France in June 18

Pete-Jay-Sophie

Pete-Jay-Sophie

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Hi

We are planning a trip down in our motorhome to celebrate my hubby's 60th birthday. This will be our first time taking the MH abroad so we are looking for any help or advice. We have a crossing to St Malo. Where do people recommend we visit?
What routes would you take,
Recommendations for aires/campsites,
Things we need to know about traveling through France?.
What will the weather be like in France??

Many Thanks

Jayne
 
Get the ACSI book .that will give you an idea on the sites .that will give you access to a discount camping card if you want one .Enjoy H
 
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Weather? Buy a frog (rainette preferably) , put it in a jar with a small ladder in , fill it up with water, let's say to mid way up . If froggy goes up the ladder , then beautiful weather is to be expected. If it stays down in the water, be prepared to have rain. Easy peasy, no signal needed just pure nature(y);):cool:

Don't you try to catch me to do the job, I suffer claustrophobia! :sick:

Other than that.... Enjoy your time in France. How far down south will you go by the way? June ? I should be home!

Amicalement
Frankie:D

Oh ... nearly forgot.... welcome aboard
 
  • The weather stays sunnier as you head further south. Brittany is basically Cornwall in French, complete with hordes of Brits. In Normandy they joke about the rain on their postcards.
  • Below the Gironde estuary (near Bordeaux) the Atlantic Coast is basically big wide sandy beaches backed by dunes and pine forests all the way down to Bayonne. Above the Gironde the coastal landscape is much more varied. If you want quaint Atlantic fishing villages stay north of the Gironde.
  • The Autoroutes are easier to drive but many of them cost money. Fuel is around 20c a litre cheaper at supermarkets than it is on autoroutes.
  • The default speed limit between the boundaries of a town or village is 50kph/30mph. The town name signs mark the boundaries.
  • If you're using aires in the summer, go for medium to large sized aires and aim to arrive mid-morning when the turnover is greatest. You can stop at huge theme park aires like Puy du Fou and Futuroscope without going in the theme parks, although the parks are good fun. For obvious reasons aires will be busier at weekends.
  • French graffiti puts ours to shame. They have a long and proud tradition stretching back around 35,000 years. To see the best vintage graffiti head for the Dordogne and Vezere valleys. To see the oldest head for the Ardeche.
  • France has volcanoes that are technically still active, in the Auvergne region, although they've given up smoking.
  • The islands of Ile de Re and Ile d'Oleron are worth a detour, especially if you like cycling.
Bon Voyage :)
 
It basically depends on how long you are touring for. Get 'All the Aires' or if you prefer on line, then camper contact or camperstop. ACSI is good but if you're still over in July, the discount scheme stops till September mainly.
All the Aires can be obtained from Vicarious books. On that side, possibly go down the Atlantic coast towards La Rochelle, possibly through the enchanted forest or the Loire Valley. We're over in June (heading mid May) but going down Eastern France again as we prefer that side and possibly into Germany or Switzerland and Italy.
Enjoy your first venture into France and
welcome animated smiley3.gif
 
Thankyou, we only have two weeks unfortunately. I have ordered a ACSI card as we will come back on 30/6/18.

Hoping we can at least visit 3/4 areas during that time.
 
France is a wonderful country - there’s something to suit everyone.

What do you want to do? If you decide to go down the west coast I can recommend the Ile de Rey which is just off the coast near La Rochelle. It has fantastic cycle tracks, lovely beaches and harbours.
 
Pete-Jay-Sophie said:
I am being drawn to the La Rochelle area
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Spend a day here on your way past -- https://www.puydufou.com/en Brilliant day out and you can spend the night before there - before an early start - It is a full days entertainment.

Also on your way Le Mans is a nice town.

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Driving in France is easy - beware going wrong way in supermarket car parks if you are not following anyone. Weather is usually good but you can move to better weather easily - local papers have easy weather maps for the non fluent. Look up local feast days on net before you go - we have been to Brittany in August and there were lots of fishing feasts. We loved the standing stones at Carnac- Beaune is beautiful as is Troyes- you will love it wherever you go. Many villages are awash with old buildings and markets - happy go lucky does it xx enjoy
 
We are going equipped with an ACSI card and All the Aires. Will we need to pre-book sites or should we just "wing it"??
 
Pete-Jay-Sophie said:
We are going equipped with an ACSI card and All the Aires. Will we need to pre-book sites or should we just "wing it"??
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In the main, just wing it. Last June was really hot, well it was in Eastern France and very hot in Calais the day we left on 22nd June. You can pull up local weather on your phone. If you don't have WiFi, go to Mcdonalds for free connection. Check things you need for France.
 
EX51SSS said:
In the main, just wing it. Last June was really hot, well it was in Eastern France and very hot in Calais the day we left on 22nd June. You can pull up local weather on your phone. If you don't have WiFi, go to Mcdonalds for free connection. Check things you need for France.
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What he said. You will be surprised how easy it is the MoHo in France - Download Camper Contact to your SatNav
 
I have been to France for the last 3 years in June normally st malo on the way out and Caen on the way back a good first stop is the vendee some nice sites and good cycle routes La Rochelle or il de re a good second and royan another good one.
The weather is better the further south you go last year in June on the il de re it was scorching but the year before we had thunderstorms but they only lasted a day or so then very sunny.
Look at the forecast before you go if good you can always spend a good couple of weeks in the st malo area st malo is a good town also Dinan and dinard are worth a look.
Happy travels

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Hi

In the list of things to take think about how/what gas you will take and use.

Uk cylinders only - refillables - Uk with an, expensive, camping gaz back up - buy a local cylinder.

Also remember France adaptors for electric. Although many sites now use the same EHU connector as us.

Have you considered France Passion. Can be quite handy.

Regards

p-c
 
Don't buy a load of guides don't buy a load of stuff to take with you go to some off the beaten track/popular areas just enjoy (and try some aires)
 
You'll need light beam benders, possibly head light protectors with blank in place. Expensive but protects headlight and don't need to remove for our MOT.
Reflective jacket (tabard) for each person in the vehicle but in the cab.
Spare set of bulbs (complete kit available from eBay or Amazon)
If you're there for just a couple of weeks, a couple of calor type cylinders will suffice. Refillable are a great advantage.
Registration documents
Driving licence
Insurance
Breakdown cover (not compulsory but advised)
Sat Nav set to kms and non toll if you want to avoid Peage motorways
Halifax Clarity card (or similar), gives the daily exchange rate and no commission or transaction fee but always pay in Euros not in pounds.
Tyres and spare all matching ( not compulsory but breakdown services may not mix different brands on same axle)
Anti gassing stuff (that's a joke as you'll realise after a time on here) (well it's not but it's compulsory to have designer clothes, Rolex watch and a few thousand euros)
Are you travelling with a pet?
E111 card.
I know there are more things that would be useful but a tad tired at present
 
But not a breathalyser despite what the AA try to flog you. Also you can get a lot of stuff cheap eg reflective jackets at ikea or screwfix not a car acessories shop
 
Our local car boot has them new @ £1.00 each

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If you buy fuel on a credit card, don't be alarmed if the total price is much higher than what you put in, often the card systems 'grab' more money then release the difference a few days later.
 
Detnor said:
If you buy fuel on a credit card, don't be alarmed if the total price is much higher than what you put in, often the card systems 'grab' more money then release the difference a few days later.
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Not ever happened on Halifax Clarity credit card
 
If its your first time in France it doesnt matter where you go as its all new. Personally we avoid the west coast in summer but thats due to lots of brits and no mountains.
 
La Rochelle is lovely, the Gironde is interesting-Troglodyte caves on the coast, we had a cruise on the estuary to see them many years ago.
It will be warm and watch for the mosquitoes!
You don’t need to use the Toll roads you will see more of France using normal roads, it will be cheaper and you can’t go any faster on a Toll rd!
Most of all enjoy it!
 
Reallyretired said:
If its your first time in France it doesnt matter where you go as its all new. Personally we avoid the west coast in summer but thats due to lots of brits and no mountains.
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That's our decision too. We use the tunnel and drop down through Eastern France through Champagne and last year we were able to get out of the heat by travelling toward Chamonix and Mont Blanc and then pop down again into the heat.

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Travel insurance - EHIC unlikely to send your broken body home. Also staff and instructions in hospitals, surgeries etc tend to be in just one language - your fault if you don't understand it.

Beware, France is BIG and if you choose carefully relatively empty. Refuel when you get the opportunity. Anywhere you want to go is always 100 kms away. Toll roads are easily avoided. French drivers will hook on to your tow bar or bike rack if they can, follow you for ages then overtake on a blind bend.

We don't bother to pre book, if a site is full there will be another not faraway.

I am sure that you will enjoy yourselves but please tell your friends that France and the French are to be avoided at all costs, we don't need any moreBrits here tyvm. (My wife hasinstructed me to remove this racist comment but I SHAN'T so there.)
 
p.s. Better arrive this year, who knows whether you will be allowed to leave/ return home next year (where's the symbol for tongue in cheek?)
 
Pete-Jay-Sophie said:
Yes, I am being drawn to the La Rochelle area as hoping it will be warmer as further South.
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Charente-Maritime is our favourite coastal part of France, and it's in the warmer further south zone. Plenty of variety round there, including the islands mentioned by myself and others above. For La Rochelle you can stop overnight on grassy parking bays in the P'n'R at Ave Jean Moulin and the ticket includes free bus fares into the centre and back for up to 6 people. There's a service point there too.
 
magicsurfbus said:

  • French graffiti puts ours to shame. They have a long and proud tradition stretching back around 35,000 years. To see the best vintage graffiti head for the Dordogne and Vezere valleys. To see the oldest head for the Ardeche.
Bon Voyage :)
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That is funny and will go over a lot of heads.
 

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