Camping in France is it worth the travelling and cost......

[Dickorydockwhatthe]

We normally camp in Cornwall which hasn't too far from us but fancied a change. I've looked at a few campsites in Brittany which look lovely but the ferry cost is so expensive £250 each way from Plymouth. It just seems to make it a very expensive camping trip on top of travelling and the stress of packing. Is it worth the extra cost to camp or would I be better booking a guest house in France instead.

[BluePitchFork]

imo yes.
weather is (usually) better and the campsites are amazing.

[BluePitchFork]

would crossing dover/calais be an option? much cheaper

[annandale]

Dover Calais cheaper but the drive back from Brittany is a killer.

Imo camping in France potentially worth it but not guaranteed. I love Brittany but would personally take the shuttle and go farther south.

[Dickorydockwhatthe]

I could have a look to see but we leave 30mins from Plymouth so will have to weigh up the pros and cons. I also don't want to drive too far once we over in France to begin with.

[profpoopsnagle]

If you live just 30 mins from Plymouth, you will be in more of a position to choose the cheapest crossing possible- Brittany ferries offers a guide to nearby dates when you select a possible date. Travelling Monday for example will be much cheaper than heading off on a Friday or Saturday. They now have dates for next year, which can be booked with a non-returnable deposit of £35, with the rest payable about @6 weeks before your date. You're still able to amend your booking if you book now.

You could join the club voyage scheme which offers 30% I think off. Or ask for a code on uk campsite or here of someone else who belongs, that will get you 10% off.

I also believe the caravan club offers a discount (and possibly the C&CC club) but have never booked through them.

We usually end up on a night sailing and get a cabin (there's 5 of us but we share a 4 berth one). We take all our own food/drink on board- take a coolbox up to the cabin and have a picnic tea, plus similar for brekkie. We take a little travel kettle and brew up in the cabin. If you go on the day sailing I think cabins are 1/2 price, getting a small one is possibly well worth it for having somewhere to dump your bags, having a lie down and also a shower to freshen up.

[BlueGazebo]

Yes, definitely to France. We haven't looked back since our first trip. We go through the tunnel for free using Tescos vouchers - do they do also do a ferry deal? If we are going a long way into France then we book an overnight stop in a motel (B&B, Formula One) or camp at a municipal. The campsites with pools are so much better than the British ones and everything becomes more interesting as you are abroad. The biggest selling point for us is the food - baguettes, cheese, pastries, wine, wine and more wine..... everything is better. The motorways are virtually empty and a dream to drive on compared to over here. We love camping but tend to book a mobile, tent or chalet on a campsite when we go to France. Try booking direct with the campsite.

[elizabethcharlotte]

We are thinking of camping in France next year. Can you recommend a campsite in the Loire region? We would like one with a pool and restaurants nearby. Thanks.

[Dickorydockwhatthe]

We've looked at ferry prices from Plymouth and its from £250 each way thinking Dover maybe the cheaper option can anyone recommend a campsite a few hours away from there and an easy drive for newbies

[BluePitchFork]

normandy chateau les eaux

[BlueGazebo]

This is a really good website with campsite search and loads of reviews and links to the sites:

www.ukcampsite.co.uk/

Baie de Somme is only one hour from Calais and is an interesting area (one hour from battlefields). This would be a good place to dip the toe in the water if you haven't been before (very easy drive). Lovely St Valery and Crotoy are connected by a steam train and there is a bird sanctuary and lots of walks. However, good weather cannot be guaranteed in Northern France.

A bit further down into Normandy, Honfleur area is nice. And further on again you have more of Normandy and Brittany - a long drive but doable. Further south is Vendee area for beaches and possibly more chance of sun.

To the South East the Alsace area is lovely and not too far but still quite a drive.

[BlueGazebo]

Baie de Somme campsite (shop around the various tour operators that have pitches and accommodation there for the cheapest deal).

www.chateau-drancourt.fr/en

[Mrscog]

£250 each way sounds a lot but you'll have to factor in petrol for a much longer journey and tolls the other side - I bet it's only £100-200 more when that's factored in.

[BlueGazebo]

Very good point. And you wouldn't have to do too much driving to find somewhere lovely. Have a look at the "camping abroad" forum on the ukcampsites website. There will definitely be advice on how to pick up the cheapest ferry deals.

[AnnPerkins]

We have always camped in France. We're about 2.5 hours from Dover which is our nearest crossing.

We go to the south, though. Provence is so lovely its worth the drive to us. We don't like spending the whole holiday in one place and we enjoy stopping at different places for a night on the way.

We've always taken a tent in the past, using a smaller pop up for overnight stops. This year, though we're taking our campervan to the Alps for a week and spending five days travelling back on an as yet undecided route.

[ivykaty44]

If you go after the 21 august campsites are usually cheaper. I have just had a look at prices for Plymouth roscoff and if you pick week day ferries - not Friday, sat, or Sunday you can get a crossing for £150 each way reducing your quote by £200 total.
Also camping book is worth getting is you are travelling out if season as you get good discounts on sites

[anotherdayanothersquabble]

AnnPerkins, that sounds fab. We are in the alps and looking for a campervan so if you get bored of it and want to leave it behind, do let me know!!

[millimat]

Yes it's worth it! Better weather, different culture. Despite living in the north west, we always go dover to Calais because it's so much cheaper, and works out quicker too as other ferries take so much longer. Love our trips abroad.
However, it's not a cheap holiday by any means, esp with the euro now

[AnnPerkins]

Thanks anotherday. We're really looking forward to it. We built the campervan ourselves. This will be its first trip abroad after we had to cancel last year's holiday.

Do you live in the alps? I'll swap you my campervan for your house

[inaclearingstandsaboxer]

We usually camp down in the langue d'oc (carcassonne area) and further north east nr to mont ventoux.

We stop off at b&bs or cheap hotels like formule one on the way down or back.