What sites do you recommend in France? How do you go about booking them?

[ENormaSnob]

Probably a bit premature but we are planning on camping in France next year with our own tent. We have done Keycamp before but this will be our first time with our own kit.

I want a big site with plenty going on, outdoor pool etc and one that is not too far from Calais (thinking about 4 to 5 hours drive). Am not bothered about being near the coast.

So how do I do this?

Do you find a good site and book direct or go through a travel agenty type thing?

Do I book the ferry seperately too?

What sites can you recommend?

TIA

Go on the uk campsite website. They have a campsite finder and quite a lot of sites have reviews posted. When you find somewhere you like phone them direct most have staff that speak very good English. If you are planning to go out of the main school hols you might benefit from a Camping cheque or ACSI Card both give you out of season discounts. I would book your Chanel crossing independently the caravan club can sometimes offer discounts also don't forget your tesco vouchers can be used for the Eurotunnel. I suggest you have a lurk around the uk campsite forums for more hints and tips.

Thanks.

I have been on the uk campsite but didn't realise they covered France too

I have never been through the tunnel, only done the ferry crossing. Is the tunnel quicker?

the alan rogers book and website are good for french campsites.

Euro tunnel is about 45 minutes. Also the station is about 10 miles outside dover so you don't have to go all the way into/ out of Dover town. We think is great especially if you aren't a great sailor however we did get a 2nd delay a few years ago because it was warm weather and the trains overheated. You can avoid this by taking early morning or evening crossings.
I would work out how far you can drive and draw a line on your map to work out where you can get to. You should be able to make Picardy easily if you go south or Normandy / Brittany if you go west.
I'm sure you will have loads of choice. I agree with poster who recommended the Alan Rogers guide, there is also a caravan club European site guide.
It might also be worth while to look on keycamp/ canvas etc to get a feel for sites especially if you want somewhere with a lot of English speaking campers. Most if not all of these sites accept direct bookings you can usually find the contact info on google or in one of the camp site guides. There are also some other review sites such as zoover and eurocampings which may have reviews of sites you might like.
If you are tenting I would suggest you try to get as far south as you can to get the best of the weather.

2 hour delay sorry

We are another tunnel using family - we find it so much more efficient than going by ferry. The big thing for us is that we take a pack up to eat in the tunnel rather than paying for a burger lunch on a ferry.

Here's another good website for campsites in France:

www.campingfrance.com/UK

We have booked directly with the campsite and had no problem at all. Be aware that some sites do get booked up especially the ones with lots of facilities so I think you are wise to start looking early.

5 hours driving from Calais (ie before breaks) would take you to somewhere like Saumur in the Loire. IMO if in a tent then I would be aiming for sites which are fairly level and not too high (not at the top of a hill) to avoid weather problems.

Thank you so much.

I really appreciate the replies.

The Loire looks lovely but are we better going further south? Is it worth the extra driving time?

We have 3dc to occupy so dry weather preferred!

When would you book? We want to go in school holidays so wary of sites booking up. Would booking this sept be ok?

Yes, agree about the tunnel - it's way better than the ferry.

Google Camping Castels - they are all really nice sites with good facilities - we have stayed in loads, all nice.

The Loire is generally quite hot in August, and you have the chateaux if you need other stuff to do.

Brittany (especially southern) is my all time fav, but the weather is not always reliable.

If you want pretty reliably hot weather, you're looking at a much longer drive south to Vendee or below La Rochelle.

Don't agree about the tunnel at all . For our family, the holiday starts on our way to the ferry. We love it. I know the tunnel is quicker, but you can't really get out of your car and walk around. We always drive to southern France so we know we've got a long drive ahead of us and appreciate being able to move around. We take a flask and sandwich for the ferry. Don't buy the stuff on the ferry cos 1. you have to queue and 2. it's quite expensive.

I agree with going on the ukcampsite website as it's brilliant for reviews and tips. If you go on the Camping Abroad section it's got loads of tips for first timers and people are very knowledgeable on there.

I'm sure you'll have a lovely time. The Loire is usually hot in August, but not guaranteed. For guaranteed sun, you really need to go south/ern, but that's a very long drive.

I agree that the further south you go the more reliable the weather will be. Beware of altitude though, we were staying in Haute Provence last year near Castellane and while the temeperature was close to if not beyond 30 during the day it was not warm at night or in the early mornings.

If you are prepared to drive further then you could consider the Dordogne.

Do take a close look at the approach to where you plan to stay. We now avoid the Ardeche because though lovely it is a complete pain to get there or go out anywhere once there.

This year we are booked here www.massereau.co.uk/campsite-sommieres-gard.php It is close to the med but inland (I loathe beaches).

If you go further south then you will quite probably be looking at an overnight stop on the way there as you need to arrive with plenty of time to put the tent up, check out the shop and get your dinner on. Arrive into the evening then you will be adding to the stress.

Lots of food for thought.

We drove from Calais to the vendee in 09 when I was 30weeks pregnant

Maybe an overnight stay is the way to go.

I will have a look at some of the sites suggested.

Thanks again.

No doubt I will be mithering again soon

Regarding overnight stops - even though you have a tent in the car there isnt a legal obligation to use it especially for overnight stops. There are plenty of hotel chains where you can book an overnight stop and picnic in the room. My favourite change is this: www.hotel-bb.com/ they have great family rooms.

you can also book directly at most of the camps where the big operators are based as well.

Book direct unless you want to use Eurocamp Independent and stay in one of their Ready Tents as an overnight stop (which is a better way of the kids letting off steam than a hotel). You can then negotiate pitch direct with the site not via someone else.
For the best pitches at the best sites you needed to book last year (I am not joking).
A great place in the Loire is L'Etang de la Breche near Saumur. Simply the biggest pitch I have ever seen. It is possible to do day trip to Paris on the TGV from a couple of stations in the area (Tours was one I think). We booked train tickets online before we went.
We have also done the Vendee (La Garangeoire - beware some of the crowded sites nearer the beaches) and the Dordogne but the weather in the Loire was fine.

southern brittany is very nice and has good summer weather, lovely beaches for kids, about 2-3 hours from Roscoff or St Malo.

I liked the Penboch site near Arrandon.
Carnac is lovely with lots of family things to do.

I love the Ferry and Brittany Ferries are great- car&bike rack, 2 adults, 1 kid and 4 berth cabin- £350-400 return. Not bad.

Agree with the recommendation for Les Castels. We went to Chateau Les Eaux (in Normandy) although we stayed in a chalet but the same facilities are obviously available to everyone. We loved it!

BigTilly - we are going to Chateau de Poinsouze with Les Castels in July. Have you stayed at that one? I'm a bit worried that it seems to be in the middle of nowhere, it looks lovely though.

Fraid not. Let us know what it is like though

Thanks, will do.