What’s your very favourite site/stopover in France?

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Camping Caravanning and Motorhoming for 40yrs, last 2 Motorhoming
There are loads of you seasoned travellers who know France like the back of your hand (Lenny HB in particular) but if you could only go to your favourite stop where would it be?
 
lac du Parloup on the aire near Salles curan, heaven.
Yes, on a warm, sunny day it’s pretty close to paradise.

There are just so many great places in France that we have several ‘favourites’.
La Mailleraye-sur-Seine in the north for when the weather is good in summer.
Sancoins in the centre. Lazy days beside the canal.
Lac du Pareloup as mentioned above.
In the far south, on the Med, Gruissan. Great for cycling, boat watching, catching the rays and meeting old friends.

Spoilt for choice. :D:D:D

Richard.
 
Camping les Mures near port Grimaud. Not during high season. Pitch on the shore side. Unfortunately have not visited for a couple of years
 
Might seem a strange choice but we like it and keep going back, the Municipal site at Etel, Brittany.
 
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Oh yes, that looks a brill one.
Here's a couple of pictures of the Lac to further wet your appetite:-
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Lac du Pareloup is high in the hills so the weather can be changeable and cold at night if you are early or late in the season.
Video here:-

Richard.
 
no joke, gravelines, first stop and always the start of the holiday. usually the last as well to go into town and drown our sorrows at the end of the holiday.

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no joke, gravelines, first stop and always the start of the holiday. usually the last as well to go into town and drown our sorrows at the end of the holiday.
sorry forgot the photo
 

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no joke, gravelines, first stop and always the start of the holiday. usually the last as well to go into town and drown our sorrows at the end of the holiday.
LOL It must be good then. We’re the same with Ypres, start there, finish there and get the dog sorted.
 
Coming or going ,we always spend a couple of days at pont de l'arche,lovely municipal site by the river or if you prefer an aire.
 
Lots of places we love, but a few recent stops stick in our mind.
Soustons Plage on the southwest Atlantic coast and Gruisson on the med near to Narbonne.
Val André and Erquy (and the beach at La Ville Berneuf for daytime parking) and Nevez in Brittany.
 
We also liked Sancoins, as suggested by @Clarky above. An added bonus is that if you stay on a Friday night, there is a lady in a pizza van parked on the opposite bank to the aire. She arrived at about 6pm and immediately started taking orders from locals, some of whom drove to collect. Excellent pizza, though we had to wait about 90 minutes from order to collection.

Oddly enough, we’d stayed a Gruissan a couple of nights earlier. Very windy and I would take note of the weather forecast if staying again. It was way too windy to consider emptying either black or grey, unless you fancied ‘getting your own back’!
 
Nice complement @Ronny , didn't really think we know France that well. So many parts we have never seen. Don't really have a favourite as we rarely stay at the same place more than once except when travelling through.

Although we are more into hills and mountains if I was going to pick one it's one on the flat. Saintes Maries-de-la-Mer on the Camargue. There are 5 Aires there we like the one at the eastern end of town where you can camp on the beach
Last time we were there had the Coast Guard banging on the door " evacuate, evacuate, monsieure".
 
We have been in contemplation over this one.
We don't have a "go to" Aire
For varying different reasons these are right up there.
Eguisheim
Sully
Marseillan plage
Aloe d'huez
La mallerie
Lac bouchet
Lac d'ilay wilding for the cascades
The lavender shop a couple of k north of Lac Dr st croix in a truffle orchard
 
Our first/last stop is usually Le Crotoy

So many great aires/stelplatze/etc a favourite is impossible to choose
Le Crotoy for us too, the Aire at the harbour. Lunch at one of the nice restaurants, dog to the Vet in Rue. Lovely.

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Up in the French mountains, lots of fantastic spots in the summer in quiet ski resorts. This one is our favourite, it’s above La Clusaz and we park overlooking the mountains by a lovely old farm where they make cheese, the cows graze on the hills around us, for most of the time the only sound is cowbells.

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Le Crotoy for us too, the Aire at the harbour. Lunch at one of the nice restaurants, dog to the Vet in Rue. Lovely.

Have you done the bike ride around the bay? a nice ride with lunch at St Valery at the end is a pleasant day out for us.
 
Last time we were there had the Coast Guard banging on the door " evacuate, evacuate, monsieure".
Think we might give that one a miss. :D

Oddly enough, we’d stayed a Gruissan a couple of nights earlier. Very windy and I would take note of the weather forecast if staying again. It was way too windy to consider emptying either black or grey, unless you fancied ‘getting your own back’!
That whole coast is often very windy so you need to keep an eye on the weather apps.
They hold wind surfing championship events at Gruissan and the huge marina is probably there because of the wind conditions.
When the wind drops its great though. (y):D:D

Richard.
 
Oddly enough, we’d stayed a Gruissan a couple of nights earlier. Very windy and I would take note of the weather forecast if staying again. It was way too windy to consider emptying either black or grey, unless you fancied ‘getting your own back’!
If you think that's windy try wilding on top of Mont Ventoux (the windy mountain). Had to turn the van round to face into the wind a 2am.
Couldn't open a door on the windwood side, gas bottles covered in frost from wind chill and that was in summer, exciting night.

Also had to make a run for it when wilding on the sand on the eastern side of the Camargue, water coming in on both sides of us.

Hey ho, it's what Motorhomings all about.:D
 
Have you done the bike ride around the bay? a nice ride with lunch at St Valery at the end is a pleasant day out for us.
Or take the little train. Lovely.

Wyn

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Just been to my Belgium dealer and having a few days in France on me todd.
Just found this nice little Aire at Grenay, only 3 spaces free including services, EHU & WiFi.
Walking distance of a Aldi ( hard work carrying the beer & wine back). Frite van next door what more could you want.

IMG_20190511_132351.jpg
 
Just been to my Belgium dealer and having a few days in France on me todd.
Just found this nice little Aire at Grenay, only 3 spaces free including services, EHU & WiFi.
Walking distance of a Aldi ( hard work carrying the beer & wine back). Frite van next door what more could you want.

View attachment 302842

And this is the thing with France - even though we ve been doing it for years and years it still manages to turn up something nice on a regular basis.
 
Paying , Bois Chaudron at Sainte-Maure-de- Touraine.
free; Bergues aire up near Dunkerque
Only 2 I've ever used more than once.Then again I've only used one other.
 
Le Crotoy for us too, the Aire at the harbour. Lunch at one of the nice restaurants, dog to the Vet in Rue. Lovely.
What price the vet? Is it the Street Veterinary Clinic, Rue and is that some French ironic joke? Searching for anything called Rue in French is difficult :) Do love my seafood.
 
We also liked Sancoins, as suggested by @Clarky above. An added bonus is that if you stay on a Friday night, there is a lady in a pizza van parked on the opposite bank to the aire. She arrived at about 6pm and immediately started taking orders from locals, some of whom drove to collect. Excellent pizza, though we had to wait about 90 minutes from order to collection.

Oddly enough, we’d stayed a Gruissan a couple of nights earlier. Very windy and I would take note of the weather forecast if staying again. It was way too windy to consider emptying either black or grey, unless you fancied ‘getting your own back’!

French Med coast is generally windy in May and early June thats why they have the windsurfing competitions at Gruissan.

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