Planning June Trip Through France (1 Viewer)

[donnkim]

Made the decision to wait until next winter before we attempt this type of trip. We will then be much more experienced and know what to expect.

So I have booked the tunnel for 9th. June for an 8 week trip. So am now going to start planning.

We will arrive off Euro tunnel about 9.30am and will do a good bit of driving.

Would anybody recommend our first aire to stop at for our first night?

Thanks
Don

 

[Brisey]

Hi Don, a lot depends on which area of France you are heading to. If you are going south towards Brittany or the Normandy coast Honfleur is a good place to visit.

Brisey.

 

[Heyupluv]

Made the decision to wait until next winter before we attempt this type of trip. We will then be much more experienced and know what to expect.

So I have booked the tunnel for 9th. June for an 8 week trip. So am now going to start planning.

We will arrive off Euro tunnel about 9.30am and will do a good bit of driving.

Would anybody recommend our first aire to stop at for our first night?

Thanks
Don

Don..in Northern France.pas de Calais region..there are not a lot of Aires to pick from..it gets better the further down you go...or the west side...Picadie, Normandy, Brittany, Loire, or the east side the canals the rivers, Champagne region.
It would help fellow funsters to say what you are looking for, and what you like...e.g. Coastal,... rivers,... canals,... mountains,.. Gorges,.. Woods/Forest's.....Towns...Markets...
The funsters on this site are much travelled with loads of info good luck and I hope you enjoy your trip to France

Are you staying in France...or going straight through to Spain or Portugal....
What do you mean when you say a good bit of driving.... what would be the first amount of miles you would be prepared to do... and what region are you heading foroh:

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[Heyupluv]

Hi Don, a lot depends on which area of France you are heading to. If you are going south towards Brittany or the Normandy coast Honfleur is a good place to visit.

Brisey.

Snap you just beat me to it Brisey...:thumb:

 

[greyman1]

sorry if ive missunderstood but"waiting till next winter, yet going in june " is a bit confusing but before anyone can really reccomend a aire for you, they will need to know which direction you intend to head for when you arrive in france . perhaps something that is worth bearing in mind as it is your 1st time, is that unless you are going to travel down the night before and park up prior to your chosen crossing you will be hitting the nightmare m25 and the dartford crossing at peak times NOT GOOD ! my 1st journey down at a similar time involved a puncture , the dog throwing up all over the bedding ,a multi vehicle pile up etc etc !!! so my initial plans of hitting france running ended up with me totally stressed out and pulling into the 1st supermarket carpark i saw and crashing out for about 4 hours!! since then i always expect the unexpected and try to be as flexible as i can . with 8 weeks to play with "there will always be tomorrow" im pretty sure that your 1st time wont be your last !! have a great time . regards garry

 

[FIDGET]

Hi , There's a nice aire at Arques just south east of Saint Omer , its about 28 miles away , its by a large pond/ resevoir also a water gardenjust behind, or La Mailleraye sur seine about 150 miles away just east of Rouen right on the river bank nice to watch the ships go right past. we've used both and can recommend them. If we new which way you are heading we/I might be able to give some other aires. We are going again in September.
Terry:Cool::rain:

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[donnkim]

Direction from Calaise

Yes - that would help. We will be heading South. Maybe towards Portugal or perhaps towards the Dordogne.
Take your point re traffic but we are leaving on Sunday.
Love the French countryside, rivers, coasts - infact everything French.
getting so excited just thinking bout it.

We will be doing Winter trip next year with a years Motorhome experience behind us.

Thanks to everyone
Don

 

[Loujess]

Just to get the feel of it, I would be following the coast west from Calais. St Valerie en Caux has a nice aire. We stayed at Fecamp our first time, before going further and there is a very big aire there and you can walk into the town. After that you will feel confident enough to follow your route.

Ivy

 

[Heyupluv]

Yes - that would help. We will be heading South. Maybe towards Portugal or perhaps towards the Dordogne.
Take your point re traffic but we are leaving on Sunday.
Love the French countryside, rivers, coasts - infact everything French.
getting so excited just thinking bout it.

We will be doing Winter trip next year with a years Motorhome experience behind us.

Thanks to everyone
Don

Don ... these Aires are and would be on the way down towards Portugal in France ending just just above Biarritz......
So these should wet your appetite...there are many more...look on my Picasa link on this reply to see what they look like on the photo's ... also on Jim's French aire site.


Forges-les- Eaux
La suze sur Sarthe..(just below Le Manns)
Mortagne sur Garonde..( below La Rochelle)
Parentis en Borne..(below Bordeaux)
Soustons Plage....(below Parentis en borne)
Caumont sur Garonne. (Dordogne region)

Mel

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[B-well]

Go across to France, stop after a couple of hours driving, with the sun shinning and take it all in, after all you are in no hurry, why belt down to get anywhere and miss so much.

 

[ojibway]

I don't know how far you will have travelled before arriving in France but I would spend my first night in Calais on the waterfront. You will either love it or hate it
It is a real taste of what an aire is all about. It's full of French, Belgians, Brits, Dutch. And, I mean FULL
Nice waterfront walks, bars, restaurants, frites:thumb:
We stop there on our first and last nights.
Le Crotoy is another favourite - two to choose from though we have only stayed on the port one. Lovely walk into the town with bars, restos and fresh fish stalls. Cycle round the Baie de Sommes (or walk across) or take the Petit Train.
If you are lucky you get a spot with a premium view across the bay to St Valery
St Valery sur Somme - nice walk down to the town from the aire. Lots of historical interest - Joan of Arc, 1066, Battle of Crecy.
After that its anywhere you choose to point your van!
Mike and Annie

 

[Parcverger]

If you like the French countryside you'll love the Limousin - rolling hills, forests and lakes. The A20 autoroute is free, you can reach it via Chartres, where you can stop and see the Cathedral, and/or Versailles if you have not been to the Chateau, a sight not to be missed.
There's plenty to see in the Limousin, from places like the martyr village of Oradour sur Glane, to the chateaux on the route Richard Coeur de Lion - look at the gallery on our website if you want to see how brilliant some of these are.:thumb:
Then you can head in any direction, east to the massif centrale, south to the Dordogne, or west to the coast (cluttered with people in the summer).
As said above, don't rush through France, there is so much to see.
Bob
www.parcverger.com

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[DM14742]

I can back up Parcverger's last post re: Chartres, its about 200 miles from Calais, we did it fairly easily in the day & stayed at Les Bords de L'Eure Campsite (1403 in 2012's ACSI book ) 12 Euro's per night & a pleasant walk along the river into town.