Well we did it!! No problems. (1 Viewer)

Aug 19, 2015
630
11,765
West Sussex
Funster No
37,743
MH
C Class
Exp
Since 2015
Over the last few weeks I have been asking for tips and recommendations on using aires for a week in France first time with our MH. We have just returned home after a wonderful week. Unfortunately I was having to use a crutch as I have a knee injury so that hindered me a bit. First stop was Neufchâtel en bray. What a pretty site just 3 others parked all of them french. There is a washing machine and tumble drier there and they are digging foundations for a building to house showers. It was 10€. Just wonder how much it will be per night when work completed.
Next night we stayed at Honfleur very busy. 12€ inc electric. fantastic day in the town. Lovely restaurants.
Then to St Valery sur Somme. 10€ no electric but we weren't bothered. Walked down to the medieval city and found a short cut back. Are there a few aires in St Valery because we passed one on our walk down the hill? Not sure if we stayed on the one listed in all the aires book but it was lovely.
Then we drove to Fort Mahon Plage. 10€ and the aire was ok. Town good. Walked to beach - blew the cobwebs away! Again good restaurants it was hard to choose from.
This was our first trip to France with our MH. We have been to France in our caravan loads of times over the years but always booked sites. I was worried about thefts and gassing etc after reading posts on this forum and was concerned about immigrants on the way back.

Well I didn't need to worry about any of that. No problems at all on the sites and not a single immigrant to be seen. I spoke to one of the officials at the tunnel and they said there has been no trouble for the past week. There was a 30 minute delay on the way out due to a technical problem and we were able to leave an hour early on the way home.

We had a great time. Roll on next year. We can only go in school holidays as I own a nursery that is term time so not sure what it will be like in the summer. Very busy no doubt.

Thanks everyone for your advice and recommendations. Always ready to listen to recommendations but not so ready to hear about gassing and thefts. Just go and enjoy!! We did
 

Allan & Loren

Free Member
Dec 8, 2014
1,736
2,630
Leyland, Lancashire
Funster No
34,450
MH
Autotrail Dakota
Exp
Since 2014
Glad you had a good time. We went to France for the first time in ours this year too. Like you we'd been many times with a caravan and even tents so we were a little nervous but had a great time.
 

LAM

Apr 23, 2014
415
288
Wiltshire
Funster No
31,104
MH
Chausson 640 Welcome
Exp
Began with the purchase of our first, ever MH in 2014
A huge country for you to explore in the future, glad you had a great time :france:

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Popeye

Deceased RIP
Sep 5, 2011
7,926
86,461
edge of New Forest
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18,072
MH
Frankia Platin Plus
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On and off since 1983
I've been a couple of times but only to race through to Switzerland or Italy, I still have the aires and quaint towns to enjoy.

Glad you had a good time, whereabouts is your Nursery, between L'hampton and Worthing by any chance?
 
Mar 23, 2012
9,446
31,629
sleights
Funster No
20,245
MH
c class
Exp
1
Over the last few weeks I have been asking for tips and recommendations on using aires for a week in France first time with our MH. We have just returned home after a wonderful week. Unfortunately I was having to use a crutch as I have a knee injury so that hindered me a bit. First stop was Neufchâtel en bray. What a pretty site just 3 others parked all of them french. There is a washing machine and tumble drier there and they are digging foundations for a building to house showers. It was 10€. Just wonder how much it will be per night when work completed.
Next night we stayed at Honfleur very busy. 12€ inc electric. fantastic day in the town. Lovely restaurants.
Then to St Valery sur Somme. 10€ no electric but we weren't bothered. Walked down to the medieval city and found a short cut back. Are there a few aires in St Valery because we passed one on our walk down the hill? Not sure if we stayed on the one listed in all the aires book but it was lovely.
Then we drove to Fort Mahon Plage. 10€ and the aire was ok. Town good. Walked to beach - blew the cobwebs away! Again good restaurants it was hard to choose from.
This was our first trip to France with our MH. We have been to France in our caravan loads of times over the years but always booked sites. I was worried about thefts and gassing etc after reading posts on this forum and was concerned about immigrants on the way back.

Well I didn't need to worry about any of that. No problems at all on the sites and not a single immigrant to be seen. I spoke to one of the officials at the tunnel and they said there has been no trouble for the past week. There was a 30 minute delay on the way out due to a technical problem and we were able to leave an hour early on the way home.

We had a great time. Roll on next year. We can only go in school holidays as I own a nursery that is term time so not sure what it will be like in the summer. Very busy no doubt.

Thanks everyone for your advice and recommendations. Always ready to listen to recommendations but not so ready to hear about gassing and thefts. Just go and enjoy!! We did
Next time go a little further off the coast and try some free ones nothing like it in the UK

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OP
OP
The Cruisers
Aug 19, 2015
630
11,765
West Sussex
Funster No
37,743
MH
C Class
Exp
Since 2015
Thanks. Can you let me know any names of free aires please? We want to try all sorts and I know next year is a way off but I can still look around.
 

Allanm

Free Member
Jun 30, 2013
5,431
9,191
Cotes d'armor, France
Funster No
26,730
MH
Burstner Harmony TI 736 G
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Since 1987
Next time you go, try the free aire close to Neufchâtel. Can't remember the name but it's next to a great restaurant that used to be a station and an old railway track that is now a footpath/ cycle path. Great boulangerie just a few minutes walk into town too. You can buy a lot of croissants for the €10 you saved!

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DBK

LIFE MEMBER
Jan 9, 2013
17,968
47,804
Plympton, Devon
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24,219
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PVC, Murvi Morocco
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2013
Thanks. Can you let me know any names of free aires please? We want to try all sorts and I know next year is a way off but I can still look around.
The online resource we use is called Link Removed There are android and iOS versions you can download which are very easy to use and work offline. It has a filter which you can set to display for example free aires or ones graded say 7 or higher.

In the play store search for "nkc" or "allmotorhomeparkings".

The aires book is good but having another resource can be very useful.
 

mid4did

Free Member
Sep 29, 2012
526
727
N.somerset
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23,079
MH
Hymer Tramp R 655 GT
Exp
started in a minivan 1970's when I could fit into it.
The online resource we use is called Link Removed There are android and iOS versions you can download which are very easy to use and work offline. It has a filter which you can set to display for example free aires or ones graded say 7 or higher.

In the play store search for "nkc" or "allmotorhomeparkings".

The aires book is good but having another resource can be very useful.
my "all the aires" is going the same way as my old A-Z went ;)(y)

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Peter Sansom

Free Member
May 22, 2015
235
116
peebles
Funster No
36,509
MH
Chausson Flash 610
Exp
A relative newbie...ex caravanner
Heard so much about the aires, must give them a go next time we cross the manche. The prices def sound right! We're thinking of Southern Ireland next year. Anyone got any advice as to where and when etc?
 

meanders

Funster - Life Member
LIFE MEMBER
Jun 28, 2008
2,458
7,824
Ipswich, Suffolk
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3,075
MH
C class
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Since 2004
Southern Ireland is lovely but there are not great numbers of aires. We spent 3 weeks there in September and found some lovely stopping places. Howth yacht club (just outside Dublin) is a lovely place to stop-free.N53.388653°W6.067574
Outerard. Overnight parking free at Camp Street Cafe, food is excellent.
Loch Conn (aire) free right next to the loch, toilet,water,waste disposal available. N54.0936°W09.2994
Visitor centre at Cliffs of Moher overnight in car park allowed
Many pubs allow parking in their car parks, we stayed at Paidi O'Ses, Ventry on Dingle peninsula.
Cobh seafront has 20 spaces for motorhomes allowing 48hrs free (we stayed longer) right on the Quay.
Campsites tend to be quite expensive,but Strand camping at Doonbeg is excellent value (and they are funsters)
Lovely country lovely people, go and enjoy.
 
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Peter Sansom

Free Member
May 22, 2015
235
116
peebles
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36,509
MH
Chausson Flash 610
Exp
A relative newbie...ex caravanner
Thanks for that, very useful info. Next summer a long way off and who knows where we may yet go? (The joy of motor homing). We reside in the Scottish Borders so its a bit of a trek to get to the Channel Ports. Our last trip was via Harwich to the Hook, which in itself was good, apart from an incident when a young Belgian lad on a racing bike hit Maureen on her bike and we ended up in A & E! (He was fine). Discovered loopholes in the insurance too, but thats a different tale. Quite fancy the Western Isles here as well...

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Feb 16, 2013
19,499
51,185
uttoxeter
Funster No
24,713
MH
ambulance conversion
Exp
50 years
A few quid! ------------ 30 quid and almost a waste of time with only about 25% of the aires in it.
I'll be sticking with the free Camper Contact download thank you
Really strange this , while agreeing with you , we have all the Aires , but won't be getting another, when I first started on here, three years ago it was like the bible , no one had a bad word for it and everyone had it , now it's really gone out of fashion and all the threads have a downer on it, both the new size and not being what it says on the tin , we use an android app called simply , France Aires , it gets us all we need(y):)
 
Jul 12, 2013
3,849
5,225
The City of Henlow
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26,906
MH
Adria Supreme
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Since 1980
The Aires in Europe are designed for Motorhomes and there are many excellent books available including Campercontact, Camperstop and the British "All the Aires France....Spain etc" which I still take with me. If you read the above books, they tell you if the sites are free or not. As for concerns about 'Gassing' which I am still convinced is an urban legend and any other worries about Aires, if you do not like the look of an Aire for any reason, drive on, just as you would at home.

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LAM

Apr 23, 2014
415
288
Wiltshire
Funster No
31,104
MH
Chausson 640 Welcome
Exp
Began with the purchase of our first, ever MH in 2014
I'll be sticking with the free Camper Contact download thank you
Well............. I have read on here about the above so tried to download the 'free bit' (on my android mobile).... It says it has downloaded and indeed it displays the app on my front screen. It displays a very nice picture of a MH parked in a lovely setting somewhere unknown BUT I cannot get it to do anything else. Looking at the site, the picture looks very different.......... Does this app not work on an android mobile, or is it me ????? :unsure::unsure:
 

DBK

LIFE MEMBER
Jan 9, 2013
17,968
47,804
Plympton, Devon
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24,219
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PVC, Murvi Morocco
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2013
Well............. I have read on here about the above so tried to download the 'free bit' (on my android mobile).... It says it has downloaded and indeed it displays the app on my front screen. It displays a very nice picture of a MH parked in a lovely setting somewhere unknown BUT I cannot get it to do anything else. Looking at the site, the picture looks very different.......... Does this app not work on an android mobile, or is it me ????? :unsure::unsure:
It does work on Android mobiles. I'm not sure what the problem can be and can only suggest making sure the android apps are all up to date - through the play store and select my apps and then update all, making sure you are on WiFi of course. The screen you mention is a sort of welcome screen and it should disappear after a few moments but sometimes there is a delay if it is updating itself although there is usually a pop up to tell you this.

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LAM

Apr 23, 2014
415
288
Wiltshire
Funster No
31,104
MH
Chausson 640 Welcome
Exp
Began with the purchase of our first, ever MH in 2014
Thank you DB, followed your instructions and .... exactly as you say............. the icon changed (eventually) and appeared as it should. A big thank you, can't wait to use it

:Ta2:
 

Paddywack

Free Member
Oct 15, 2013
1,211
2,281
Neasham, Co Durham
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28,587
MH
Hymer ExsisT588
Thanks for that, very useful info. Next summer a long way off and who knows where we may yet go? (The joy of motor homing). We reside in the Scottish Borders so its a bit of a trek to get to the Channel Ports. Our last trip was via Harwich to the Hook, which in itself was good, apart from an incident when a young Belgian lad on a racing bike hit Maureen on her bike and we ended up in A & E! (He was fine). Discovered loopholes in the insurance too, but thats a different tale. Quite fancy the Western Isles here as well...
If I were you I would use Newcastle to Amsterdam, we find the driving over there going south much easier than the drive to harwich, you also feel the holiday has started earlier. Campercontact will give you lots of options in Holland and Germany once you're over the water.
 
Sep 16, 2010
2,994
2,848
Bungay Suffolk
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13,734
MH
Autotrail TrackerEKS
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Since 2010
Campercontact here too.. Compiled by the Dutch. And what they don't know about traveling around Europe isn't worth knowing !!!
AND it is cheap.. About £6 I think.. (y)(y)(y)

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