Why France campsites

[DangerMousy]

So…… if you are a France Passion visitor, how much do you spend each time?

We have stayed at FPs and not bought anything, though most of the time we do spend at least a little something. If you average our total spending on FPs though it probably comes to around £45-£50 per night But, its money we would have been spending anyway so I don't really consider it to be part of the overnight cost budget. We use our holidays to stock up on wine and bubbly to drink back at home (luckily we have plenty of storage in this MH!) so buying wine from a FP instead of a wine merchant or supermarket is a good way of getting nicer wine for less than what we'd buy it for elsewhere.

Also, a lot of FPs also produce a simple vin de pays....if this is nice and around €5 per bottle we'll often buy a case or two to drink whilst we're away. Again its money we would be spending anyway (in a supermarket), except that we're cutting out the middle-man and the producer is getting more of the profit.

 

[chaser]

Here's how to buy wine at a fp

 

[DDJC]

Here's how to buy wine at a fpView attachment 653249

Not for us. Having spent years drinking cheap wine coz its cheap, we now like our vino to be Rhone (Cru) or Amarone. That means it comes in a bottle and not a Ribena bottle.

But each to their own.

 

[drpeej]

I struggle to see the attraction of staying on a dusty carpark, cheek by jowl with other motorhomes without a pool or even the ability to put out tables & chairs. Often the 'facilities' don't work. No EHU

Give me a nice grassy pitch on a campsite any time.

 

[DDJC]

I struggle to see the attraction of staying on a dusty carpark, cheek by jowl with other motorhomes without a pool or even the ability to put out tables & chairs. Often the 'facilities' don't work. No EHU

Give me a nice grassy pitch on a campsite any time.

I'm with you but as Chaser and others have entirely correctly pointed out to me in the past, people are on different budgets. When Mrs DDJC and I both do retire, we won't be staying on sites like the 5 Star one we are on at the moment; also the boys probably won't be with us so we won't need to.

Not sure i am ever going to go to wine in Ribena bottles though

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[drpeej]

Here's how to buy wine at a fpView attachment 653249

Is that the WC Chimique emptying point he's got his bottles on?

 

[Verteuil Man]

The bulk buy red wine is almost as bad as the stuff you get from the French supermarkets in brown squareish containers. We have all done it at some time.

 

[MattR]

I struggle to see the attraction of staying on a dusty carpark, cheek by jowl with other motorhomes without a pool or even the ability to put out tables & chairs. Often the 'facilities' don't work. No EHU

Give me a nice grassy pitch on a campsite any time.

Sometimes Aires are just so convenient and the alternative is not. We've not stayed on crowded ones and have had lovely stays at places that we wouldn't have known about without their aire.

 

[drpeej]

We have also when its convenient. It's the "never stayed on a campsite - never going to" attitude I dont understand.

Also - there are options other than 5*. To be honest 5* sites are often full of kids and facilities we dont want. A good 3* or 4* is fine for our needs

 

[Chockswahay]

Oh dear, I made a mistake asking my question on this particular thread I thought it might get spotted by France Passion users in particular. However reading between the lines it does look as if generally a good few Euro needs to be spent. I would be happy do this when I want/need wine but otherwise (and to continue the original thread debate) we prefer Aires or wild camping.

So since we seem to be back on the original subject matter, no, campsites are not for us. We like to tour and visit new places so stuck on a campsite won’t cut it. It is not simply a matter of price either, the reason the Aires appeal to us is the we are free to travel where and when we want without being restricted to arrival/departure times and specific location. Another thing I would add is that we are not on holiday when we travel, we are on an adventure. If we wanted a chilled out easy going low pressure coupe of weeks away….. then maybe (just maybe) we could stay on a campsite……… err? Nah, not gonna happen

Everyone on here will have different needs and values along with different budgets. To be frank, even if we could afford to go ‘5 star’ all the way we wouldn’t for the reasons I have already mentioned. However unlike those that bash Aires I am not going to bash Campsites

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[chaser]

Oh dear, I made a mistake asking my question on this particular thread I thought it might get spotted by France Passion users in particular. However reading between the lines it does look as if generally a good few Euro needs to be spent. I would be happy do this when I want/need wine but otherwise (and to continue the original thread debate) we prefer Aires or wild camping.

So since we seem to be back on the original subject matter, no, campsites are not for us. We like to tour and visit new places so stuck on a campsite won’t cut it. It is not simply a matter of price either, the reason the Aires appeal to us is the we are free to travel where and when we want without being restricted to arrival/departure times and specific location. Another thing I would add is that we are not on holiday when we travel, we are on an adventure. If we wanted a chilled out easy going low pressure coupe of weeks away….. then maybe (just maybe) we could stay on a campsite……… err? Nah, not gonna happen

Everyone on here will have different needs and values along with different budgets. To be frank, even if we could afford to go ‘5 star’ all the way we wouldn’t for the reasons I have already mentioned. However unlike those that bash Aires I am not going to bash Campsites

I think I have said all that on a few posts on here, have you not noticed my various posts on fp.

 

[chaser]

Not for us. Having spent years drinking cheap wine coz its cheap, we now like our vino to be Rhone (Cru) or Amarone. That means it comes in a bottle and not a Ribena bottle.

But each to their own.

Believe it or not that was a bordoux vineyard, and it wasn't that cheap but it sure was good.
When Julie lived down there one of here neighbor's was a wine buyer for a lot of fancy hotels and he put us on to it.

 

[InvictaMoto]

As usual a mix of views. Pretty much the same as the perennial "motorways or back roads" discussion.

To get a wide range of opinion how about:

"What oil should I use" or "What tyres for my XXXX"?

 

[chaser]

As usual a mix of views. Pretty much the same as the perennial "motorways or back roads" discussion.

To get a wide range of opinion how about:

"What oil should I use" or "What tyres for my XXXX"?

I started this thread back in may and didn't get a lot of interest, we actually went for ten days and used free Aires all the way apart from one night in le touquet when we were planning on using the race course one but there was an event on so we had to find another and we had to use a campingcarpark thing.

 

[DangerMousy]

Oh dear, I made a mistake asking my question on this particular thread I thought it might get spotted by France Passion users in particular. However reading between the lines it does look as if generally a good few Euro needs to be spent. I would be happy do this when I want/need wine but otherwise (and to continue the original thread debate) we prefer Aires or wild camping.

Not at all....the whole point of the scheme is that you don't have to buy anything. We choose to spend money with them because we like doing so and we try to pick ones that fit in with what we want to buy (in fact there are a few FPs that we go back to time and time again just to stock up on our favourites). But there is never any obligation to buy, and although the book says you should go and introduce yourself to the owner I reckon a lot of times people don't bother - especially at some of the ones where the parking is a little way from the shop or late arrivals.

We use aires, France Passion, car parks, campsites....it just depends on where we are and what we want to see and do.

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[Chockswahay]

Not at all....the whole point of the scheme is that you don't have to buy anything. We choose to spend money with them because we like doing so and we try to pick ones that fit in with what we want to buy (in fact there are a few FPs that we go back to time and time again just to stock up on our favourites). But there is never any obligation to buy, and although the book says you should go and introduce yourself to the owner I reckon a lot of times people don't bother - especially at some of the ones where the parking is a little way from the shop or late arrivals.

We use aires, France Passion, car parks, campsites....it just depends on where we are and what we want to see and do.

I hear you, I think the problem rests with me…… it just wouldn’t feel right and I would then feel bad about it

 

[Brody]

We are on a site now in France, we only booked it because at the time we had a T5 so needed a site to be able to put up the stupid awning and have some facilities. In the meantime we have bought a PVC so have extended our holiday by a few days and we will be on Aires before going home.

I'm bored now, don't get me wrong it's a lovely clean site with a pool for the kids (1 kid, the other has been poorly the whole time) but we may as well be in a static. The joy of motorhoming for ME is the adventure of moving around all the time and seeing the different places. It has nothing to do with the cost, paying more (even if you can) for something doesn't mean you have a better experience.

 

[Reallyretired]

Just because it's a site doesn't mean you have to stay there for weeks. When I used to tour with my kids years ago we always stayed on sites with pools for them but rarely for more than one or two nights, much the same as we now do with Aires.
We still sometimes stay on a site and it's usually for several days to chill, we're not as young as we were. We do expect a site to have large secluded pitches and preferably no kids.

 

[DDJC]

We are on a site now in France, we only booked it because at the time we had a T5 so needed a site to be able to put up the stupid awning and have some facilities. In the meantime we have bought a PVC so have extended our holiday by a few days and we will be on Aires before going home.

I'm bored now, don't get me wrong it's a lovely clean site with a pool for the kids (1 kid, the other has been poorly the whole time) but we may as well be in a static. The joy of motorhoming for ME is the adventure of moving around all the time and seeing the different places. It has nothing to do with the cost, paying more (even if you can) for something doesn't mean you have a better experience.

I'm sitting in my awning at the moment, listening to the Adriatic.

We're well into our 23 night tour. No aires, all sites - 8 of them. 2 one nighters, 3 two nighters, 2 three nighters and 1 nine nighter.

We have to have the security of booked sites coz of our boys Autism. Searching for a safe place to stop at 20:00 is not my idea for a holiday.

I've said it many times. It works for us, it may not work for you. There are no rules on how you use your moho. It really is doing what works for you.

 

[BikerGraham]

Just because it's a site doesn't mean you have to stay there for weeks. When I used to tour with my kids years ago we always stayed on sites with pools for them but rarely for more than one or two nights, much the same as we now do with Aires.
We still sometimes stay on a site and it's usually for several days to chill, we're not as young as we were. We do expect a site to have large secluded pitches and preferably no kids.

toured like this with a tent and a motorbike a few times with the now Mrs BikerGraham. Stayed on some fantastic municipal sites around France mostly for 2 or 3 nights at a time. Pitch up, one day chill and one day look around the area then move on. Met some lovely people, fantastic.

now as our first motorhome holiday is 17 days away we are probably going to do the same. Not sure though as the whole trip is planned with military precision for the 4 weeks.

day 1 - get on ferry at Newcastle
day 2 - get off ferry at Ijmuiden

wander a round for a bit, stop here and there.

day 27 - get on ferry at Ijmuiden
day 28 - get off ferry at Newcastle

like I said planned to the last detail

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[pelican]

Not for us. Having spent years drinking cheap wine coz its cheap, we now like our vino to be Rhone (Cru) or Amarone. That means it comes in a bottle and not a Ribena bottle.

But each to their own.

You should try Romanee Conti from Burgundy

 

[InvictaMoto]

toured like this with a tent and a motorbike a few times with the now Mrs BikerGraham. Stayed on some fantastic municipal sites around France mostly for 2 or 3 nights at a time. Pitch up, one day chill and one day look around the area then move on. Met some lovely people, fantastic.

Same here. Have toured on a bike solo and with Mrs Invicta on the back. In the past two bikes with the kids as pillions.... municipals usually but often bigger sites with kids stuff. Even dare I say it.... youth hostels!

As far as I can see there is no right of wrong. It's our choice. I choose sites now as it is what I am used to. I might try aires for a one nighter.....

 

[TDub49]

Why not?

 

[Tombola]

Not for us. Having spent years drinking cheap wine coz its cheap, we now like our vino to be Rhone (Cru) or Amarone. That means it comes in a bottle and not a Ribena bottle.

But each to their own.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo...get you !!
1989 Chateau Petrus anyone ?

Ill guarantee you if all that was left is Ribena bottles....you'd get it down ya!

 

[Reallyretired]

oooooooooooooooooooooooo...get you !!
1989 Chateau Petrus anyone ?

Ill guarantee you if all that was left is Ribena bottles....you'd get it down ya!

£6,000 a bottle, bargain. If all available was that stuff in brown gallon cans at about a euro a gallon then I'd drink that.

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[DDJC]

You should try Romanee Conti from Burgundy

Slumming it with Auntie Val this evening. Goes with ribs and chicken.

 

[DDJC]

Duplicate

 

[nicholsong]

I revisited this thread and have re-read all 6 pages.

I have been a bit disappointed in the answers to chaser's original question because I expected more information on French campsites in particular, as maybe he did himself.

It seemed to disolve into a discussion about whether campsites were better than Aires/wilding and then onto the subject of France Passion.

We all know that campsites in all countries have MH facilities, toilets, showers etc, and maybe pools and bars, but I was hoping for any info which differentiated French campsites.

In particular I was hoping to learn the following :-

What sort of views do they have - almost no photos on the thread?

How relaxed are they about where one pitches?

In general how far is one from the next MH/Caravan?

In general how far are they from interesting towns. UK ones seem to be inconvenient on the whole?

Outside French holidays are they free of children and even then are children allowed to run riot with football and bikes?

Are there 'Adult only' campsites?

I did not find much info to answer these questions.

Geoff

 

[Reallyretired]

I revisited this thread and have re-read all 6 pages.

I have been a bit disappointed in the answers to chaser's original question because I expected more information on French campsites in particular, as maybe he did himself.

It seemed to disolve into a discussion about whether campsites were better than Aires/wilding and then onto the subject of France Passion.

We all know that campsites in all countries have MH facilities, toilets, showers etc, and maybe pools and bars, but I was hoping for any info which differentiated French campsites.

In particular I was hoping to learn the following :-

What sort of views do they have - almost no photos on the thread?

How relaxed are they about where one pitches?

In general how far is one from the next MH/Caravan?

In general how far are they from interesting towns. UK ones seem to be inconvenient on the whole?

Outside French holidays are they free of children and even then are children allowed to run riot with football and bikes?

Are there 'Adult only' campsites?

I did not find much info to answer these questions.

Geoff

Not really an answerable question as French campsites are not all the same any more than they are in UK. The ones we favour are one with large pitches, preferable separated by hedges or trees. As for views it depends where they are, in the mountains there will probably be a good view, if its in or close to a town probably not. Generally French campsites seem less crowded than Spanish ones, I have little experience of UK ones. Outside weekends and school holidays children are not a problem, and in my experience French kids seem well behaved. Avoid the coasts to avoid crowded sites.

 

[BikerGraham]

oooooooooooooooooooooooo...get you !!
1989 Chateau Petrus anyone ?

Ill guarantee you if all that was left is Ribena bottles....you'd get it down ya!

Nah not the same as the 84.

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