Paying to use French Aires

Neil S

Neil S

Joined
Oct 26, 2014
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Dumfries and Galloway
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2014
I’m certainly not against it if the facilities are good
We are currently on an aire at Malaucene which is operated by BROKEN LINK and the price is €11 if you have the “Pass ‘etape “ card for that you get EHU, clean water and both grey and black waste disposal plus Wi-fi
The parking bays are all wide enough to get your canopy out so your not rammed in like sardines in a can
I’ve was here two years ago when it was free and it stuffed out with French
But now you have to pay there are only 9 vans on with 26 empty spaces
Today there has been at least 10 French motorhomes arrived and as soon as they see it’s not free there of
 
Stayed in a couple of camping-carparks in May this year.
Don't think they are bad value at around €12 per nightand with good facilities including EHU and wifi.
But they were not busy.
 
We came across one of these in Evreux. It took about 20 minutes to get in as we didn't have a etape card, you can't just pay by credit card. You have to create an account, filling in a lot of information, and then have to pay 4e for the card (rechargeable), in addition to the fee for the night. It was a well kept site and included all services, water and electric.
Because of all the faff, we saw several motorhomes pull up, read the detailed instructions and then leave. We were the only ones there overnight.
 
We’re on a CCP aire on the Dordogne. Relatively expensive for an aire, at 16 eur, but it’s actually an ex municipal campsite, huge shaded pitches divided by hedges, and as well as elecricity it has toilets and showers. Only about 5 vans here. A lake with supervised swimming is adjoining, along with a bar. Bliss.

Wish it was a bit less than 34 degrees with 40 forecast tomorrow, but there’s that lake I mentioned...
 
Sid52 said:
We came across one of these in Evreux. It took about 20 minutes to get in as we didn't have a etape card, you can't just pay by credit card. You have to create an account, filling in a lot of information, and then have to pay 4e for the card (rechargeable), in addition to the fee for the night. It was a well kept site and included all services, water and electric.
Because of all the faff, we saw several motorhomes pull up, read the detailed instructions and then leave. We were the only ones there overnight.
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They have recently changed the entry procedure so that you can enter without the Pass Etape card by just paying by credit card and you get a receipt with an entry code
However you pay about €1 more if you choose this method of payment over having the Pass Etape card
 
Only use them if I really want to be in that place as they are expensive for an Aire. Never had any trouble getting into them. I can never understand why it takes the French at least 20min to get in.
 
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chaser said:
Beginning of the end of free Aires , wait till there's more of them than free then see the price rocket, well done the French motorhomes,
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Anything is better than being hemmed in both sides by French vans. At honfleur last year I got up in the morning and could not open the hab door. A french motorhome decided the was room.... And this an aire that costs €11. No thanks. Great location but I don't want that crowding.
 
Khizzie said:
Anything is better than being hemmed in both sides by French vans. At honfleur last year I got up in the morning and could not open the hab door. A french motorhome decided the was room.... And this an aire that costs €11. No thanks. Great location but I don't want that crowding.
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Can't really compare honfleur with a normal village aire
 
klaatu said:
We’re on a CCP aire on the Dordogne. Relatively expensive for an aire, at 16 eur, but it’s actually an ex municipal campsite, huge shaded pitches divided by hedges, and as well as elecricity it has toilets and showers. Only about 5 vans here. A lake with supervised swimming is adjoining, along with a bar. Bliss.

Wish it was a bit less than 34 degrees with 40 forecast tomorrow, but there’s that lake I mentioned...
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Where, please. We want a few days away next week before setting off back to Yorkshire for a few weeks.
 
Casper46 said:
Where, please. We want a few days away next week before setting off back to Yorkshire for a few weeks.
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Tauriac, a small village on a branch of the Dordogne. No commerce apart from the aforementioned bar, but there is apparently more in Puybrun, about a mile away.

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We've found a number of new French Aires this summer which have been equipped with all services FREE of charge. It's a case of hunting out the more pleasant rural places.
It would seem that some villages are aware of what the French campingcarist wants and is not willing to pay for!
 
Having recently stayed on full facility Municipals for as little as FREE (and elsewhere only 14 Euro) including EHU, paying 11 Euro to CCP seems a bit rich.
 
Lenny HB said:
Only use them if I really want to be in that place as they are expensive for an Aire. Never had any trouble getting into them. I can never understand why it takes the French at least 20min to get in.
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LOL
Lazy gits I guess! The ones you saw probably only like when things are served on the plate without any effort!
 
yodeli said:
LOL
Lazy gits I guess! The ones you saw probably only like when things are served on the plate without any effort!
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Been to a few of them, happens every time, I think I have only ever seen one French van get in a normal time span. :ROFLMAO:

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rod_vw said:
We've found a number of new French Aires this summer which have been equipped with all services FREE of charge. It's a case of hunting out the more pleasant rural places.
It would seem that some villages are aware of what the French campingcarist wants and is not willing to pay for!
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I fully agree and can understand why the French folks are not willing to use these rather expensive aires. We've stayed on campsites that only cost a few €s more, seems daft encouraging the growth of aires that are so costly! There are 1000s of aires in France which are either free or have very low charges, in some delightful places. If an EHU etc is needed, stop at a campsite, they have showers as well :)

Mick
 
klaatu said:
We’re on a CCP aire on the Dordogne. Relatively expensive for an aire, at 16 eur, but it’s actually an ex municipal campsite, huge shaded pitches divided by hedges, and as well as elecricity it has toilets and showers. Only about 5 vans here. A lake with supervised swimming is adjoining, along with a bar. Bliss.

Wish it was a bit less than 34 degrees with 40 forecast tomorrow, but there’s that lake I mentioned...
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do you have more details of the aire my son is going that way in a couple of weeks
 
tuscancouple said:
I fully agree and can understand why the French folks are not willing to use these rather expensive aires. We've stayed on campsites that only cost a few €s more, seems daft encouraging the growth of aires that are so costly! There are 1000s of aires in France which are either free or have very low charges, in some delightful places. If an EHU etc is needed, stop at a campsite, they have showers as well :)

Mick
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As do some of the CCP aires the previous one we used near Murat had a newly refurbished shower block and all for €11.30 a night
 
Neil S said:
I’m certainly not against it if the facilities are good
We are currently on an aire at Malaucene which is operated by BROKEN LINK and the price is €11 if you have the “Pass ‘etape “ card for that you get EHU, clean water and both grey and black waste disposal plus Wi-fi
The parking bays are all wide enough to get your canopy out so your not rammed in like sardines in a can
I’ve was here two years ago when it was free and it stuffed out with French
But now you have to pay there are only 9 vans on with 26 empty spaces
Today there has been at least 10 French motorhomes arrived and as soon as they see it’s not free there of
Click to expand...
More space for us!!
 
klaatu said:
Tauriac, a small village on a branch of the Dordogne. No commerce apart from the aforementioned bar, but there is apparently more in Puybrun, about a mile away.
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When it says 60/67 does this mean it has 60 occupied or 60 vacant?

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I think that most Aires will go to charging. People stay on the free ones, sometimes for ages, buying any shopping required at Lidl’s or Aldi, so not French supermarkets, and don’t appear to really spend any money in the villages/towns the aires are, so why would they continue to fund them. That’s what I’ve noticed.

I more than happy to pay, and I also make a point of spending my money in the villages and towns.
 
I’m sure that paid, automated Aires are very much the future.
Why should a small village or town pay for staff to look after the aire and collect the money when a company will come along and do all the work and pay the local council a percentage.
I fear the widespread free/low price aire network is going to be shrinking faster and faster.
Personally I don’t mind paying a fair price for decent facilities and would rather the local community got something out it for providing some smashing places to stay.
Whatever the charges I bet they will always be cheaper than the UK.

Richard
 
Clarky said:
I’m sure that paid, automated Aires are very much the future.
Why should a small village or town pay for staff to look after the aire and collect the money when a company will come along and do all the work and pay the local council a percentage.
I fear the widespread free/low price aire network is going to be shrinking faster and faster.
Personally I don’t mind paying a fair price for decent facilities and would rather the local community got something out it for providing some smashing places to stay.
Whatever the charges I bet they will always be cheaper than the UK.

Richard
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Ditto from us
 
Landy Andy said:
I think that most Aires will go to charging. People stay on the free ones, sometimes for ages, buying any shopping required at Lidl’s or Aldi, so not French supermarkets, and don’t appear to really spend any money in the villages/towns the aires are, so why would they continue to fund them. That’s what I’ve noticed.

I more than happy to pay, and I also make a point of spending my money in the villages and towns.
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Likewise , we shopped in the local Bakery for bread and cakes then French U supermarket and had a light lunch in the Main Street in Malaucene
 

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