Campsite in France for a week ‘working from home’

[SteveE]

I’m looking for some recommendations for a campsite in northern France (possibly Normandy) for a week at the end of July. It needs to be somewhere we can easily drive to in one day from Calais (max 6 hours driving). Ideally also walking distance from a nice beach/river/lake and a town (doesn’t need to be much of a town just somewhere for picking up supplies).

And now the tricky bit… I need to know before I get there that there is good mobile/internet signal. My wife is a teacher and will be off for the summer holidays but I’ve only got two weeks off, so we’re looking to extend the trip by bolting on an extra week where I can work during the day but we can still enjoy some lunchtimes and evenings exploring somewhere new.

Grateful for any suggestions, it doesn’t need to be Normandy… it’s just an area that appeals. We’ve used aires a lot in the past but for this, we’re really after a campsite so we have a guaranteed space for the week. Thanks

 

[cyberyacht]

Does your crossing have to be Dover/Calais. Newhaven/Dieppe is more central without it being an excessively long crossing. Might give you a greater choice of destination. Can't help with signal strength. My experience, certainly in UK, is that everywhere is mediocre except town centres.

 

[DandJ]

I'd be careful where you announce that you're going to be in France working. Not allowed since Brexit, legally, you'd need a visa of some sort....which for one week, would be somewhat impractical.

 

[MisterB]

I'd be careful where you announce that you're going to be in France working.

Don't tell them your name, Pike !!

 

[SteveE]

I'd be careful where you announce that you're going to be in France working. Not allowed since Brexit, legally, you'd need a visa of some sort....which for one week, would be somewhat impractical.

Thanks really interesting point… I use to regularly travel to France, Germany and Ireland for work (post Brexit). At the time I was working for a large global car maker and this point never got raised.

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[SteveE]

Does your crossing have to be Dover/Calais. Newhaven/Dieppe is more central without it being an excessively long crossing. Might give you a greater choice of destination. Can't help with signal strength. My experience, certainly in UK, is that everywhere is mediocre except town centres.

Thanks good point, we just default to the tunnel because it’s so easy with the dogs. I’ll take a look at alternative crossings. Thanks

 

[PlacidoD]

I'd be careful where you announce that you're going to be in France working. Not allowed since Brexit, legally, you'd need a visa of some sort....which for one week, would be somewhat impractical.

I doubt it applies. Surely not if you are not working for a European company. Your employer is the UK company. Were you to work permanently in France that might be different.
By way of example there must be lots of UK sales reps who head over to Europe to sell their company's wears. Surely nobody would suggest they need a work visa but plainly they are working while in France or wherever?

 

[chaser]

Well, what can I say that you haven't all heard before?
Gravelines fits everything in your list, twenty mins from the tunnel. Seriously. 4 Euros a night at the moment but think that might go up to 8 in April.

 

[DandJ]

I doubt it applies. Surely not if you are not working for a European company. Your employer is the UK company. Were you to work permanently in France that might be different.
By way of example there must be lots of UK sales reps who head over to Europe to sell their company's wears. Surely nobody would suggest they need a work visa but plainly they are working while in France or wherever?

I'll leave it to the OP to make his own enquries. (France has lots of rules and regulations....as an example, they have a rule of entry that states that on entering the country, if asked, you must show proof of accomodation for the entire trip, proof of financial means (65eu a day if staying at a hotel) proof if insurance including repatriation cover. I've never heard of anyone who has been asked for this information or proof...but it is there in black and white on their Govt website....as is what is required to work in France)

 

[barryd]

I was using this the other day to check coverage for the Reglo (SFR Network) SIM from E. Leclerc I plan to pick up for our three month summer trip. If you click on the 4g tab it shows you how good the signal is all over France on a map. I suspect other providers will have the same.

Carte de couverture du réseau mobile 4G et 5G – SFR

Vérifiez la couverture mobile 4G et 5G disponible chez vous. Renseignez votre adresse pour découvrir la couverture réseau SFR de votre zone.

www.sfr.fr

Obviously pick a site with wifi but in my experience campsite wifi is not always reliable. Worse case scenario you could pick up a sim for not much from Reglo at E. Leclerc and hotspot off that.

As for not working in France. I wouldn't give it a second thought. How would anyone know?

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[Nanniemate]

Just link to Internet using your phone or dongle

Working from wheels can be easy if you don't get good signal go the a cafe where you do.

If you can't get a signal move.

 

[PlacidoD]

I need to begin with a disclaimer - I have used this campsite and I don't recall any problems surfing the Net via my 4 G phone but then I had no pressing need to be in touch:

Camping La Source

Camping La Source*** Espace de bonheur NOUS CONTACTER ITINÉRAIRE À Hautot-sur-Mer À 4km de Dieppe, 3km de la mer, venez profiter du calme et d'un cadre verdoyant au camping

camping-la-source.fr

The above is very near Dieppe.

However you mention dogs. I cannot see anything on their website listing site rules which might prohibit dogs (in fact rules of any description).

I know others on this forum have used this campsite. Maybe they can fill in gaps in my knowledge.

 

[1967bowesj]

Found a usefull link for you befire you get more doom merchants SteveE

Remote Work in France - How can I do it?

If you're considering remote work in France, there are several things to consider before taking the plunge.

www.etiasfrance.org

 

[Wh05apk]

Although allowable to work in France, be aware of any gdpr implications or your company rules......but only if they knew....

 

[yodeli]

I'd be careful where you announce that you're going to be in France working. Not allowed since Brexit, legally, you'd need a visa of some sort....which for one week, would be somewhat impractical.

For UK or for France? Work.... on the internet I guess!?? So what??
Coz ' for France , for a week!.... just no need to bother!!!

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[yodeli]

Thanks really interesting point… I use to regularly travel to France, Germany and Ireland for work (post Brexit). At the time I was working for a large global car maker and this point never got raised.

Look, should you travel around France for 6 months or so, AND , not having your boss's blessing after having told him your intentions to work from another country, then of course it would be reasonnable to check what the rules are, on the matter. BUT indeed, a week??? Pfffff No ONE in France would even bother asking you things much more important as long as you're driving sober, you're not driving like a mad, you're insured, you're paying for everything you buy or rent, or even much worse, you don't agress women or children!! You can take my word for that!!!

 

[chaser]

Look, should you travel around France for 6 months or so, AND , not having your boss's blessing after having told him your intentions to work from another country, then of course it would be reasonnable to check what the rules are, on the matter. BUT indeed, a week??? Pfffff No ONE in France would even bother asking you things much more important as long as you're driving sober, you're not driving like a mad, you're insured, you're paying for everything you buy or rent, or even much worse, you don't agress women or children!! You can take my word for that!!!

What's more, how are they going to know?

 

[Onemanandhisdog]

Well, what can I say that you haven't all heard before?
Gravelines fits everything in your list, twenty mins from the tunnel. Seriously. 4 Euros a night at the moment but think that might go up to 8 in April.

Never knew you had to pay, stayed there twice, including 3 weeks ago and never paid anything. The wind was so bloody cold they should have paid me to stop there!!

 

[chaser]

Never knew you had to pay, stayed there twice, including 3 weeks ago and never paid anything. The wind was so bloody cold they should have paid me to stop there!!

Not many do pay especially the french, but we always do as the more people that pay is more likely to keep it open.

 

[Onemanandhisdog]

Not many do pay especially the french, but we always do as the more people that pay is more likely to keep it open.

How or where do you pay?

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[yodeli]

I cannot see anything on their website listing site rules which might prohibit dogs

You just have to look on the prices , and there you can see, 2 euros/per animal. I would think according to what they say before that it's per week. Not sure here, not very clear. Then you scroll down and you find "Inventaire Locations" , and there you have the kind of dog that is allowed and under which conditions.

 

[chaser]

How or where do you pay?

Parking machine by the bins

 

[MichaelT]

This one near Honfleur short stroll to town.

La Briquerie *****

Details for La Briquerie ***** a Independent Campsite Équemauville, Calvados, Normandie, France, 14600

www.searchforsites.co.uk

 

[The Coops]

Le Chalet, St Cast de Guido fits your bill but don't pay for the sea view, camp on the left hand side of the site down the hill ( website)

 

[Onemanandhisdog]

Parking machine by the bins

I even used the bins .....

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[chaser]

I even used the bins .....

The good thing about the gravelines aire is it is too spread out and other things around it, which will put off the campingcarpark crew taking it over.

 

[fishplug]

Can't really comment on campsites with good WiFi (my limited experience is that I get better signal on 4/5g than from campsite WiFi)

However, if you've got a 4/5g router and you're tagging the working week at the end of the first two, then why not just find a nice campsite that you like the look of and see how you get on with the signal there. If it's OK then stay, if it's not then move on.

Local SIM cards as per suggestions above if you don't have good roaming allowance is a good way to go.

I've done this exact same thing for weeks on end and 'working from van' was never an issue. The mobile signal in most of France seems to be better on average than in the UK from my personal experience.

 

[Brains]

I often WFH in the motorhome.
I even have an onboard printer!

My experience with campsite WiFi is it's usually very intermittent.

You may be OK on a nice sunny day when everyone is out, but as soon as it becomes overcast then people head back to the site and start taking over the bandwidth.

Also it can be critical about where you are on the site, as the WiFi extenders are usually mounted on the buildings, so you need the pitch right next to the reception or the loos.

As my work is not time critical I usually have the advantage of being able to wait for the next site if I cant work at the current site.

 

[starquake]

Only comment I'd make across board is 5g is now actually far more commonplace than you'd expect.

As an exmaple we were away this week at a site that last year on 4g had terrible signal, like under 3Mbit. The local cell has been upgraded to dual mode 4/5g on the same frequencies, in proper rural Camrbidgeshire here, and the same site, on a 5g mifi (real 5g, not just 5g wifi) resulted in > 100Mbit. Literally was same week of year, same van, same antenna, same mifi dongle. When set to 4g (only) mode on the mifi, it was about the same as the previous year.

Things are improving all over, so if the Reglo map says there is 5g nearby I'd be tempted to make sure my van wifi was 5g capable, be that a phone, a mifi device or whatever. It can make wifi home wifi equivalent if you can get a 5g signal of any sort in.

 

[SteveE]

Thanks to everyone for the campsite and aire suggestions! Really appreciated. Sorry if my original post wasn’t clear enough… I’m planning on using 4G router for internet connection, rather than any campsite WiFi… as I’ve had similar experiences with lots of campsite WiFi, which often seem to get saturated to a point where they are pretty much useless (with some exceptions).

As to the work visa points, thanks to those who raised it but… I think I’m just gonna go with it (it’s only a few days) as long as my boss/employer doesn’t object. It looks like the ‘extra’ week away will be at the start of the trip not the end… but if we can switch it around then we’ll try and reccy a good spot and stay/return there for the last week.

Thanks again to everyone who has replied, really appreciated.