Where is nice in France, that we can drive to from Calais?

[TeaspoonPocket]

I'm planning a family holiday to France, we want to take the car on the ferry. Worked out a plan involving overnight sailing, then drive to Loire valley, but autistic ds has just said he's not happy with having to sleep on a ferry, so now I'm having to rethink.

I think the best option is maybe to go Dover-Calais? It's a bit out of our way but would be a quick crossing. But I don't know France at all! Is there anywhere within 2-3 hours of Calais that you would recommend as a good holiday spot?

That makes it a bit easier if you're not wedded to a particular location as you can just find the perfect property for you and plan around it. There are a bajillion chateaux so it doesn't matter where you end up!

We've done a few driving holidays via Eurotunnel if that's an option for you? We come from further north than you, so normally break our journey in Coquelles (holiday inn) on the French side of the tunnel - 5 mins from tunnel. Big advantage for us is that the kids (and dog!) stay in the car for the 30 mins trip so much less stressful. We normally pick flexiplus tickets, so no worry about missing our departure, or queuing - just turn up and drive to the front for next train, plus free food in the Flexi lounge. Places we've stayed inc Honfleur, Normandy/Bayeux, Reims/Champagne area, Alsace Lorraine (beautiful!), LaRochelle area, St Jean d'Angely area, Ypres/Belgium (only a couple of hours away) etc..

I used to live in the Loire Valley ( the chateau heavy part) . I don’t think it sounds that suitable for your first trip to France given your DS requirements. It isn’t that rural, and the main chateaux and towns get very busy in the holiday season. You won’t be allowed to just wander around on your own, many of the chateaux have guided tours only, and the parks etc will be full of French children, often also in large and organised groups.

It sounds as if Brittany ( very windy though) or the more rural parts of Normandy would be a better bet, at least for your first time in France. I Hope you have a lovely holiday.

I live in Normandy and would agree that under the circumstances Poole to Cherbourg would be a good idea. There are plenty of nice towns, countryside and beaches on the Cherbourg peninsula. You can visit Mont St Michel and places nearby in Brittany like St Malo and Dinan. It is all relatively quiet and easy to navigate. The Dior Museum in Granville is a great favourite of ours. Granville is a busier seaside town so I would probably stay in one of the small coastal towns nearer Cherbourg.

Oh, that is super helpful to know, thank you!

Guided tours are definitely not an option for us - we visited Neuschwanstein in Bavaria last year and both kids absolutely refused to go on the tour, so ended up just looking from the outside!

How old is he, and what do you both tend to like - food, drink, history, sport, walking?

DH and I have been a lot (lived in Kent), our go-to is champagne (Hautvilliers or Epernay) but that’s because we love walking and drinking lots of champagne! Hasn’t been the same since having babies…

Ds 13, and DD 15.

They pretty much like opposite things to each other - but both of them love a zoo/animal park!

No point even worrying about what DH and I would actually like to do these days. If we can get two teens on holiday and everyone is relaxed then that's a win...

Is flying an option and hiring a car ?

We can fly direct from Birmingham to Paris, I suppose that is an option, though would prefer to take our own car so we're not limited to a suitcase each. Esp if we're going near beaches and can take bodyboards, beach tent/towels etc.

Is a car a must? High speed trains are very good in France and you can get quite far in a few hours on a TGV.

Depends what you like to do.
We went to Barneville, which is not that far from Cherbourg when DS was about 13, lovely wide beaches for kite flying and obvs swimming and some nice walks but that might not work for your DC.
Normandy is beautiful, and there are fab castles if you like that sort of thing, Falaise is amazing, and it's not that far from Bayeaux. Caen and Rouen are also lovely and there is a lot of WW2 stuff around there, I'd always recommend guided tours to get the most out of it.

Flights and accommodation in Paris are stupidly expensive this summer due to the Olympics.

Plenty of other ferry routes very doable on a day sailing which might allow you to get to Brittany

Poole Cherbourg is your best bet & go to Brittany or Normandy. It's 4 hours I think. Dover would take you longer from Midlands.

We stayed once really near ferry port Cherbourg & site was a nice one. L'Anse du Brick.

If you look up Canvas Eurocamp & Sandaya you should find a nice site not far from port.

You could also fly to France.

We stayed in Normandy near Houlgate in a Pierre and vacances and found plenty of nice things to do. Or you could try Le Touquet

With the various restrictions to your travel, and considering that you live in the West Midlands, I'd head for Cherbourg or St. Malo as your ferry destination.

You needn't go far from Cherbourg, as the peninsula is very pretty, have a look around the Coutances / Granville area for some where to stay. Or from St. Malo, Perros Guirec / Paimpol is a lovely area.

Whichever ferry route you decide on, book yourself a cabin for the day, not only will this give you somewhere secure to leave your belongings, have a wash & brush up, and provide a calm spot away from the bustle of the passenger lounges, but it will give your son a chance to see the cabin, try out a bunk etc, which might encourage him to try overnight on board next year.

Thank you. Yes it's sounding like one of the shorter day ferries - but avoiding Dover - is a good plan. Great idea to get a cabin so he can see what it's like, that could potentially open up a lot more holiday opportunities in future.

Thanks hive mind of Mumsnet for all the suggestions! This is genuinely so helpful, I am making a nice list and will do some googling tomorrow.

I have nothing to add but I do love these threads. Such genuinely helpful suggestions from people with experience. I never book a holiday without consulting the mumsnet oracle.

Whatever you decide, it sounds like you'll have a lovely time @TeaspoonPocket

I am with @LIZS on this, Belle Dune/Somme estuary (heritage trains, canal, boat trips, cycle hires all nearby), there is a small theme park just outside Le Touquet. The walk to the beach is a bit long but do-able.

There are also walks with views Cap Gris-Nez and Cap Blanc-Nez with views towards white cliffs of Dover which we did on the way to the Somme.

If you do go the Dover to Calais route, the towns near Calais are lovely - Boulogne, Wimereux, Le Touquet. There’s a bit of castle / town walls in Boulogne and a great aquarium. The beaches are sandy and big and it’s all pretty chill. We ate lots of French food, watched sunsets over the sea, played crazy golf etc.

Haven't been there for years but as a child I loved Hardelot....huge beaches

If you stuck to Normandy you could do a day trip to the channel islands.

We have an autistic DD , and holidayed a lot in France when she was little as it was close ( south coast ) and there were routines , like you are describing. I would suggest drive to south coast , stay in hotel in uk , in the morning get the Newhaven to Dieppe ferry which is 4 hours. Then its about 4 hours to the Loire . We stayed in the Yelloh campsite there , which was small enough for my DD . we travel to Calais via the tunnel which is also very easy & super quick but a longer drive the other side .

Eurocamp La Croix de Vieux Pont might be an option, it's about 3.5hrs from Calais. Nice site, different swimming options, pedalos, fishing, range of accommodation. There's a marked driving trail nearby which commemorates significant WWI sights with various nice walks, countryside at the stops.
Possible to do a day trip to Parc des Felins (zoo) or even Disney.

If you decide on a tunnel crossing, could give your ds something to think about by making it 2 nights and have a day at Howletts or Port Lympne, part of the holiday.