Campsites not taking reservations...

[justwondering72]

We are planning to head to the South Atlantic coast of France. Unfortunately we have pretty tight date restrictions (couple of weeks, middle of August) which plonk us right in the middle of peak season. We're looking at Biarritz, St jean de Luz, Hendaye etc. I've looked at loads of (the cheaper) campsites, and the majority of them won't take reservations. Why is this? Is it because they can be sure of filling all their emplacements at that time of year, so they don't bother?

I'm worried that we'll drive all that way and then be stuck in a layby for the night... or spend hours driving (and reversing with a trailer) on tight, busy coastal roads to find somewhere. Any tips? Do people really just wing it for camping in popular places at busy times and hope there is a space? The ones that do take reservations are the 4 and 5 ones which are out of our budget at 400+ Euros for a week.

Cheers for any advice.

[justwondering72]

Answering my own question to say that we're changing our plans and heading inland: we'll tackle the coast some year that we can get there before the mad rush!