Thinking of going to France(first time)

[craig_374235538]

I am thinking of going to France,but i am really worried as i have not been on the ferry before with the van let alone driving on the other side of the road,i have a large twin axel van,i was wondering if anyone can help me with info on sites to go to that will not test my driving to much on the other side,and can put my mind at rest about the ferry?

I have three small kids,and will be driving from Scotland,we make our own entertainment but if it is avaliable on the sites and the sites are very good then i would consider them.

Thanks

 

[Anthony_5105557]

I am going to France next Sunday and I will be doing all this for the first time and we are stopping at a site in Les Plessis Feu Assoux which is not far from Paris and I have 2 kids for the site and ferry through the caravan club it cost

 

[Lee.C]

Go for it guys its much easier than towing in the UK. We are off next week as well for the umteenth time and just love it

Enjoy!

 

[ValA.]

Craig - driving in France is EASY compared to the UK, less traffic, straighter roads, usually by-passes around towns, and generally more pleasant.

Dover Calais is probably the cheapest crossing - a long way from Scotland I know, but if you miss a boat there's another along in half an hour or so.

There are sites near Calais - Chateau du Gandspette at Eperleques is about half an hour from the ferry, by either autoroute, or national road, then a mile or so on a straightforward route through the countryside. There are good facilities on site, large pitches (they take twin axles), clean shower blocks, cheap and cheerful good value restaurant, two pools, a supermarket about 500 metres away, and a boulangerie in the village. The site owner speaks English, and it's very friendly. It is within a reasonable distance of the beaches to the west of Calais (Wimereux, etc) which are lovely, and there are small towns and villages to investigate. There's a water park further down the coast - and you can just leave your van on site and explore, getting used to driving without the hassle of the van on the back. See the website http://www.caravancampingsites.co.uk/france/62/chateaudugandspette.htm for more details - and there are other mentions of the site on this forum if you want other opinions.

 

[Rioja]

We are sailing from Hull to Zeebruge, which would save you a long drive, and it cost

 

[Rioja]

Should have mentioned, it's our first time abroad too. We were encouraged by forum members when I questioned was it worth the effort. I have to say I am really looking forward to a new challenge and in due course will let everyone know my opinion of the holiday !The cost is slowly building up, and as there are only two of us , the savings are not as great as if we were a family with children.Last year we had a fabulous holiday in Scotland for the whole of September and it cost us less than

 

[Chrissylizzie]

Hi Craig

We went on the ferry for the first time this year and it was no problem. When approaching the Port, drive slowly to get your bearings. Once checked in, they will give you a lane number so again drive slowly until you find this. There are plenty of people waving you in the right direction and you will then have to wait until they are ready to load the ship. Again plenty of people giving directions, so take it steady over the ramps so the feet on the caravan legs - if you have them don't catch and follow the car in front! There is more room than you anticipate and it will be no problem.

When leaving the ship, again follow the car in front, especially if they have a French number plate! At your first roundabout if there is a red inverted triangle give way to the left. If there is a yellow diamond, you have priority, and this goes on all roads. Sorry if this sounds very detailed, but it was exactly the things we worried about in April, and honestly, you will be fine.

 

[ThePlotter]

Rioja,how do you manage to get a month at

 

[Rioja]

Plotter... the cost breakdown so far is

 

[Chris4]

All lot of the Frech sites will be too small for a twin. Try site recommended by the Caravan CLub or go for 5* sites they should be big enough. I would recommend the Les Castelles sites the pitches are huge. You will have problems booking onto them at this time of the year.

 

[Paul_374308620]

Hi Craig

We go to France every year from Scotland, and it is great. The sites are alot better. We normally sail from Plymonth.but thats a long drive. This Thursday we are sailing from Rosyth to Zeeburg for the first time. It costs a bit more (

 

[craig_374235538]

Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to help me out over this,i think that everyone has the same thoughts that it is a great place to go to,so hopefully i will now take the plunge,thanks, everyone

 

[Anthony_5105557]

You are welcome Craig when I come back I will let you know what it is like as I am doing this for the first time.

 

[colin(bridgend)]

Hi Craig - have a look at Select Sites web aite. We went a few years ago for the first time and used their service - BRILLIANT. All we had to find was our passports and spending money - the rest they did. We sailed from Plymouth to Roscoff as I hadn't driven over there before so thought would do most of the driving in this country. Travelled to Plymouth day before sailing and stayed overnight on port at Plymouth in case of hold ups on motorways, etc. Went to Camp du Lety at Benodet - fabulous clean site with lovely beaches for children and beautiful countryside. Roads from Roscoff to Quimper were dual carraigeway with no tolls. Ordinary roads from there to Benodet. No trouble driving at all. Brittany is a beautiful area so go for it, stop worrying and enjoy the holiday - once you have been abroad you will not want to holiday in this country again. Good Luck.

 

[ThePlotter]

I would support Colin(dont often do that)we often use Select Sites(even though it is Wales)and found that when we had to cancel due to wife being diagnosed with cancer I was unsure how to sort it out and I was amazed to have the owner taking the trouble to look up my home telephone number and talk me through it and to follow up later to ensure all was sorted to my satisfaction.No prizes for guessing who i book through now.

 

[colin(bridgend)]

Hi Plotter it is just one of those things - friendly banter netween friends with no malice given either way - as life should be. Regarding Wales we have many good things in the Principality which we are proud of so don't knock it lad. On a serious note, how is your wife now? - hope that everything is sorted in your favour and that she is making good progress. Keep your chin up.

 

[ThePlotter]

Colin,all joking apart the trouble and strife is ok saw the consultant today who will chase up the CT scan that she had last week he will give her more chemo this week if he needs to but a bit worried that she has lost feeling in finger tips and can not screw (lids off jars)So fingers crossed that scan will give good result!

 

[Rioja]

Colin, we had an absolutely fantastic weeks holiday in Pembrokeshire, however it was in April !!!!

We were in Borrowdale three weeks ago, and again, really enjoyed ourselves despite the weather being a little poor at times.

The downside of going to France for a month in September is that we won't get to Scotland this year, to say nothing of ambitions to visit Northumberland, the Dales, the Peak District and East Anglia, all of which are pretty unfamiliar to me.

I am looking forward to going abroad but I would never discount Britain !!!!

 

[colin(bridgend)]

Rioja - my comments regarding once holidaying abroad one wouldn't want to holiday in this country was aimed as an observation regarding cleanliness of the district, no larger louts, vandalism, etc. I will agree with you regarding the comments you made about the scenic areas of this country and yes they are compareable to France but the French are so much more respectful than our lot. In over 1500 miles and two weeks holiday we saw no road works, grafiti, property "FOR SALE" signs, vandalised buildings, etc. and only three police men who were on pushbikes. There was not even a cigarette end or chewing gum on the roads/pavements. Brittany and their way of life is far better than the attitudes and standards in this country. Probably in the more built up areas there may be more trouble but Brittany was wonderful. Sorry if my posting was ambiguous (I knew what I meant) and taken the wrong way.

 

[craig_374235538]

Colin,

Thanks for the web page,had a look and it looks great,lots of details to look at,i think i will stay north first before i go down south to get the weather,but i will go with your advice and will book with this site,

Thanks for you time.

 

[colin(bridgend)]

Craig - as it is your first time driving over there I would try and do as much driving as possible in this country. I will agree it is a long way from Scotland to Plymouth but the crossing we had both ways, although taking 6 hours, was brilliant and we took it as part of the holiday. There is a cinema on board if you should wish to use it. My only advice is that if you are going on a night crossing do NOT book the reclining chairs, have a cabin. Brittany itself is beautiful and whether you stay on the site at Camp du Lety or travel around you would not be disappointed. On saying that dont bother going to Brest as you will be disappointed in this town. Benodet, Quimper, and area south of Benodet have stunning scenary and lovely beaches for the children. If you should go via Roscoff make sure you have a full tank of fuel in this country as between here and Quimper we found one petrol station in approx. 100 miles. Good luck with your venture abroad and don't be scared of it.