France/Spain in April.....should I book?

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Stoosal

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Hedn off to France at end of March 🤞with a view to meandering down west side towards Spain. No set route/agenda but trying to follow weather. Will go as far south as weather dictates or we feel like travelling. 6-8 weeks planned.

Want to travel and spend a night on Aires till we get a bit of good weather, or somewhere we like, then find a site to stop for a few days to a week and relax before bumbling on.

So......should I be looking to book sites where we can stop for a week or so or just take it as it comes. Not too fussy for reaching coastal areas but prefer small towns, scenic areas, historic buildings and small camp sites etc.

Bit nervous that sites will be really busy this year and we might end up struggling to get a place to stop for a week if we want to. Don’t want to travel every day.

Thoughts?
 
It will still be cold in march and probably no sites open yet, I would get down to Spain soon as and work my way back up it the wether improves..

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We have the ferry booked for April, Dover to Calais. We intend getting down to Spain for some better weather and then make it up as we go along. We've been many times, and this works for us.
 
Just smiffy said:
It will still be cold in march and probably no sites open yet, I would get down to Spain soon as and work my way back up it the wether improves..
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This was our original plan as we think weather can still be a bit cold in France and, as you say, lot of sites still closed. Probably the way to go.
 
We’ve had a couple of holidays in April before Covid along the Loire with mainly lovely sunny weather. We did stay on campsites. I’ve just checked a couple of the ones I can remember the names of and they open on the 1st of April. In the ACSI book as well.
 
chaser said:
Obviously start at gravelines ;) (y) (y) (y)
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WHY?
As you can't take a lot of food the place to start is the Auchan at Boulogne as you can stop overnight there and they have facilities for Camping cars in the Station d'Essence



We are booked on the Eurotunnel at the end of March and as France has now lifted the block on tourists we shall be heading there only need a PCR or Lateral Flow Test (Antigen) so we are all systems go for this trip of which planning started in 2019

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We never book but we rarely use sites, won't be many sites open in France or Northern Spain in March
 
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Madcaravanner said:
WHY?
As you can't take a lot of food the place to start is the Auchan at Boulogne as you can stop overnight there and they have facilities for Camping cars in the Station d'Essence



We are booked on the Eurotunnel at the end of March and as France has now lifted the block on tourists we shall be heading there only need a PCR or Lateral Flow Test (Antigen) so we are all systems go for this trip of which planning started in 2019
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Just joking mate, we love gravelines and that's good enough for me,
We have even spent a week or two just there as a base for touring northern France , a lot of folks just put it down as somewhere you have to go through to get somewhere else, but just take your time and it's got lots of places to go and we have always found the folks are a lot more pleasant than farther south.
 
I personally would not book, if I found it a problem I’d then start to phone the day before moving off. Be careful in Spain at Easter, the Spanish are big campers & Easter is a big holiday for them. During busier months and along the coast I also try not to arrive/leave on a weekend unless I’ve confirmed there is space for us
 
No need to book - provided they are open, you shouldn't have any trouble finding space at that time of year. (y)
 
chaser said:
Obviously start at gravelines ;) (y) (y) (y)
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Try a dinner at l’ eclusier restaurant. It’s literally next to the Aire. A lovely restaurant and not bad prices. A great start or end to your trip.

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I'll second what was said about Spain during the Easter week, the sites do get quite full of folk having a good time, can be a little noisy at times, mainly on the coast, but be aware inland sites that make Easter their opening date as start of the season can be busier too. Great time to visit Spain in the Spring...Enjoy.
 
Thanks to all.......going to travel south quickly and slow back......might just look to having a starting point to travel to and book a site for busy April period where we can stop for a week after travelling.
 
jumar said:
I'll second what was said about Spain during the Easter week, the sites do get quite full of folk having a good time, can be a little noisy at times, mainly on the coast, but be aware inland sites that make Easter their opening date as start of the season can be busier too. Great time to visit Spain in the Spring...Enjoy.
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I remember our first ever trip to Spain in April, the smell of the orange blossom was awesome and something I'd love to experience again.
 
Stoosal said:
Thanks to all.......going to travel south quickly and slow back......might just look to having a starting point to travel to and book a site for busy April period where we can stop for a week after travelling.
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Where are you getting the ferry from, Portsmouth or Dover?

I've found the Portsmouth to St Malo good as you have an overnight crossing and a good early start the next morning, ideal if you want to head South quickly. You can easily get past Bordeaux and maybe even get to Toulouse for your first stop, then an easy run to Roses not far over the border into Spain, a couple of sites there which are not bad and the weather should be okay in March. Anyway, that's what I will be doing on 16th March.

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Jonny1953 said:
Where are you getting the ferry from, Portsmouth or Dover?

I've found the Portsmouth to St Malo good as you have an overnight crossing and a good early start the next morning, ideal if you want to head South quickly. You can easily get past Bordeaux and maybe even get to Toulouse for your first stop, then an easy run to Roses not far over the border into Spain, a couple of sites there which are not bad and the weather should be okay in March. Anyway, that's what I will be doing on 16th March.
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Chunnel!

Mid morning....drive couple of hours then stop for night. Decide what we want to do next day and either mooch about or drive. If it’s wet etc we will have a driving day.
 

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