Europe or Bust ?

[castiger]

ladies and gentle folk, can anyone offer me advice on travelling through europe

I have looked at crossing the channel and landing somewhere in france,

ive thought about calling at "Camping les Chaumes" Find It Here and stopping a day

I then fancied moving on to Camp Alpin near to Insbrook This One couple of days at this spot

And then onto Jeslo International Camping Site in Italy Looks Good

Advise i could do with is
What insurance cover will i need,
Are there any restrictions on RV's in these countries ?
What breakdown services can i get for an RV in europe, if it is terminal how do i get it back to the UK ? A Class 12m (35ft)
What fuel cards can i use in europe (ie BP, etc)
What LPG connection do i need for these countries
What are the roads like ie "A" "E" "N" Type

Thanks in anticipation

Mick

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

Come on all you seasoned travellers, give the man some advice!:thumb:

 

[scotjimland]

ladies and gentle folk, can anyone offer me advice on travelling through europe

I have looked at crossing the channel and landing somewhere in france,

ive thought about calling at "Camping les Chaumes" Find It Here and stopping a day

I then fancied moving on to Camp Alpin near to Insbrook This One couple of days at this spot

And then onto Jeslo International Camping Site in Italy Looks Good

Advise i could do with is
What insurance cover will i need,
Are there any restrictions on RV's in these countries ?
What breakdown services can i get for an RV in europe, if it is terminal how do i get it back to the UK ? A Class 12m (35ft)
What fuel cards can i use in europe (ie BP, etc)
What LPG connection do i need for these countries
What are the roads like ie "A" "E" "N" Type

Thanks in anticipation

Mick

Hi Mick

Can't offer any advice with you chosen sites .. here is a Google map RV Suitable sites which have all been used by RVers .. may be of some use.

Google Maps

Insurance for the vehicle, check with your insurer that you are covered for the duration of your trip, some only give 90 days. Can't advise on health insurance, plenty of advice if you do a search on here.

For RV breakdown cover, we use the RAC Arrival that covers any size vehicle for European travel, only available through the Camping & Caravan Club.

The Camping and Caravanning Club - Arrival, provided by RAC

Don't use fuel cards so can't advise.

For LPG you will need two adapters, the French Claw and the UK Bayonet , from any RV or LPG dealer.. around £30 each

Roads in Europe are generally better and quieter than here, but small villages with D roads can have narrow streets, E N and A roads are best for getting from A to B , but the toll charges on Autoroutes are expensive for RVs which are Class 3


Hope that helps..

Jim

 

[castiger]

Many thanks for that, some very usefull info. There seems to be a lot of (spelling could be wrong) "Aires" sites in france listed and i take this as places for campers to pull in at, ive heard some bad stories regarding thefts from vehicles at places like this, can you enlighten me on this please

regards

Mick

 

[scotjimland]

Many thanks for that, some very usefull info. There seems to be a lot of (spelling could be wrong) "Aires" sites in france listed and i take this as places for campers to pull in at, ive heard some bad stories regarding thefts from vehicles at places like this, can you enlighten me on this please

regards

Mick

Hi Mick

Nearly all the stories you hear about theft are on Autoroute aires or close to cities.. stay away from these, take sensible precautions and you have little to fear.. we have used aires almost exclusively for over two years fulltiming and had only one theft of a bike , but this could happen anywhere, whether on a site or an aire.. in France or the UK.
Go by your instincts, if it don't feel right you move on, but in all the aires we have used we have never left one because of trouble. IMO France is one of the safest places to stay ..
Aires are a great way to see France and are open all year, most sites close from around Sep to May ..

safe travels..

Jim

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[pappajohn]

Many thanks for that, some very usefull info. There seems to be a lot of (spelling could be wrong) "Aires" sites in france listed and i take this as places for campers to pull in at, ive heard some bad stories regarding thefts from vehicles at places like this, can you enlighten me on this please

regards

Mick

i think a lot of these rumours are along the lines of......i know someone who's mate had a mate who was robbed.

avoid the 'motorway' rest areas for overnighting, there is a very real possibility of trouble.

providing you take the usual security precautions, aires are pretty safe as they are used by like minded people as yourself....you wouldnt just watch some scrote breaking into your neighbours van...would you ?

aires are usually just for motorhomes to overnight or sometimes a little longer.

most have water, electric and a dump point...usually a euro or two, some even free, for leccy and water obtained from a 'borne'....a pillar with hookup and tap and are provided by the local community/council in the hope you will spend a few euro's locally.

be warned though....some can get very busy at peak holiday times.

hope this puts your mind at ease.

john.

 

[castiger]

Many thanks for the info everyone, can i bother you further, whats the best port to sail from / to. Im looking at heading probably to switzerland through france, is it better to go through dover- calais and drive round the top end or get one lower down the french coast, any stop off that are recomended woule be appreciated

Regards

Mick

 

[pappajohn]

if you take the portsmouth/plymouth routes it does work out expensive and a long crossing

Dover/Calais(P+O/seafrance) or dover/dunkirk(norfolk lines) are the cheapest and quickest crossings.

it a drag going to dover from oop north but the hull /zeebrugee(P+O) route will cost in excess of £500 and a 12 hour crossing

what you save on the short, cheaper routes buys a lot of diesel/petrol/lpg when you get to france....at least it did !

last time we went, to spain via france and andorra, we sailed from dover. £100 return in fuel to dover from scarborough and £100 ish ferry return...that saved us £250 over hull/zeebrugee fare. that went a long way in fuel on the trip through europe.

 

[scotjimland]

Hi

I had more time to look at your proposed stops ..

your first site is over 600km from Calais .. doable in a day but I would have at least one other intermediate stop..

A good planning and routing tool is Link Removed

For Aires locations CAMPINGCAR-INFOS

For sites there are several good publications here Motorhome &amp caravan books, guides and maps, Go Motorhoming Europe, All the Aires, Camperstop Europe, France Passion, campsite guides, full-timing the facts, Aires and stopovers guides

one of my favourites is the Caravan Club.. European sites in two volumes



Jim

 

[Belgian]

ladies and gentle folk, can anyone offer me advice on travelling through europe

I have looked at crossing the channel and landing somewhere in france,

ive thought about calling at "Camping les Chaumes" Find It Here and stopping a day

I then fancied moving on to Camp Alpin near to Insbrook This One couple of days at this spot

And then onto Jeslo International Camping Site in Italy Looks Good

Advise i could do with is
What insurance cover will i need,
Are there any restrictions on RV's in these countries ?
What breakdown services can i get for an RV in europe, if it is terminal how do i get it back to the UK ? A Class 12m (35ft)
What fuel cards can i use in europe (ie BP, etc)
What LPG connection do i need for these countries
What are the roads like ie "A" "E" "N" Type

Thanks in anticipation

Mick

Your first stop looks good.
But to get to the 2nd is a long way. Or you take the French 'péages' which will cost you the expensive truck-fares; or you take the N-roads - which I advise: you see something, free, and have another stopover in France (Lorraine-Alsace region)
Practically all 'aires' are open in France (copy the lists from Camping Car en Liberté:guide,accueil communes,stationnement,étapes,voyages,carnets,aires services,fêtes,...
If you go ariund through Belgium: highways are free, but loaded with trucks and daily queus around Brussels.
In Germany are a lot of "Stellplätze" to accomodate you. You'll find a lot on Camperplaatsen - Wohnmobilstellplätze - Aire de stationnement - Aree di Sosta - Camperpark: 18

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