Sites in France en route to Spain with m/h and trailer (1 Viewer)

[Purple2]

A bit of help/advice please.
Dont really want to get into discussion about m/h towing trailer but some advice on where to stop with a long rig in France in early/mid Jan en route to Spain (Calpe area ) would be appreciated.
We are using the tunnel to France
Not tied by time on that trip and not a skinflint but avoiding expensive tolls would be nice.

First trip to Spain in m/h and only been to Brittany in France!

Have ACSI card. All The Aires and good Snooper sat nav

 

[Mikeco]

When we towed through France in Winter we stayed at Camping Acacia just outside of Tours and Larouletta at St Jean de Luz, on both sites we could leave the caravan attached to the car.
Now towing a car on a trailer but take the long ferry, near Plymouth tonight ready for tomorrow's sailing to Santander.

 

[Purple2]

Thanks for that, have to go through tunnel as OH gets seasick in a puddle! I mean REAL bad

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[namwaldog]

There wont be many actual sites open in France in Mid January.

You dont give any indication on your intended route and perhaps if you gave us some idea of that we could let you know some Aires/Sites?

We tend to use the Calais/Abbeville/Rouen/Evreux/ Chartres/ Tours/ Poitiers/ Limoges/ Toulouse/ Carcassonne/ Perpignan/ La Jonquera. and tend to use mostly Aires whilst in France.
One Site we do head for is Camping de Montreal at St Germain Les Belles just off the A20 south of Limoges
45°36'41.6"N 1°30'05.1"E 45.611552, 1.501404
Which is run by a Dutch couple and open all year. A trailer shouldn't be a problem there although there is a narrow street on the way through the village but it is one way!

A couple of our favourite Aires on this route are at

(1) Cloyes Sur Le Loir
47.99188, 1.23219 N47° 59.513' E1° 13.931'
Just off the N10 south of Chateaudun
A 5 place Aire but room for a trailer rig
We used to head for the nicer Aire at Chataudun just north of this one but got fed up of having to take turns at opening doors as you are parked so close together!!

(2) Saint Cyprien just north of Argeles sur Mer, between Perpignan & the Spanish border. A secure Aire €6 inc EHU right next to the Marina.There were some big rigs in there when we stayed.
42.61829, 3.03573 N42° 37.097' E3° 2.144'

 

[Purple2]

That is very helpful. Sorry about route thing but snowbird 'virgins' and all new to us

 

[mustaphapint]

There is a lovely quiet aire in the village of Lizant, south east of Niort just off the N10. It's got power, toilets and the usual waste facilities. The charge is 2 euros. We've used it 3 times now on trips south and north in the winter months. There is room for well over a dozen units but we've never seen more than 3 when we've been there. They don't seem too bothered about caravans using it either and a trailer would be no problem.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place...:0xcc07580afb1f88b8!8m2!3d46.083866!4d0.28029

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[Just smiffy]

Download Campercontact to your phone/tablet it’s all I ever use.... at that time of the year they’ll be plenty of room for you..

 

[Just smiffy]

Ps. I take it you’ve already booked a site...? As it will be very busy

 

[Purple2]

Booked at Almafra. Have camper contact, that's handy.
Nice one.

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[Purple2]

@Mikeco. What sort of car are you taking?

 

[Mikeco]

@Mikeco. What sort of car are you taking?

We only have one car now which is a Citroën C1 so as we go for 6 months and we are parked up on a site then we take it with us.

 

[Purple2]

Brilliant.

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[Hilewaychile]

"There is a lovely quiet aire in the village of Lizant"

Hello Mustaphapint. Please coud you give more details of where this aire is? I have tried to find it on Google satellite and other means but failed.

thanks

 

[tonka]

"There is a lovely quiet aire in the village of Lizant"

Hello Mustaphapint. Please coud you give more details of where this aire is? I have tried to find it on Google satellite and other means but failed.

thanks

I think this is it.. You can see the Bourne for the services just over the hedge..
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@46.0...4!1sb0s1Va1zl7x_-Tf1T0VuQw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

and a nice sign to direct you in..
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@46.0...4!1sUj4drGUW6qWx3CbNVE6qwA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

[Speve]

Menigoute has a good size free aire with water and emptying and shop nearby

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[PhilandMena]

These recommendation should help you with your journey. Safe Travels.

Firstly, routes and route maps for France and Spain. This first link is for an award winning database about France. It’s big and with a host of information on best routes to many locations. I have selected the famous N10 route from Calais to Irun which is used by many motorhomes when travelling to Spain. It’s almost Toll free (more on that a little later) and almost all duel carriageway from start to finish with the exception of about 100 K. The whole route is great for motorhomes small, medium and large.

https://about-france.com/tourism/no-tolls-routes.htm

Tolls: We avoid the toll road from Calais to Abbeville and save 12.50 Euros. The non-toll route is quite scenic and fairly straight forward, between Boulogne-sur-Mer and Abbeville.

At Abbeville, join the A28 and cross the river Sein at Rouen. We take the second exit immediately after crossing the bridge (about 50 m past the first exit at the end of the bridge), swing down and under the bridge you have just crossed and continue on this road and join the A13 motorway until the N154 which takes you down to Evreux (Note: there are a number of different options for getting through Rouen and no doubt other members will have their own preferences. We find this very straight forward on both outward and return legs).

Approaching Tours on the D910, join the A10 toll road at Jct. 19 and exit at Jct. 23. This will take you through the city via the toll road. (about 2.50 euros). At Jct. 23 take the exit lane for Montbazon which returns you to the D910. (Reverse for the return leg). That’s the last toll to pay until you hit the bottom of the A63.

A63 south of Bordeaux please read the route recommendations in the above link. Do not come off the A63 near the bottom as all roads will be heavily congested and it’s worth paying the last few tolls. (Fuel costs approx. €126.72. (Based on 1056 K @10K per Ltr. @€1.20 per ltr. 3.5T motorhome)).

This route is also recommended during winter, due to its proximity to the Atlantic sea which means little to no problems with ice and or snow, unlike using the A75 to cross the Massif Central. Although the roads are quickly cleared, it is advisable to have winter tyres fitted and there may be some small delays due to snow ploughs clearing the roads.

If heading to the Mediterranean side of Spain, it’s worth taking the N121-A to Pamplona after crossing the Spanish boarder at Irun. It’s clearly sign posted (Large white sign) about 300 m after passing through the last tollbooth and crossing the river. You will find more details in this link for the N121-A and how to navigate Spain toll free.

https://about-spain.net/travel/no-tolls.htm

Should you choose to plan your own routes anywhere in Europe and establish Toll costs too use the link below. Under route options, select caravan then select toll roads. Toll costs for a class 2 motorhome will be calculated for the whole journey. You can also choose Non toll routes and other options. This is currently one of the best online free route planers.

https://www.viamichelin.co.uk/

As for stop overs on routes, you can’t go wrong using the App below which is free but I would recommend getting the paid version for about £6.00 which you can then use off line. You will find numerous places to stop along the above route and I have deliberately not made any recommendations so drivers can make their own choices. This app is also brilliant for finding other places too and highly rated by many users.

https://www.campercontact.com/en/content/app

There is another popular app/website that is used which you may also find useful if you’re doing a lot of wilding and looking for free overnight stops. It too is used by many motor homers in Europe. Get the paid version to use off line for around £9.00

https://www.park4night.com/

Finally, probably the best off line maps ‘App’ and used by many. It also includes a sat-nav function which is quite good and can also be used off line. Again many motor homers use this, especially in Morocco.

Broken Link Removed

 

[Hilewaychile]

I think this is it.. You can see the Bourne for the services just over the hedge..
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@46.0...4!1sb0s1Va1zl7x_-Tf1T0VuQw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

and a nice sign to direct you in..
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@46.0...4!1sUj4drGUW6qWx3CbNVE6qwA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Thank you. Most kind

 

[Hilewaychile]

These recommendation should help you with your journey. Safe Travels.

Firstly, routes and route maps for France and Spain. This first link is for an award winning database about France. It’s big and with a host of information on best routes to many locations. I have selected the famous N10 route from Calais to Irun which is used by many motorhomes when travelling to Spain. It’s almost Toll free (more on that a little later) and almost all duel carriageway from start to finish with the exception of about 100 K. The whole route is great for motorhomes small, medium and large.

https://about-france.com/tourism/no-tolls-routes.htm

Tolls: We avoid the toll road from Calais to Abbeville and save 12.50 Euros. The non-toll route is quite scenic and fairly straight forward, between Boulogne-sur-Mer and Abbeville.

At Abbeville, join the A28 and cross the river Sein at Rouen. We take the second exit immediately after crossing the bridge (about 50 m past the first exit at the end of the bridge), swing down and under the bridge you have just crossed and continue on this road and join the A13 motorway until the N154 which takes you down to Evreux (Note: there are a number of different options for getting through Rouen and no doubt other members will have their own preferences. We find this very straight forward on both outward and return legs).

Approaching Tours on the D910, join the A10 toll road at Jct. 19 and exit at Jct. 23. This will take you through the city via the toll road. (about 2.50 euros). At Jct. 23 take the exit lane for Montbazon which returns you to the D910. (Reverse for the return leg). That’s the last toll to pay until you hit the bottom of the A63.

A63 south of Bordeaux please read the route recommendations in the above link. Do not come off the A63 near the bottom as all roads will be heavily congested and it’s worth paying the last few tolls. (Fuel costs approx. €126.72. (Based on 1056 K @10K per Ltr. @€1.20 per ltr. 3.5T motorhome)).

This route is also recommended during winter, due to its proximity to the Atlantic sea which means little to no problems with ice and or snow, unlike using the A75 to cross the Massif Central. Although the roads are quickly cleared, it is advisable to have winter tyres fitted and there may be some small delays due to snow ploughs clearing the roads.

If heading to the Mediterranean side of Spain, it’s worth taking the N121-A to Pamplona after crossing the Spanish boarder at Irun. It’s clearly sign posted (Large white sign) about 300 m after passing through the last tollbooth and crossing the river. You will find more details in this link for the N121-A and how to navigate Spain toll free.

https://about-spain.net/travel/no-tolls.htm

Should you choose to plan your own routes anywhere in Europe and establish Toll costs too use the link below. Under route options, select caravan then select toll roads. Toll costs for a class 2 motorhome will be calculated for the whole journey. You can also choose Non toll routes and other options. This is currently one of the best online free route planers.

https://www.viamichelin.co.uk/

As for stop overs on routes, you can’t go wrong using the App below which is free but I would recommend getting the paid version for about £6.00 which you can then use off line. You will find numerous places to stop along the above route and I have deliberately not made any recommendations so drivers can make their own choices. This app is also brilliant for finding other places too and highly rated by many users.

https://www.campercontact.com/en/content/app

There is another popular app/website that is used which you may also find useful if you’re doing a lot of wilding and looking for free overnight stops. It too is used by many motor homers in Europe. Get the paid version to use off line for around £9.00

https://www.park4night.com/

Finally, probably the best off line maps ‘App’ and used by many. It also includes a sat-nav function which is quite good and can also be used off line. Again many motor homers use this, especially in Morocco.

Broken Link Removed

A most useful post. Thanks

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[Chaumo]

These recommendation should help you with your journey. Safe Travels.

Really useful. Thanks.

 

[mustaphapint]

"There is a lovely quiet aire in the village of Lizant"

Hello Mustaphapint. Please coud you give more details of where this aire is? I have tried to find it on Google satellite and other means but failed.

thanks

I can't check the google link I posted nor the one from tonka as I'm on a rather crap connection tonight but Lizant is only a small village. The aire is only about 100 metres from the crossroads in the centre.

 

[funflair]

"There is a lovely quiet aire in the village of Lizant"

Hello Mustaphapint. Please coud you give more details of where this aire is? I have tried to find it on Google satellite and other means but failed.

thanks

Sitecode 18880 on campercontact, Rue du Bourrelier 86400 Lizant,

If you find this on google maps the air looks very light colour, new stone I guess.

Martin

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[Littlewheels]

We only have one car now which is a Citroën C1 so as we go for 6 months and we are parked up on a site then we take it with us.
View attachment 189469

I don't wish to cause offence but the way you have your Car strapped to the Trailer doesn't look quite correct! I believe the Straps should be over the top of the wheels!

 

[Mikeco]

I don't wish to cause offence but the way you have your Car strapped to the Trailer doesn't look quite correct! I believe the Straps should be over the top of the wheels!

No offence taken, there are several ways to hold the car down with the main result being that it is still on the trailer when arriving in Spain. In the way shown in the picture the main straps are behind the wheels over the axles and I'm pleased to say that it did not escape.

 

[Littlewheels]

No offence taken, there are several ways to hold the car down with the main result being that it is still on the trailer when arriving in Spain. In the way shown in the picture the main straps are behind the wheels over the axles and I'm pleased to say that it did not escape.

Got it, I go with the over the wheel option as the straps cannot connect in anyway to the brake pipes etc in case of movement.either way we both arrive with the Car still on the Trailer or "A Frame" Blimey!! Did I say A Frame

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