Camping cheques or Gold card?

[hunny1]

We have finally taken the plunge and have booked a ferry crossing to Dunkirk. This will be our first time abroad with the caravan so I am a little nervous.
We are going middle of May just for 7 nights so need somewhere no more than 2-3hours driving, and with reasonable size pitches, not bothered about bars etc. Would appreciate suggestions. Oh, and where to stop overnight for Dover
Should we go for the camping cheques or the Gold card? Or I belive there is another card out there?

If this goes well we are then going for 2 weeks at the begginning of September, so will be able to go a bit further.

Thankies
Hunny

 

[anotherDavid]

Personally I wouldnt bother with booking or camping cheques for that time of year.We never book anthing and never have a problem. The Camping cheque scheme is ok but limits your choice, the ACSI card covers many more sites and is a fixed price of €11,13 or 15 (this year).You pay for the book and card £13 inc postage (Vicarious Books are theagents) and pay the sites as and when unlike the camping cheques where you pay upfront. Get the Caravan Club guide Camping Europe Vol 1 it has thousands of sites in Fance and I wouldnt leave home without it.
Hope you have a good trip
Regards
David

 

[ValA.]

There are, as David says, thousands of sites in France - and absolutely no need to book for May. There are 'Camping a la Ferme', Municipal sites in towns and villages, and everything up to five star all-singing, all-dancing sites.
Camping Cheques (www.campingcheque.co.uk) and the ACSI Card (www.campingcard.co.uk) give you discounts on three and four star sites, often with pools, bars and restaurants - though never busy in May. For 11, 13 or 15 euros (with the ACSI) card, or £13.95 with Camping Cheques you get a pitch for two people, car and caravan, awning and electricity. You can beat this price on some of the smaller municipal sites, but you're not likely to get a pool, bar and restaurant for example.
Sites in France may be very quiet in May - even the largest all-singing campsite may only be a quarter full, and they are very different to the same sites in high season. We always holiday in May and use a combination of ACSI Card and Camping Cheques, with municipal sites for overnight stops.
The same applies in September *(when we go again, too!) - don't book, go where the best weather is, and have a great time.
I can't help with the site near Dover, sorry, as we don't stay overnight - this time we're hoping to get a lunchtime crossing, and have a couple of hours driving on the French side before finding somewhere to stay.
Depending on your interests, and what you want for a holiday, there are two areas I would suggest, within a half-day of Dunkerque - Champagne/Ardennes if you like wine villages, historic buildings, and tours of the wine producers, or Bay de la Somme area - with some nice beaches, and plenty of interesting places to visit.

 

[DavidKlyne]

We have finally taken the plunge and have booked a ferry crossing to Dunkirk. This will be our first time abroad with the caravan so I am a little nervous.
We are going middle of May just for 7 nights so need somewhere no more than 2-3hours driving, and with reasonable size pitches, not bothered about bars etc. Would appreciate suggestions. Oh, and where to stop overnight for Dover
Should we go for the camping cheques or the Gold card? Or I belive there is another card out there?

If this goes well we are then going for 2 weeks at the begginning of September, so will be able to go a bit further.

Thankies
Hunny

The Caravan Club site called Black Horse Farm is a good place to stop overnight before your crossing. Like others we tend to use the ACSI Card more now than Camping Cheques. If you are only for 7 nights initially then paper cheques are hardly likely to be a major inconvenience. I have a Silver Card rather than the Gold Card which is a convenient way of paying by CC.
David

 

[smiley]

What time do you arrive at Dunkirk???

 

[hunny1]

Hi Smiley
We are on the 10am from Dover.

Hunny

 

[NigelDonnelly]

Gold card is not worth bothering with but the silver card gives most of the same benefits without the subscription cost. But I agree the acsi card is more widely accepted and is a very good scheme

Cheers and have a great time!

 

[ValA.]

If you spend enough time in France, on Camping Cheque sites, then the Gold Card can be better value than the Silver Card. You 'tot up' loyalty points, which go towards or pay for your next card, and you have access to a wide range of discounts and special offers on some sites - a bottle of wine with a meal, extra 'free' nights, free bike hire, etc, as well as 'free booking without charge' for Gold Card holders! Sometimes for newcomers to France this extra reassurance is worth having - as often first-timers really have trouble with the concept that outside peak weeks you very rarely need to book sites in advance!!

 

[KeithJ]

Sorry Nigel, I have to disagree with you and agree with Val. I purchased my Gold Card 5 years ago and have long since forgotten the cost. It gets renewed after 3 years, paid for by the loyalty points and I have also changed some loyalty points into more Camping Cheques. What I find most convenient is the ability to top up almost instantly on line, directly from the French Camping Cheque website, paying by credit card from wherever I am - usually via wi-fi on a continental site.
I would, however agree that it is only worth it if you use the card regularly, and I think the Silver Card also has the electronic topping up facility.

 

[hunny1]

Thanks for your replies.
I am probably being a bit dim here, but what is the difference between a site and a municipal site?
I am planning to book the Black Horse farm site for the ferry crossings (subject to the scramble on the 7th) lol

Hunny

 

[ValA.]

Many campsites are commercially owned, but municipal sites are owned (and generally run) by the local 'council' or Mairie. They often charge quite a low fee, compared to commercial sites, and are usually situated within walking distance of the shops of a particular town or village. They are there to attract people to the village, and some are of very high standards indeed. They are definitely one of the 'bonuses' of travelling in France - there is almost always a reasonably priced municipal site within an hour of so when you want to find somewhere to stop. Some sites have a 'manager' on site, on others someone will come around in the evening, or early morning to collect your fee, and on others there is just an 'honesty box'! You need a good campsite guide. The Caravan Club Europe guide includes all types of sites, but for almost complete coverage you want something like Le Guide Officiel Camping Caravanning which you can buy from Vicarious Books before you go, or from many Maisons de Presse (Paper shops) or larger supermarkets, when you get to France.