Help with first French trip

Been lurking on the forum since we bought our campervan last year. This will be our first trip abroad. We have two toddlers 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 and have booked the ferry for start of june for 24 days arriving in cherborg and leaving from there so looking for a good round trip in between.

We would like to head inland first and make our way down towards st jean de monts/la rochelle and then maybe head down to bayonne/biarritz if thats not too far. The campsites will mainly be decided on by the facilities for the wee ones but we would love to hit a vineyard/farmyard or two along the way also. being June would we need to book ahead or could we just go with the flow. Any advice greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards
Alan

Hi furry dice.

You should look at the ACSI website. They run a scheme of discounts for sites which will still be active in June. It is based on off season sites at a price of 12, 14, 16, or 18 euros per night. We find that this is only slightly more expensive than municipal sites which are much more basic. For a cost of about £25 you will get a guide book of thousands of sites not only in France but most of Europe. There is also a map book showing all of the locations for planning purposes. You will save the cost of the book in only a few uses. It is also likely that you will not need to book ahead, and even if a site is full you will not be stuck as there are loads of aires for gap filling.

As for the farm vineyard scenario, I am sure there are sites that will fulfil your wishes, although I have no recommendations. We also take a membership of France passion which costs about 30 pounds with free stopovers at farms, vineyards etc. but these are very basic. Essentially just a place to park over night with no facilities offered.

Given the age of your kids though, this is a good age to try this scheme as they do not 'need' all the fancy infrastructure of a big site with pool etc.

Assuming you are keen to experiment I would give it a try for a year, but highly recommend the ACSI scheme.

We are travelling start of June to Cherbourg so might bump into you. You will have a ball. France is so relaxing and motor home friendly.

Davy

some good advice above and with it being June it will not be too busy ,July and August are their holiday times . I personally never plan as there are so many sights to see and places to stop,also recommend asci book but check dates as rates vary and another tip is to always be looking for somewhere to park up by mid afternoon otherwise you will be wandering about lost in the dark .a good site for your books is
https://www.vicarious-shop.com/home.php
have a look here also
http://www.rebbyvid.co.uk/#/going-to-france/4542257529
and i also have a few blogs on France .
hope it helps

Hi Alan

If you are near the St. Emillion region Chateau Gerbaud in Saint Pey-D'Armens which is about 10 minutes drive from St. Emillion is a lovely place to park up the motorhome. The parking is within the vineyard they have water, elect, waste water etc and their prices are good. If you like wine I would also recommend you try theirs it is very good.

Just south of La Rochelle in Chatelaillon Plage there is a well run campsite called Camping Port Punay which you should check out.

Have fun

hi furry dice,
we have been travelling with 3 young kids since they were born and been down that whole coast many times. In June no booking necessary. You will however need to consider the weather. The weat coast of France, even in summer, can be disappointing if you are looking for guaranteed good weatehr. We spent 10 days in Royan in 2011 with 16oC and rain!! For a more reliable weather experience consider heading down to the med, you have the time after all. If you are set on the west coast then consider Ile De Re. there is a lovely island vibe about the place and some great aires right on the beach (check Le Bois Plage en Re). It is covered with cycle routes and the beaches are nice. Les Sables and St Jean De Monts are grand if you want the big tacky resort experience, but there are so many better places to visit. France passion sites are also great for the real experience, but they are way off the beaten track and take dedication to find them. Another great area is across the Gironde from Royan (Ferry 50E for van and occupants). The Atlantic coast from Le pointe De Medoc is awesome, spacious, clean soft sand and loads to do. There are Aires and campsites a plenty. We've stayed at Sunelia Pointe De Medoc a few times and it is quiet but very well run and has a covered heated pool and outdoor pool. There is a beautiful town called Soulac a few miles away and plenty of cycle paths and deserted beaches (which are hard to find on the Eastern side of the Medoc Estuary). There is a beach and supermarket in walking distance, or short bike ride from site. The weather there can be good in June, but not guaranteed. Even in high summer with great summer days it is still cool enough for a good sleep at night with the sea breeze colling things down. La Rochelle is also worth a visit/stay and is a bustling holiday town with plenty to keep you occupied. Don't be listening to anyone that says your children are too young, we took a trip a few years back with a 5month old in august!. Just do it, you wont want another type of holiday again!

France is a big beautiful country with attractions/scenery / history/ culture etc to suit all tastes and age groups . For us the West coast around la Rochelle etc is the most boring part, flat and featureless and while the Isle D'Oleron might be a bird watcher and cyclists paradise for us it was just another featureless salt marsh. We like mountain scenery , lakes, rivers , smaller towns/villages eg Brittany, Normandy,anywhere on the Dordogne/Vezere rivers, SE towards and including the Alps, S. towards and including the Pyrenees. There are excellent campsites with facilities for the children in all regions of France so my advice would be to decide on what sort of places/things that you would like to see and do eg visit chateaus/castles, hiking, canoeing, funfairs, wine tasting,local markets, swimming , fishing, museums, cathedrals,aquariums, bird/wolf sanctuaries, medieval villages,scenery, history/culture etc and then research on the net . Definately each to their own, no offense intended to anyone who prefers the West coast, although there are plenty of nice 'bits' it's just not our cup of tea.
ps- you don't need to be beside the sea to sit on the beach soaking up the sun if that's your thing, plenty of lakes and rivers also have great sandy beaches.

Hi Furrydice was wondering how this trip went for you and what area did you cover? We are going to France for 1st time this year - 2 adults and wee dog - so would love to hear how you got on last year!!

Years ago we did Eurocamp with our children and I picked lots of campsites moving every few days...to the lament of everyone else "can we not stay in one place ", but as you had booked in advance, you couldn't really change it whether you loved or hated it.
We have been back to France over last 5 years with MH, no children. We have spent hours driving, but so far not gone beyond Dordogne.
We tend to watch the weather www.yr.no seems pretty accurate. Why go further south if weather no better as you have to drive all the way back up.
Last year in April we had fantastic weather, and stayed in one place 6 days think called Le Paradis on St.Leon sur Vezere ( for nostalgic reasons we had gone there with the boys). Travelled North and had 36 hrs non stop rain and decided to go home early as weather showed no signs of improving before our planned homecoming date...reason why we take flexibility option with Irish Ferries.
We use ACSI sites. Very impressed with Yelloh Village, we were wishing our grandson had been with us.