Showers

[Tbear]

Hi All

We are off to France in July and are hopeing the stay on the aires but we only have a very limited shower. Two of us in a small motorhome in hot weather without a shower would make it a very short trip. Does this mean that we will have to spend a lot of time on sites or are there CS or CL type sites with a shower. I hear they have municiple sites. Does anyone have much experience of these.

Richard

 

[Guest]

Hi Richard.
We use aire's mainly nowadays and we can both have a shower each day for 3 days, then the tank is empty. Obviously we are very careful with the water by turning off while soaping and turn on to rince.
We do have a good size water tank and we do carry extra water as the French do.
We used to use Municipal sites and this year as we are going for a lot longer we will do again.
They are run by the village or town council and are very good value and many are in super locations alongside a river or by a sports complex or both.
You will fall over them and I can certainly recommend them.
We would not use any other. They price from about 8 euro to about 15 euro

 

[Guest]

Where are you thinking of going to?

 

[Tbear]

*****,

Many thanks, Neither of us has ever camped in France and my wife is a bit nervous so I am trying to cover as many posabilities as I can. I'm going to throw her hairdryer and staightners overboard on the ferry so thats the electric sorted Any other tips??

Richard

 

[Tbear]

Where are you thinking of going to?

Jump on the ferry then head south for a week and then curve back inland. Spend about 18 days in all doing it

 

[Guest]

We usually trundle down alongside a river and we stumble upon an aire or municipal site. Please tell your wife that it is so much easier over there as they are really geared up for M/H's and they are everywhere.
It is so hard work here in comparison.
Where has spell chech gone?

 

[John H]

Sports centres/swimming pools are good places for showers. Also, some (but not many) aires have them - eg Ouzouer sur Trezee, south-east of Paris has free electricity and free hot showers! But as ***** has said, there are good value municipal campsites everywhere which you can call in at.

 

[Tbear]

If we head down the coast are they going to be full up

 

[Guest]

If we head down the coast are they going to be full up

It will be much more busy, particulary at that time of the year by the coast and many aire's by the coast are pay aire's. Try the river Lot or the Tarn, or Vezerie,Vienne, and many more or even the Dordogne
Anywhere south of Potiers, Orleans or Limoges and you shold have great weather
,

 

[Tbear]

Sports centres/swimming pools are good places for showers. Also, some (but not many) aires have them - eg Ouzouer sur Trezee, south-east of Paris has free electricity and free hot showers! But as ***** has said, there are good value municipal campsites everywhere which you can call in at.

Thanks John. I'm sort of planning on a municple site every 2 or 3 days. The other half is not really a sport centre person and our French is going to be learned as we go so am hoping for the odd Aire with hot water. It may seem a small thing but we both get fed up if we cannot have a good wash and in the van conversion we are a bit limited.

 

[Tbear]

It will be much more busy, particulary at that time of the year by the coast and many aire's by the coast are pay aire's. Try the river Lot or the Tarn, or Vezerie,Vienne, and many more or even the Dordogne
Anywhere south of Potiers, Orleans or Limoges and you shold have great weather
,

Sounds like we may have to wild on the coast then head in for a municiple site for a night. Not a problem as we intend to move every day or two. See as much as we can and then plan for future years when we have more time to stay longer. Rivers sound good as we both love the countryside and wild life.

 

[Canalsman]

Hi Tbear

I can confirm that the municipal camp sites in France are really excellent - there are many, many of them, and often they're the pride and joy of the local community.

Here are links to some typical examples:

Le camping municipal à Forges-les-Eaux

Malicorne sur Sarthe - Camping ***

Le camping, la base de loisirs et les randonnées de Saint Evroult Notre Dame du bois

Blangy sur Bresle - Le Camping

I appreciate that these sites are written in French - but you should get the flavour at least. And you can use Google language tools to translate the pages if that helps.

Do try them - you won't regret it. You'll find the people that run the sites really helpful too, I'm sure. Just learn a few common phrases in French, and you'll find it of great benefit.

Regards

Chris

 

[David & Ann]

When in France, enroute to Spain or Portugal, I shower from a garden 10L watering can. As I cannot stand cold water. I fill the watering can with water, the Mrs boils a kettle and empties it into the watering can. We do this in a secluded spot. Of course we have a shower with hot water, the idea is to save gas, heating up a kettle is a lot cheaper than heating a 16L boiler, and it keeps the toilet dry and clean. Less work too. And more FUN, myself in shorts and the wife in bathing costume.

 

[Kontiki]

We have been away for a couple of months in a home built van conversion, the van was too small for a bathroom so we used to make do with drawing the blinds & having an all over wash.

 

[Tbear]

Hi Tbear

I can confirm that the municipal camp sites in France are really excellent - there are many, many of them, and often they're the pride and joy of the local community.

Here are links to some typical examples:

Le camping municipal à Forges-les-Eaux

Malicorne sur Sarthe - Camping ***

Le camping, la base de loisirs et les randonnées de Saint Evroult Notre Dame du bois

Blangy sur Bresle - Le Camping

I appreciate that these sites are written in French - but you should get the flavour at least. And you can use Google language tools to translate the pages if that helps.

Do try them - you won't regret it. You'll find the people that run the sites really helpful too, I'm sure. Just learn a few common phrases in French, and you'll find it of great benefit.

Regards

Chris

Chris

Thankyou. I will spend the next couple of months looking at the sites. Might just have to learrn a bit of French before we go. Well enough to be polite to people, direction, etc.

Richard

 

[Skar]

Have you considered a Solar Shower?

 

[Tbear]

When in France, enroute to Spain or Portugal, I shower from a garden 10L watering can. As I cannot stand cold water. I fill the watering can with water, the Mrs boils a kettle and empties it into the watering can. We do this in a secluded spot. Of course we have a shower with hot water, the idea is to save gas, heating up a kettle is a lot cheaper than heating a 16L boiler, and it keeps the toilet dry and clean. Less work too. And more FUN, myself in shorts and the wife in bathing costume.

David and Ann

We have a 12v shower which plugs into the dash and a bucket of water, which I plan to use. Like you I do not do cold showers but we do have a kettle and solar shower so we should be able to use water from any sensible sourse and save the drinking water. I know my wife will use this setup to wash her hair but I am going to have to work on her to get her to shower outside. If it costs me a for a new bathing costume - money well spent

Richard

 

[Tbear]

We have been away for a couple of months in a home built van conversion, the van was too small for a bathroom so we used to make do with drawing the blinds & having an all over wash.

Hi Kontiki

We have done the allover wash a few times on short trips in this country but not wishing to sound too crude, I never seem get some areas quite as clean so on a long trip in hot weather, its more of a fall back than the main plan. I'm sure it will work for lots of other people though.

Richard

 

[Tbear]

Have you considered a Solar Shower?

Hi Skar

Yes we have a solar shower and it will warm the water on a nice day but we found problems finding somewhere to hang it and flow rate could be a bit of a challenge. Again its good for a one off on a short trip to Thetford forest but we like a bit of luxury on a long trip. I suspect a watering can with a good rose would work very well as a solar shower but a good size one would take up a lot of space. I'll have to give it a try and come back to you

Richard

Richard

 

[David & Ann]

I also have an outside shower and an outside gas connection. I use the outside one to wash the sand of our feet. Water is easy to come by so it is not a problem to waste a little. Bottled water is what we use for making tea and drinking. Along the coastal areas we fill up from the beach taps or showers. We test it first to make sure it isn't salt water, because some of them are.