Camargue, France.

Wooie1958

Wooie1958

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Later this year ( end of April / May ) if events allow we are going to the Camargue, France and plan to spend 2 or 3 days there on the way to Spain.

The hope is of seeing the Pink Flamingos so the wife can get some decent photos of them for an idea she`s had for her business.

We`ve never been to the area before but i`ve had a good look on the interweb and found all the tourist info sites etc. etc.

Can anyone offer any first hand / actual experience of the area around The Camargue Regional Nature Park ?
 
Wooie1958 said:
Later this year ( end of April / May ) if events allow we are going to the Camargue, France and plan to spend 2 or 3 days there on the way to Spain.

The hope is of seeing the Pink Flamingos so the wife can get some decent photos of them for an idea she`s had for her business.

We`ve never been to the area before but i`ve had a good look on the interweb and found all the tourist info sites etc. etc.

Can anyone offer any first hand / actual experience of the area around The Camargue Regional Nature Park ?
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Was there pre motorhome days . Spectacular views of flamingoes and the horses . Remember it being very windy and , summertime , crawling with motorhomes . Got it assume there are lots of Aires and facilities for you
 
We went to this place in June 2008 - Welcome | Parc Ornithologique du Pont de Gau

Lots of Flamingos along with Beavers and many more animals and birds.

I remember it being very hot and a very long walk around the Parc, we got roasted.

IMG_2257.jpgDSC01008.jpg

We were Caravaners in those days so don't know if there are any Camping Car Aires in the area.
 
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There are quite a few POIs in the area some of which I've stayed at. There are a couple of particularly nice spots on the D36 south of Arles right on the water's edge.
 
The Camargue is a strange area known for the horses, flamingos, What is often neglected is the areas interest in Beef indeed a lot of the Bulls supplied to Arles and Spain in the end for bullfighting originate in the Carmargue

I personally have serious issues parting with money to fund that nonsense.

That aside to answer your question, St Maries de la mer is often cited as a place to stop. I found it akin to a traveller site rubbish strewn etc.

I moved on to Aigues Morte a medevial village with an aire ....Aigues Morte is a walled medevial town full of charm with cafes restaurants one can sit and watch the world go by with a cup of coffee and pattiserie it is a bit of a jewel. The ferry across Le Petit Rhone an experience in itself a chain operated boat.

Re the Flamingos you don't have to travel far ,good chance you may spot the occasional Coulevre basking too , local snake but be wary they are venomous, ( unique to the area as it happens)

Don't be surprised if you hear the sound of Jet engines above the Carmargue is a popular area for the French airforce to train and it is not uncommon to see La Patrouille practising ( French answer to our Red Arrows)

Forgive me if I sound negative I am not, the Camargue is well worth a visit and the most unusual area of France I had the opportunity to visit.

Channa
 
Plage de Piemanson N43.350 E4.783 is a nice wilding spot between the beach and the flamingo infested lagoons. I stayed there overnight in October 2015 and there were a lot of other vans there which could be a drawback if you don't want too much company.
 
We struggled to find somewhere to wildcamp.There were a lot of height barriers.
We drove inland a bit to find somewhere
I'm sure there are place but start looking early in the day.
 
Hi Graham,
We've toured the Camargue a few times and to be honest there are not many quiet wild camping spots. Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer gets very busy and the official aire in the centre is always very popular, you can drive along the coast track heading east but last time we looked it was very untidy, rubbish and dross everywhere. The coast road heading west out of SMdlM is prone to vans being broken into. Over the years we have seen the aftermath of this on a couple of occasions, the local police blamed criminals from Marseilles targeting foreign vans. Aigues-Mortes is well worth a visit, we have stopped overnight on the car park outside the old town walls on the south east side. The region is well worth a visit, just treat it as if you were going to Marseilles or Naples and take extra care.
Dave
 
Thanks for the info so far folks keep it coming please :dance:

I`ve seen the street view image of the aire at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and they are packed in like sardines :scared:

If we can get there early and get the photos of the flamingos we want we`ll clear off and overnight elsewhere.
 
Val54 said:
Hi Graham,
We've toured the Camargue a few times and to be honest there are not many quiet wild camping spots. Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer gets very busy and the official aire in the centre is always very popular, you can drive along the coast track heading east but last time we looked it was very untidy, rubbish and dross everywhere. The coast road heading west out of SMdlM is prone to vans being broken into. Over the years we have seen the aftermath of this on a couple of occasions, the local police blamed criminals from Marseilles targeting foreign vans. Aigues-Mortes is well worth a visit, we have stopped overnight on the car park outside the old town walls on the south east side. The region is well worth a visit, just treat it as if you were going to Marseilles or Naples and take extra care.
Dave
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It seems you echo my earlier thoughts completely Saintes Marie de la Mer was a shite tip when I visited and moved on. Aigues Mortes is well worth a visit think York or Chester but with sunshine.

The local sausage is superb, full of flavour unlike the normal non descript offerings normally found in France that originate in Germany.For reasons best known to the French the cuisine is very localised.

I found it a strange area, totally different to the rest of France, It is quite an insular area in a lot of respects . I wouldn't spend a fortnight there but worthy of a visit.

Channa
 
i've always liked the stretch of coast from Cap d'Agde , past Sete and Aigues Morte to the Camargue. all sorts of colourful creatures can be seen there , pink flamingos of course, beautiful white horses and plenty of varying shades of nudist . much as i like the place, the relentless wind usually gets the better of us after a day or two.
 
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No one has mentioned the mossies yet!!
Just had a quick look at our old France Passion guide and there is a 5 space site at Manade des Baumelles N 43.51749 E 4.36793 on the D38 from Stes Maries towards Aigues Mortes. So if you are interested in white horses as well as flamingos it might be worth a look. No one has ever asked to see our France Passion membership.
Dave
 
n brown said:
i've always liked the stretch of coast from Cap d'Agde , past Sete and Aioues Morte to the Camargue. all sorts of colourful creatures can be seen there , pink flamingos of course, beautiful white horses and plenty of varying shades of nudist . much as i like the place, the relentless wind usually gets the better of us after a day or two.
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This is a wild camping site Nigel, the monkey business in the dunes of Marseillan Plage stop there. re the wind once rode there on a motorcycle bloody thing on its side just to keep in a straightish line

Channa

p.s the road to Sete I think is now lost to wildcamping ....a real shame a superb spot, My pal has a campsite close by , Freddie is English and has a yacht its fame used for a playboy shoot I kid you not ...Canal du midi, happy days from a previous life compared to this misery
 
Great area to visit. There are 2 official motorhome sites at Saintes MDLM, we stopped at the one on the way in 43.455701 4.427976 and whilst it was reasonably busy it was tidy and ok for a couple of nights and felt safe enough. We enjoyed the town. Aigues Mortes is a complete rip off and tourist trap in our opinion but there's a nice campsite a 45 minute walk from the town at 43.563148 4.165507 with a decent restaurant. There are a few vineyards in the France Passion guide which are ok and even if you dont stop there its worth calling in to pick up a bottle or two of the vin gris.
Enjoy your trip,

Pat
 
Val54 said:
No one has mentioned the mossies yet!!
Just had a quick look at our old France Passion guide and there is a 5 space site at Manade des Baumelles N 43.51749 E 4.36793 on the D38 from Stes Maries towards Aigues Mortes. So if you are interested in white horses as well as flamingos it might be worth a look. No one has ever asked to see our France Passion membership.
Dave
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Hi Dave,

A couple of years back we was around Valras-Plage not far from there to the west and both of us got bit by Tiger Mosquitos :scared:

No sign of them during the day but at night they were vicious :scared:

It was later in the year ( late May / early June ) i caught several in the van and they are very distinctive :mad2:

Took 3 months + for the bites to heal, this time we`ll plaster the repellent on.
 
channa said:
This is a wild camping site Nigel, the monkey business in the dunes of Marseillan Plage stop there. re the wind once rode there on a motorcycle bloody thing on its side just to keep in a straightish line

Channa

p.s the road to Sete I think is now lost to wildcamping ....a real shame a superb spot, My pal has a campsite close by , Freddie is English and has a yacht its fame used for a playboy shoot I kid you not ...Canal du midi, happy days from a previous life compared to this misery
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re- Sete, what a shame that was ruined. there was about 200 yds of parking left, when there used to be nearly 5kms of 'park anywhere' , still we had a few years of it before it went !
i made my kids a 3 foot long toy land yacht on the Camargue- this was when there were caravans and huts that had been there for years,with picket fences and bamboo verandahs,and some of the huts were shops and bars- rowdy old place of a night ! anyway,first time the land yacht was played with was the last- it took off at high speed ,got up to about 60 and committed suicide against a German camper ! very draughty place
 
Wooie1958 said:
Thanks for the info so far folks keep it coming please :dance:

I`ve seen the street view image of the aire at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and they are packed in like sardines :scared:

If we can get there early and get the photos of the flamingos we want we`ll clear off and overnight elsewhere.
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May be easier to download a few photos from the internet, if that's all you need. Save a lot of hassle going there.
 
If you want a place to stop near Aigues-Mortes try OR Aigues-Mortes.

It is one of my top ten wild camping spots in France.
 
jann said:
We struggled to find somewhere to wildcamp.There were a lot of height barriers.
We drove inland a bit to find somewhere
I'm sure there are place but start looking early in the day.
Click to expand...

As I mentioned earlier there are plenty of options in the POIs ...
 
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