Fuel in France on Sunday

[MartinJ]

Hi everyone,

We are traveling from Calais to the Loire in August - about 360 miles to our site. We catch our ferry early Sunday morning and are a bit concerned as we have heard that fuel is not available on a sunday as services etc are closed. I dont think one tank full of diesel will get us there.

Does anyone have any experience of this? Do you think we may have a problem?

Thanks, Martin.

 

[JohnM20]

Hi Martin

Whilst fuel stations in towns and at supermarkets will almost certainly be closed on Sundays I am fairly sure that motorway service areas are open for fuel.

John M

 

[JTS]

Hi Martin J.

The only time you will find a problem on a Sunday in France with fuel on main routes, supermarkets and motorways is if that Sunday is a religous or national holiday. That is my exprience of many years in Frnce. TIP:- don't let your tank get too low. Good luck. JTS.

 

[Guest]

All motorway sites should be open with the big stations in towns open too, the hypermarket stations will be closed and the self serve wont take British cards as we found out a couple of years ago whe we were kindly helped by a French couple whom we gave 50 Euro cash so they could fill us up on thier card !

Jts is right dont get too low as I did !

 

[MartinJ]

Thanks guys - we plan to use motorways as its a fair trek in one day to our site so hopefully we shouldnt have a problem. Will definately keep topped up - I reckon a tank and a half should get us there.

 

[Tim2]

While it is true that only motorway services and not hypermarket service stations are open on Sunday It is NO LONGER true that NO 24 hour credit card pumps don't take UK credit cards.

Whilst in the past we too have been reduced to giving French motorists cash in exchange for them using their card some French auto pumps do now take UK Credit cards. We found this for the first time last summer. Not all of the autopumps work, however, so it is as well not to run too low on a Sunday.

Best wishes

Tim

 

[LesleyRussell]

Motorway service stations should be open and there is one not too far from Calais (just after Junction 37 or thereabouts) on the A16 Southbound.

 

[LesleyRussell]

p.s. If you are really unlucky and cannot find one open you wioll have to find a site en route and re-fuel on Monday. Although if you do fill up at Dover you should make it to the Loire depending on your size of fuel tank - if not - take an additional one to re-fuel on the way.

 

[SteveW77]

Although if you do fill up at Dover you should make it to the Loire depending on your size of fuel tank - if not - take an additional one to re-fuel on the way.

Neither ferry operators, nor Euro tunnel wil let you travell if they know you are carrying spare fuel in a can.

Steve W

 

[LesleyRussell]

Then you will have to judge how far you can get and pick a site to stay overnight in the unlikely event of the motorway services being closed closed. I am sure however that they will be open and you can travel all the way down. If the one at J37 is closed then you can get off at J36 - head towards Marquise and then Guines and just stay one night at Bien Assise. There is an Intermarche at Marquise to fill up in the morning but *** up without the caravan as I think it is a small one and you may not get the van through the fuel area and also through the supermarket car park!

 

[Lutz]

Has actually anyone ever been asked by the ferry opeator whether they are carrying a spare can? I haven't and, over the years, I've probably crossed the Channel a 100 times.

 

[ValA.]

In years of experience of travelling in France on Sundays, I've never known any of the autoroute service stations to be closed. I think the main problem is if you take the N roads on a Sunday - then you're likely to find many small petrol stations are either closed, or switch to 24hour mode, where they are not manned, and you have to use a card to buy fuel. Increasingly some are now beginning to accept British cards, but some don't. If you're doing all the journey by autoroute then I don't think you've any cause to worry at all - you'll find all the service areas are open and manned.

 

[grahamgreatbarr]

Have you got 2 drivers ? If you are motoring sat. night , catching early morning ferry then driving 360 miles someones going to be really tired.

 

[MartinJ]

Thanks everyone for your response. Looks like we will be fine as we intend to use the autoroute to get to the site as soon as possible so shouldnt have a problem refuelling.

Graham - we are staying overnight at Dover on the Saturday so 350 miles in France on the sunday wont be a problem.

Martin.

 

[LesleyRussell]

Martin - just out of interest where are you staying in the Loire?

Lesley

 

[MartinJ]

Hi Lesley, the site we are staying on is called Le parc de Fierbois at St Catherine which is just south of Tours.

Never been to the Loire before so fingers crossed it will be ok. The site is part of the Castel's chain which we have used before in France and found to be good quality.

Martin.

 

[LesleyRussell]

Parc de fierbois looks very nice. We were at Chat Grenoulliere last August on the road from Tours to Orleans. This August we are going to L'etang de Breche - also a Les Castels site which is close to Saumur on the east side of Tours. Here's hoping for better weather this August!!

 

[EvansofSprot]

Over the years I've only been on two Castels sites and unless there was no alternative I won't go on any more!

I can't for the life of me understand the attraction of them.

 

[LesleyRussell]

Over the years I've only been on two Castels sites and unless there was no alternative I won't go on any more!

I can't for the life of me understand the attraction of them.

You have obviously been very unlucky - there has been nothing wrong with the ones I have been on. It just depends what you are looking for on a site - obviously your requirements differ to ours!

 

[MartinJ]

I suppose it depends what you want. Our children are now 11 and 9 - they love a good pool complex with waterslides, kids activities etc. In our experience we have found the castels sites we have stayed on to be busy but not too loud but with very good facilities.

 

[ShadySadie]

There is always 24 hour 365 day a year fuel available at Calais at the ELF Truck stop about a mile from the Ferry. Take the dual carriageway ramp from the ferry port and it is junction 3 the first junction you come to after the long right hand bend. The filling station is on the left of the dual carriageway when you leave the port and has a very tall ELF sign.

Fuel for cars is on the far side of the station from the truck pumps/ Plenty of room for cars with caravans as it is mainly a truck station.

They also sell gas for cars.

Elf - Relais Rocade Est

ZI Marcel Doret - 585, rue Costes et Bellonte

62100 Calais

T