Completed and learned from our first French tour

[ToBoldlyGo]

I wrote this last week and ran out of battery before I was able to post it! :

We're parked up for the night at Montreuil heading to Calais in the morning. It's only been 3.5 weeks for this our first tour in France but it's been good. We started on our first night by wanting to try one of these 'aire' things we'd heard so much enthusiasm here for, that didn't start well as Ferme de l'Horloge was inaccessible as the road was up but we backtracked to find Wissant a good second choice. We had been pretty negative on aires thinking we'd always campsite but staying at eg Wissant, Honfleur, Le Treport and a campsite at Rang du Fliers has reversed our minds.

Talking of reversing I generally tres aime French roads but I do not like driving a wide and high vehicle and don't look forward to having to reverse up slopes.

Navigation. Having been spoilt at Wissant as the aire is marked at the village border and clearly by the aire, we've breezed into other towns and villages and then not been able to find the aire so we I think will generally put the latlong into a phone so we can see exactly where it is. We missed the Montreuil aire yesterday and long windedly were pleased to find Embry instead.

We learned about the limits of 6 amp EHU and now know not to use the kettle but that we can use hair drier and shower.

I have got quite into toilet cassettes and aire emptying points and that will make life pleasanter at music festivals as we'll be more inclined to use our own facilities rather than the overloaded fest ones.

This first trip was from Calais to Normandy and was for leisure, to see war sites in Normandy and to practice French camping car touring and we've seen, done and learned quite a bit. The inside of the van gets very cluttered and we'd like to reduce that, I think we've driven too much (1k miles) and I'd like a limit of say 200 miles a week. It's been great and I've mixed feelings about returning home tomorrow; hopefully we might get another wee tour in before the end of the year.

 

[DBK]

Well done you. We used a few campsites at the beginning of our current trip, mostly because it was convenient and they were in the right place. But at this time of year many sites in France are closed and we have been using aires for the last few weeks. Many of them have been part of the Camping-car Parks group. They are not cheap but easy to use, unless you are French! *

There are always new things to try. We've used the washing machines you find in some supermarkets for laundry but these are not always easy to find. So this week we used a self-service laundrette and it was a doddle. We will use these again.

* Bit of an in-joke that. You have to use one to get it.

 

[MisterB]

park4night is one of your friends ...... i must point out that there are other similar products and no animals have been hurt in this announcement, neither did i use any non recyclable products or any products extinction rebellion may choose to rebel against ...... i do lie from time to time, but not about park4night being your friend !

 

[Grianan]

Hello marc4242 we’re on our first campervan trop to France (but 20 somethingth to France in tent, gites etc)!

First night at Embry. Wonderful wee aire. We were the only ones there. Heading south now. I’m liking Search for Sites too.

 

[MisterB]

heading south from where to where? if you have decided on a route etc, why not ask for recommendations on here, there are some very experienced motorhomers on here - when i grow up, i'm hoping to be one ....

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[Shrimp]

marc4242
Might be a good idea to get the ‘All the Aires’ books (2 of them North & South) for next year as they give you info on the Aires and a couple of pics. They show Aires that you can stay on & ones that are only services.
I like to have the books as you can flick thru and compare places.
Although Vicarious bring new books out every year we make ours last 2-3 years!
Montreiul is awkward as they only put the sign for the Aire facing one way, you will find that a lot in France unless you happen to be going in the right direction you won’t see an Aire sign!
So glad you got on well with your first trip and braved the Aires, it’s so much easier than booking into a site or turning up and finding the site is full.

 

[MisterB]

another vote for all the aires as a great resource and for planning. we tend to use it as a planning tool then check around the area for other options via park4night app

 

[mitzimad]

I would assume your using the aires books as you say your inputting lats and longs. If you use one of the apps park4night or camper contact once you've found the place you want its a case of clicking navigation and it takes you directly to a choice of satnav apps that plan the route.no landl or postcodes needed

 

[TerryL]

We use the "All The Aires" books from Vicarious as well as a couple of apps - and also have a number of POI's in the satnav and on an old Netbook running Autoroute.
The books don't actually have ALL the aires - they have the ones the authors have visited/inspected - but plenty enough if you don't have anything else to refer to. One minor niggle is that their directions always seem to be arriving from the opposite direction to us ..................! We, too, try to make them last 2/3 years, not that we're cheapskates, it's just that they don't change that often.

 

[busby]

park4night is one of your friends ...... i must point out that there are other similar products and no animals have been hurt in this announcement, neither did i use any non recyclable products or any products extinction rebellion may choose to rebel against ...... i do lie from time to time, but not about park4night being your friend !

Camper Contact is our prefered app,,and park4night as back up. BUSBY.

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[Grianan]

heading south from where to where? if you have decided on a route etc, why not ask for recommendations on here, there are some very experienced motorhomers on here - when i grow up, i'm hoping to be one ....

Whoops sorry missed this ... but thanks ... we did a long day down on Sunday, stopped overnight between Castelnaudry and Carcassonne and are currently relaxing at Les Criques de Porteuil at Collioure (using up our free CMHC vouchers). After this who knows? We follow the weather. So possibly St Rémy or stay here longer then back north via either Loire or Dijon/Beaune. No plans as we’ll be back.
Might pick up all the Aires book for next time ... we’ve been relying on apps.

 

[scotzsue]

Have used all the aires books for years but ow use campercontact app if you get the paid version it's about a fiver, has pictures, lets you know price etc we have used more aires this year, but are currently at one of our favourite Spanish sites at Aguilas, moving on on Thursday now heading homewards.
Mileage wise we do anything from 20 in a day to a lot more, depends on weather near the ports like to stay in the sun as long as possible.

 

[MisterB]

theres a fantastic free aire at Lac des Montagnes near mazamet - with water and toilets/emptying points - well worth considering.

we also went to a small free aire ar Duilhac de Peyrepertuse - with toilets, water etc. the aire is just above a small bar/restaurant and there is a natural spring in the village which is accessible on foot

 

[busby]

Whoops sorry missed this ... but thanks ... we did a long day down on Sunday, stopped overnight between Castelnaudry and Carcassonne and are currently relaxing at Les Criques de Porteuil at Collioure (using up our free CMHC vouchers). After this who knows? We follow the weather. So possibly St Rémy or stay here longer then back north via either Loire or Dijon/Beaune. No plans as we’ll be back.
Might pick up all the Aires book for next time ... we’ve been relying on apps.

Can't beat Camper Contact and Park4Night..BUSBY.

 

[busby]

Have used all the aires books for years but ow use campercontact app if you get the paid version it's about a fiver, has pictures, lets you know price etc we have used more aires this year, but are currently at one of our favourite Spanish sites at Aguilas, moving on on Thursday now heading homewards.
Mileage wise we do anything from 20 in a day to a lot more, depends on weather near the ports like to stay in the sun as long as possible.

Which site in Aquilas please..BUSBY.

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[scotzsue]

Hi Busby have just left Bella vista, love it there, doable walk into town but bus also stops at the site. have been to la quinta Bella its in the wilds and has poor reviews, although we know folk that live there would not even use it as a stop over.
Walked to the aire next to the fuel station, looked ok for an aire, but no shade although there were awnings out etc.

 

[SomeoneElse]

On our first trip to France we used a couple of campsites but mainly aires. Now it entirely aires. Back then the French official aires book didn't have co-ords so find aires from directions in French was interesting at times.
We started to build up our own list of favourites. Now we also have downloaded CamperContact points of interest files and loaded them into our Garmin SatNav. We can now search about another town or if we have set up a long distance route we can search along that route to split the journey.

 

[ToBoldlyGo]

Thank you. I''m hoping that we may go again this year, either next month or December so I guess we'll mostly be on aires. It was one of the things on my trit out list to use a CCP aire but we didn't in the end, the le Crotoy one didn't get that rgreeat reviews eg compared to othe aires in the area. But then we failed to find the le Montreiul aire instead ... :}

Yes I don't get that in CCP joke yet. I tried a French laundrette I hadn't a clue what to do but a local indicated how to use the central payment system, I much prefer it to the old coin clots I used to use in UK launderettes.

I'm not qure of the difference between this and selfg-service launderette can you get service washes in supermarkets?:

We've used the washing machines you find in some supermarkets for laundry but these are not always easy to find.

Well done you. We used a few campsites at the beginning of our current trip, mostly because it was convenient and they were in the right place. But at this time of year many sites in France are closed and we have been using aires for the last few weeks. Many of them have been part of the Camping-car Parks group. They are not cheap but easy to use, unless you are French! *

There are always new things to try. We've used the washing machines you find in some supermarkets for laundry but these are not always easy to find. So this week we used a self-service laundrette and it was a doddle. We will use these again.

* Bit of an in-joke that. You have to use one to get it.

 

[ToBoldlyGo]

Thanks I started using the acsi website but it is dreadfully slow all I ever see is 'loading' sometimes for 10 mins at a time, so my tool of choice is camper contact followed by park4night.
I was just looking for an alternative to Bath Marina and CC doesn't seem to have an alterative campsite I think is at the E end of Bath I wonder if p4n has it.

park4night is one of your friends ...... i must point out that there are other similar products and no

 

[ToBoldlyGo]

Isn't Embry nice. The electricity is too expensive for me (I think it's a funciton of the type of aire equipment?) but lovely spot and if we hadn't failed to find Le Meunier and go in a big E N W circle we'd never have come across it. It's just a shame there's nothing in the village. I had tried search for sites but my trial run out and I don't know whether to buy it as well as CC.

Hopefully you're somewhere warmer now.

Hello marc4242 we’re on our first campervan trop to France (but 20 somethingth to France in tent, gites etc)!

First night at Embry. Wonderful wee aire. We were the only ones there. Heading south now. I’m liking Search for Sites too.

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[ToBoldlyGo]

Hi Shrimp

Yes I have the 2018 books, I've mislaid the southern one and of course that's where we want to go next. I agree I like a a mix of books and paper maps and CC. I've quite a nice paper road map book of France.

>Montreiul is awkward as they only put the sign for the Aire facing one way, you will find that a >lot in France unless you happen to be going in the right direction you won’t see an Aire sign!

Ah I'm glad you told me that! We were spoilt for how easy it was to find our very first aire Wissant and I'd assumed everywhere would be as well signed, now I make sure I put the grid reference in.

Talking of different sources for aires somewhere I saw mention of an aire on the road from Bayeux to Arromanche and a few k out of Bayeux on the right there's a big amateur sign to the aire followed by 2 formal signs, but I couldn't find it, does anyone know if it's there?

>So glad you got on well with your first trip and braved the Aires, it’s so much easier than >booking into a site or turning up and finding the site is full.

Thank you, yes I'm glad we took the leap and started trying aires as you say it's not just their location or cost but the flexibility they give.

 

[DBK]

Thank you. I''m hoping that we may go again this year, either next month or December so I guess we'll mostly be on aires. It was one of the things on my trit out list to use a CCP aire but we didn't in the end, the le Crotoy one didn't get that rgreeat reviews eg compared to othe aires in the area. But then we failed to find the le Montreiul aire instead ... :}

Yes I don't get that in CCP joke yet. I tried a French laundrette I hadn't a clue what to do but a local indicated how to use the central payment system, I much prefer it to the old coin clots I used to use in UK launderettes.

I'm not qure of the difference between this and selfg-service launderette can you get service washes in supermarkets?:

We've used the washing machines you find in some supermarkets for laundry but these are not always easy to find.

I've only ever come across self-service washing machines at supermarkets. They are hard to find but Intermarché seem to have a few and looking at them on Google Maps can sometimes confirm if they have laundry facilities.

I would be wary of some reviews of CCP aires as some folk grade them low simply because of the price. However, they are not all good, a few are and a few aren't. We've been using quite a few on this trip in the last few weeks but that mostly down to the weather because the solar isn't doing much.

The "in joke" is the French seem to have the greatest difficulties getting into CCP aires - and it's a French company.

 

[LesW]

Thanks I started using the acsi website but it is dreadfully slow all I ever see is 'loading' sometimes for 10 mins at a time, so my tool of choice is camper contact followed by park4night.
I was just looking for an alternative to Bath Marina and CC doesn't seem to have an alterative campsite I think is at the E end of Bath I wonder if p4n has it.

Campercontact isn't much use in the UK, Searchforsites is much better.

 

[mitzimad]

Don't think any one try,s Aires and goes back to sites
Those that moan about them usually haven't tried or have been to one or two crap ones

 

[mitzimad]

Don't think any one try,s Aires and goes back to sites
Those that moan about them usually haven't tried or have been to one or two crap ones

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[TerryL]

The best aires de camping-car we've found have been a little off the beaten track so now we tend to "look" for those when we're ready to stop. Often we've had them to ourselves too!

 

[ToBoldlyGo]

I didn't know that mitzvah thanks very much!!

Marc

I would assume your using the aires books as you say your inputting lats and longs. If you use one of the apps park4night or camper contact once you've found the place you want its a case of clicking navigation and it takes you directly to a choice of satnav apps that plan the route.no landl or postcodes needed

 

[nicholsong]

I've only ever come across self-service washing machines at supermarkets. They are hard to find but Intermarché seem to have a few and looking at them on Google Maps can sometimes confirm if they have laundry facilities.

I would be wary of some reviews of CCP aires as some folk grade them low simply because of the price. However, they are not all good, a few are and a few aren't. We've been using quite a few on this trip in the last few weeks but that mostly down to the weather because the solar isn't doing much.

The "in joke" is the French seem to have the greatest difficulties getting into CCP aires - and it's a French company.

We also had a problem trying to get into a CCP aire and even with help from a Frenchman waiting to get out we spent 1/2 hour. We got the machine to issue the ticket which should have activated the second machine for opening the barrier but didn't.

The Frenchman called CCP 'Control' who remotely got the machine to issue another ticket. That did not work either.

We told them to reverse the whole transaction, which they did. But no apology.

We will steer well clear of the company in future. Their sites seem quite empty, so I am not sure how long they will last.



On subject of finding launderettes, there is a website with map, but I do not have the URL to hand - just google it.

Geoff

 

[DBK]

We also had a problem trying to get into a CCP aire and even with help from a Frenchman waiting to get out we spent 1/2 hour. We got the machine to issue the ticket which should have activated the second machine for opening the barrier but didn't.

The Frenchman called CCP 'Control' who remotely got the machine to issue another ticket. That did not work either.

We told them to reverse the whole transaction, which they did. But no apology.

We will steer well clear of the company in future. Their sites seem quite empty, so I am not sure how long they will last.



On subject of finding launderettes, there is a website with map, but I do not have the URL to hand - just google it.

Geoff

We've been on a few CCP aires recently that were over half full, which can't be bad for October. Then at the opposite extreme some with just two or three occupants and one where we had it all to our ourselves.

The card machines speak English but the instructions could be clearer. For example, to add funds to your card you have to select the "charge my card" option where the word charge is used as in "charging a battery" meaning putting something in. To most English speakers I suspect "charge my card" is interpretated as taking money off the card in the same way you would charge a purchase to a bank card.

At Puy en Veley I helped a Swede register a new account which wasn't too difficult especially as he chose to do it English as the machines don't speak Swedish. It all went fine until after the new card was issued. What should have happened was the screen could have shown an animation of how to activate the card by putting it in the slot next to where the card had appeared but it didn't though we figured out what to do next ourselves.

I think it's worth having another go sometime even if you only use them as a service point. A few if their sites are in good locations. We will use the one at Cléder on the north coast of Brittany in a week or so. It is just behind a beach and the coastal footpath and there are no other aires near by. At the end of October and with rain inevitable the hard standing and EHU will suit us but it does come at a cost and there are free aires elsewhere - and we've used a few of them.

 

[nicholsong]

We've been on a few CCP aires recently that were over half full, which can't be bad for October. Then at the opposite extreme some with just two or three occupants and one where we had it all to our ourselves.

The card machines speak English but the instructions could be clearer. For example, to add funds to your card you have to select the "charge my card" option where the word charge is used as in "charging a battery" meaning putting something in. To most English speakers I suspect "charge my card" is interpretated as taking money off the card in the same way you would charge a purchase to a bank card.

At Puy en Veley I helped a Swede register a new account which wasn't too difficult especially as he chose to do it English as the machines don't speak Swedish. It all went fine until after the new card was issued. What should have happened was the screen could have shown an animation of how to activate the card by putting it in the slot next to where the card had appeared but it didn't though we figured out what to do next ourselves.

I think it's worth having another go sometime even if you only use them as a service point. A few if their sites are in good locations. We will use the one at Cléder on the north coast of Brittany in a week or so. It is just behind a beach and the coastal footpath and there are no other aires near by. At the end of October and with rain inevitable the hard standing and EHU will suit us but it does come at a cost and there are free aires elsewhere - and we've used a few of them.

Maybe that is what was wrong, but surely the lady at Control and the Frenchman could have twigged that.

Geoff

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