France trip final countdown (1 Viewer)

[chaser]

Well we got back home Thursday afternoon, two days short of 5 brilliant weeks away, apart from the last two days in Northern France we saw no rain apart from one short thunderstorm in st tropaz, we weren't gassed or robbed And no problems at all, we have done 3540 miles in total and used 575ltrs of diesel which on my reckoning gave us just over 27 mpg which I think is very good considering we have done quite a bit of traveling in the alps and Pyrenees and motorway driving, we have no solar or btob or anything and never ran short of battery we only had hookup three nights and that was because it was thrown in when we stopped on campsites where we stopped to get the washing done. The gasit cylinder proved it's worth as we only used £14 worth of gas but found when the gauge reads empty it is still actually half full, we have a filler inside the locker and it wasn't questioned at either place we filled up at. Water and loo emptying was no problem on all the aires we stopped at and found we can go at least three days without filling or emptying. We only have the third edition alltheaires so the new one maybe better but we found loads more aires than are in the book by useing the aires app on our android phones and also found that book listed some that were in a different place than it said. While on phones we had the feel at home three sims and were marvelous, we had internet nearly everywhere we went, only if we were in a very wooded site did it fail, and the satnavs on the phone were quite adequate for where we went, and have the three sim meant we could have roaming on all the time at no cost.
Anyway that's enough for now, probably think of some other stuff in a bit, if you would like to ask anything about the trip please do.

 

[gibbon]

We are a week in to our French adventures for the first time ever.
Sounds like you had a great time. I may well be bending your earhole for advice before too long.

 

[chaser]

Just thought about funsters, on our first night out we met three funsters at gravelines , we saw four more at an aire near the south of France/ Italian border and two more at another aire when we were on the way up, never met any in England .

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[chaser]

We used mainly aires, mostly free but a few at about a fiver, we also used France passion sites, we have used these for 3 years now but don't think we will be bothering again next year , although they are mostly very nice places in vineyards and the like they can be a devil to find and always seem to be miles from where you want to be and can prove expensive if you buy the stuff they have on offer and it always seems dearer than you can get somewhere else, that's without the thirty odd quid it costs to join, saying that most of the owners are very nice people but we met up with a right b....... on one this time he ran a farm in the Pyrenees and it was also a campsite as well as France passion , when we went to see him , he almost insisted if we didn't buy anything it was a tenner to camp so Julie bought a jar of mutton stew that he charged a tenner for, and on others we maybe bought a bottle of wine or something but always dearer than elsewhere.

 

[chaser]

Just seen someone mention acsi, well we got the card just before we went, and was impressed by the books and the card but in actual use I'm afraid I'm not so sure, we did use it but on a couple of sites that you were supposed to get the reduced price , we could have got anyway as that was what they were chargeing anyone, and the sites were not as good as some aires we had been on apart from having hookup and toilets and stuff , what we don't need anyway but they were handy for washing clothes, we went to the one in Andorra as well and they are not in the reduced part but they were still only 19 euros a night to anyone and this one was worth it , it had a cheap shop and a restaurant , swimming pool , all separate places to park , the works but you didn't acsi for any of it, not knocking it for anyone who likes campsites and will probably have it again for the cost of it, but not that impressed that it is as good as some make out.

 

[PORKSTER]

Hi what app did you use for Aires please

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[chaser]

Immigrants, never saw any, we shopped at cite Europe Wednesday afternoon , no sign of any but there was a few security blokes walking about, Thursday morning drew up to euro tunnel just waved through , least amount of checking ever, couldn't believe it didn't ask us where we had been or anything, only mentioned the gas at the last barrier before loading

 

[chaser]

Hi what app did you use for Aires please

If you go to the App Store and put in aires it comes up , that's all it is called there is an icon that is green with a white camping car in the middle only on android , you can't get it for I phone, brilliant piece of kit wherever you are it lists the closest aires to you then you click on the one you want, it tells you what is there then opens in google maps and satnav takes you to the gate, absolutely amazing and free

 

[Gaston aires]

We were in France at the same time. Great place to be. Weather wonderful too. We use France passion and have never encountered a bad one, just lucky I guess. Aires nearly all good, one or two a bit scruffy but in the main great places to stay. ACSI campsites are for those times when you need a bit of pampering, doing washing etc.
We stayed on La Falaise in the Loire Atlantique coast, right on the beach, great hosts, picking " fruit de mare" off the beach daily, got fed up with oysters in the end, I ate 12 once and only 9 worked, boom boom, the old ones are the best.
Using ACSI the cost for a weeks stay 108€, about £ 85 , I would recommend it to anyone. When returning via Calais, the place was crawling with immigrants, walking up the motorways, looking for " lifts " you have to be careful around the stops. But all in all France is the best place for " camping cars " in Europe.
Phil

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[PORKSTER]

If you go to the App Store and put in aires it comes up , that's all it is called there is an icon that is green with a white camping car in the middle only on android , you can't get it for I phone, brilliant piece of kit wherever you are it lists the closest aires to you then you click on the one you want, it tells you what is there then opens in google maps and satnav takes you to the gate, absolutely amazing and free

Only one I see match that description is Aires camping car france at £1.19

 

[chaser]

Only one I see match that description is Aires camping car france at £1.19

Sorry yes it is, forgot , it's that long since I got it, but it is free to put on as many things as you like once you've paid, but believe me it's worth it, and it constantly updates itself

 

[chaser]

We were in France at the same time. Great place to be. Weather wonderful too. We use France passion and have never encountered a bad one, just lucky I guess. Aires nearly all good, one or two a bit scruffy but in the main great places to stay. ACSI campsites are for those times when you need a bit of pampering, doing washing etc.
We stayed on La Falaise in the Loire Atlantique coast, right on the beach, great hosts, picking " fruit de mare" off the beach daily, got fed up with oysters in the end, I ate 12 once and only 9 worked, boom boom, the old ones are the best.
Using ACSI the cost for a weeks stay 108€, about £ 85 , I would recommend it to anyone. When returning via Calais, the place was crawling with immigrants, walking up the motorways, looking for " lifts " you have to be careful around the stops. But all in all France is the best place for " camping cars " in Europe.
Phil

As I said not knocking acsi , it's worth it just for the books and always there as a stand by but did you ask how much it was to stay without it, not complaining about the sites either for what we paid but wouldn't like to pay much more.
Calais, I am not kidding , saw maybe half a dozen but they could have been ordinary travelers for all I know and never seen such slack security , literally just drove through

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[Gaston aires]

As I said not knocking acsi , it's worth it just for the books and always there as a stand by but did you ask how much it was to stay without it, not complaining about the sites either for what we paid but wouldn't like to pay much more.
Calais, I am not kidding , saw maybe half a dozen but they could have been ordinary travelers for all I know and never seen such slack security , literally just drove through

You are right about ACSI full prices, but as we have only stayed when out of season prices apply its great value.

 

[chaser]

You are right about ACSI full prices, but as we have only stayed when out of season prices apply its great value.

Yes but the acsi cheap prices only work out of season anyway, no difference in season, as I said , I am not knocking the idea and at a tenner or whatever it's well worth it for the books as any old campsite book will cost you that much but what I found was that the two sites we used out of the scheme, we could have just drew up and paid the same , book , card or not