First timer in france needing some advice from the pro's!

[Ziggy123]

Not sure if this is right place to ask this question...but we are currently 2 weeks in to our first trip to France and I'm really struggling. The advice was to go with the flow and don't plan.. but how do you do that when the majority of sites are closed or closing?

What apps/sites do you find most useful..I use ACSI
.. mainly stayed mainly at their sites as seem good value at around 20 euro all in...park4night, camper contact and camper car park (been pretty useless where we have been!) None give you filters to only show open sites so that takes a while to filter! I did pick up a link to French aires during last night's research so that might help fingers crossed.

We've had a few issues that haven't helped. First in calais when we stopped for wine supplies and two men tried to break in to the van...hubby chased them down the road with the dog!..so that's made us nervous of leaving van without being on a site.
Rwg sim been a pain and trying to find a supermarket that sells a French one..no luck yet but in a town today so going to have a walk in and see...but its started to work again yesterday & I have enough data to work for now and no time to watch TV anyway! Gas leak..but anyway its all just things but the main stress is places to stay.

Currently in Chambery near grenoble, we detoured here via Annecy to see if could get part for gas but couldn't. Had intended to do the drive through the alps but the driving is stressing the dog (especially as we've been avoiding tolls!) so we need to make some decisions. Find another spot in Alps good for hiking...head south coast and hopefully more sites open?..any tips on this and good places for walking?..,or just head home instead. I don't really want to as feel I've failed and want to turn it round.

Is this just a bad time of year for France or am I doing it all wrong? We just love being in nature and walking. We have our large Golden retriever with us, he is happy being in van now, just hates the driving days!

So far the highlight of trip was when we detoured in to Switzerland for 5 nights, loved walking in the Mountains! Should have gone to chamonix yesterday as originally planned rather than try to get gas part but you learn. We have 1 working cylinder so that's sufficient!

Love being in the van though and was so excited for this trip. I am usually a planner so I knew it would be an adjustment for me its been harder than I thought, probably just because so much is shut...well hopefully anyway!

Sorry long post any help would be appreciated but be kind I'm feeling very emotional lol!

Thanks Lisa

 

[chesterfield hooligan]

Sometimes you can just go on Google maps and search Aires, but I like park4night app as it shows recent comments good or bad then go on street view to check suitability.

 

[Bessy765]

Can you describe where your gas leak is do you have standard bottles, refillable or a tank.that may help to find a solution, if you are not sure use washing up liquid to see bubbles from the leak. Be sure to wash it off afterwards as it is corrosive. If you get anywhere near to Limoges we are an hour from there and have a lpg leak detector which is very accurate. Obviously if you feel unsure get some professional advice.

 

[Brains]

A bit late now, but ....

The 'summer season' is a lot of western Europe officially runs "ÁaÀ"
That is Assentation to Assumption
(18th May in 2023 to 15th August every year)

Assentation date is associated with Easter, so moves each year, but it broadly early May to mid May each year
Many municipal campsites and other facilities operate ÁaÀ

Much of the private sector add 4 weeks at either end to the dates, meaning open early April (usually Easter) to mid/end September, which gives them a 6 month season.
If Easter is early they close on the 15th September, if it's late they close end of September.

A lot it attached to getting a six month 'summer season' permit to run say a campsite or other tourist infrastructure. Getting a winter or all year around permit is an additional cost.

It means that after the official end of Summer on the 15th of August, visits to France in particular, but western Europe in general, you will find Summer attractions and campsites closed for Winter.

Most schools reopen around the 15-20th August, England and Wales are 2-3 weeks later than everyone else.

 

[Imala615]

deleted

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[Aly1]

There is a great aire right in the centre of Calais, gated and barriered with elsan dump and water all for €10 a night. Stayed a few times no problems and an easy flat 20 min walk into the centre.

They own the campsite next door as well with showers/toilets .

The problem with Calais is it’s in France which we find very expensive so tend to get through it, yes I know it’s pretty but it’s expensive, oh and it’s shut and the pretty villages are like scenes from Walking Dead where you see no signs of human life .

That said we do like it and have regularly stayed at loads of aires most of which are very good, on our way to other parts of europe.

I used that aire before travelling on the tunnel a couple of weeks ago. It felt very safe and Calais seafront was lovely to walk along. It took less than 10 minutes to get to the tunnel. I will definitely use it prior to travelling home in future.

 

[Grianan]

I’ve replied to your post on on other thread. We are in Bourgogne and it’s busy but we have been ok so far. France Passion is year round too - I’ve taken some screen shots to show you where there are - and aren’t FP stops. Don’t give up!

 

[Ziggy123]

Sorry you're struggling. CamperContact does have a filter called "Travel period" which will only show open sites if you put in today's date. The ACSI book also shows dates when the sites are open.

But, as you've discovered a lot of sites are not open all year round, especially in northern France.

The answer is to use aires and forget about campsites.

Have a look at this site:

CAMPING-CAR PARK - The 1st European network of stopover sites and services areas

CAMPING-CAR PARK is the 1st European network of stopover sites and services areas for parking motorhomes in complete peace of mind, 24 hours a day.

www.campingcarpark.com

You will have to register at the first site you go to and obtain a card from the machine at the barrier. It isn't difficult especially if you choose English as your language at the start of the process. The CCP sites are generally quite civilised.

I would review your "avoiding tolls" strategy if you want easier driving. The toll roads are generally superb in France. They are best with a tag but you can use a card.

And never stop in Calais or chase folk.

Thank you for that, I looked at some of them for filters but had no joy and I use that app too, that will really help!

We have a camping carpark card too with 30 euros on it but haven't found any yet close to our route but am hoping that will change!

We also have a toll tag, so I think we just have to rethink that ...and throw away my book the slow route through France!!...& start using it. We are 3.65t so had to pay for heavy goods toll in Switzerland but 25 swiss francs for 6 day's was worth every penny!

Thank you

 

[Ziggy123]

We paid for the Searchforsites app and used it a lot. When you click on the campsite/Aire etc it shows the opening dates and you can navigate to the site. It also gives you the coordinates. Excellent value in our opinion.

As others have said, Aires are usually pretty safe but avoid places like Calais. We were new to staying on Aires this year but found some great ones and met a lot of fellow motorhomers.

Yes I think it just made us more cautious, some aires look lovely and I'd feel happy if couple of others there just nervous doing it on our own to start with!

 

[Ziggy123]

Get on to holalfy and get an esim unlimited EU data (or however much data you want) no need to insert a physical sim then.

Just check your phone taked esims on Google or possibly under settings sim manager.(depending on phone)
Park4night
Searchforsites
Camping carports
Camper contact

Then Google the site see the opening dates.

Try not to stress too much what happened at calais, will be a one off and it's not.often many of us leave our vans unattended there for long due to the desperate scrotes waiting to cross the Channel. Lesson learnt. Try and avoid motorway services overnights maybe

Enjoy the planning and whatever it throws at you, you'll gain experience and look back on it with a smile.
Lastly always pop back here for advice there will be loads for funsters that will have encountered pretty much every scenario.

Good luck

Can you use that in a mobile router? Our phones are working OK, we have a huawei mifi router so I can work on the road and was going to stream for TV, although no time to watch anything anyway!!

Thank you for that

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[Lenny HB]

The advice was to go with the flow and don't plan.. but how do you do that when the majority of sites are closed or closing?

That is by far the best way to go in Europe, we have been in Germany for the last 3 weeks. We woke up this morning didn't have clue where we were going to go just like every other morning.

We don't use sites unless unavoidable much prefer Aires & Stellaplatz.

Also we don't use toll roads much nicer just amberling through France.

Now at a Stellaplatz (German Aire) near a lake. The main Stellaplatz was full so we are in the overflow area which is much nicer but on a bit of a slope.

 

[Ziggy123]

Can you describe where your gas leak is do you have standard bottles, refillable or a tank.that may help to find a solution, if you are not sure use washing up liquid to see bubbles from the leak. Be sure to wash it off afterwards as it is corrosive. If you get anywhere near to Limoges we are an hour from there and have a lpg leak detector which is very accurate. Obviously if you feel unsure get some professional advice.

That is so kind of you thank you. We have a 2 bottle gaslow refillable tank system..smelt leak Friday before we were due to leave Monday and took it to dealer who fixed it...but obviously they didnt! We took it to a dealer in Switzerland who found 3 nuts weren't tightened so that was main issue but after tightening still small leak so he thinks it's the t connector that connects the two bottles. He's disconnected it for now and connected up to 1 bottle so we have gas now, just can't use both. They didn't have parts but was brilliant service.

We diverted to a dealer in Annecy instead of going chamonix...which was a mistake as regret not going...but they said its an English part so won't be able to get here!

We are thankful though that we have 1 tank and it was full we will just have to keep it topped up...another first to try here...we have multiple connectors so hopefully have right one!

 

[Ziggy123]

That is by far the best way to go in Europe, we have been in Germany for the last 3 weeks. We woke up this morning didn't have clue where we were going to go just like every other morning.

We don't use sites unless unavoidable much prefer Aires & Stellaplatz.

Also we don't use toll roads much nicer just amberling through France.

Now at a Stellaplatz (German Aire) near a lake. The main Stellaplatz was full so we are in the overflow area which is much nicer but on a bit of a slope.

View attachment 821700View attachment 821699

How do you choose though! I so wish I could do that!

 

[Ziggy123]

I’ve replied to your post on on other thread. We are in Bourgogne and it’s busy but we have been ok so far. France Passion is year round too - I’ve taken some screen shots to show you where there are - and aren’t FP stops. Don’t give up!




View attachment 821659View attachment 821660View attachment 821661View attachment 821662View attachment 821663

Thank you so much x
I will have to take another look!

 

[Ziggy123]

Try and find a FREE outlet and get a 210GB for around €30 (10 for the SIM and 20 for the data), if you've got internet access do a search.

suavecarve has posted a few journals on here of travel around France that could be helpful

We rarely stay on sites in France but search4sites is pretty good.

Just post where you want to go next on here and ask for recommendations, and lots of experienced advice will come your way ...

Re the gas issue, what's the problem? You might be able to get a family member to buy the part in the UK and have it delivered to a future site? Or you might find it at a BRICO DEPOT ?

MotorhomingFrance for the best aires in France

MotorhomingFrance is a website which is designed to be an invaluable resource for anyone who visits or plans to visit France in a motorhome. The site covers various aspects of motorhoming in France, news on aires, travel news, useful info, tourism, motorhome books

www.motorhomingfrance.co.uk

Is also a good resource

Brilliant thank you. I went to to a tobacconist today and with help of Google translate decided their sim wasn't any good as I needed to ring to activate and he didn't know if it would work I'm my router! I will Google this place and see if I can find one.

Maybe I should ask a new question as to where to next then! I don't know where to head but within 2 hours ideally as we had a long day in van yesterday and dog os refusing to get in when he knows we are leaving...he understands what packing up means now!!

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[Lenny HB]

Brilliant thank you. I went to to a tobacconist today and with help of Google translate decided their sim wasn't any good as I needed to ring to activate and he didn't know if it would work I'm my router! I will Google this place and see if I can find one.

As I said eairler the Reglo sim from E.Leclerc supermarkets works really well.
Have a look at post #21.

 

[Manic]

Re RWG sim , did you buy a data only sim and if so did you buy the global version if not that’s why it’s not working , I’m writing this whilst connected to internet using my RWG phone sim in a router in France and I’ve found the signal better than UK even in off the beaten track smallfrench villages.
with regards filter on CamperContact you can only use these if you have the payed for pro version.
Start using Aires , free or payed and enjoy your trip, we’ve not had to pay for an Aire or water yet on this trip, been away 2 weeks so far.

 

[Lenny HB]

How do you choose though! I so wish I could do that!

Look at guide books, search place on the Internet, where we are at the moment was recommended by a couple of Funsters on my current thread.
Also often look at reviews on Camper Contact & S4S found quite a few good places like that.

Lenny's off again Germany, then wherever

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[jerryz]

If you need help from PRO's I think Monmatre is the place to go !!!

 

[Ziggy123]

As I said eairler the Reglo sim from E.Leclerc supermarkets works really well.
Have a look at post #21.

Yes that's the one I've been looking for...I screenshot your post from a while back..but I've been in 2 leclerc supermarkets so far and had no joy finding it...maybe 3rd time lucky! I asked an assistant via Google translate where I might find it and I got a shoulder shrug!

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[vzac]

Also try and avoid Aires on motorways. But as said France when you get used to it is easy. We only use p4n and camping car Aires. P4n only if they have 3 and above stars, also read some of the reviews. We travel with 2 cats, and try to do no more than 4 hrs a day. At home they have a cat box that we take with us so they can have some familiarity. We are currently in Sicily, having traveled through France to get here and will be traveling back through France. With dogs I would feel safer with them than 2 cats but hey ho that's the way it goes. I am a planner but doing less and less these days as places to stay from now on are easier than the hight of summer.

 

[MisterB]

Brilliant thank you. I went to to a tobacconist today and with help of Google translate decided their sim wasn't any good as I needed to ring to activate and he didn't know if it would work I'm my router! I will Google this place and see if I can find one.

Maybe I should ask a new question as to where to next then! I don't know where to head but within 2 hours ideally as we had a long day in van yesterday and dog os refusing to get in when he knows we are leaving...he understands what packing up means now!!

Free : Trouvez une Boutique Free proche de chez vous

Découvrez la boutique Free la plus proche parmi plus de 150 boutiques en France, et trouvez l’offre qui vous ressemble.

www.free.fr

and enter your location ....

just make sure the sim is activated before you leave the shop plus you need to change the APN

Free France APN Settings 2023 - 4G 5G APN Settings

Free mobile France provides Wireless service for more than 13 Million Customers. It Launched 4G LTE service on 3rd Dec 2013. Below you can find the Free Mobile 4G LTE APN Settings for Android Smart Phones Samsung HTC Blackberry and iPhone Free APN Settings for Android In your Android Smart Phone...

www.apnsettings.org

 

[Ziggy123]

Re RWG sim , did you buy a data only sim and if so did you buy the global version if not that’s why it’s not working , I’m writing this whilst connected to internet using my RWG phone sim in a router in France and I’ve found the signal better than UK even in off the beaten track smallfrench villages.
with regards filter on CamperContact you can only use these if you have the payed for pro version.
Start using Aires , free or payed and enjoy your trip, we’ve not had to pay for an Aire or water yet on this trip, been away 2 weeks so far.

I bought the data only global sim but I read it as 100gb for 14.99 but it was 100mb!! I need new glasses lol! To be fair though our son was getting married abroad the week before we came here and the lead up to this trip was manic so I rushed things! I bought an extra 5gb one off data to test it after many emails...it worked for half day then stopped for week...is working now, so not sure whether to buy the £20 a month package, its taken week to get a reply that it will work or just get french sim card

 

[Lenny HB]

Yes that's the one I've been looking for...I screenshot your post from a while back..but I've been in 2 leclerc supermarkets so far and had no joy finding it...maybe 3rd time lucky! I asked an assistant via Google translate where I might find it and I got a shoulder shrug!

They are on a rack in the electrical section by phones and laptops etc.

 

[Ziggy123]

They are on a rack in the electrical section by phones and laptops etc.

Brill thanks. I think the ones I went in were probably not big enough stores

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[chaser]

I don't where you are now or what you want to do, but this CCP site isn't that far away from where you were and seems to have everything you want.
Otherwise give us a bit of an idea what you want to see or do

 

[Lenny HB]

We took it to a dealer in Switzerland who found 3 nuts weren't tightened so that was main issue but after tightening still small leak so he thinks it's the t connector that connects the two bottles.

If it was leaking there it would only leak until the gas in the hose has run out, the bottles have a non return valve on the filling inlets.

We diverted to a dealer in Annecy instead of going chamonix...which was a mistake as regret not going...but they said its an English part so won't be able to get here!

Gaslow bottles are made in Poland and all the parts on a refillable system are fairly standard throughout Europe.

 

[Ziggy123]

I don't where you are now or what you want to do, but this CCP site isn't that far away from where you were and seems to have everything you want.
Otherwise give us a bit of an idea what you want to see or do
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That looks beautiful, exactly the sort of thing. I can't find it on my app for some reason but I will definitely check it out later. Thank you so much

Ideally we love a site where we can just go out and walk, Ideally in nature. I loved being in the Mountains but equally love walking in countryside and coast. Our original aim was to head south so we are there for November time. I've booked a site that looked nice about 1.5 hours south from here for 3 nights so we can take stock and do more research. Massif des apilles natural Park said lots of hiking and the van gogh trial, Verdon gorges. I have some notes of recommendations on South Coast like cassis, but I haven't checked out if/where aires are so that will be my task when we stop. I think Saturday is rain day so that will be good day for it!

We are not super fit, just dog walking fit & just like being outdoors and ambling really. I was hoping for tranquil small towns but we seem to have ended up on edge of bigger towns so far!

Thank you for your help

 

[David BW]

I bought the data only global sim but I read it as 100gb for 14.99 but it was 100mb!! I need new glasses lol! To be fair though our son was getting married abroad the week before we came here and the lead up to this trip was manic so I rushed things! I bought an extra 5gb one off data to test it after many emails...it worked for half day then stopped for week...is working now, so not sure whether to buy the £20 a month package, its taken week to get a reply that it will work or just get french sim card

We used the RWG Big Data sim for our 3weeks - it worked brilliantly.

 

[Lenny HB]

I was hoping for tranquil small towns but we seem to have ended up on edge of bigger towns so far!

Best found just amberling along and stopping on an Aire in the next village.
We have found some gems but you often won't find them in the guide books.
It really is best not to plan in France just take it as it comes.

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[DangerMousy]

I loved being in the Mountains but equally love walking in countryside and coast. Our original aim was to head south so we are there for November time. I've booked a site that looked nice about 1.5 hours south from here for 3 nights so we can take stock and do more research.

Sounds like a good plan to me

It really is best not to plan in France just take it as it comes.

I disagree in this case - what works for one person doesn't work for everyone. So for newbies who are also probably still learning how to use their MH systems, and especially if they've had issues they need to sort out, planning a few stops/days ahead is an easy way to reduce the mental overload.....leaving space to process everything else going on.

Once they're more comfortable and have had a breather then they can think about being more spontaneous (if they want to). But let them get back to enjoying things first instead of feeling stressed. There's no need for anyone to jump in at the deep end if they're not comfortable with it.