France here we come.

[Sattalk]

Well I do have another username here from 13 years ago and that’s Realist but can’t retrieve the account cos I can’t remember what email I used.

Anyway…….

We are off to France next JUNE 24 first time As well.

Me and the misses and our dog Jacko will be going and picked a small site in the Dordogne region that only has 4x pitches, your own shower and toilet and a swimming pool, plus a private restaurant and bar for 2 weeks.

Our plan is is follows.

Leaving our caravan site in west wales on Saturday to the ferry at Portsmouth then onto Caen via overnight at 23.00hr ferry with a dog friendly cabin, then arrive at 6am in France and a 7hr drive down to the site.

Are there any places we can stop at on the way down for breaks and a dog walk etc.
Any places we need to stay away from.
What’s the best route down.

I have loads more questions but for now can’t think of any more.

Thanks all.

 

[otherclive]

Well I do have another username here from 13 years ago and that’s Realist but can’t retrieve the account cos I can’t remember what email I used.

Anyway…….

We are off to France next JUNE 24 first time As well.

Me and the misses and our dog Jacko will be going and picked a small site in the Dordogne region that only has 4x pitches, your own shower and toilet and a swimming pool, plus a private restaurant and bar for 2 weeks.

Our plan is is follows.

Leaving our caravan site in west wales on Saturday to the ferry at Portsmouth then onto Caen via overnight at 23.00hr ferry with a dog friendly cabin, then arrive at 6am in France and a 7hr drive down to the site.

Are there any places we can stop at on the way down for breaks and a dog walk etc.
Any places we need to stay away from.
What’s the best route down.

I have loads more questions but for now can’t think of any more.

Thanks all.

There are numerous Aires on your route. They range from full scale service areas to more basic ones with toilets, parking and generally oicnic benches. On the autoroutes Aires are clearly signed and you will see the distance to the next one. When we first took our two dogs we stopped not long after leaving the ferry. Would they “wee”? No way. I’ve lost track of how many Aires we stopped in until they did what was required of them.

The other thing is we tended to stop for lunch around 1130, as from 1200 ish it seems as if all of France stop for lunch and finding spots for an outfit can be difficult.

 

[Sattalk]

I always thought that Aires was for Motorhomes only and not caravans?

 

[otherclive]

I always thought that Aires was for Motorhomes only and not caravans?

Aires are for any vehicle using the autoroute. Even the more basic ones will generally have a separate HGV area, so if parking an outfit is difficult I would use the HGV area. The French can be delightfully undisciplined and cars will park in caravan or motorhome spots if it means they can get shade, or a shorter walk to the toilets. 😂

 

[Sattalk]

Ok thanks.

 

[woodsieboy]

As Other Clive says 'aires' vary from very basic rest areas to similar to our motorway service areas, you will see signs saying 'aire' on the main roads but if you think of 'aire' as 'area' you won't go far wrong.Childrens play areas will also show as aire de jeux, and rest area is aire de repos.You can expect the aires on main roads to be pretty full with lorries if travelling on a Sunday, as only certain lorries are allowe d to travel and the rest tend to park up.

 

[Beachball]

i hope you have a nice time in France like you we are hoping to go but i be stopping in a cottage or a gite we have sold our caravan

 

[Ukdave2002]

If you are planning to go in to towns its worth applying for a Crit'Air sticker, only cost a couple of quid, not needed in many/most French towns yet, but for the cost worth having IMHO.

The Crit'Air anti-pollution vehicle sticker

Paris has become the first restricted traffic area in France. This means that all vehicles travelling in the capital must now carry a ‘Crit’

www.france.fr