Off the beaten track - France Passion Guide (1 Viewer)

[clwyd]

Motorhome Fun Ideas (OT = Office de Tourisme/ SI)

Off the beaten track - France & F. Passion

After responding to "Sedge’s" requests re Boat Lifts etc. I've been tempted to open this thread and add more locations. We just wander, and so often find treasures which I'll try to offer to others! The main guide book sites are ignored here.
Please refer to my other replies for Fortified towns, Boat Lifts, The Upper Loire and more.

France Passion offers free no facilty Motorhome sites for those wishing to "sample" local provisions - mainly Caves (Cellars) for wine tasting, but also farms, cheese, restaurants. They range from excellent open pastures with (rare) facilities to tiny hardstandings by the Cave! … all for a sub of €28 inc. pp. for the handbook (English edition).
www.france-passion.co.uk
www.france-passion.com/gb_formule.php; also from:
www.vicarious-shop.com/product.php?productid=13&cat=7&page=1
It may be worth contacting the French organiser in Carpentras, France

Similar guides are now offered for Spain & (I think but can’t find) Italy - a France Passion search will give these.

www.france-passion.co.uk/spanish_passion.htm

 

[clwyd]

Off the beaten track - France/Calais etc.

Calais Area& beyond: After many years via Cherbourg I was miffed at having to go this way, and soon astonished by the sights in the Calais hinterland:
1. An excellent c/site with bistro at Liques close to the V3 site below.
2. The V1/V2 sites at Blockhaus d’Eperlecques 15km north of St. Omer (& nearby windmill and castle on the hill above Watten), and La Coupole near the city. Don’t miss the Boat Lift and lock in Arques (also tourist railway), or the St. Omer fortifications 100m from the town square/OT.
3. The amazing V3 (I didn’t know what it was either!) site at Mimoyecques - the Diekirch, Luxembourg WW2 museum is filled with remnants of the Battle of the Bulge and a display showing the only use of V3s, against Luxembourg, in this battle..
www.historylearningsite.co.uk/v3.htm
4. Azincourt & Crecy battle sites.
5. Fortified Towns of the Low Countries: More than 40 of these from S. Holland (Hulst, Sluis) to Flanders; St. Omer, Le Quesnoy (freed by NZ unit in 1918), Rocroi, Montmedy are a few stars. We owe the Hulst visit to a Dutch couple we met on this MotorHome Fun site - & there!
6. The four 1882-97, and massive new Boat Lift on the Belgian Canal du Centre at La Louviere (near A7/E19 route) E. of Mons, and the incline at Ronquieres. There is another Lift (Schiffshebewerk) on the Dortmund-Ems canal just north of the Ruhr. cf. Anderton one in Cheshire.


The “1200 Museum 39/45 WW2 Guide Europe” is useful for sites - another covers WW1 -
www.grand-blockhaus@wanadoo.fr
Many are noted in red on the AA Easy Read France Atlas, a very useful addition to the essential Michelin 1:200k one of France.

 

[clwyd]

Off the beaten track - Misc.

Bastogne and the Battle of the Bulge - an excellent booklet in English describes the whole battle area, which is a very interesting and huge battle over a wide area.

Echternach, Luxembourg, and Little Switzerland: A delightful historic city on the river, with super Camping Official nearby (avoid the many riverside sites) from which one can walk straight into the beautiful hills.

Montormel Polish/Canadian memorial, where the Falaise Gap was closed.

The fantastic Tank museum at Saumur.

The u/g Swiss fort at Vallorbe.

Zittau, its lenten veils, and the Cistercian cloister on the Polish border.
Gorlitz, Bautzen
Leipzig’s Battle of the Nations memorial and the Russian memorial church.

Much more later on the route east from Calais to beyond Dresden ..

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[imprint]

clwyd

ppm me, and I'll try to dig up articles I wrote some years back on V2 &V3 sites for you if you're interested

 

[clwyd]

Off the beaten track - France - Le Puy du Fou & SE of

For an outdoor Spectacle par excellence go to Le Puy du Fou - a massive auditorium by a lake & castle SW of Cholet seating 14,000. You won't forget this experience of the Vendee in which almost ALL local villages take part! .. with "park" around where you can spend the day, and camp I think. Little camping within range but a small attractive one at St. Laurent towards Cholet. Takes place about twice weekly but you must book in advance.
see Wiki and puydufou.com (needs Flash..)

The Marais Poitevin (marsh) well south near La Rochelle is interesting with good cycling.

Further south too the Charente has a superb Roman ampitheatre at Saintes (campsite) & Boug Charente near Cognac has a super small site by the river, whichis A1 for cycling.
Around Poitiers, the site (way to the NW) of Charles Martel's 732 defeat of Islamic invaders was crucial for Christianity in the west - see Wiki - there are 2 much later Poitier battles. 50 km east L'Angle sur l'Anglin is a delight (small camping site hidden nearby!)
Have I mentioned Avallon and Vezelay (with a Roman spring at St Pere below it)? .. and Alise St Reine (Alesia) where Caesar finally defeated Vercingetorix? These are in the Upper Loire and tributaries, which are delightful valleys - the Yonne, Creuse, as well as the Brenne marshes.
The newish canal aqueduct crosses La Loire at Briare about 100km above Orleans (ie. SE) and to the east the "medieval" castle de Guedelon is being built SE of St. Fargeau - get there by 10am opening or else. You have been warned! ... the same stricture applies to the Eden Project in Cornwall!

 

[clwyd]

V2/V3 sites

imprint
Not sure how to ppm (or what it means!!!) but I'd like more on these sites. Tell me how to remove this and reply to you specifically please!!
Derek/Clwyd

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