]

I made that video quite a few years ago but we’ve been back to Gravelines quite a few times since.
Having that new'ish grassy area has certainly made a lot more space although I always prefer to park on the quayside to get a view of the boats and river.

Richard.

Yeah we do, must admit I have very rarely seen anyone on the grass.

 

[glenn2926]

Yeah we do, must admit I have very rarely seen anyone on the grass.

We always go on the grass. It’s much better for the dog to lay on. We were quite lucky to get one of the two remaining grass spaces. There were a few overlooking the mud but they’re not as good for us. We much prefer being on grass. There is reinforcing under the grass of some kind. We arrived too late to go to l’eclusier which was a shame as we do like that restaurant. Hopefully we’ll be able to use it next time.

 

[chaser]

I made that video quite a few years ago but we’ve been back to Gravelines quite a few times since.
Having that new'ish grassy area has certainly made a lot more space although I always prefer to park on the quayside to get a view of the boats and river.

Richard.

That video has certainly stirred me up again, love that drive into town and the Aire, it always means, we are on holiday, left the rigorous M1 /25/20 behind for a while.

 

[thewilsons]

France is 1 hour ahead so assuming you are on time you would arrive in France about 10:35PM, allow 15-20 minutes to unload and get out of station area you are looking at 11PM. then an hour to travel its midnight. Le Crotoy I mentioned above is about an hour (using toll road) away and works on number plate recognition so you could just drive up and go straight in and hopefully get a space, plenty of room for trailers if you can get a middle pitch you can just drive in without having to unhitch but as others have said arriving at midnight you may get some funny looks next day. Pity Cite Europe is not viable now as that would have been perfect which is what we used to do.

As for meeting Monsieur Plod, more likely on a A/B road than a toll motorway, can't answer regards the legality of an A frame.

The legality of the a frame is very simple if it is the type that is like a caravan a frame with a flexible rubber on the hitch so the brake works as a caravan it is TOTALLY ILLIGAL ALL OVER THE E. U. The E. U. Legislation states if the wheels are in the centre of the trailer it is legal if the wheels are in the corners I. E. A car then they are totally illagal a d you could be told to uncouple and you will be fined. Only a frames with electronic braking is legal but not in Spain no car can be towed on a a frame of any type or Switzerland.

 

[peterc10]

The legality of the a frame is very simple if it is the type that is like a caravan a frame with a flexible rubber on the hitch so the brake works as a caravan it is TOTALLY ILLIGAL ALL OVER THE E. U. The E. U. Legislation states if the wheels are in the centre of the trailer it is legal if the wheels are in the corners I. E. A car then they are totally illagal a d you could be told to uncouple and you will be fined. Only a frames with electronic braking is legal but not in Spain no car can be towed on a a frame of any type or Switzerland.

I think you will find that even with electric braking they will still be illegal. In most of the rest of Europe things being towed have to be separately registered as a trailer and have a their own registration number plate and carry their own insurances to be used as a trailer. Given that the car is already registered as a car it cannot also be registered as a trailer as well with its own number plate for it being a trailer. That means it can't be used as a trailer.

In a Belgium service area our motorhome was reversed into by a car towing a trailer, and it was the trailer that hit the motorhome. I had to record the separate registration plates and insurances of both car and trailer, but it was the trailer's insurance which eventually ended up paying.

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[Jo662]

We stayed at the Gravelines Aire last night next to the mariner. We had a quiet night and is only 30 mins to the tunnel.

 

[minesapint]

CET - Central European Time is based on the time in Hamburg.
As Hamburg is to the east of Greenwich it is ahead of GMT by one hour.
So whatever time you leave the UK it will be one hour later in France.

A 9pm (GMT) departure in the UK (10pm CET) will mean by the time you have left Calais it will be 11pm local time.

What time do you want to arrive on an aire in France ?
Personally I try to arrive in daylight.
Work backwards from there.

As for the TOAD on the A frame, they are illegal outside of the UK.
What your insurance situation is or weather you get caught are different issues.

It is just the eu being the eu, take a safely towed car with a proper braking system, and put it on a two wheel unsafe trailer and they are happy.

It is a case of them ignoring our laws but insisting we apply their laws in our country.

Enjoy you holiday.

 

[Brains]

It is just the eu being the eu, take a safely towed car with a proper braking system, and put it on a two wheel unsafe trailer and they are happy.

It is a case of them ignoring our laws but insisting we apply their laws in our country.

Enjoy you holiday.

 

[Russ M]

Here you are, filmed and produced just for you, a video on how to find Gravelines aire.

Looks perfect for our needs for a stopover night.thanks

 

[Anjistar]

how likely are we to encounter plod?

The plod around Calais are particularly alert at present. We got pulled over for a check on illegals on board. Driving at night might well attract more attention than day, so be ready for that. They have also recently trebled their fleet of unmarked cars, according to friends who live there.

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[Anjistar]

We always plan a latish train and head to Aire de Baie de Somme

We looked there this summer, it was rammed by 12pm, by what looked like long-term residents, both in late August and mid-September. It was tricky turning in our LWB PVC, so can't imagine what it would be like in the dark with a toad. You can't tell how full it is without going right in, and the road to it is barely big enough for two vehicles to pass at the aire end.

 

[15edward]

I wasn’t clear. We stop at the A16 aire https://www.sanef.com/fr/aire/service/baie-de-somme-autoroute-a16

 

[Richard n Ann]

Just outside St Omer is a very large LeClerc supermarket at a place called Lumbres. It has fuel, water and waste disposal. Park around the rear by the goods entrance and you will have a quiet night. Thank you leclerc for this excellent service

Stayed last night, excellent plenty of room and quiet, took us about 45 min toll free route from Calais

 

[tinkerbell]

For the first time in 12 years we actually got a proper pitch at Montreuil sur Mer, the last one at 3.30 pm, we were on our way home. the car park soon filled up, but a lovely town to walk around, you must go to the cheese shop and cake shop. Sit outside and have a drink at one of the cafes.