france

[louise]

can any one give us any help and advice on wild camping in france.we ars new to all this and we realy dont know where and how to to start .we have done some in wales and scotland but havnt got a clue about france,any help at all will be most appreciated

 

[Deleted member 2636]

Vicarious Publishing do a reasonably good guide to all the Aires - and it is in English

Vicarious Books motorhome aires guides, camping and caravanning

 

[kelly 58]

France is the must go to place for Motorhomes as you will find out the French Aires are ideal for stopping over either for only the night or if you find one in a nice location then a few days but they are " NOT " campsites. If you are lucky they are completely free including electric hook up most are free with a small charge for services ( water + electric ) some charge per night , but as a rule you can always dump your black waste and wash out with your grey waste water , if you get stuck for fresh water there is always a water tap available in most cemetery's . The main thing to avoid is stopping overnight on Motorway Aires this if any is where people have been robbed as the theives can get in and away really quickly . As previously stated get a copy of All the Aires from Motorhome & caravan books, guides and maps, Go Motorhoming Europe, Camperstop Europe, France Passion, campsite guides, full-timing the facts, Aires and stopovers guides and a good road atlas of France as well as a sat nav as the Aires book has co-ordinates to help locate the sites

 

[Nosha]

aUnless you see a picture of a motorhome with a red line thro' it then you can park. The French are FANTASTIC!!! What with the aires and most car parks and harbours with no height barriers they are VERY good at letting you stop.

If you have a sat nav download the aires POI's, there's often one not too far away. have a search on here for aires - there's a wealth of info!

 

[vindiboy]

I would definitely recommend the VICARIOUS BOOKS all the Aires France, it is written in English and a great guide for first time in France with a Motorhome and has pictures of the Aires and a write up from the person who stayed on the Aire and sent details to Vicarious for inclusion in the book.Lots of other Publications too but you won't find an easier one for first time than the one mentioned. DO NOT SLEEP ON MOTORWAY SERVICE AIRES, as it is there that you will have trouble IE lots of people sleeping in Vans on these have been robbed whilst sleeping,especially if they have had a wine or three and sleep the sleep of the dead due to being overtired etc.France is very free and easy as regards to Wild Camping, you can sleep almost anywhere within reason and water and toilet emptying is readily available.Take reasonable precautions, keep your van locked and valuables out of site and you will have a great time.

 

[Airecraft]

Just returned from a 35 day trip to France - 3 days on Aires, the rest wilding. If you avoid tourist traps and the coast and don't mind a couple of km walk / cycle into town parking up is easy. We head for bridges over rivers which mostly have parking away from roads, great views and somewhere to swim when it's hot. Good maps are also a bonus - IGN 1:25000 show the little nooks and crannies where it's easy to hide away. The downside is they are quite expensive unless you use electronic versions:

Memory Map IGN 1:25,000 French Standard Edition Range Only £31.49

Google earth, courtesy of McDonalds, also gives a good overview of potential stopovers.