Stopovers near Dover/Dunkirk

[Tim2]

Hi All

We are hoping to travel across from Dover to Dunkirk on Norfolk lines this summer travelling on the 22.00 or 04.00 sailing from Dover and the 06.00 sailing from Dunkirk on the return leg. We are towing our 7.36 metre van.

We are travelling down from Merseyside and hope to get a few hours sleep either just before Dover or alternatively on the other side and the same again on the way home.

We would be grateful for suggestions of nearby

In UK

Campsites/certificated sites

Motorway services

Car parks

In France

Aires

Dock parking areas

Our final holiday destination is Italy and so we are hoping for a good day's driving in France on the way down, ie, early start but after a few hours sleep in the 'van. In both cases this can be a few miles from the port but obviously entry/access is likely to be difficult at campsites at those times.

Thanks

Tim

 

[LadyMaureen]

Tim,

Black Horse Farm Caravan Club site,Folkestone is only a short distance from the ferry terminal.It accepts non-members and there is a special area for people leaving early so that they don't disturb the rest of the site.

Look at their web site for more details.

 

[LadyMaureen]

Tim,

Have found another one for you BUT don't know anything about it.

Hawthorn Farm, Martin Mill, Dover,Tel no.01304 852658.( 4mls from Dover )

It is a member of Best of British so will be up to a high standard.Check out the website.

 

[JamesFrance]

Black Horse Farm has a one night area which is unfortunately close to a road which seems busy at night on weekends. Also during the holiday season people are coming and going all night. They will not let you choose a pitch and certainly not let you go in the quiet part of the site. If you like peace and quiet during the night this is not your sort of site.

 

[OldBean]

If you have a Michelin Map (atlas type version) of France the Aires are all marked on the map by a 'blob' on each side of the line showing the road. The picnic type places are in green, and the bigger restaurant/petrol/facilities types are in blue. We nearly always stay on an aire on the A26 which is the first of the bigger ones - it is usually full of caravans by early morning! I think it's near Zudausqes (St Omer). However, that's probably not the route you'd use. There are free showers there which you access by handing over your car keys as a swap for the shower key (sounds risky but isn't - but if you're worried just put a bunch of old keys together!). Most of the bigger aires have showers, but some charge for the use of them.

Don't stay on the smaller aires unless you absolutely have to.

 

[Tim2]

Thanks for those suggestions Val and Maureen.

We have stayed at aires in the past although we only use "well-populated ones". If they're nearly empty we drive on to the next one - the good things about the French A-routes is that the aires are much more frequent than GB motorway services.

More suggestions are very welcome folks, especially for the Dunkirk side.

The reason we are thinking of the early morning sailings is that we like to enjoy the crosing in the light, albeit early morning, whilst the late night ones would be in the dark.

The bookings have not been finalised yet and so I'm still open to suggestions.

Thanks in anticipation

Tim