North or South coast of France

[vini]

Hi
planning our French trip for the end of August, with 15 year old and a dog!

Not sure whether to head to Normandy & Brittany as it is a shorter drive. (we are not used to driving abroad as well as being in a big campervan) Or to drive to the South coast and along to St. Tropaz and surrounding areas.

Have been to the South coast before and loved it. Never visited the North coast.
What would other travellers reccommend?
Is it advisable to book any campsites before we leave as it is the end of August? Would love to do mostly wildcamping while we are there so any advise would be greatly appreciated.

thank you
vini

 

[Jo001]

Normandy and Brittany can be great - it depends what you like to see and do. Haven't been to the south, but heard from friends that it's not so easy to get stopped for the night. Wherever you decide to go, I'd recommend getting an aires book - All The Aires France, Spain, Portugal, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden and Finland - is recommended somewhere else on this site. If you speak French, Escapades en Camping Car is good too. We stayed on them all the time last year, only went to a site once when we needed to do laundry. The dearest one was 8 euros, but that included electric. Cheapest ones were free.

Have a great time wherever you end up!

 

[Deleted member 207]

It will be high tourist season in the South - until at least mid September. It will be a real pain to find appropriate spots to stay - even in camp sites. Its one large traffic jam from June to September and has been for forty years. Inland will be better but again finding overnight spots maybe hard.

The North will not be so bad, but you have to choose your spots carefully. We have friends who live on Oleron (further south) and their summer population goes from 30,000 to 280,000 for two months. Most of the locals move out then!!

The weather in the South is predictably warm - Brittany gets the same as Cornwall most of the time which can mean anything from 35C to Atlantic Gales!!

If the weather turns bad in Brittany there are lots of "cultural/history" things to do, down South culture is related to watching the tourists promenade along the quay in St Tropez or the beaches of Pamplonne.

 

[Deleted member 2636]

Every time I* go to Normandy or northern Brittany it rains; southern Brittany it seems to be a bit better.
If you want (almost) guaranteed sunshine then you need to go South

* but then I do seem to tow my own personal black rain cloud around wherever I go

 

[biggirafe]

It will be high tourist season in the South - until at least mid September. It will be a real pain to find appropriate spots to stay - even in camp sites. Its one large traffic jam from June to September and has been for forty years. Inland will be better but again finding overnight spots maybe hard.

The North will not be so bad, but you have to choose your spots carefully. We have friends who live on Oleron (further south) and their summer population goes from 30,000 to 280,000 for two months. Most of the locals move out then!!

The weather in the South is predictably warm - Brittany gets the same as Cornwall most of the time which can mean anything from 35C to Atlantic Gales!!

If the weather turns bad in Brittany there are lots of "cultural/history" things to do, down South culture is related to watching the tourists promenade along the quay in St Tropez or the beaches of Pamplonne.

Sounds like you don't like the south of france,

I'd disagree personally, 'The South' is a very big area and there are plenty of quiet spots and also plenty of cultural things to do. One of our favorite areas is west of Bordeaux called the Basin de Arcachon. The area is stunning, great for wild life and also its the Medoc wine region. Parking for Motohomes is plentiful and easy. Travel inland and you are can follow the Dordogne valley. Great area.
.
.

 

[vini]

It will be high tourist season in the South - until at least mid September. It will be a real pain to find appropriate spots to stay - even in camp sites. Its one large traffic jam from June to September and has been for forty years. Inland will be better but again finding overnight spots maybe hard.

The North will not be so bad, but you have to choose your spots carefully. We have friends who live on Oleron (further south) and their summer population goes from 30,000 to 280,000 for two months. Most of the locals move out then!!

The weather in the South is predictably warm - Brittany gets the same as Cornwall most of the time which can mean anything from 35C to Atlantic Gales!!

If the weather turns bad in Brittany there are lots of "cultural/history" things to do, down South culture is related to watching the tourists promenade along the quay in St Tropez or the beaches of Pamplonne.

Thanks,
I'm not keen on long traffic jams and struggling to find sites to park going south.
Our son wants an 'adventure' holiday so we are dictated by finding things to keep him occupied. Watersports etc. we are taking our inflatable canoes and bikes.
Do we need to book campsites in the North as it is peak season?

 

[vini]

Hi Vini.
Personally, Brittany can be too cold for us and therefore we go well down south for the weather , but we avoid the busy areas around Nice and St Tropez We usually go inland and trundle down the rivers and canals as some of these are very nice. River Lot, Tarn, Dordogne, canal du Midi & Lateral.
We normally head for Orleans and from here the weather gets quite warm and then head towards the Periguix and further south.
Obviously there are exceptions, but we like to sit out in the evening with a nice meal and a bottle of wine
Even during the busy French holiday season, inland, you will find plenty of Aires available for overnighting and even lots the Municipal camp sites will have room however when you go to the coast the locations can get pretty full
It just depends on what you like anyway, my advice would be just go and find out what you like, don't forget you can always move as your M/H is not a static
Enjoy

http://www.wildcamping.co.uk/forums/france/6948-few-french-aires.html

Thanks for all your suggestions, hadn't considered going inland.
Will have to look at the maps again. Dearest son wants lots of adventure so need to keep him amused. Thinking maybe waterparks, i'm happy with beautiful scenery and walks and chillaxing in the evening. Would like small campsites if we have to stay in them.

 

[vini]

Hi again Vini.
The rivers are ideal for canoeing as they hire them out nearly everywhere.

Thanks, that sounds great, we took the canoes to the river Lee last weekend and dearest son loved it. So I think he would enjoy that.

 

[vini]

Hi Vini.
Personally, Brittany can be too cold for us and therefore we go well down south for the weather , but we avoid the busy areas around Nice and St Tropez We usually go inland and trundle down the rivers and canals as some of these are very nice. River Lot, Tarn, Dordogne, canal du Midi & Lateral.
We normally head for Orleans and from here the weather gets quite warm and then head towards the Periguix and further south.
Obviously there are exceptions, but we like to sit out in the evening with a nice meal and a bottle of wine
Even during the busy French holiday season, inland, you will find plenty of Aires available for overnighting and even lots the Municipal camp sites will have room however when you go to the coast the locations can get pretty full
It just depends on what you like anyway, my advice would be just go and find out what you like, don't forget you can always move as your M/H is not a static
Enjoy

http://www.wildcamping.co.uk/forums/france/6948-few-french-aires.html

BTW great photos, looks lovely by the river

 

[John H]

Lots of things to keep kids happy - from Futuroscope near Poitiers to Park Asterix near Paris (they both have websites). If they like canoeing, try the Gorges du Tarn area - stunning scenery as well. Almost anywhere you go in France will provide opportunities for wilding or campsites (we never book, even in high season) - and if you don't like an area or it is full or they charge for the aires or whatever, you can move a few miles to somewhere just as good with free space (except along the tourist hot spots of the Cote d'Azure in peak season but why would you want to go there then anyway?). Don't listen to the gloom and doom merchants, anywhere in France can be very hot and dry at the time of year you are going - and it can also be wet and windy (we spent one August in the south of France and only had two dry days but have spent October in Britanny and had heat waves!). The joy of motorhoming is that if the weather is bad in one place you can go somewhere else. Another tip - if the weather is bad north of the Pyrenees, it is quite often good south of them (in Spain) and vice versa. Happy travels.

PS on the south coast of Britanny you can find several places to go sea canoeing (eg Benodet).

 

[vini]

Lots of things to keep kids happy - from Futuroscope near Poitiers to Park Asterix near Paris (they both have websites). If they like canoeing, try the Gorges du Tarn area - stunning scenery as well. Almost anywhere you go in France will provide opportunities for wilding or campsites (we never book, even in high season) - and if you don't like an area or it is full or they charge for the aires or whatever, you can move a few miles to somewhere just as good with free space (except along the tourist hot spots of the Cote d'Azure in peak season but why would you want to go there then anyway?). Don't listen to the gloom and doom merchants, anywhere in France can be very hot and dry at the time of year you are going - and it can also be wet and windy (we spent one August in the south of France and only had two dry days but have spent October in Britanny and had heat waves!). The joy of motorhoming is that if the weather is bad in one place you can go somewhere else. Another tip - if the weather is bad north of the Pyrenees, it is quite often good south of them (in Spain) and vice versa. Happy travels.

PS on the south coast of Britanny you can find several places to go sea canoeing (eg Benodet).

Thanks John, the Gorges du Tarn looks fantastic, just google mapped it. quite a trek down from Calais I imagine though. Not confident to do lots of driving in our van as neither of us have done much abroad,
We have a LWB Sprinter conversion. I guess get lots of practice driving it before we go. Comes back from the coachbuilders next week, yipee
Yes, agree, we will avoid the Cote d'Azure at end of August.

 

[John H]

Thanks John, the Gorges du Tarn looks fantastic, just google mapped it. quite a trek down from Calais I imagine though. Not confident to do lots of driving in our van as neither of us have done much abroad,
We have a LWB Sprinter conversion. I guess get lots of practice driving it before we go. Comes back from the coachbuilders next week, yipee
Yes, agree, we will avoid the Cote d'Azure at end of August.

For what its worth, we have always found it easier and more pleasurable driving on the continent - the roads are generally less crowded and you soon get used to driving on the "wrong" side of the road. Wherever you end up, I am sure you will have a great time - France is a much more motorhome-friendly country than England so, even if there isn't an aire or a campsite, you will find somewhere pleasant to stop. Not only that but the wine is cheap too (or if you end up in Britanny don't forget to sample the cider, it is delicious)!

 

[fiftysomething]

North or South

We're just back from our first few days in France - well, first with the MH. It was a trial run before our two week holiday in late June and we had a brilliant time just trundling about along the Normandy coastline without anything booked.

Actually, it was SO good I'm wondering if I've done the wrong thing booking 6 nights at a campsite down on the coast south of Bordeaux in June, but hey, we'll just move on if we're bored or the weather's bad.

You'll read tons on here telling you how good France is - my advice is, believe it!!

Fiftysomething

 

[Johnf]

Sounds like you don't like the south of france,

I'd disagree personally, 'The South' is a very big area and there are plenty of quiet spots and also plenty of cultural things to do. One of our favorite areas is west of Bordeaux called the Basin de Arcachon. The area is stunning, great for wild life and also its the Medoc wine region. Parking for Motohomes is plentiful and easy. Travel inland and you are can follow the Dordogne valley. Great area.
.
.

We have done both-enjoyed the south but lately we have stayed in the north and wondered why we drove so far and passed great beaches etc

 

[barryd]

Here's my two penneth. We spent most of April in the Dordogne and Pyrenees. The weather was fantastic. We crossed the Pyrenees from the Med (Spanish border) all the way across on the French side (in the mountains) to the Atlantic side (Biarritz / San Sebastian). It was fantastic, took two weeks though and Im not sure how long you are away for. The weather in May has been crap. Currently in Brittany and its overcast but bright and not warm enough for shorts! (The forecast for the weekend and beyond is great though).

If you only have a couple of weeks then Brittany and maybe as far as the Loire valley might be far enough but the south is fantastic as well. The Dordogne, Lot and Tarn offer all sorts of adventures and if you can make either the Rhone Alps or the Pyrenees then it just gets better and better. I reckon the weather is so screwed up all over now there are no guarantees anywhere anymore! It was pushing 30 degrees mid April in the mountains some days but we still managed to get high enough to build a snow man. Whats that all about?

All the Aires book (its not all the aires by the way)

CAMPINGCAR-INFOS is fantastic (set google to auto translate the French comments on the aires for a laugh) this site really is all the aires. Written and kept up to date by the kings of motorhoming (the French).

Also look up Belgians and Graths posts on here, they have mapped loads of aires and wild camping spots.

You’ll have a super time wherever you decide to go!

Right. Off for some Moules and stupid amounts of wine. It’s a hard life.

Cheers
Barry