Aires (1 Viewer)

Aug 19, 2014
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we have only taken the Motorhome to France once and we stayed on 3 Campsites over the space of a week.

I want to go again and just use Aires, but The Beauty Terrorist is not keen because she says whilst some have nice views it is basically just parking up and you cannot open the awning, set up the BBQ, sit out with a little space around you.

Is she right?
 
Feb 26, 2013
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Sometimes you get one completely to yourself and no problems with BBQ and chairs then... This was our stop one night in May and we had a lovely peaceful meal using the picnic tables by the river... We tend to mix and match depending on where we are and what's available.

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Jan 28, 2008
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lots of aires will have picnic tables or grass to put chairs out. Obviously the busy aires close to attractions and the coast maybe a bit cramped but we often sit out either in front or behind the van .We look for aires that are riverside or lakeside
we find using a mixture of sites and aires works best for us
 

ChrisBFJ

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Jun 20, 2017
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I am on my first trip to France and have used a mixture of municipal camping sites and Aires. I have used 'All the Aires' from vicarious books, available on Amazon. I also signed up to campercontact, good for a last minute find if you want to alter your route. On each of the Aires I've put my awning and chair out. No problems so far.
 
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jdk62
Aug 19, 2014
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Thanks for the responses.

I just need to work on the Beauty Terrorist...

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Feb 22, 2011
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As said, frequently they are little more than dusty car parks but there are exceptions, La Mailleray Sur Seine (Near Rouen) being one. 6 euro for a Lovely location overlooking the river, restaurant near the entrance, local shops and street market, Aldi, Lidl and a big supermarket nearby (can`t remember the name but it sounds like an electric Co) Oh and a Carrefore in the village. Very reasonable vet for repatriation check 15 euro with own tablet. We stayed on way down to Loire and also on way back last week.
I just hope I can find more like this one as others do leave a bit to be desired but are still very useful as a stopover.
 
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Feb 22, 2011
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The MH is for sleeping in. Aires are brilliant
Cut the umbilical cord and actually leave it and walk/cycle about a bit. Treat it as base camp a d explore the town/village/countryside/canal/castle/river/coast/forest/city/museums/churches/bars/markets/shops/art galleries/cycle paths/caves.......

That's a very accurate assessment of how they should be viewed.

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May 7, 2011
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Hi @jdk62
As said before some are a bit like car parks , but with a little research
You can find some very nice ones , take a look at my showcase photos , your beauty terrorist might be surprised. If you need some suggestions just PM me, just let me know we're you are heading.
Terry
 

Shrimp

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May 27, 2015
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We have used Aires for years now, never use anything else in France.
We look for ones near water and ones out in the sticks that way you can usually find nice pic-nic type ones with grass, tables and space!
Just be a bit picky about them if you get to one you don't like go on to the next one, late morning is the best time to get on an Aire & very often lunchtime is the busiest as the French use them as lunch stops & then move on.
 
Apr 12, 2010
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We use aires quite a lot when on the move. Every few days we pick a campsite to empty, refill, etc.
Awnings are not strictly allowed on aires but I have seen them used and have asked for them to be taken down when they are full. Most people comply. Just out if interest, I saw a tugger set up on an aire (not allowed) and a warden soon arrived and made him move on.
Phil

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laneside

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nowhere near long enough
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If you are crossing to Calais then try Embry as your first aire, about 3/4 of an hour from Calais and it is the aires book. It may well wet her appetite for aires, the views are brilliant and the shower and toilets are five star but take your provisions with you as there are no shops nearby.
This is a private aire and the english speaking lady comes round in the evening for your six ish euros. There are many many more aires in France that are just as welcoming but I agree not all are if in doubt use Campercontact which gives a fairly good description of them. If you get near to us in the Limousin then there are several good ones that we can recommend.
 
Feb 22, 2011
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Last week on la mailleraye Sur Seine there was a tenter !
Nobody seemed to mind and there were still spaces available. Maybe different if full and an grumpy Frenchman wanted to get on in his motorhome
 
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Zigisla

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Oct 24, 2015
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If you look at the CamperContact App, they have descriptions of the area and facilities. It also states on the vast majority of them - "No Camping Behaviour" We have only been to France once - This Easter and we stayed in a dozen or so Aires, some were great with room and areas for sitting and relaxing, others were municipal car parks so deffo no camping behaviour. Basically we just followed what the others did.(y):cautious:

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Feb 24, 2013
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we like Embry amongst many others, apart from absolutely nothing in the village, no bar, shop, boulangerie nothing, but fresh bread delivered silently before daylight helps (y)(y)

but I have a wife like yours, wants to be 'somewhere' and set up her little camp, I do kind of get that and we are modifying our European travels to match, trying to stop for a couple or three nights on one site, then maybe three nights on aires

Just having big discussion on how we do Norway next month, I was planning on driving every day to achieve the mileage we need to, either that or we will need 12 weeks :)
 
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jdk62
Aug 19, 2014
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Great replies -thanks

They highlight that there is something for everyone...

I suppose it is also getting our heads around the fact that there is always another Aire down the road.....
 

SMB

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There are some great aires around, as mentioned previously Campercontact is a great tool for reviews etc. I like St Porcain sur Siole which used to be a campsite but is now free (paid waste dumping machine tho).

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Lenny HB

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As said they vary enormously, we love them and aviod sites. Last time we used a site in France was 3 years ago, one night was enough we decamped to a little car par up in the hills much more relaxing. My wife would rather be wilding in a forest or on a mountian completely on our own.
 

TerryL

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If you get a little off the main roads and away from tourist areas we've almost always found delightful and quiet aires in villages and small towns. Plan to stop by the very latest mid-afternoon to give you the best chance.
 

denisejoe

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Another nice aire is dun sur Meuse it's €8 but has water electric showers and a free washing machine.

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Delboyarapaho

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We have the same discussions and I have to say we found using our first aire with another couple a big relief. It seems to me that there are times when an aire is essential or highly desireable just to get that view or location and the local campsite is full. BUT if you have air con think about how steamy it gets with no hook up! Alsoi take a long hard look at why you are thinking of staying in them? Cant you afford a site? How many 10s of K did you spend on your vehicle? Aires are normally glorified car parks. I know there are some really good ones and for an overnight they work but not for us on a regular basis unless we have no option.
 

magicsurfbus

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Cant you afford a site? How many 10s of K did you spend on your vehicle? Aires are normally glorified car parks.

I spent 10s of K on my house but that doesn't mean I have to run it using the most expensive utilities. As one Funster very aptly put it a while ago, the MH came from the lump sum but I have to run it on the pension.

If you want the BBQ out every night, you don't like doing your number twos in the motorhome and you prefer the suburban familiarity of a privet hedge, forget aires and use campsites.

If you want a convenient overnight base for visiting a place and exploring it whilst being able to sit out when the sun's shining, and you'd like to save some pennies in the process, try aires. Some are car parks, many are not, and quite a few of the car parks still have interesting views. Aires really come into their own when you realise that you don't have to be within 20 feet of your vehicle at all times and it's not essential that your neighbours speak English :)
 

The Nomad

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We have the same discussions and I have to say we found using our first aire with another couple a big relief. It seems to me that there are times when an aire is essential or highly desireable just to get that view or location and the local campsite is full. BUT if you have air con think about how steamy it gets with no hook up! Alsoi take a long hard look at why you are thinking of staying in them? Cant you afford a site? How many 10s of K did you spend on your vehicle? Aires are normally glorified car parks. I know there are some really good ones and for an overnight they work but not for us on a regular basis unless we have no option.

If you are touring for more than a couple of weeks then the cost saving of using aires is substantial. Ee are awsy in the MH for a total of perhaps 5 months per year in 3 or 4 chunks of time. There's no way we could afford full campsite prices. In any event, we've got a motorhome. It's got all the facilities we need....bed, toilet, kitchen, shower, fridge freezer, lounge etc, isnt thst why we bought these vehicles containing those things?

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Jul 5, 2013
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BUT if you have air con think about how steamy it gets with no hook up! Alsoi take a long hard look at why you are thinking of staying in them? Cant you afford a site? How many 10s of K did you spend on your vehicle? Aires are normally glorified car parks. I know there are some really good ones and for an overnight they work but not for us on a regular basis unless we have no option.
We use Aires because we want to, not because we are too poor to use campsites. Just because you prefer staying on a campsite does not mean we all should. In fact we do, occasionally, stay on sites when we want to be in a particular place. But we prefer the informality, lack of need for booking, friendliness and closeness to villages, towns and cities that Aires offer.

We do not stay long in any one place, as we use our motorhome for what it is best for, touring. We get cabin fever after a few days in one place. If we wanted to stay at a remote place for longer periods so we could lie by the pool and enjoy all the facilities we would have bought a caravan. Or, more likely, we would have just used hotels. After all with both those alternatives you have a car to explore the area.

As for the "need" for air conditioning, if you do not like the heat why visit a hot place? We find that sitting outside in the shade a much better alternative to air con, and when we are in the motorhome we find that our 12V Endless Breeze fan is good enough.
 
Feb 24, 2013
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The classic problem with most sites though is that they are suited to caravans, or more a car to get around in, although we have now found quite a few municipal sites closer to town centres, most are too far out to walk :)

worth checking the location before booking, or better still turn up don't book, very rare to find them full, although we don't do France in August (y)
 
Jan 26, 2017
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Some aires are very nice, some look like a dealers forcourt, it's all a matter of a bit of research to find what you want.
Luckily there are plenty to choose from.

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EX51SSS

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View attachment 173669 View attachment 173670 As said, frequently they are little more than dusty car parks but there are exceptions, La Mailleray Sur Seine (Near Rouen) being one. 6 euro for a Lovely location overlooking the river, restaurant near the entrance, local shops and street market, Aldi, Lidl and a big supermarket nearby (can`t remember the name but it sounds like an electric Co) Oh and a Carrefore in the village. Very reasonable vet for repatriation check 15 euro with own tablet. We stayed on way down to Loire and also on way back last week.
I just hope I can find more like this one as others do leave a bit to be desired but are still very useful as a stopover.
Can't say I'm in total agreement. Whilst there are quite a few dusty car parks, we have just visited 28 Aires over the last few weeks and only 2 fit that description and one of those had free EHU and free water and dumping facilities.
 

Camdoon

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Leave the "I would never sleep in a car park" to the tuggers. Aires can be for transit where you arrive in the dark and leave in the dark through to whatever you want. Agree to share scenic ones/ good facilities/ cheap / nice restaurant or towns nearby but my life is not going to be ruined if I have to spend a night in a car park.
 

Alistair33

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An interesting thread and good to here the variety of views.

We are settling off next week and to date have only stayed at Gravelines, well....also on a car park at the Falkirk wheel with a bunch of fun loving people !

We are looking forwards to using aires , along with the occasional camp site for laundry etc, but as we get better at spotting chemical dump, water, laundry etc hope to reduce the need to visit campsites.

While money is always a consideration, the main driver in my mind is value. For example lat night we stayed over at a marina campsite at Gastang, cost £22 with electric.

The site wsa very clean indeed as was the toilet block, but there were no further facilities. The electric was not needed, nor were the toilet facilities we are after all a motorhome! An aire would have been far more suited to our needs

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