Aires, not that impressed really... (1 Viewer)

[chaser]

Patch of grass in bare feet what about all the grey water and dog muck that the last resident left

 

[DBK]

We've used both on this trip and each have their advantages. The aire at Carnac was virtually in the town centre and very convenient for visiting places.

But it was a car park and sitting out to catch the evening sun wasn't really option for us.

The aire at Quiberon was very nice, we chose a grass pitch but these weren't popular, most wanted to park up on gravel close to each other.

We are now at Concarneau where there is a good aire.

But it's a car park. Very convenient for the town centre but you can't really do this there. A photograph I took a few moments ago. And yes, those are my toes!

So a complete contradiction. Carnac was fine because it was in the right place. Quiberon was an aire in the middle of nowhere but with good walking. Concarneau has a good aire but not one for sitting out in the sun and having a BBQ lunch as we did today. Which is why we chose a site here, €12 including 6A electricity and free WiFi.

So for us a mixture works but if I was going to the south of France I would probably use sites as I understand the aires get very busy.

 

[mitzimad]

We have found its inland aires that are the best often just a couple of spaces on grass next to a nice river with benches and tables some are larger city center along side canals and rivers often free or very cheap
if your on the coast i think due to demand for lots of spaces they do tend to be of the concrete car park types and often busy especially in the peak season and some are nearly as expensive as a site
i think this is often the reason some love them and some hate them
then there are what we call traveling aires not far from main routes often carpars or even a couple of parking spaces outside a rail station purely there to be used on route

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[PORKSTER]

Brugge aire was 25 euros friday night 24 hours but you can get free bus travel with ticket but your packed in tight luckily wasnt full

 

[The Cruisers]

We have stayed on sites only with our caravan in France and are going to try Aires with our new MH. We are going in the school half term (last week in October). I have looked at a few Aires and just in case don't like the look of them, also looked for sites that are still open at that time of year. We are only thinking of travelling about 250 miles away from Calais in any direction. Probable as far as Honfleur one way and we will be staying for 5 nights overall at different places every day. Any ideas please. I have checked with you guys a while ago and got some good replies but are there any other favourites of yours at that time of year?

 

[Kool Kroozer]

Dont get me wrong, i am not saying aires are crap an camp sites are the way to go, we booked into a camp site in Italy a couple of weeks ago, picked a pitch from the booklet, its a pay when you leave thing - drove on an found our pitch - drove around looking for a better pitch and drove straight out the gates - bloody awful site right on lake garda too - its just a matter of personal preference really !

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[Robert Clark]

Some people are happy to spend their holidays jammed into what is basically a car park, so
close to each other that you can't open your windows, so long as it's free!
Motorhoming is not a 'one size fits all' lifestyle choice. You need to use the places you feel most comfortable in, and which ones offer you the facilities you need/want.
It's your holiday- enjoy it!

 

[Deleted member 29692]

We have stayed on sites only with our caravan in France and are going to try Aires with our new MH. We are going in the school half term (last week in October). I have looked at a few Aires and just in case don't like the look of them, also looked for sites that are still open at that time of year. We are only thinking of travelling about 250 miles away from Calais in any direction. Probable as far as Honfleur one way and we will be staying for 5 nights overall at different places every day. Any ideas please. I have checked with you guys a while ago and got some good replies but are there any other favourites of yours at that time of year?

The aire at Honfleur is huge, it can take something like 200 vans. There are some free 16A electricity points but not many so it's a case of if you can find one great, if not tough. It's €10 per night, pay at the machine and you have to use a card.
It doesn't look particularly inviting but it's fine, quite quiet and it's safe. On one of the occasions we were there there was a fairly large group of travellers but they kept to themselves in one area and there were no problems at all so don't worry if there are any there when you arrive. The town itself is great, well worth a couple of days.

Also not quite so far down the coast is Saint Valery-en-Caux. The aire there is on the beach and it quite small and it gets very busy but again it's a lovely little town and well worth a visit.

 

[Allanm]

I generally find the most expensive Aires are the ones I don't like. They are convenient for something ( ferry, tunnel, large tourist attraction nearby) but we have been in some wonderful Aires and can't believe they were free. Some even have a bread van calling round in the mornings. Luxury!

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[chaser]

We have stayed on Aires that had circuses on , and good they were too, very sociable people and free looks at the animals, also "travelers" never any trouble, keep themselves to themselves.
Have stayed at honfleur but only because it was just where we wanted to be otherwise would have to think hard and long about paying a tenner.

 

[sdc77]

Not wishing to start an argument either... but a motorhome ... when I last checked is to be used for whatever you want it for.. not what someone else tells you they are to be used for. They are great and flexible allowing you to be as independent as you want.. or don't want on the day.
We were going to stay at an aire tonight .. right on the med... took one look at it and left to go to a 4 star acsi site for 10 euros more. ...
Can't see a problem with that tbh... don't tell me I should have roughed it for the sake of all motorhomers

 

[maison]

The Aire at Moulins is excellent.

An ex-municipal site with both hard standing and grass pitches. It is right on the riverbank opposite the town which is five minute walk away.

It is possible to swim in the river, sit outside the M/H and generally enjoy the environment.

Last June a 24 hour stay cost us €2.30

That has got to be the best of both worlds,

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[Deleted member 29692]

That has got to be the best of both worlds,

Or this possibly. Froncles in the Champagne region. €3 per night, electric, toilets and a shower block and laundry that's open for a couple of hours a day when the attendant is there. It's right beside a river.

 

[Allanm]

One of those roadside aires that looks like a carpark at Mutigny....

Broken Link Removed

And the view from the aire across the road towards the Möet and Chandon vineyards at Epernay

Broken Link Removed

Truly awful.........

And yet another roadside aire.....

This one had a mobile boulangerie visiting morning and evening.

 

[sdc77]

There's no doubt that aires are cheap and some are excellent .. in the two examples above we would probably use them too.. But there are lots that aren't as good and I'm not that interested in using them.. Esp out of season when I can get a 14 16 or 18 euro acsi site that's much better. It's all about what I want isn't it.
And ..
Living in a motorhome.. Love it . But to us it's about being where we can sit outside and enjoy the area were in. We don't need electric particularly but I'd rather sit in a nice manicured site than a dusty car park... Which.. Let's face it.. A lot of aires are.
Having said that we stayed in one recently that was a short drive off the autoroute.. No services at all but impeccable. Lovely aire by a canal and river.

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[Allanm]

Your right, it's all about what individuals want, I just tried to show a couple of Aires that weren't just dusty carparks with no view. To be honest. We have been to a few like that, but they are in the minority. If campsites are your thing, then that's fine. We used to use municipal sites many years ago and have lots of fond memories of our times in them.
Personally, I would now have difficulty getting 14,16 or 18 Euros out of my pocket to park and as we are usually away for up to 3 months at a time, that's an awful lot of money to waste.
Good job we aren't all the same, there aren't enough Aires for everybody, conversely, there aren't enough spaces in campsites for everybody.
What is it the French say, vive la différence....

Oops, forgot to mention, the Aires in my previous post were both free, so was the water and electricity in the second one. We rarely pay to stay.

 

[Peter & Elaine]

I dont get this arguing over aires at least the French have them
If you like aires use them if you don't then move on find one you do like or use a site
Pay or don't pay its your choice we do
And some of the best places we have stayed in France have been free
Some of the worst have had a cost
don't forget the vinyard parking spots for price of a bottle of wine one in at St Emilion was €4 euros for a bottle of wine with electric and the owners came round in morning with some eggs and a home made French loaf and would not take payment that was offered

As for the cost of a van we know people who spent 5 grand and people who spent well over 100 grand we all the same for gods sake traveling tourists in a tin can

 

[Don Quixote]

I like that "Traveling tourists in a tin can" Sardines............

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[Robert Clark]

traveling tourists in a tin can

I prefer 'adventurers on a voyage of discovery, in a little palace on wheels'

 

[GeriatricWanderer]

I prefer 'adventurers on a voyage of discovery, in a little palace on wheels'

Or just a lot of wandering geriatrics

 

[Peter & Elaine]

Economic migrants

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[Don Quixote]

Economic migrants

Now lets not go done that road or you will be opening a "can of worms"

 

[chaser]

I dont get this arguing over aires at least the French have them
If you like aires use them if you don't then move on find one you do like or use a site
Pay or don't pay its your choice we do
And some of the best places we have stayed in France have been free
Some of the worst have had a cost
don't forget the vinyard parking spots for price of a bottle of wine one in at St Emilion was €4 euros for a bottle of wine with electric and the owners came round in morning with some eggs and a home made French loaf and would not take payment that was offered

As for the cost of a van we know people who spent 5 grand and people who spent well over 100 grand we all the same for gods sake traveling tourists in a tin can

As I said I wasn't wishing to start an argument and I meant it, cause it's everyone to there own , just expressing my opinion like everyone else but I do think the op hasn't given Aires a good shot, agreed the book isn't all it's cracked up to be and obviously they are the ones that will fill first, but as I said we have never found a full one in three years of French motor homing , another point he makes is that they were in the south of France , which again is not the best place to be looking for Aires, we've found they are very mh unfriendly down there unless as you say on campsites, and in fact is the only part that we have used a campsite not out of choice but because we needed to do some washing and found Aires a bit far between.

 

[Robert Clark]

Economic migrants

Travelling folk
Or new (old age) travellers

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[Peter & Elaine]

Now lets not go done that road or you will be opening a "can of worms"

Frugal Sunshine migrants

 

[Robert Clark]

As I said I wasn't wishing to start an argument and I meant it, cause it's everyone to there own , just expressing my opinion like everyone else but I do think the op hasn't given Aires a good shot, agreed the book isn't all it's cracked up to be and obviously they are the ones that will fill first, but as I said we have never found a full one in three years of French motor homing , another point he makes is that they were in the south of France , which again is not the best place to be looking for Aires, we've found they are very mh unfriendly down there unless as you say on campsites, and in fact is the only part that we have used a campsite not out of choice but because we needed to do some washing and found Aires a bit far between.

We have the Aires book, but don't use it anymore. I much prefer Campercobtact as it not only includes many more pics, but also reviews, which help find the better Aires.
Like you we also used campsites purely for laundry - until we invested in a portable washing machine / spin dryer.

 

[Allanm]

Go to the east and travel around the Alps stopping in aires. That might change you opinion of them!

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[Judge Mental]

One of those roadside aires that looks like a carpark at Mutigny....

Broken Link Removed

And the view from the aire across the road towards the Möet and Chandon vineyards at Epernay

Broken Link Removed

Truly awful.........

And yet another roadside aire.....

This one had a mobile boulangerie visiting morning and evening.

Yes....where the pub!

 

[Photo4x4]

I know that I'm going to sound like a right idiot now, but I'll ask anyway!

What exactly is an ASCI site?

KH

 

[Robert Clark]

I know that I'm going to sound like a right idiot now, but I'll ask anyway!

What exactly is an ASCI site?

KH

Its a Campsite - ACSI is a bit like Caravan Club, you can join and get discounts at their registered sites, (sometimes)

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