Where are all the brits (1 Viewer)

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I know it will be said they saw me coming but just where are all the Brits in this buetiful sun in France we have been down here 3 weeks and can count on one hand Brits we have met, much the same for Germans and Dutch .
We have been to mortagne today and every van there was French.
Just never seen it like this before no idea the reason.

Nothing new chaser, 30+ years ago it was the same. Northern Europeans don't tend to visit after the schools have returned from their summer break. They either go home or go south....

 

[scotjimland]

It's not as cheap to travel in France as it was 20 or 30 years ago..

Fuel is now about the same price as the UK. Autoroute Tolls add to the cost, albeit they are not mandatory.

It's not cheap getting to France, ferry fares have risen quite a lot in the past few years..

and it's certainly not cheap living in France, foodstuffs are more expensive than the UK

Many camp sites, even places like Parc Verger and Twin Lakes are just as expensive if not more so than UK sites .. high season expect to pay well over £30 in a touristy areas.

I didn't mention booze.. or fags as we use neither.

All these factors combined with the poor exchange rate makes France an expensive destination.

For us, the days of the cheap fuel and cheap touring in France are but a distant memory and maybe over.

UK has become more popular, even with foreigners.. we often see Dutch, French and German vans.. touring in Suffolk..

Like many, we are now planning more trips and holidays in the UK .. it was one of the reasons we sold the motorhome and bought the caravan..as we always stay on sites, may as well have a caravan with the benefit of a car for sightseeing and day trips. Also, parking a motorhome in the UK is becoming more and more difficult..

 

[Snowbird]

On the other hand, I guess (only guess) that if one wants to meet lots of Brits, then Blighty might be a good place to start.

You would be hard pressed on that score JJ .

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[chaser]

Sur

Which Mortagne? Because me and fidget ar at Mortagne-au-Perche today...

Sur gironde , must be thirty vans there every one French although we did see a massive German one going in as we came out.

 

[Gaston aires]

Mainly Portuguese here as you would expect, then French, a few brits, not too many.
A really nice place to visit is Portugal especially the north.
Phil

 

[chaser]

What is a surprise though , we always come at this time of year as it is still warm, hot, this year things still open and a lot quieter than earlier in the year and wonder why all on here who say they go to france don't take advantage, I know work and kids hold a lot back but we usually see lots of Brits but not this time, of the few we have seen half were just on their way to Portugal for the winter.

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[2657]

Mainly Portuguese here as you would expect, then French, a few brits, not too many.
A really nice place to visit is Portugal especially the north.
Phil

We came down to the Algarve last week via northern Spain and Portugal, a few Brits about but all the aires that we stopped on were mainly French

Drove down the upper Douro, and what a magnificent drive that is, the aire at Peso de Regua was almost full of French, out of about 30 vans, 2 Brits, 1 Dutch and one Swiss........the big attraction....free electricity......supposed to be €3 but nobody came round to collect.

Highly recommended even at the princely sum of €3, new facilities overlooking the river and additional spaces off the aire nearer to the river but also used by trucks.

 

[Portland]

It's not as cheap to travel in France as it was 20 or 30 years ago..

Fuel is now about the same price as the UK. Autoroute Tolls add to the cost, albeit they are not mandatory.

It's not cheap getting to France, ferry fares have risen quite a lot in the past few years..

and it's certainly not cheap living in France, foodstuffs are more expensive than the UK

Many camp sites, even places like Parc Verger and Twin Lakes are just as expensive if not more so than UK sites .. high season expect to pay well over £30 in a touristy areas.

I didn't mention booze.. or fags as we use neither.

All these factors combined with the poor exchange rate makes France an expensive destination.

For us, the days of the cheap fuel and cheap touring in France are but a distant memory and maybe over.

UK has become more popular, even with foreigners.. we often see Dutch, French and German vans.. touring in Suffolk..

Like many, we are now planning more trips and holidays in the UK .. it was one of the reasons we sold the motorhome and bought the caravan..as we always stay on sites, may as well have a caravan with the benefit of a car for sightseeing and day trips. Also, parking a motorhome in the UK is becoming more and more difficult..

We agree on that for sure. We filled up at Jaca today @€1.22ltr now parked in Secorbe (not good, area is just at the road side by station). Calpe tomorrow. Then later in the week to La Oasis at Large Nucia for the lamb.

 

[chaser]

Well have got to say, coming up the West coast today we have met more brit vans coming down than we have seen in the whole last month.

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[Chockswahay]

Hey @Portland we will be on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees from Pamplona towards Jaca in a few days time, do you have any recommendations for what to see or where to stay please?

 

[Portland]

Hey @Portland we will be on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees from Pamplona towards Jaca in a few days time, do you have any recommendations for what to see or where to stay please?

Hi we tend to just use this route to pass through, however Jaca is a good town to visit there is an aire in it and you walk up to the town.
Have a good trip.

 

[busby]

Most of the aires we have been on for the last few weeks have been rammed full of French vans with just the odd Brit, yet the commercial aire we are on now in Locronan, which is a gorgeous small town full of tourists only has us and two German vans. The car parks dotted around the town have loads of French vans on them and there is a never ending stream of vans stopping at the barrier to our aire, reading the notice and driving off. The reason? It's nearly 10€ for the night to stay with no electricity. Obviously the exchange rate has put Brits off coming but I think we have a long way to go to match the French for parsimony!

Quelle surprise,,French are allergic to spending money,,,BUSBY

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[Abacist]

We would normally be there at this time for a month after the schools go back but we both have various medical tests scheduled so had to give it a miss this year.

 

[Portland]

Benidorm has just suffered its worst month for British holiday makers, we have seen very few Brit motorhom on the way down, we are now on Camplng Med in C alpe with just one more Brit. Where have the gone and why??

 

[Nirvanauk]

I’m now the sole surviving Brit at Port Grimaud , but the site is full of Germans.

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[Kelso]

We are all down on the algarve. ... lol

 

[JonP]

Been in Germany & Slovenia for last month, very few Brits think mainly time of the year.
The next period for Brit migration will be Dec/Jan enroute for Spain & Portugal.

 

[Wee Bold Davy]

Funny I was in Welshpole, sorry Welshpool the other day and was asking the same question. Where are all the Brits

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[Teuchter]

Got back from a 5 week tour of France last Monday (Aquatine, Pays de Loire, Vendee & Brittany - scarcely a Brit to be seen!!

 

[chaser]

I haved solved it, I called in cite Europe yesterday, bugger me, they are all there

 

[Sue]

We can't get out of Britain. Trapped by the road works and congested motorways!

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[Ber090]

After 5 weeks touring France using mostly Aires no brits hardly. But on the two sites we have used for a couple of nights loads of Brits. Here at La Flèche more Brits than we have seen anywhere and it appears most are new to Motorhome life and using their van like a caravan.Drive here then park for 2 weeks then go home! Means more space on Aires for us!

 

[scotjimland]

it appears most are new to Motorhome life and using their van like a caravan.

basically what we did.. and certainly not new to motorhome life..

aires are great for stopping for a night, but IMV for a holiday , a site is much better ... you can leave the van, go out for the day cycling, come back have a BBQ .. relax site out under the awning.. can't do that on many aires.. not everyone likes travelling every day .. and many aires we have used were little more than car parks , vans so close you could barely open a window..

 

[tony_g]

We've been touring southern Germany and Austria for over a month. Glorious weather for all but a couple of days and seen no more than a handful of Brits. In fact, virtually nothing but Germans in Germany......what a surprise! Referencing another thread, our impression is that whilst some Germans seem friendly enough, there are more who ignore smiles and good mornings or are even a bit rude. I wonder why?

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[Sue]

basically what we did.. and certainly not new to motorhome life..

aires are great for stopping for a night, but IMV for a holiday , a site is much better ... you can leave the van, go out for the day cycling, come back have a BBQ .. relax site out under the awning.. can't do that on many aires.. not everyone likes travelling every day .. and many aires we have used were little more than car parks , vans so close you could barely open a window..

The beauty of a motorhome is that you can do both...Aires or sites.
We have travelled through France and Spain and are now in a fabulous little finca for a week. Absolute comfort....true heaven. The van is great...but honestly I am thinking why not sell it and have this type of Holiday every year?
Hubby says NO!

 

[scotjimland]

We have travelled through France and Spain and are now in a fabulous little finca for a week. Absolute comfort....true heaven.

yes, I agree.. we went to Scotland for a week and stayed in a lovely cottage .. all the home comforts .. and really enjoyed it, and when I worked it out, taking into account he fuel saving by going by car it didn't cost a lot more than taking the motorhome + site fess..

 

[Ber090]

basically what we did.. and certainly not new to motorhome life..

aires are great for stopping for a night, but IMV for a holiday , a site is much better ... you can leave the van, go out for the day cycling, come back have a BBQ .. relax site out under the awning.. can't do that on many aires.. not everyone likes travelling every day .. and many aires we have used were little more than car parks , vans so close you could barely open a window..

Each to their own but surely a caravan is better for long stays on sites! Just my view and whatever peeps do is up to them.

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[scotjimland]

Each to their own but surely a caravan is better for long stays on sites! Just my view and whatever peeps do is up to them

yes perhaps.. and indeed..

but your post implied that if they didn't do as you, they were "new to Motorhome life" .

that is being judgemental about how they do it.. and indeed how we do it..


as you said "whatever peeps do is up to them"

 

[Nirvanauk]

No brits here at st Remy de provence

 

[Viennese]

Quite a few here at Parc Verger...!

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