First post and First time abroad.

[smh]

Hi all,this is our first post here and I hope you can help me.We are taking the plunge next year and going to France.I have never towed abroad before and I must admit I said that I would'nt (to be honest through fear) until a friend told me about a site 10 miles from calais called chateau de gandspette.I thought "I can do that" and so this is our plan. Once we are there I can then travel a bit further and get used to it and perhaps after that, well who knows where we might go.Everyone has told me how easy it is but unfortunatly i'm one of those people that will beleive it when i see it (or tried it). Can anyone tell me about this site and what it is like to get to etc etc.Also did anyone go on the 22nd July - 3rd aug and if so how much would it have cost me.

Thankyou.

Steve.

 

[colin(bridgend)]

Steve I can't tell you much about Calais but I have just returned from Roscoff having covered approx. 800 miles in France and this was my second trip over there with the van. We went to Benodet (approx. 80 miles from Roscoff) and it was brilliant. We had no trouble driving on their side of the road, in Brittany the roads were brilliant. The fuel is approx 20p. per litre cheaper than the UK. Food is expensive compared to this country and we did not see much saving on booze. Go for it and do not worry - at the roundabouts there are direction arrows for which way to go.

 

[colin(bridgend)]

Forgot to mention that for the ferry - car and van and five passengers and the site fees for two weeks was

 

[Mike_5041144]

Hi Steve

David Klyne has a review of your site here:

http://www.caravantravels.co.uk/
Driving in France is much easier than UK - roads and motorways are much quieter, yes you can pay tolls but the miles pass quickly especially when towing and there are regular comfort stops.

Norfolk Line - Dover/Dunkerque I can recommend on price/comfort/ease of use and great modern boats.

HTH

Mike

 

[chrissie2]

I wouldn't agree that food is more expensive than this side of the channel. Of course, it depends what you buy,but we have found that fruit and vegetables are of superb quality and much cheaper, meat is perhaps about the same price, but very good, coffee is still much cheaper, and beer is ridiculously cheap. As for wine, we tend to pay slightly less than in the UK, but for much better quality. Certainly, some items - mostly the 'typically British' sort of stuff - can be expensive, but you don't have to buy it. Markets are a real joy and even hypermarkets can be fun, rather than the chore that their UK equivalents invariably seem to be.

We usually have a few days at Gandspette at the end of visits to France, and always enjoy it. St Omer is worth a visit and has a very good Saturday market, the Blockhaus just down the road is interesting if you are into WW11 stuff, and Cassel, just off to the East, is a lovely old town (make sure you visit the windmill).

The site itself provides all we need and more, and we have had some enjoyable meals in the restaurant.

A stay here to acclimatise yourselves sounds very sensible. Once you have driven on 'the wrong side' for a little while, I am sure that you will wonder why you were worried, but it is only natural that you should be at this stage. We have been doing it for over 20 years now, and the things we worried about before those first few visits seem really comical now - but the concerns were real enough at the time.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[ValA.]

Here's the website address http://www.chateau-gandspette.com/- and you should be able to select the English version, and find out an approximate costing for this year. It's not likely to vary a great deal next year, either. However, the dates you quote are peak season in France, and Gandspette is a popular site, so you may need to think about booking early.

Dover/Calais ferries, if booked early, will probably cost around

 

[chrissie2]

Another option might be to take the Norfolk Lines crossing to Dunkerque. It takes perhaps 30 minutes longer than the crossings into Calais, but is usually quite a bit cheaper. From there, you are less than half an hour on non-toll roads from Eperleques. I think it is the D600, D300, then turn right at the roundabout onto the D207: I hesitate a little, because French roads are in the process of being re-numbered, so check before you leave with www.viamichelin.com. Another advantage of this route is that the turn into the site is on your right hand side, so the entrance is more visible.

 

[Le Chant]

Food is definitely NOT more expensive compared to the UK. If you eat like a Brit then it is! eat like the French do and you'll be fine. Could you get a four course meal in a fantastic restaurant in the Uk for _15 (

 

[colin(bridgend)]

Stuart I was generalising regarding the price of food and in Brittany area it did work out expensive, As for eating out we visited Quimper and looking at the menus on the street cafes it appeared the average 2 course meal, which often included mussells, was approx

 

[Pat_374304630]

Just one small piece of advice that was given to me on my first visit to France was,When driving keep to the kerb on your right hand side....