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Camping

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Original poster

Advice needed re: camping and getting to Vendee please

22 replies

sophierosie · 12/01/2008 20:24

Hello

Am considering heading off to france this year and looking at Vendee region as reviews sound good on here.

I've looked at eurocamp and seen a few sites that look good but am getting completely confused about how would be best to get to them.

I'm in east anglia so have the option of flying from stansted, but that would mean hiring a car once we got there, so how realistic is it to ferry and drive in one day?

Nearest port would be Dover - Calais. Has anyone does this journey and has it been a nightmare with a toddler?

Alternatively I've thought about doing the ferry to St Malo which would mean less time in the car, but overnight on the ferry which would probably mean a complete sleepness night for me!

What are your experiences? Am v confused about what would be best!

Thanks

OP posts:

redrosebug · 12/01/2008 20:44

Hi, we have a place in the Poitou-Charente region which is just a bit further south of the Vienne. We drive it in 1 day, from Manchester, taking us about 12 hours I think in total. We make sure one of us sits in the back with little'un to keep her entertained and happy. We always do the Dover-Calais route as we don't mind the drive and we find it worse being on the ferry for hours. Good Luck with the journey planning, it really is a beautiful area to visit or live !

Original poster

sophierosie · 12/01/2008 20:54

That's good timing! I did look at the Charente region but thought it might be a bit too far on our first run at it!
Thanks

OP posts:

Crunchie · 12/01/2008 20:57

we live in East Anglia too. We have done the Vendee. We ususally do Dover Calais. It can be done in a day JUST I think we did it in 13 hours door to door.

However if you go Eurocamp you can stop enroute if you like to break up the journey.

WHat we have done 2 or 3 times is get up and leave at 6am, ferry for around 8am, NICE breakfast in teh posh restaurant to stock up!! Arrive around 10 - 10.30. Drive for 3 hrs ish, quick stop, drive again for 3 - 4 hours and stop overnight. However this is for Dourdogne or Ardeche which is further south.

I would go for it, get that early ferry, plan a break at lunch, and another break after 3 hours and arrive by around 7 - 8pm.

With Eurocamp you are all there and no need to put up tent. If you chose to erect your own tent I would stop over so you arrive fresh in the morning.

uptomyeyes · 12/01/2008 20:59

It would be much more pleasant to drive down from Cherbourg or St Malo. We did Dover-Calais to Vendee last summer, but stayed en route in Bayeaux so the boys could see the tapestry. It could be done in 1 day we have done longer - Biarritz to St Malo in 8 hours.

uptomyeyes · 12/01/2008 21:00

Oh and we were driving to Dover from London - so that only took about 90 minutes.

Original poster

sophierosie · 12/01/2008 21:44

Ok, I'm sold on doing it all in one go - will share the drive with dh so if we could do it in 3 hour shifts it sounds just about manageable.

I've just had a look at the ferry timetables and they have a crossing that leaves at 01.45 which would mean doing most of the journey in the early hours which is a possiblility, but would we then be knackered for the rest of the holiday?

Ooh, how exciting! Just have to get DH to book his leave! Am going to ask my mum if we can swap cars as I only have a little polo and feel we need something with a bit more leg room!

OP posts:

brightwell · 12/01/2008 23:09

I've done Oxford to near Agen (Lot compartment) several times, have always used the tunnel and it takes about 17hours door to door. That's with 2 driving and only stopping when we need fuel. We spend the next day doing a supermarket shop and then chill by the pool. The drive is knackering but for me it seems easier to do it one go rather than stopping overnight, sorting out overnight bags and then setting off again the next day.

ChasingSquirrels · 12/01/2008 23:14

we are near cambs and have done drive and tunnel a couple of times - once with a 10mo and once with a nearly 5yo and a 20mo. Last time set off early 5.30/6am, arrived 5pm. Quite far south, the earlier time it took us about an hour less.
We looked at the St Malo ferry but it cost ALOT more and the total journey time wasn't very much less - plus dh gets seasick so not really a good option.
If you have tesco vouchers you can use for the tunnel.
coming home we left about 4pm, got a 1am chunnel and got home about 3am. Knackered but meant an extra day there and the boys slept most of the way home.

Leslaki · 15/01/2008 20:15

overnight ferry with a toddler is a dream!!! We did this for years until they stiopped letting you use Tesco vouchers for it! It does cost a lot tho but it is so fab!! We exhausted our dc in Portsmouth on the beach in rthe afternoon, then went out for a meal then on the ferry let them 'dance'/toddle to the live band in the bar before bed - both slept well every year and it was only about 3 hrs to St jean de Monts the next day - having lunch by the pool!. It is so relaxing and a real chill out way to do it! I did hear today tho that Brittany Ferries are now accepting Airmiles to pay for the journey but I haven't looked in to it yet. That way you could still use Tesco vouchers and convert them to Airmiles.

We ahve done the Dover/Calais journey twice to the Vendee. 1st time we stopped overnight at the Novotel Rouen Sud which was fantastic - dd was only 3 mths at the time and we thought it would be best. Did it last eyar and it is a long day - you will need a DVD player to keep your lo enterntained! It is do-able. We usually start early and get a ferry around 6 am then we'ere at campsite in time for dinner.

GrapefruitMoon · 15/01/2009 19:13

Has anyone got any other recommendations for hotels to stop over at en route? We know of one in the Rouen area but would like to go a bit further down the first day - so somewhere an hour or so beyond Rouen? Or else on an alternative route that's not going through rouen...

GrapefruitMoon · 15/01/2009 19:13

Oops just realised I've resurrected a thread that's a year old!

kiwibella · 15/01/2009 22:01

but it's a goodie . It's got me thinking and very tempted to give it a go too .

OkBetty · 13/02/2009 22:12

I've just booked a holiday to St Jean de Monts for end of June - am travelling from Manchester to Dover, then driving from Calais to St Jean with a 4 year old and nearly 2 year old.......hope its ok, looks like great place to go...some good deals on Ferries at the moment....any recommendations on places to go when there?

Leslaki · 14/02/2009 14:43

you must go here
and here

Which campsite are you on? been to the Vendee wuite a few times!

Lucycat · 14/02/2009 17:13

I'm so envious of all you people who live so near to the South coast we have the drive down from Cheshire before we contemplate the French drive. we did the Plymouth Roscof crossing last year and dd1 was awfully seasick so we are doing the tunnel this year. I also hated the hanging around at the port for hours on end when we could have been driving to the sun

be aware though that France is a big country and the distances can be huge.

Leslaki · 15/02/2009 15:17

If you find the drive is a bit too long you could break it up on France. When we went from Northampton to St jean with a 3mo and an 18mo we stopped at the Novotel Rouen Sud here which was fantastic. It had all the facilities we needed for the kids including a playstaion and lego play area next to the bar! The hotel was within walking distance of the big conference centres of Rouen and the uni so there were plenty of eating places (and a supermarket) though we just ate int eh restuarant. There are also woods nearby so we had a big 'letting off steam' rampage thrugh the woods for ds who was 18m then! It woudl break up your journey into 2 halves and it was a fab hotel. Staff couldn't do enough for us. It's just off the motorway too!

racmac · 15/02/2009 15:44

If you are going with Eurocamp they allow you to have 1 night stop overs at the sites - last year we went from Portsmouth - Caen and stayed in a site about 1 hour from Caen then the next day carried on with our journey and did the same on the way home - there is no way we could do all that driving in 1 day - we have 3 DS's that can not sit in a car for hours and hours.

This year we are going for 35 hour ferry crossing to Bilbao - and cant wait

MrsBish · 26/02/2009 21:48

great thread. thanks for resurecting it moon.

we're also thinking about going to that area.

any advise on which campsite to go for anyone? and i hear that Canvas Holidays are one of the cheapest. any opinions/experience?

MissisBoot · 26/02/2009 21:55

We went to clary-plage which was great. Nice pitches - close to the supermarket/restaurants/beach. Campsite was nice and clean - good play areas too.

We managed to do the journey in 11 hours - door to door - from East Anglia.

Drove through the night and luckily our caravan was ready for us when we checked in.

We went out of season so there wasn't much different in price between the operators.

bigTillyMint · 28/02/2009 16:41

We found going through the tunnel was better than the ferry as you go straight on the first one free, and it only takes just over half an hour and you are straight off onto the motorway.

Notquitegrownup · 09/12/2009 09:58

OOh, we're just about to book at Clarys-Plage too, with Canvas holidays. Similar prices to Keycamps but they have the dates we want available in a tent.

Excited, excited, excited!!!!

Now years ago, I remember a driving holiday on the Loire and we crossed it via a bridge in the middle of nowhere, but it had a lovely, local outside municipal swimming pool right next to it. No chateaux in sight, just a small little town - anyone know where I mean. It was a perfect break on a hot day, and would be perfect for my two boys half way to the campsite.

fatzak · 09/12/2009 18:19

We have to drive from Yorkshire so that's another 5 hours before we hit the south coast!

Last year we did Portsmouth-St Malo overnight which was fab as only a 3 hours drive in morning to Vendee. Coming back there isn't an over nighter from St Malo so we went from Le Havre to Portsmouth - crappy LD lines and won't do that again! Next year we have decided to just do Dover -Calais and have an over night stop. But as we are will have a trailer and don't fancy leaving everything in the car park of a Formule 1 or Ibis we'll have to do an overnighter on a campsite.

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