countdown to first france trip

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Getting a tad excited now, all booked for the 1st April (no joke) thanks to sky i have tickets for the 3rd & 4th April to disneyland, then just gong to doss about france till we sail back on the 16th, have a few questions :))

Questions:
when would be the best time to arrive at disneyland? i will stay in car park on the night of the 3rd. (anyone been this year yet?)

we have a small dinghy (any good places to visit that will be good to row about?

Kid loves swimming, is there public baths? (wont be using camp sites)

we are both taken our bikes so hopefully the weather is kind to us.

This is my loose plan,
Calais - Disneyland, Orleans, Tours, Nantes, Brest, caen, Dieppe Calais

i will be on free aires or wilding, what do you all think ??

cheers

Alan & Kid
 
As you are going to Calais you need to use the Aire at Gravelines, it is right on the river and great for dingies, easy drive to the Ferries at Calais from here too, did you know that you can overnight at Canterbury Park and Ride facilities for £2-50 for 24 hours and there is water and toilet dump there too, a dedicated area for Motorhomes there, free bus into Canterbury too.An easy 20 minute drive to Dover docks from here too, Gravelines is great for bikes too, cycle to the sea front about 2 miles along the prom.
 
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vindiboy said:
As you are going to Calais you need to use the Aire at Gravelines, it is right on the river and great for dingies, easy drive to the Ferries at Calais from here too, did you know that you can overnight at Canterbury Park and Ride facilities for £2-50 for 24 hours and there is water and toilet dump there too, a dedicated area for Motorhomes there, free bus into Canterbury too.An easy 20 minute drive to Dover docks from here too, Gravelines is great for bikes too, cycle to the sea front about 2 miles along the prom.
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thanks vindiboy, we are visiting family in northampton friday-saturday and headinng from there to catch the 5pm ferry so wont have time to do canterbury, but the Aire at Gravelines could be our first stop as dont fancy to much driving once getting to france at late o'clock :)
 
Can you give an idea of your sailiing times. Both Canterbury and Gravelines are excellenty for early morning departures. Gravelines I believe are now charging about 7 euros although youi can stay in the port at Calais overnight. Cite Europe is also an excellent stopover before the ferry home. Unfortunately I am not at home at the moment and do not have alll my info, however if you are heading to Caen there are plenty aires along the coast. Ousterham just outside Caen has an aires at the side of a huge beach and is well worth a visit,

Enjoy
 
shortcircuit said:
Gravelines I believe are now charging about 7 euros although youi can stay in the port at Calais overnight.
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Didn't know they had started charging at Gravelines, what a shame. We always stay there when travelling to or from Dunkirk. If they are charging, some facilities would be nice.
 
22:45 dep dover :) so a few hrs sleep will be good and nice fresh start on monday disneyland tues - weds then hello the rest of france ;)
 
I would just stay in the port at Calais. When you come out of port just keep going round the first roundabout (remember you will be in left hand lane) turning back on yourself and head for the booking office. Plenty space and get your head down for the night.

In the morning France is your oyster. Enjoy

Edit Use Google Earth to get your bearings.
 
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Canterbury Park and Ride facilities

That's handy to know, we are going next week, & was wondering were to stop for the night. Never been to Canterbury, so we'll have to see if we can get a bit earlier on the day before, as ferry is at 9.25 am.
 
Canterbury is closed on Sunday. You can get in on Saturday and out on the Sunday
 
Been following this thread with a bit of interest as we are heading to france in sept for the first time on a tour of the WWI battlefields and monuments. I am looking for ideas for a 1st stop from the tunnel to rest up and get my bearings.
 
Champstar. What time do you arrive in France and how far are you prepared to travel on your first leg?
 
As far as a weight ticket goes, I keep to the very left when entering the port at Dover and follow the lorry lanes. This takes you over the weigh bridge and you get a dated ticket.
 
Hi if you get down as far as Nantes there is a great AIR at Nort sur Erdre we stoped there last summer great air for boating (on the river next to a lake )and cycle tracks from the air ,its next to a marina and shares shower and toilets with it ,free AIR with water and elsan point for two euro ,shower 1.5 euro i think
also LE Mans is worth a visit too and there is a large carpark between the river and the city wall which allows 24hrs parking for campers ,not official but loads use it and its quiet
once up around the north there is a good parking spot under the big bridge below the town at Dinan ,again by the river and access to the estuary if you can row that far .
MOS:fun:
 
guys thanks some great info :)
David, its just me and the kid(13 year old going on 30) and i dont drink wne, but i have said will try some whle we are away :)
mos: maybe not this time but we are doing it all again in june for 7 weeks :)
one question no one has repled to yet :(
is there public swiming baths? wee one is disabled but loves swiming and cyclin



cheers


Alan
 
Re swimming in public baths

Do you have to wear a swimming cap at all of them? The ones we were going to did - so put us off a bit looking again.
 
Swimming shorts are not allowed, so be prepared with trunks
 
Thanks for correcting me lebesset. I would never have known trunks were speedos. I have had a day of living and learning.

My first trunks were knitted by my mother.
 
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