France 2025

[Al n Val]

If you are travelling near Rouen, a Funster favourite aire is La Mailleraye sur Seine to the west of Rouen. It's right on the Seine so you can sit and watch some big ships and river cruisers go past, small supermarket, bar, restaurant and boulangeries close by too.

that aire looks great so i've added it to my list on Search for Sites so thank you very much

 

[Phill D]

that aire looks great so i've added it to my list on Search for Sites so thank you very much

It’s also a great route around Rouen

 

[Al n Val]

It’s also a great route around Rouen

yeah I looked at that Phil on google maps, i usually go the other side of Rouen heading for Evereux and Dreux but it looks like its worth a detour

 

[1967bowesj]

that aire looks great so i've added it to my list on Search for Sites so thank you very much

Used it a few times, busy but nice and on the river so things to watch. Shops near too

 

[L' Hobo]

That was on my list

If your into U-boats, St Nazaire has a lot of submarine pens etc.
If you remember the film called (I think) The Trojan Horse where they tried to blow up the lock gates by ramming and scuttling to stop the U-boats from being released into the Atlantic.
That was St Nazaire. The locks still there, as are the pens, despite the French trying to blow them up 3 times after the war before admitting defeat.
They are now a museum and theatre.

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[Phill D]

Personally I would have 2 very simple plans!

1. If the weather is good up north then stay in the top half of France, lots to see and do .

2. If the weather up north is shit then get south and enjoy the sites and the weather.

Don’t want to waste a week or be more sheltered from the rain

 

[Jon Stewart]

Polar steps was useful to keep the family up to date when we did India in January/February this year. It got a bit confused when we did a Canaries cruise a few weeks later, it assumed we were flying between ports of call but it did log our stopovers well and knew where we had been when we had forgotten the towns and other areas we had been.

And you can add your current location at any point and add details later.

Polar steps is excellent, easy to share with family, and not potential burglers!

 

[rod_vw]

Problem with books is they are out of date by the time they are published, apps are much more reliable.
Also All the Aires doesn't have that many Aires in it in relation to amount of there are in France.

I agree 100% but additionally it's always good to add an up to date review. That way the information is as new as it can possibly be.

 

[kev54]

My first suggestion is not to be too ambitious with your daily distances - shorter and slower gets to see more. My second suggestion is not to arrive late in the afternoon - France in June is quite busy and places (even middle-of-nowhere) fill up quite early in the afternoon. Also if you arrive late and leave early you see very little (back to point 1).
Finally, we use Park4Night. Recent reviews will tell you if a place is closed due to the circus in town, or no water available. Other books are required for local history, points of interest.
Happy exploring - it’s great fun!

 

[DangerMousy]

I may also do PolarSteps (anyone think its good/bad?)

Polarsteps is great...not only to let family and friends keep up with what you're doing, but also for referring back to what worked well and what didn't on previous trips.

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[manners]

My first suggestion is not to be too ambitious with your daily distances - shorter and slower gets to see more. My second suggestion is not to arrive late in the afternoon - France in June is quite busy and places (even middle-of-nowhere) fill up quite early in the afternoon. Also if you arrive late and leave early you see very little (back to point 1).
Finally, we use Park4Night. Recent reviews will tell you if a place is closed due to the circus in town, or no water available. Other books are required for local history, points of interest.
Happy exploring - it’s great fun!

We do pretty much the same usually no more than one or two hours driving, and try to get to the next place before dinner. That gives us the afternoon to have a look around and way up any walks, rides or places of interest for the next day. We never usually stop anywhere more than a couple of days, even if there's things we haven't done or seen as that leaves it open to return and still do something new.

 

[Stephen180]

First part of the mission accomplished - travelled down to Canterbury from South Wales with only the M25 section from the M3 giving me grief, the rest was plane sailing. Stayed overnight at New Dover Road for 8 pounds and caught the Oscar Wilde ferry (Irish Ferries) in the morning. Ferry was smooth, was starving so had the full Irish only problem was there was one guy at the till so by the time I sat down to eat it, it was barely warm. Still for 15.50 I wasn't going to waste it. Travelled from Calais passed Coquelles so I could have a look at the tunnel boring machine and then went to the Fortress at Mimoyecques. I was particularly interested in this as I used to work in Corsham next door to "Maggies bunker" where the underground stone quarry was turned into a military facility. The Mimoyecques site was abandoned by the Nazis after trying to build the "London Cannon". It would have blitzed London if they had managed to succeed. From there I went to the Todd Battery museum before spending the night at Camping Ajoncs in Audresselles.

 

[Dart]

Just a tip for if you are ever in the position again of your food cooling while you queue to pay, there are microwaves on most ferries for bringing the food back up to temperature. Just ask at the till if you can't spot where the microwave is located.

 

[Stephen180]

Camping Ajoncs was okay, didn't pay for Electric so it was 15 euros for the night and 2.40 to use the shower! Showers were okay and you had to pay a 20 euro deposit for the card to make them work. Wandered into Audreselles for a beer at the L'O Palais where they served a very nice Affligem for 6.80 a "large" glass. I have never tried Affligem before, going to make it my mission to try some different brews, this one is brewed in Belgium since 1074 apparently. Headed off to Le Touquet next day where the beach is incredible, confectionary shops likewise. Stopped in the Globe Trotter pub and awakened an old memory by having a pint of Tuborg.

 

[Stephen180]

Camp Stoneham was about 25 minutes walk to the beach in Le Touquet, 21.20 including electric so made the most of that topping up the old power banks. Went for a meandering drive whilst heading for a free Aire at St Germer-de-Fly, passed a windmill at Saint-Maxent and the fairytale castle of Chateau de Rambures. St Germer-de-Fly had a nice church, a bar "le Sulky" a pizza place and a kebab shop. Pizza was okay, was going to try the kebab but walked past when he didn't even have the meat on the spit yet. The local patisserie did a very nice coffee eclair too. (Only my second so far on the trip). The Aire was very peaceful and there was only three of us on it (and did I mention it was free).

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[jollyrodger]

Another vote for polarsteps will be on it (hopefully) next month after 3 revised dates

Enjoy your trip ,and the

 

[MitchandJenny]

Off to France next week, ferry booked, first time abroad in the Motorhome - wish me luck!
I have not booked anything apart from the outward ferry (not even a return) and Puy du Foy. I plan on winging it down to Bordeaux from Calais, staying wherever is the most convenient at the end of the day. The only other times I have been to France was a booze cruise to Calais and flights in to Paris and Disneyland a few times, so a blank canvas. All sites (especially military), aires, campsite recommendations, restaurants, bars, patisseries (especially patisseries) etc, are welcomed in the chat (but not fish lol). I plan to update the thread with my findings at the end of each day and then plot the next day's route. The preliminary route is shown below with the outward leg along the coast and the return via the west of Paris to Dunkirk. I may also do PolarSteps (anyone think its good/bad?)

View attachment 1064922

N roads let you see more “real” France than motorways do and nearly every little village has an Aire.
Enjoy
Mitch

 

[Lenny HB]

Just a tip for if you are ever in the position again of your food cooling while you queue to pay, there are microwaves on most ferries for bringing the food back up to temperature. Just ask at the till if you can't spot where the microwave is located.

I've only ever seen them on French boats.

 

[Lenny HB]

N roads let you see more “real” France than motorways do and nearly every little village has an Aire.
Enjoy
Mitch

Need to be a seasoned traveller in France to know what were the N roads most were reclassified to D roads about 20 years ago.

It's a right pain as when there is more than one route to where you are going satnag will take the shortest route even if it's the smaller road as they are all D roads.

 

[Montezuma]

If you intend to stay in the North West Corner for a few weeks you may well get an opportunity to watch a stage or two of the 'Tour de France'.

It kicks off from Dunkerque, and between the 7th / 11th July, visits Rouen, Caen, St Malo, Bayeux, Mûr-de-Bretagne, and Leval.

If you are over there for four weeks, you could catch it.

Even if you are not a cycling nut, the spectacle must be seen to be believed.

My good lady is not interested in any sport (just dancing on ice ???) but she enjoyed the atmosphere and spectacle so much, when the 'show;' travelled from St Malo to Nantes, that we went to watch again as it travelled the subsequent stage from Cholet to Chateauroux.

The procession that passes before the actual race is not to be missed.

Official route of Tour de France 2025

The route of the Tour de France, stages, cities, dates

www.letour.fr

Just a thought.

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[Gaston aires]

I’ve seen a few stages of the TDF. Quite a circus atmosphere and woosh! Then they’re gone.
Phillipe

 

[Montezuma]

Need to be a seasoned traveller in France to know what were the N roads most were reclassified to D roads about 20 years ago.

It's a right pain as when there is more than one route to where you are going satnag will take the shortest route even if it's the smaller road as they are all D roads.

A friendly French campsite owner informed me that the declassification of the 'Routes Nationale' was a central government con-trick, whereby the responsibility for the upkeep of the roads was offloaded onto individual departments.

'N' road maintenance had been the responsibility of central government, but D road repairs were down to individual departments.

So, just reclassifying many of the old N roads, saved central government a lot of money.

Clever stuff, . . . . . if correct.

 

[Landy Andy]

I’ve seen a few stages of the TDF. Quite a circus atmosphere and woosh! Then they’re gone.
Phillipe

Although the bikes/race/cyclists are “whoosh! Then they’re gone.” It doesn’t quite work like that with the roads, in our experience. We have experienced the TDF a few times, often by heading into a village or town for the entire place to be no go for vehicle. You just have to wait for the event to happen, but due to it’s nature no one actually knows when that will happen, and being France, and bikes, they are happy to stop life early, and for a long time. We once just had to stop at T junction for ages, and had to ask what was happening. After an age got the procession, which isn’t small, then the riders, then support vehicles. All in I’d say it was a good 4 hours +.

 

[BikerGraham]

Need to be a seasoned traveller in France to know what were the N roads most were reclassified to D roads about 20 years ago.

It's a right pain as when there is more than one route to where you are going satnag will take the shortest route even if it's the smaller road as they are all D roads.

Yep the satnav took us down some interesting narrow D roads on our recent trip.

 

[L' Hobo]

Yep the satnav took us down some interesting narrow D roads on our recent trip.

Some of my old Coaching maps that I used, still have the Route National marked, now I've stopped touring abroad, I might bring them for sale at Drax and make it a selling point!

I don't know now, but the main R N route from Paris to Calais used to be nearly as quick as the Motorway and more interesting to the Coach passengers but that was 30-40yrs ago.

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[Gaston aires]

Although the bikes/race/cyclists are “whoosh! Then they’re gone.” It doesn’t quite work like that with the roads, in our experience. We have experienced the TDF a few times, often by heading into a village or town for the entire place to be no go for vehicle. You just have to wait for the event to happen, but due to it’s nature no one actually knows when that will happen, and being France, and bikes, they are happy to stop life early, and for a long time. We once just had to stop at T junction for ages, and had to ask what was happening. After an age got the procession, which isn’t small, then the riders, then support vehicles. All in I’d say it was a good 4 hours +.

We used to have a house in France and when the TDF came through our village the carnival atmosphere went on all day and evening. Then late afternoon Woosh, they came and went except for a few stragglers. Great stuff.

 

[HugoBNB]

I would add the Isle Noirmoutier to your list and recommend the marina at Rouen. Good showers and electric hook up (take and adapter and a bit of extra cable if you have them). Personally, I would split your route in half to make sure you see all that there is to see. Next time, you could rattle straight down to where you stopped last time and continue. Or, go to Santander on the second visit and work your way back up to your previous finish point.
Have a great trip.

 

[Stephen180]

Yep the satnav took us down some interesting narrow D roads on our recent trip.

Yes I have had a few of those already, one looked no wider than the van across the farmers field and luckily managed to run into him on his tractor just at a junction so only had to back up a few yards!

 

[Stephen180]

I would add the Isle Noirmoutier to your list and recommend the marina at Rouen. Good showers and electric hook up (take and adapter and a bit of extra cable if you have them). Personally, I would split your route in half to make sure you see all that there is to see. Next time, you could rattle straight down to where you stopped last time and continue. Or, go to Santander on the second visit and work your way back up to your previous finish point.
Have a great trip.

See next post with regards to Rouen

 

[jollyrodger]

See next post with regards to Rouen

Is a low bridge/tunnel involved

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