Wild camping on the west coast of France

[Jaws]

Soooooooooooo

been all over the place and unless we come up on the lottery doubt we can get much further ( apart from Greece ) on mainland Europe..

After a good deal of discussion ( men, you know the type of discussing I mean.. I say there and was discussed at until I broke down ) it has more or less been decided that we will, this coming summer, 'do' the west coast of France

Looking at the camp site prices for late August is bloody scary, so I would like to do a fair few days wild camping near the coast
September is ok as the ACSI card prices usually kick in from the 1st so much more affordable

Given the amount of peeps on here who travel France and know the place pretty darned well, I am looking for suggestions as to where we might plot up, if not for free then at reasonable costs.

If you know of somewhere I would like a town name if poss, and co-ordinates would be a bonus :thumb:

 

[TweetiePie]

Hi Jaws, Perhaps you might like to look at this web site

http://www.bdauncey.eclipse.co.uk/

Just click on France and you'll see aires and parking areas with the info and costs (if any)
We just use the free aires
Hope this helps,
Robley

 

[Heyupluv]

Soooooooooooo

been all over the place and unless we come up on the lottery doubt we can get much further ( apart from Greece ) on mainland Europe..

After a good deal of discussion ( men, you know the type of discussing I mean.. I say there and was discussed at until I broke down ) it has more or less been decided that we will, this coming summer, 'do' the west coast of France

Looking at the camp site prices for late August is bloody scary, so I would like to do a fair few days wild camping near the coast
September is ok as the ACSI card prices usually kick in from the 1st so much more affordable

Given the amount of peeps on here who travel France and know the place pretty darned well, I am looking for suggestions as to where we might plot up, if not for free then at reasonable costs.

If you know of somewhere I would like a town name if poss, and co-ordinates would be a bonus :thumb:

(All cords should be in the book called "all the Aires in France")
( look on Jims French Aires site and you will see photo's of most of them)

Jaws all these are Aire's...some of these Aires may have a 1 hour's electric on the borne but not in the price
The list below is as you go south down the west atlantic coast starting quite a bit above St- Nazaire

Damgan...6 euros a night water included no lecki

Quimiac......Free...no lecki no water, no drop off point ...one close by, and supermarket

Brambles, (North side of Piriac sur mer, Kerdrien ). ...5 euros water included and toiletts..no lecki

On Noirmoutier en Ile...(very top end point Municipal camp site) called, de la pointe,L'Herbautiere...price August 2 person 16.50...3.65 lecki..dog 1.65...last year

Rivedoux.Plage..(Ile de Re)..10 euros in centre on the town on the beach..no lecki and pay for water.(beware toll goes up in summer time 9 euros out of season could be about 15 euros in August, you only pay toll one way)can be busy)

Saint-seruin d'Uzet about 6.50 euros includes lecki

Mortagne sur Gironde ...7.20 euros.includes lecki & water and wifi..can be busy Aug

Parentis en Borne...7 euros including lecki and water

Soustons Plage...11.50 inc lecki and water...will be busy in Aug.

JAWS this should start you off.......

Mel:thumb:

 

[FIDGET]

Hi Jaws,
As Heyupluv Mel said Mortagne sur Gironde nice aire Quay side spot not cheap but well worth visiting,We stopped at Port de Barque aire free on sea wall but facilities crap so we went into campsite right next door it was late june 10 euros with electric, then along to St Vincent sur mer nice aire across the road from the nice beach, small car park type numbered pitches bit tight 5 euros, then on to St Jean de Mont large car park next to cycleway about 500 yrds to beach pleasant 5 euros. Also Ile de Re we used a 2 star campsite along side beach , beach a bit rugged but OK At St Marie de Re called La Cote de Savage. Hope this helps if you need any refs give me a pm . Terry:thumb:

 

[FIDGET]

Hi Jaws,
forgot about 2 others bit farther down south, Landes region well worth visiting Sanquinet and Gastes both lakeside spots not cheap 2 years ago 7 euros each but lovely spots if you go there be sure to visit the dune de Pyla fantastic sand dune 110 metres high I believe there is an aire there as well , you must go up it as its fab, view unbelievable , going up makes your legs ache but sliding/running back down is worth it alone. Terry:thumb:

Check out my photo album also Heyupluv's for pis's of various aires

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[Reallyretired]

Check your ACSI book. I don't have mine to hand but quite a lot of sites go back to off peak significantly before the end of August, or they did last year anyway.:thumb:

 

[Ven]

Hi John,

We spend a lot of time down that side of France (and am typing this in Mortagne sur Gironde, one of our favourites), we use aires exclusively and love them. Some are more scenic than others but we find they suit us. We use the All the Aires book and the Camperstop book. Shout if you'd like a few recommendations.

 

[Loujess]

We did that route last year. Good aires at Mimizan Plage (with street market), Lacanau Ocean, Houdin Lake. All beautiful. We headed for the aire at the end of Ile de Noirmoutier, but found it had closed and ended up at an ACSI site for a couple of days.

Ivy

 

[lorger]

Hi we are on the west coast just now in a site just outside Pornic we have used the asci card 16euro plus 4euro for Sophie so 20 a night and has great facilities like indoor pool with slodes and sauna also has gym so i can keep the marathon training going.

We stayed in a lovely aire just north of here in a lovely little village will post the names when we get home there is also a little aire in this wee town thats not in the book.

Gerry

 

[Bee]

Jaws

Hi John

As you know welive in france and have been to a couple opf sites which are not acsi but are reasonable one is in Foras right on the tip I think is called la Fume very tight place but see both sides of you another one is at a place called Marans on the D137 a few klm from the coast but a great site north of La Rochelle this is a municple site so not very expensive hope you are both keeping well

Regards Alan Brenda

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[Stephen & Jeannie]

Be there in a couple of weeks !!

Google Le Gurp !!! 2 Euros for the bourne ! Just up from Montalivet where I hang out !! Google that also !:Cool::Cool::Cool:

 

[veevee]

Soooooooooooo

been all over the place and unless we come up on the lottery doubt we can get much further ( apart from Greece ) on mainland Europe..

After a good deal of discussion ( men, you know the type of discussing I mean.. I say there and was discussed at until I broke down ) it has more or less been decided that we will, this coming summer, 'do' the west coast of France

Looking at the camp site prices for late August is bloody scary, so I would like to do a fair few days wild camping near the coast
September is ok as the ACSI card prices usually kick in from the 1st so much more affordable

Given the amount of peeps on here who travel France and know the place pretty darned well, I am looking for suggestions as to where we might plot up, if not for free then at reasonable costs.

If you know of somewhere I would like a town name if poss, and co-ordinates would be a bonus :thumb:

Why not wait another week and start in September, from that date France is all yours for a whole month?

 

[Jaws]

I would wait if I did not work for a living but have to go when I can !!

We do have the ACSI book and the All Aires to ( But most of the ACSI ones start on Sept 1st to the 9th )

I have printed out all the suggestions so should have plenty to get on with..

Thanks to one and all for your inputs !! :thumb::thumb:

 

[bigwood]

Great Information

I was just about to ask the same question about that bit of France. As you may have noticed from my introduction,we are going there in September for a try out with a hired van for a week. I have been on Eurocamp sites down that coast but never heard of the Aires. Great information from all contributors and lots of reading to do before we set off. I am one for milatary stile planing so a weeks holiday will end up a major exersise, I cant help it it was my twelve years playing soldiers that causes it.oh:

 

[magicsurfbus]

W Coast of France Aires we've tried and liked:

St Guenole - no services
Concarneau
Carnac
Port Blanc on Quiberon (free, no services)
Arzon/Kerjuanno
Le Croisic - 5 small aires available, best view is beside the harbour, service point a short distance away in the other (noisier) aire near the station. There's also a coastal aire that's a little way out of town.
La Rochelle Park'n'Ride (Ave Jean Moulin) with free bus rides for up to six people included in the 10.50 Euro a night price
Ile d'Oleron - two ex-campsite aires with automated barriers, an open Aire next to the water park at Dolus d'Oleron (30 Euros for a week last summer), and the low cost Camping des Remparts (9.50 Euros per night for MH) at Chateau d'Oleron.
La Palmyre - seafront aire (closed July-Aug) and another one further back with services and automated barrier.
Lacanau-Ocean (Le Huga)
Biscarrosse-Plage (keep well away from the crusty colony in the NE corner, otherwise OK)
La Barre, near Bayonne - last weekend in July is a major Basque booze-up and bull dodging event there.
Anglet, just down the road from La Barre
Biarritz (Ave Milady)

For full reviews and pics of most of the above, click the 'aire today' link in my signature below:

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[hdvrod]

Good info!

 

[Sundowners]

We have been using a french website for aires, in Portugal, Spain and now in France. It has been invaluable. Some of the places are just parking spots that have been added, but a lot of them have the facilities.

The only problem we found was you needed wifi to use it, but the other day, when visiting Yodeli, she was able to see if we could buy a CD with them on. We found out that we could download them on to a USB stick for a price of €8. We did this successfully, so now we can look at the aires at lunchtime to see where we can make that evening to park. You can plan it the day before, but you never know how long your next day is going to be.

There's so many more than in the book, that we also have.

Try www.campingcar-infos.com

Quite a few countries to choose from.

Hope this helps.

Nigel and Pamala - Parc Verger, Limousin, France

 

[JillandPhil]

Phil and I have traveled in France lots of times and prefer it to anywhere else in Europe, we use the All the Aires book and the camperstop book; when we run out of places to go we follow the French campervans, they never pay to park if they have to. The local French Municiple campsites are very reasonable compared with other campsites, they are run by the local councils and are usually close to town or a handy bus stop. Have a lovely time and enjoy. We hope to tour the Rose coast this summer.

 

[FIDGET]

Hi John, I also use a website called motorhomingfrance.co.uk great info plus photos and write ups on a hell of a lot of great aires includes map refs etc. costs £12 a year but I joined and printed out all of the aires info, so when I go I take the relavent pages of the areas we plan to visit as back up. Terry:thumb: