A word of warning for non-bookers...........

[ValA.]

We've just come back from France, and one (Camping Cheques) site that we've visited several times in the past was much fuller than we expected with only a few free pitches. That was in the middle of May, and we'd reached the site around lunchtime. We then read in the Midi Libre (local paper for the Languedoc Rousillon region) that there has been a resurgence of popularity of camping and caravanning, and that three and four star sites are between 75% and 99% booked for this season! Other people appear to have had the same experience.

At another site we were on there were people turning up very early in the morning - in fact before breakfast - and waiting for pitches.

For anyone wanting a particular site then I would suggest getting there as early as possible or ringing in advance to reserve a pitch, perhaps on the morning of the day you are travelling.

I have to say that we're 'avid' non-bookers, preferring to follow the best weather, and this was the first year we've ever experienced full sites in the middle of May.

 

[DianneT]

It is similiar here in Austria Val, much busier than last year. Not with Brits though only seen 4 couples with UK van in nearly 9 weeks.

My advice is either telephone or email a couple of days ahead to enquire if space is available. In Germany and Austria the campsite owners will save you a pitch if asked. We are only using ACSI Card though, we do not do Camping Cheques as not much choice of sites here in these countries.

 

[jonah]

Hello Val and Dianne,

Thankyou for the warning. We are going to the south of france later this month, and for the first time ever we have decided not to book, as we no longer have to go in the school hols now as our son has left school this year ( on exam leave ).

We were hoping to go to Les Sablons and Les Rivages and was hoping to just turn up, thinking that it would be quieter, and we would have no problems in obtaining a nice pitch, after reading your threads, I think we will give them a phone call!

Thanks again, hope you both had a lovely time on your hols.

Best wishes,

Jonah.

 

[ValA.]

Les Rivages was not full when we were there at the weekend - only about 30% occupied perhaps, as seemed to be the case on a lot of other Millau sites. I did wonder if this was the 'viaduct' effect. In the past Millau was very much a bottle neck and I think people used to stopover to try to avoid the worst effects - setting off early next morning. Now I think they may just travel past, over the viaduct. Lots of other sites in Millau were displaying their 'ACSI' rates very prominently on their advertising hoardings, suggesting a lot of rivalry and 'touting' for business.

However, according to a thread on another forum, Les Sablons was full and turning people away the weekend before last. This is very unusual in France, in May. The site we were on, Le Neptune at Grau d'Agde, was much busier than we've ever found in previous years. When we arrived at around lunchtime we had a choice of five pitches, but these filled by other arrivals that day. Thereafter there were only a couple of free pitches each day, and what was unusual was that people were arriving much earlier in the day than we'd ever noticed before.

It's interesting that there were a range of nationalities, a lot of French - probably more than we've seen in previous years, and mostly in caravans, a lot of Dutch and Germans, this time a lot of Belgians, Scandinavians, Italians and Spanish, and even a couple of Polish couples on motorbikes.

We did notice that several car parks by the beach, and alongside other attractions and walking routes, were restricting access with height barriers, and wondered if this was affecting motorhome use, with people moving back into campsites instead of on the 'Aires de Camping Car' used by a lot of motorhomers recently. We also wondered whether sites had over-egged their provision of pitches with rented mobile homes, which didn't seem to be full at all, to the detriment of being able to provide touring pitches.

 

[DianneT]

Well today we are in Switzerland near to Interlaken. Not so many vans on the site here. In fact driving down from Bludenze in Austria today we did not see one other caravan on the road and 1 motor home. At the moment there are few Dutch (they get everywhere) 1 Brit motor home and one or two German caravans.

Nice ACSI site here high above Thunersee, free wifi, all grass pitches, no awning mats allowed, so everwhere is very green and no bare patches.

 

[v.meldrew2]

Well today we are in Switzerland near to Interlaken. Not so many vans on the site here. In fact driving down from Bludenze in Austria today we did not see one other caravan on the road and 1 motor home. At the moment there are few Dutch (they get everywhere) 1 Brit motor home and one or two German caravans.

Nice ACSI site here high above Thunersee, free wifi, all grass pitches, no awning mats allowed, so everwhere is very green and no bare patches.

Would this be the site at Beatenberg? We are due there beginning of August.

 

[KeithJ]

Hi Diane

That sounds like Krattigen......super little site and very friendly owners. We stayed there last year - funnily enough had been to Ossiachersee before going there but went via Italy.

I rang ahead to check on availability because it was the beginning of July, and when we arrived the owner met me at the entrance and welcomed me by name!!

There is an excellent restaurant just down the hill from there with outside tables across the road - worth a visit, and some excellent walks down to the lake.

Enjoy the rest of your holiday

Keith

 

[KeithJ]

Hi Val

We have noticed a lot of French people everywhere this year. They didn't used to leave France!! We are down in Portugal and there are a lot of French here, as well as the usual Dutch. Can't say sites have been anywhere near full, though, although it is notable that they fill up at weekends and then empty out again, and have been notably busier in the school half term. Lots of Spanish and Portuguese go camping at the weekend in tents, or on seasonal pitches in Spain. Like you we have also noticed the increase in cabins being installed on sites but they don't appear to be used very much. Perhaps they fill up in the school Summer holidays.

We have also always been avid non-bookers, but have resorted to ringing ahead the last couple of years, especially if a site looks goog in the Camping Cheque or ACCI books.

Keith

 

[DianneT]

Yes KeithJ it is Stuhlegg at Krattigen lovely site very full at the moment and it is very hot here.

 

[hasbo]

we have been going to the same site not too far from paris for the last 6 years same time whitsun week never seen it so busy, when we arrived home they had sent us an email to say that if we wanted to go again at the same time next year to book 1 month before...hasbo

 

[vectisrambler]

It is obviously a very patchy picture. We have been over since late May and found France very quiet. We left France because of the poor weather and found Spain also to be quiet. Down at Oliva there was one other Brit. Val, is it possible you were finding the Whitsun crowds at the Med? (I mean the true Whitsun, as opposed to the UK version) I remember many years ago being told there was not a hotel room to be had anywhere the entire French coast during the Whitsun religious holiday

We have returned to south of Bergerac where our site is about 24% occupied. Stopped at Oloron on the way north and that was even quieter. All in all our experience has been to find it generally quieter than some previous June trips.

 

[Gafferbill]

.....busy but nowhere near full around Lake Annecy at the moment.

 

[ValA.]

We were there over 'Pentecost' and this did run into the school holidays, but we've been during the same weeks many, many times before and never found it as full.

This, together with the article in the Midi Libre, made me post the message, and it seems to be backed up by others in other areas, too. On another forum, as a result of my post, several people phoned sites they were intending to visit in the next few weeks, and two of them found the sites were fully booked.

I can imagine that it isn't affecting every site, and the original post does mention three and four star sites, so I suppose it depends where your staying. I suppose it didn't help that the bit of France where we were was the only area forecast to have good weather - I expect the French were following the weather forecast (and the best weather) just like we were, so we all ended up in the Languedoc trying to get into the same (cheap) sites!

 

[Guest]

We have been have been in Spain since late April and yes, the sites are quite busy with lots of Dutch and Germans. Ironically we booked 3 sites in advance but left all 3 early as they were not what we wanted.

Also some sites are stopping CC for ACSI as cash is upfront.

Also some sites are giving normal rates equal to CC for cash.

 

[nkosibob]

just back from Provence, we arrived there on 23rd May amd the site was full, mostly dutch---fortunately we had booked a few month previous----after 2 weeks there we travelled down to agde and the site was also full, we wanted to stay some extra days but no chance-----so i think the days of not booking may be coming to a close, pending on where you are going of course

 

[DavidKlyne]

Is this an issue mainly with Camping Cheque sites? It seems that we have only heard of this since CC started to offer the option of free booking ahead. A backward move in my book.

David

 

[ValA.]

No, I don't think so, David. Camping Neptune was certainly a Camping Cheque site, but the other full site was ACSI.

Perhaps I'll have to stop promoting Camping Cheques and ACSI - it's just filling up the pitches I want to be on!

 

[JohnM20]

Hi All

We're presently near Colmar at Turckheim. It's a lovely municipal site let down only by meadiocre showers. We even have our own resident stork family that do the rounds seeing whose got some food. The thing is, the site is only about a quarter full and the majority of the people here are Dutch although there are a few Danes, some French and Germans. There are probably about half a dozen Brits. This is a lovely area and Turckheim is a beautiful little place.

On the way down we stopped at Maubeuge (a CC inspected site)and there there were 10 of us on a 100 pitch site. 7 Dutch, 2 French and us Brits. In germany at Staufen near Freiburg the site was only about half full. The only exception to this rule was the municipal site Eguisheim which looked a bit scruffy. This was almost full, but with Dutch. We decided to stay at Turckheim instead and we were very pleased we did.

Regards

JohnM

 

[Stephen_5040929]

Hi All

We're presently near Colmar at Turckheim. It's a lovely municipal site let down only by meadiocre showers. We even have our own resident stork family that do the rounds seeing whose got some food. The thing is, the site is only about a quarter full and the majority of the people here are Dutch although there are a few Danes, some French and Germans. There are probably about half a dozen Brits. This is a lovely area and Turckheim is a beautiful little place.

On the way down we stopped at Maubeuge (a CC inspected site)and there there were 10 of us on a 100 pitch site. 7 Dutch, 2 French and us Brits. In germany at Staufen near Freiburg the site was only about half full. The only exception to this rule was the municipal site Eguisheim which looked a bit scruffy. This was almost full, but with Dutch. We decided to stay at Turckheim instead and we were very pleased we did.

Regards

JohnM

Hi John

We were there at Easter. A lovely area and we loved the storks. Only one shower block open at that time - the one near reception. The water took a long time to run hot - 6 or 7 pushes - give it time! The other block was closed so I cannot comment. Whilst not the best showers they were certainly adequate.

Enjoy your stay

Stephen

 

[emmerson2]

Just returned form five weeks in France, never booked ahead (except for first and last nights for the vet for the dogs), and had no problems at all. Quieter than last year, I thought

 

[vectisrambler]

Just back after 6 weeks in France and Spain. 10 sites visited without booking. The very bad weather was a major talking point and there is little doubt many French and Dutch headed south to find dry ground (with mixed success!) Spain, beyond Valencia, showed a few Brits only making the effort and sites getting busy only with Spanish weekenders. All in all, inland France was quiet, perhaps because those who were able filled the sites in the south. However, with the start of the French Holidays, booking for the next several weeks, particularly near the coasts, is essential to guarantee a pitch.

 

[DianneT]

Well we have just arrived from 3 months in Europe. At the begining sites were not full but by the time we left Austria 3rd June the site there was 75% full. Visiting the Tyrol on our way up to Switzerland sites were busy too. In Switzerland very busy and back in Germany too. Generally mostly Dutch, few Germans, saw 5 UK outfits up to 8th June then quite a few in Switzerland, none in the Black Forest, one outfit at Bitburg,one outfit at Essen and Arnhem. Masses at Guines last night.

 

[KeithM]

Now in the 8th week of our trip to Germany and compared with previous years the sites are considerably less busy. At present we are at the beautiful Roeders Park site just outside Soltau and very unusually it is only circa 50% occupied.

Talking to the owner of the site on the island of R

 

[JohnGriffiths]

We have just returned and have to agree with what the majority are saying here, in general it was much busier than usual. We crawled down the eastern side via Champagne, Burgundy, Drome, and Provence with the aim of ending up in Cavalaire sur Mer but the further south we got the more busy the sites became, usually with Dutch and German tourers. I think we were just about the only Brits at Vaison la Romaine and Fontaines de Vacluse so we started heading back up. Back to normal again by the time we reached Burgundy, but busy again in Alsace.