A nice site not to far

[MonkeyHanger]

Hiya,

We are planning to go to France for the first time next yaer although i have driven in Europe before i havent towed and the wife is a bit nervous.

we are planning to go dover calais and she doesnt want to travel to far the first time so can anybody tell me a good site not to far where there is plenty for the wife and i AND two TEENAGERS who wont have there PC's or playstations to keep them occupied.

Thanx

 

[OldBean]

Don't worry about the drive in France - it's so easy!! Less traffic, quieter roads, and lovely scenery to keep you awake. When are you going next year? Recommendations may alter depending upon the season. If you're doing in school holidays then sites will be busier, and you may need to think about booking early. However, if you're going when teenagers finish GCSE's (June ish), then there should be lots of free pitches. What sort of things do you like? Beaches, wildlife, rivers, castles, - France is so big, with so many wonderful places, that it's difficult to be generalised as to a recommendation. There are sites within 3/4 hour of the ferry at Dover, for instance, with beaches, canals, historic cities, and war history - but you may not want that sort of thing. You'll find you can drive much further in a day in France than in England, and if you go further south you'll definitely get better weather. Brittany is lovely, with some great site for teenagers. Where are you planning to cross the channel? Dover is cheaper (by far) but the western channel crossings take yo further into France with less driving on the other side. Please tell your wife not to be nervous - join lots of us wives, and actually enjoy towing herself in France! It's a doddle!!!

 

[MikeP]

It's really difficult to suggest a site without knowing more about you and your requirement. This usually works:

1. Decide roughly how far you wish to travel from the ferry port.

2. Identify the main towns/resorts in that general area.

3. Look in the C & CC Club (Carefree), CC, Alan Rogers, internet etc etc to find a site that meets your needs.

France is a vast country, with sites to suit everyone. Some of the municipal sites are small, basic and friendly - you could pay around _10-12 per night for a very peaceful time. At the other end of the scale are lively holiday resorts with pools, bars and restaurants. They can cost anything from _30 to _50 per night.

 

[Arrow1]

Can't agree more with regards to the driving in France.. I have been back and forth three or four times a year for the past five years and find it easier to drive in France than in England (but not Wales). It will be a bit apprehensive for the first time, but I will almost GUARANTEE, you will find it surprisingly easy once the fear factor goes.

 

[Guest]

We live in the south of France and it is easier to drive home from Calais with Caravan in tow than drive to Liverpool or Scotland from the south east with out it.

The roads apart from Paris area are quieter and have few hold ups. Family friends made their first continental towing caravan visit to us early this year and did over 350 miles non stop from Total station in Calais before lunch.

They made plans to stop every hour or so and take a day doing the distance but found the roads so clear and such a pleasure to drive that they just kept rolling along looking for other cars as they couldn't believe how empty the road from Calais was on a Saturday morning. Whilst in France Eve towed the caravan for the first time ever as all though on the "wrong side" of the road she felt much happier than on busy UK roads.

They are not youngsters and headed back Via the Alantic coast as it was so much fun on the clear roads.

Tell your wife to pull herself together, and head a few hundred Miles south of Calais for a bit of Sun

For example we've done Rochefort to Calais towing a large caravan at a sensible pace with a pleasant lunchtime stop after leaving just before 8am and arriving at Calais early and being put on the 5pm ferry.