Groundsheet for sandy pitch

[Harby]

Hi, we're heading to the south of France this summer and i expect the pitches will be very sandy as we're close to the beach. Our set up will be 7.9m caravan plus 4m roll-out canopy, we're hoping not to put up the awning 'tent' that fits under the canopy to keep the heat levels down. We currently use our old 3.5m groundsheet (came with Kampa air awning, one of their 'carpets') but I'm thinking we'll benefit from a much larger groundsheet, perhaps nearly as long as the caravan? Are there different types of groundsheet? If so what would be the best for that terrain? And should be go larger for the groundsheet? Any advice appreciated, thanks.

 

[Icaru5]

Hi Harby,

We were on a sand pitch in France last year and as we were there for two weeks, pitched our Vango Kalari awing along with the accompanying “carpet”. This served us just fine, and so I’m sure anything similar would do, but one piece of advice I would offer is to remove the carpets from your caravan and leave them at home. Also a small brush and dust pan is a must, the use of which will undoubtedly become part of the daily ritual !

I would also suggest going equipped with a couple of additional short wooden planks as when we arrived on site, it had been pouring with rain for the previous two days and so the van immediately sank when we were trying to manipulate it onto the saturated sandy pitch, almost burying the jockey wheel completely. It was the first and only time that we were unable to place the caravan exactly where we wanted it with the motor mover. I’m sure you won’t have that problem though as the weather this year will be nothing other than glorious !

Hope this helps !

Ic.

 

[Craigyoung]

Harby ;
Could you not take some of those inter lockable mats or tiles to put down on the sand to give yourself a flat or levelish surface then put the groundsheet down ?

 

[Harby]

Thansk Craigyoung I'll look into the mats.

LC - yes we'll take the caravan carpets out towards summer - saves them getting wrecked and also takes a fair amount of weight out of the van! And interesting about the planks. We're heading to the south coast after 11 days of 14 in rain near to La Rochelle in summer '17. If we get loads of rain again (except perhaps a Mistral which we'll be ready for) then I think the 'van will be sold and we'll be back to package holidays!!! 10 days with damp towels in France was too much for me!

 

[Icaru5]

Thansk Craigyoung I'll look into the mats.

LC - yes we'll take the caravan carpets out towards summer - saves them getting wrecked and also takes a fair amount of weight out of the van! And interesting about the planks. We're heading to the south coast after 11 days of 14 in rain near to La Rochelle in summer '17. If we get loads of rain again (except perhaps a Mistral which we'll be ready for) then I think the 'van will be sold and we'll be back to package holidays!!! 10 days with damp towels in France was too much for me!

Where did you stay Harby ? - We were about 45 mins South of La Rochelle at L’Oree du Bois in La Palmyre.

 

[audiorob]

Just entered 'caravan awning carpet' into Ebay and a list of suppliers is given. The top listing has a 2.5 x 5 mtr for less than 24.00. I have a carpet like this from another ebay seller, it is robust and kind to the feet, and being breathable it is kind to any grass on your pitch. If you examine the illustrations and descriptions you will find a huge variety of prices for what appears to be the same manufactured item. For that sort of expense it might be well worth a go.
Also further down in the listings is the squares that link together as suggested by another reader. Usually in the spring Aldi sell these very cheaply which is where I got my set. Good luck and enjoy your holiday!

 

[Harby]

I think we were a bit further north than you, Sequoia Parc at Saint Just Luzac. Great campsite but awful in the rain with very little that was inspiring to do locally (with a 5 and 6 year old in tow..).

 

[VicMallows]

We are onsite in Spain for 3 months and have found that the interlocking foam tiles work best for us.
Do be aware if you choose these that there are variations between makes and not all will mesh together.…..best to stick to one brand!