First trip to France camping essentials...help!

[Hattieboo]

We're off to the dordogne on Thursday! First time taking the caravan, two dd's (9 and 5) want to take everything, but I'm worrying we'll forget something vital!!
I'm thinking of taking store cupboard like food, can anybody give me any tips on anything hard to get in France or anything that's too expensive so worth getting here? (I've read on here tuna...?)
My piles of clothes seem to be growing but never been to dordogne before so not sure if we'll need warm clothes for nights? And should we cover up because of the mosquitoes? are they really bad?
I've been thinking about this so much for ages, that now we're actually leaving in 4 days I realise I'm really not at all organised!!! HELP... Please :-) xxxx

hi hattie

I hope you enjoy Les Iles & I can't wait to hear all about it when you get back. I was driving myself mad and so finally booked L'hirondelle for this year but Les Iles is still very much on the list for 2013!

I would take 1/2 the clothes you initially think you'll need and one fleece/raincoat per person just in case. Underwear, T shirts, dresses, shorts can all be handwashed easily but a couple of swimming cossies each means you never have to put damp swimmers on if you have morning & afternoon dips. Whenever I take anything dressy it always stays unworn on camping holidays so have stopped bothering. Same with shoes - flip flops/birkies all the way except for driving. Don't know about mossies and haven't been to the Dordogne in donkeys years but don't remember being bitten to bits or covering up.

My snacks/food to take list is:
Long life milk
Crisps
Olive oil
Ketchup
Biscuits
Juice cartons
Salt
Pepper
Tea bags
Sweeteners
Ground coffee
Frozen meal
Chewy bars
humzingers
Fruit
Cereal
Squash
Pasta
Pasta sauce

We don't take loads, just enough to keep the kids quiet en route and so that we can eat when we get there without having to go to the supermarket first. Depending on stop overs/and length of journey we might take something home made & frozen (curry, spag bol) rather than pasta and sauce.

hope that helps. have a great holiday!

If your kids are baked bean fans then buy them in the UK as they are ??? here.

I don't know how much tuna is in the UK but I don't find it particularly expensive.

Worth everyone having tacksuit bottoms + fleeces for evenings. For mosquitos I always have a burner coil under the table in the evenings.

Coil under the table sounds fab idea frenchfancy, will order some now, guessing you can buy them in the supermarkets anyway? Thank you for tip :-)
Just put clothes on bed and it looks pathetic to me but you're right cheerup I'm sure we won't wear half of it. No fleeces in my piles though so will add them pronto!
Kids so excited they won't sleep and all I want to do is shut my eyes! Glass of wine will have to do instead until the little monkeys drift off ;-)
Thank you both x