First timers

[Lol1]

We are seriously thinking of taking the caravan abroad this coming year, it will be our first time, so are looking for hints/tips/advice and recommendations. The biggest reason for crossing the channel is the weather, so somewhere warm is what we are looking for. We don't want to have to stop-over half way there, so somewhere close is needed, preferably with English being spoken (haven't touched French since school) and advice on which ferry would be best. Has anyone been with one of his or her clubs en-mass for a holiday, and was it worth it going as a group? I know the list is long, but it could get whole lot longer, thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[Guest]

You need to define what you mean by 'warm'. In my mind that is 25 degrees C and above, and that is what I like, but others find 20 degrees C quite enough, and you can easily get that in the UK. If you share my outlook then you need to look at the Med for good hot temperatures with out too much 'hit and miss', as can happen elsewhere. If you are looking at school holidays then you really need to pre-book, especially one of the beach side sites. These all usually speak good English by the way, but do try your French, you will find it fun and rewarding. The Caravan Club will give you a lot of good advice in their books and may be able to advise on any rallies that are available.

If you don't wish to drive south then the Santander ferry will put you in Spain right away, but I would not recommend Spain for your first time of driving aboraod, it can be quite scary.

I would suggest head across the Channel at Dover and take it from there. You may find a place you like near at hand, there are many attractive areas, but the weather will be similar to SE England.

Go for it and good luck. You will wish you had done it sooner.

 

[Scottishlass]

Hi, the advantage of Northern France (north of Loire/Paris line) is that it's close whilst further south though longer is warmer. However, we're going for the Dover Calais route as it is so much cheaper than the longer Western channel routes (

 

[Mike_5041144]

Hi Lol, you need to give us more information. Any children or just 2 adults. Which month. Seaside/inland/lakes/mountains. How far do you want to travel.

Last year was our first trip abroad. We went for 4 weeks end June/early July. Crossed from Dover to Dunkerque [Norfolk Line]. No sites were booked - we used the CC Book - Caravan Europe 1. We stayed 6 days at Attigney and 19 nights at Obernai [south of Strasbourg]. Municipal sites. English was spoken at both sites. Our French is pathetic we used English/French dictionery. The Alsace region was more than warm enough for us and we had a great holiday. We are 'Oldies' but won't admit it.

We shall be going again next year for longer and apart from the ferry reservation - 'wing it' from then onwards. The French roads/motorways are so much better [and quieter] than ours. If you arrive on a weekend the Lorries are absent. We did our return trip from Obernai to Dunkerque on a Sunday and that was as far as I would want to drive in a day. I cannot recall the actual mileage. We stayed overnight near Dunkerque and Ferry next day.

It is much easier than you tend to imagine, usual proviso - good insurance!!!

Good luck

Mike [70]

 

[Lol1]

Your all correct, I do need to fill in a few details, and thanks for the help so far.

Just me and the wife will be travelling, towing a twin axle (ouch on the ferry) preferably in June/July. We want to travel for no longer than whats left in the day after we get off the ferry, but want to get to as dry a place as we can in that time. Is Southern France/Spain do-able from Calais?

 

[Mike_5041144]

Lol you need to look at Michelin or AA Route finders and check the mileages from Calais/Dunkerque to where-ever you fancy going. Towing a Caravan more than 450 miles per day is way too much for me. However we have a friend who drove his car from Port Grimaud [Nr St Tropez] to Calais - ferry crossing - then drove from Dover to Doncaster [S. Yorks]. ALL IN ONE DAY. I told him he was mad and at age 70 should have known better.

 

[Scottishlass]

Mike - who said anything about age and common sense going hand in hand?! We're planning on heading back from Millau region to about 60-100km short of Calais in one day - I wouldn't like to do much more but we only ahve one driver and 2 wee kiddies so it's a different set up really. Will you be both be driving, if so you may manage?

 

[Mike_5041144]

Hi Scottishlass

We have 2 drivers but only one when the Caravan is hooked on - me. It must be difficult with 2 children - I can sympathise - glad we are just 2. We have not yet decided where to go [April & May] but our trip to Alsace region will be hard to beat.

 

[rob_jax]

Lol,

Enjoy your trip to France. We've used all the routes, and I still prefer the Dover - Calais crossing, if you miss the ferry then there's one behind.

We go on vacation in late June (the last few weeks before the prices ramp up when the children break up from School) and the weather in France can require some thought.

Tip: Go in the campsite bar when the evening weather forecast is on, or maybe the site posts a weather forecast by reception.

Roughly the June / early July weather is either:

1. Sunny and warm all over - about 25

 

[colin(bridgend)]

The first tim my wife and I took the caravan abroad we went from Plymouth to Roskoff and headed for Benodet. Our thinking was that we would do most of the driving in this country with only approx. 120 miles in France. Although the ferry trip was approx. 6 hours we thouroughly enjoyed it, plenty to see and do on board. The drive from Roskoff to Benodet was very easy - dual carraigeway most of the way - no tolls. Only problem was only one petrol station between Roskoff and Quimper. We stayed at Camp du Letty which is spotless and right on the beach and a short walk into Benodet along the sea shore. Our only let down was that we did not take our push bikes with us. Plenty on site and surrounding district for both children and adults.

We booked through Select Sites at Abergaveny - they did all the paperwork for us, all we had to do was make sure we had the passports and euros. Have a look at their website "www.select-sites.co.uk". Now we know the pros and cons we are making our own arrangements this year.

Good luck and enjoy your selves - we did

 

[Guest]

Lol,

We have been touring Europe since the early 70's and have tried most of the crossings from north to south. As we lived in the north (Aberdeen), we tended to use Hull as it was the nearest and took us to Holland where we usually stocked up on good food and beer before heading south with all the other Dutch. Nowadays, there are only the 2 of us and have all the time in the world so we now head all the way down and take the Eurotunnel. No ramps and a train every 30 minutes. It is slightly dearer than the ferries but if you time it right, not that much, and there is none of the hassle of loading/unloading. You drive on and straight off again.

In France the roads are very good, but avoid the A6 in late July/August, it is a death trap. Also, as you state you have a twin axle be careful on some of the sites in the south, they can have smaller pitches than what you may be used to. Can be a bit of a squeeze sometimes. Also most Europeans tend to pitch parallel to the road with the awning on the inside, so you get privacy, not perpendicular to the road, as we usually do here.