France - Next Year

Opposite to TG and DD we sail end of October Cherbourg to Poole and return Portsmouth to St Malo Mid December  wanted a change of route to usual Caen/Portsmouth/Caen again just over £380.00  with BF club voyage discount car and caravan.  We know it will be darker and cooler but only time we can get over this year due to other commitments and hope to get over next September to Devon and Cornwall so will be Roscoff/Pymouth/Roscoff route a long time since we have been on that route  possibly 30 years so a few changes.

Alright, don't rub it in.

DD, not sure if its a deal I doubt it as I booked them both separately.

We didn't know when we were going to come back so only booked an outbound. However on looking at our holiday insurance it stated that a return booking had to made prior to your departure. Since we don't know what is going to happen on the 31st Oct we decided it would be advisable to do as required

We tend to use whichever ferry suits us best for where we are going,  this time Western France,  then down to Spain. Given where we live all the docks are a fair drive but we do like an overnight crossing, again due to the distance we have to travel. Cost does come into it but only once we decide where we are going.

enjoy..

Thanks BB, perhaps we'll meet up again somewhere  when our paths cross  Freddy , the OP, should take heart that you can travel around France without booking and meet like-minded chums.

No point using the “southern” ferries unless you want to stay in Brittany, Normandy or Atlantic Coast. The ferries are expensive, tedious and quite ancient. The tunnel will give you much more flexibility.

In terms of sites, as you are going in June make sure you join ACSI which will give you quality sites at discount rates. You could do worse than use them exclusively. There are a few ACSI sites quite close to Calais but you should be a bit more ambitious and do a few hours before stopping.

Most first timers head to the Loire or Dordogne and there is plenty to see in those regions. If you like it hot then you could venture down to Provence. I would avoid the Mediterranean as it’s gets crowded and many sites will be fully booked.

Hi we went the first time in June and there is nothing to worry about. We didnt book any sites just rolled with it, we did find there are some bank holidays in june that we didnt know about, so i would look into that and have something booked around those times, but there are plenty of sites available in the asci guide.

We did find the standard of sites nowhere as good as uk ones and there is no 3m rule.

also the roads are quieter but we spent about £200 on tolls covering 2000 miles. We used the automatic tag which made life easier.

enjoy your trip

I can't agree. For us from the Midlands we can leave home at 6 pm, catch an overnight ferry and be on the road from Ouistreham by 8 am the next day. That means we can easily reach the northern parts of the Massif Central (for example) that evening. On return, catching the overnight ferry drops us in Portsmouth in the early morning so we're home long before lunchtime.

If we go via the tunnel we need to allow virtually a day to get there, with the awful M25 experience, then trek across the boring Pas de Calais / Picardy regions (and possibly have to circumnavigate Paris which is never fun) to get somewhere interesting. That loses at least an extra day either end as we have to repeat the exercise to get home.

Of course if you live in Kent this argument doesn't hold quite so much water.

Hi Charlie,  "No 3 metre rule"....indeed not. Thank goodness. Look at us. 

And "sites nowhere near as good as UK ones"  Well we were happy enough here with a choice of two swimming pools, fresh croissants delivered to the caravan door you 8 am., meals available on request, cold beer in the rustic bar while we watched the footie, and even a lake for fishing had we been so minded. And free wi fI of course. 

It's Moulin de Mellet near Agen. Well recommended for you next year. 

Looks a nice spot. When we went, we stayed at one campsite not that far from you, Moulin De Campech (Villefranche Du Queyran). At this stage I don’t have a clue where we want to go, although we’d like to start by spending some time in Normandy/Brittany. How’s the weather?