Halloween in France

Riverbankannie

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Have made the decision - we are going to use the last of our frequent traveller tickets. Unfortunately due to this, that and the other, we cannot leave until October 17. Looking at 2 and half weeks.

I really want to visit the south coast, other times we have been to France it has been too hot. Not interested in the big cities.

Obviously, as a seasoned Funster, you don’t need to remind me that campsites and aires could be closed, weather could be wet and windy etc. I am using the ACSI website with the search facility on dates, would like to stay at some France Passion sites too so have ordered the book (I know you don’t have to show the card but I want to be polite and to get the map!). Aires - it seems tricky to look up open dates.

Please point me in the direction of places you might recommend at the time of year, for example have seen a recommendation for Gruissan but the aire only open April - Sept.

Thanks muchly
 
Camping Le Garanel in Sommiers is worth a couple of nights. Lovely historic town to look around, the site is basic but has everything you need, clean toilets , showers, EHU, waste emptying point etc.
The site is virtually in the middle of the town, follow signs for the the camping municipal.

See if you can borrow someone's ACSI card to get it a bit cheaper (or try booking in advance using someone's card number??)

What route are you taking and which part of the South Coast ? I am surprised Gruissan will be closed as it's just a bloody big flat gravel car park, I don't see how colder climes might affect its opening. As it's run by the municipality, perhaps an email to the local Marie might confirm it's opening regime?

I will add a couple if more places later, that we recently used, when we arrive at our next Aire (after visiting the Lafuma factory shop to snag some bargain chairs lol)
 
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Might give you some more ideas?
 
Our park up for tonight.

Here is a precise what3words address, made of 3 random words. Every 3 metre square in the world has its own unique what3words address.

///waistline.products.miniatures


Andance - alongside the river Rhon. Only has two spaces, no services.
There is a sports centre 100 yards away that I would have used if I hadn't got this space. Will take a walk shortly and see what the town is like.
 

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Have a lovely time do they celebrate Halloween? Be careful they may not be letting witches and goblins in

Sounds wonderful to me and why not if it rains there it may be raining here -probably

Shame my retirement didn't last long or I may be stalking you thinking about going over later in the year once the coffers are topped up

Must try to catch up before you go x

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Have a lovely time do they celebrate Halloween? Be careful they may not be letting witches and goblins in

I know they celebrate Halloween really impressively at Disney but not sure about whether it's a French thing throughout France.
 
I wasn’t looking for Halloween places, just a way to say that we are going later in October through to early November - in a short way! 🤣
 
Will be following your adventures as we seem to have followed each other everywhere else.
Any particular area in the South ?
Remind me if you have Ebikes
 
Annie have a look at Camping Car Parks many of them are open all year.

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suavecarve We do have electric Bromptons but 3 reasons why we haven’t used them for years now.
1, John had a bad inner ear infection and his balance has not fully recovered
2. We now have a doggie - which has helped rehabilitation for John with his daily walks and something else to concentrate, on but prohibits us going together on bikes
3 I am on 2 anti-clotting/ blood thinning drugs and bruising at the slightest knock and bleeding heavily if a scratch so a bit scared of any incident from bashing shins to falling and hitting head.

We will probably still carry one bike just in case useful as we have been doing these past nearly 3 years but it has only been used once in 2020 for a fish and chip run!

Just wanted to experience the Med coast really but when quiet. I wouldn’t mind a train ride into somewhere like Monte Carlo or St Tropez but in reality they are awkward to get at without using the busy coast road so we are more likely to travel down Provence way and then go west a bit and head back up through centre. As you know, we have been down that way before but not as far as the coast. Plans are just a set of pins on the map though and decisions will be made en route depending on weather etc.
 
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I wouldn’t mind a train ride into somewhere like Monte Carlo or St Tropez
There is an aire open all year at St Laurent du Var with train station and route to Monaco but take care with your ticket and which train as some are Italian trains and some French and the ticket isnt transferable.
If you want a Beaux village free aire for the night Gourdon above Antibes has a view all over the bay to Monaco and I suspect on a clear night would be a fantastic view of all the lights on the coast. There is a "Dangerous road" underneath Gourdon which is easily (but carefully) driven Gorges du Loup
There is a place about a mile from the beach at Ramatuelle that appears in FP but no ticket required. Free for one night for FP book holders then 8 euros (5 years ago) each night after but it included water and leccy I think. Very nice and the first time I have mentioned it on here.
Port Grimaud is in between St Maximine and St Tropez. I would suggest the aire at St Maximine and taking the bus or boat round to St Tropez. You cant get close in a motorhome and traffic is horrendous. Do not miss Port Grimaud. If memory serves me correctly movan favourite place (sorry if I am wrong I just seem to remember you saying it once)
Further down the coast at Hyeres they were doing it up really nicely when we were there, with free aire within a 3 iron of the beach.
If you really want to go radical a day trip by boat to Ile du Levant but may i suggest doing your research before going in October !
You really need to do the Calanques and may have to trust Park 4 night for a parking spot. We motor in on the motorbike but there is a road that leads to Cassis (wonderful place) called the route des cretes (you may have seen DBK s current thread as there is a route des cretes left of Strasbourg and another one on Gorges du Verdon) and this one is a stunning drive. I think you can stay at Cassis but not overly sure. It is a reasonable flat walk to the Calanques and consdieration for yourselves to take the boat trip here if the knocks are best avoided. If you can stay round there somewhere but totally avoiding Marseilles theres a good couple of days there.
Then avoid any notion of Marseilles and head into the camargues. Personally I hated the aire at St Marie de la Mer but I have heard others having had different experiences. Long lens camera required here but no idea if the flocks of flamingoes will be there or not but white horses and occasional shows by the cowboys and girls and bull runs are a good distraction.
Then youre into Sete, Agde Serignan with several aires. Beziers well worth a visit with a FP aire at a vineyard with 4 euro bottles but I am afraid to say Perpignan is extremely worthy of a miss. I am told Montpellier is nice but no personal knowledge

You can also include Eze, Frejus and Cannes as worthy visits (latterly only if there is no film show on)
 
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There is an aire open all year at St Laurent du Var with train station and route to Monaco but take care with your ticket and which train as some are Italian trains and some French and the ticket isnt transferable.
If you want a Beaux village free aire for the night Gourdon above Antibes has a view all over the bay to Monaco and I suspect on a clear night would be a fantastic view of all the lights on the coast. There is a "Dangerous road" underneath Gourdon which is easily (but carefully) driven Gorges du Loup
There is a place about a mile from the beach at Ramatuelle that appears in FP but no ticket required. Free for one night for FP book holders then 8 euros (5 years ago) each night after but it included water and leccy I think. Very nice and the first time I have mentioned it on here.
Port Grimaud is in between St Maximine and St Tropez. I would suggest the aire at St Maximine and taking the bus or boat round to St Tropez. You cant get close in a motorhome and traffic is horrendous. Do not miss Port Grimaud. If memory serves me correctly movan favourite place (sorry if I am wrong I just seem to remember you saying it once)
Further down the coast at Hyeres they were doing it up really nicely when we were there, with free aire within a 3 iron of the beach.
If you really want to go radical a day trip by boat to Ile du Levant but may i suggest doing your research before going in October !
You really need to do the Calanques and may have to trust Park 4 night for a parking spot. We motor in on the motorbike but there is a road that leads to Cassis (wonderful place) called the route des cretes (you may have seen DBK s current thread as there is a route des cretes left of Strasbourg and another one on Gorges du Verdon) and this one is a stunning drive. I think you can stay at Cassis but not overly sure. It is a reasonable flat walk to the Calanques and consdieration for yourselves to take the boat trip here if the knocks are best avoided. If you can stay round there somewhere but totally avoiding Marseilles theres a good couple of days there.
Then avoid any notion of Marseilles and head into the camargues. Personally I hated the aire at St Marie de la Mer but I have heard others having had different experiences. Long lens camera required here but no idea if the flocks of flamingoes will be there or not but white horses and occasional shows by the cowboys and girls and bull runs are a good distraction.
Then youre into Sete, Agde Serignan with several aires. Beziers well worth a visit with a FP aire at a vineyard with 4 euro bottles but I am afraid to say Perpignan is extremely worthy of a miss. I am told Montpellier is nice but no personal knowledge

You can also include Eze, Frejus and Cannes as worthy visits (latterly only if there is no film show on)
Ooh, lots of places to look up, thanks.
 
Have made the decision - we are going to use the last of our frequent traveller tickets. Unfortunately due to this, that and the other, we cannot leave until October 17. Looking at 2 and half weeks.

I really want to visit the south coast, other times we have been to France it has been too hot. Not interested in the big cities.

Obviously, as a seasoned Funster, you don’t need to remind me that campsites and aires could be closed, weather could be wet and windy etc. I am using the ACSI website with the search facility on dates, would like to stay at some France Passion sites too so have ordered the book (I know you don’t have to show the card but I want to be polite and to get the map!). Aires - it seems tricky to look up open dates.

Please point me in the direction of places you might recommend at the time of year, for example have seen a recommendation for Gruissan but the aire only open April - Sept.

Thanks muchly
Gruissan aire, the quatre vents on the port is open until December. The one on the beach, La plage, will probably be too windy..
Nice town too.
Phil

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We are going to visit Sennecy Le Grand en route later today. They have a small museum (plus a free Aire in the village) dedicated to 5 SAS men who were killed there during WW2. It might be of interest on your journey South (or North)?

Riverbankannie
 

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