camping in france

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ok, how easy is it---- i had planed to take dh, dd (who will be 4) ds - (17mth) camping in france,
one of those places where the tent etc is there .

but.. i am really nervous about driving abroad. ive never done it and would like some advice please, like good campsites that arent far from the ferry but have a beach and lovely little town to go and buy bread etc..

ttfn thanks v much

It is fab!! DD first went when she was 3 months and ds was 18 months!! mad but fun! campsites are great cos DC get lots of freedoma nd all the facilities are geared up for families. If you don't want to drive too far you could go to Normandy -my friend stayed at Cate de nacre in St Aubin which has an indoor pool of the weather isn't too great!
Or you could head tomoward The vendee or Brittany - if you don't want the long drive but don't mind the more expensive ferry fare, sail over night Portsmout the St malo, then it's a short drive.

I can reccommned camping Acapulco in St hean de Monts - walking distance to both shops and beach (vendee)
camping les 2 fontaines in Raguenes walking (too long for a toddler) distance to beach, short drive to village (Brittany)
camping Village la plage at le Guilvenic in Brittany (right on the beach but village is further away)

We weren't all that impressed with Camping le bois Masson in St Jean de MOnts but it's sister site Le Bois Dormant across the road is better - you would need to drive to town/beach tho or walk to town with children in a buggy.

Hope that helps - at least it bumps it!

Go for it!!

I would recommend camping bel in tranche sur mer (vendee) for children the same age as yours it's a really nice small site, not very teenagerish iyswim with the beach a supermarket and municipal swimming pool all in bike/ walking distance.
We stayed there when dc were 4 6 &8.
We took our caravan but I am sure they did eurocamp and keycap tents.
You would probably need to do the le havre or Caen Brittany ferries or le havre ld lines crossings though which are longer than the Dover Calais ones.

another voe for camping bel

We have stayed in Carnac, southern Brittany a couple of times. It's a lovely old fashioned seaside resort with an amazing ice cream shop with more flavours than you can imagine.

There is a campsite - Camping les Menhirs within walking distance of town and beach.

The driving really is not a problem - the roads tend to be quieter than in UK. So long as you are paying attention, which of course you would be, there is no problem at all.

Whatever is your choice, go for it. Campsite holidays are great with children. The sites are always child friendly with playgrounds etc and rules about driving slowly and keeping the noise down at night.

I hope you have a great time.

thanks so much everyone, sorry to not come back sooner,

get an in car dvd player! Journey is fine then !

yes pick journey carefully

this year (5m & 2.10) we did the Fastcat from Portsmouth to Cherbourg (3h) then a 6h drive with several breaks, and just about got away with it, though it took dh a day or two to recover.

Next year we are considering the overnight ferry so at least we don;t have to get up at 3am.

overnight ferry is fab!! very relaxing. We used to get to Portsmouth early afternoon, have fun on the beach then somewhere like ben and jerry's for dinner on the Wharf. The on board, chcek into cabin and after exploring we usually ended up in the bar where we ahd a lovely drink and kids c=danced to the live band before bed and waking up in France!! Stopped for croissants at a country bakery on the way and journey was lovely!! If you fancy the fast crossings to St malo, be wary ofthe fastcat service - it's not called the Vomit Comet for no reason!! We did it once and virtualy everyone on board was sick except me, the crew and a few other hardy souls! DD was so ill we went through all her spare clothes and then I had to be taken to the very boucy car deck to get more clothes for her! SO first day on campsite was spent at the laundry room!