Advice please on where to go in France, driving from UK, sunshine please!

[Underthegreenwood]

Hello hoping for some advice, we went to France last June, west coast and was a bit disappointed with rainy weather, though not unexpected given time of year. I used to go to France most summers as a young child and would like to replicate that experience, all meals outside, days playing in the pool, not feeling chilly or constantly worrying about the rain etc. So next summer we are planning to go in July/August.

Please could I ask for advice on where to go? I can recall some places we went when I was young but not the detail, think we did dordogne, ardeche and west coast. We are a family of three, our DC will be four years old. We want to drive, would like to guarantee as far as possible warm weather, envisage staying at a campsite either in one of the permanent tents or a mobile home. We would like a quaint/pretty site with lots of space for kids, close to river/lake to have seaside type days (not bothered by actual beach), a pool, close to lovely towns and cities to explore, maybe chateax? Mountainous scenery? Don't think we ever went as far as the Alps.

We are happy to take the journey at a leisurely pace, do some stop overs, but don't want to go as far as the south of France
Wondering what the best crossing/ driving route would be and would love some ideas of regions to aim for, actual sites to consider, and any tips generally on making it a great trip. We don't do holidays abroad that often and so I want this one to show us the best of France iyswim! Thank you in advance for any help :)

What about the Ardeche? It's south of Lyon though so might be quite a drive. It has the river, the gorges, the sweet little villages. It's really gorgeous. I haven't camped there but there are lots of sites to browse online.

We've taken an overnight ferry before to get us further down without a long drive but still having the car. We were around a place called Pornichet which was good with lots of sunny days, still some grey days though as its still quite close to the UK.

Thanks, overnight ferry is something I hadn't considered so will look into that. The Ardeche sounds exactly what I am looking for. I have memories of rivers, gorges and lovely villages, that's the France I am hoping for.
Is the overnight ferry a lot more expensive? Is it worth it to cut out the driving?

www.eurocamp.co.uk/campsites/ardecheandauvergne/mc017-les-ranchisses/ataglance.html We stayed here with Eurocamp for 2 weeks in July a couple of years back. Really lovely site - with the Eurocamp vans on the hill above the campsite. River running through for paddling and some free canoes to borrow. The onsite restaurant was really good! Evening entertainment if you want it and the wine was cheap ;-) Some beautiful towns to visit nearby. My only downside was some of the local roads were quite high and bendy and I am scared of heights.

www.peneyrals.com/campsite-france-dordogne.html Or this one in the Dordogne near Sarlat was also lovely. We also went with Eurocamp but they don't seem to list it this year. Canvas were also on site I think. Pools were great. We were there for 3 weeks in early July and the weather was lovely - but not too hard to get a sunbed by the pool.

TheresWaldo thank you so much, I will check those out they sound ideal. Would you say it's definitely worth going as far down as the dordogne or Ardeche then for better weather? Someone has also mentioned the Loire which isn't as far but maybe more chance of rain?

We went to Brittany last year and it was very hot and sunny. The Vendee is only a little further to drive and would be warmer. What about the Ile de Re?

We've had a few holidays in Brittany with OH's friends - fabulous in the sun - but miserable when you and all the other tourists are in the aquarium at Brest in pouring rain for something to do! We tried the Vendee which was a bit flat and windy.....
So, now we go either to Biscarrosse or Hendaye. Biscarrosse is about an hour SW of Bordeaux; has a lovely beach and a huge freshwater lake surrounded by pine forests which is great for the children as the water is only knee high (I'm 5 ft 3) for a good 50+ metres out. Not especially touristy with English visitors; biggest sand dune in Europe apparently. Feel free to pm me if you want any into on camp sites. Hendaye is right on the Spanish border so hotter but a bit further!

We tend to get the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Caen/Cherbourg but it depends where you live. We once took the ferry to Santander which OH had promised would be "just like a mini cruise". It wasn't!

I have a discount code for Brittany Ferries if you want one. I've lived in Brittany for 15 years and it's often too hot for me in the summer, but I don't like the heat and it can be rainy of course

Ooh thank you shellyandlayla, the discount code would be fab!
GU24Mum do you do overnight on the ferry to caen and do you actually get any sleep?! It sounds worth it if so otherwise the drive from Calais to some areas is a similar distance. I will have to check out those areas you mention but they are so far south I don't think we are up for that much of a drive.

I have been researching more and thinking if we drive from Calais we could stop in the Loire and then it would be easy to head to the dordogne, or if prepared to drive further to Ardeche. I am torn between these ideas though, some advice suggests dordogne weather is often dodgy and Ardeche is sometimes too hot! Can't win?!

We have been to France in July for the last 15 odd years. My experience is that the Med coast -

Languedoc and Provence are guaranteed nice weather - with the odd thunder storm, but can indeed get too hot. I found this bearable near the coast, but not so much inland.
Normandy and the Loire - not so hot and a bit hit and miss, but lots of things to do and visit. Still some pool weather
Charente and the Vendee - we spent a week in Cognac where it rained non-stop, but 3 weeks near La Rochelle where it was gorgeous.
Ardeche/Dordogne - mostly hot, but lots of thunderstorms. Ardeche was 35 plus some days. OK if you plan sight-seeing/pool/siesta time.
Brittany has a bit of a micro-climate - mostly lovely weather.

You can never escape rain wherever you go. My advice is to look for nice accommodation with wifi ;-) and age suitable activities in the vicinity.

www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g776160-d1651207-Reviews-Le_Logis_du_Pressoir_Self_Catering_Bed_Breakfast-Brion_Maine_et_Loire_Pays_de_la_Loire.html

In the Loire - this place is absolutely lovely - former MN recommendation.

I'm hoping at some point to take DD to the Ile de Re and Ile d'Oleron. They have fabulous networks of cycle paths, generally great weather, some lovely beaches, lighthouses to visit, boat trips, salt marshes etc.

I'm just waiting until my DD has SOME common sense around water (she has just turned 2 and has none!) as the cycle paths are often right next to marshes/waterways.

We're heading to La Turballe to a campsite right next to a beautiful beach. It's a low key campsite but in the last 2 or 3 years they've put in a lovely, well maintained indoor swimming pool, great for when the sea's too rough or if the weather's bad. Only reason I'm not recommending it is that the weather isn't quite as reliable.

It's really worth getting one of the longer ferry routes to get a head start on the driving (we're doing the St Malo route and some of the massive cost is offset by using less fuel and being able to sleep on the boat overnight rather than needing a hotel for an early crossing, nicely helped by ShellyandLayla's very kind help with the ferry discount which I haven't thanked her for yet )

We went to the Ardeche and Provence the summer (August) before last. Parts of the Ardeche, whilst lovely were choc a block crowded. We spent a week at the foot of Mont Ventoux; it was a nice base to explore (DH was doing a cycle holiday)

INeedNewShoes no thanks needed Happy if it helps!

We have been to Dordogne (south of sarlat, about a mile south of river) 3 times in last 10 years, late July to mid August, and never had a bad year.

Yes, thunderstorms can happen, but we have never had days and days of rain. And it’s always been generally warm so a little rain is sometimes a cool respite.

We got a cabin on the overnight ferry so slept well all night. I loved it because we could have a quick dinner then there was some cheesy kids show which allowed us a couple of glasses of wine, then I took toddler to bed where he could watch ships out of the porthole whilst DH took eldest to the on board cinema. Then we all arrived in France in the morning well rested and happy to do a few hours drive. Can't remember the price now but twas from Southampton.

My rule of thumb (passed onto me by my mum) is for best chance of weather, you need to have crossed the Loire.

Thank you for all those tips, lots to follow up. I'm quite keen on a stop over in the Loire followed by longer in the dordogne. sounds like that would hedge our bets a bit weather wise, still plenty to do if there's some rain etc. Though Ile de re is a whole new idea I hadn't considered! Will definitely look into the overnight ferry. I'm so excited thinking about it, even though it's a year away! Thanks again for all the replies. shellyandlayla your ferry discount code would be fantastic! Thank you so much

In the time it takes to drive to the Ardèche you could drive to most places in the south (it is very far south and you'll spend a fair bit of time on windy roads).

It is very pretty though. We stayed at a very nice small campsite in the southern Ardèche area once, think it was called Chateau de Boisson.

Some friends really rated this place, it's on our list to go.

www.cosycamp.com/

Underthegreenwood I sent the code by pm on Thursday! It's frowned upon to post the publicly, but let me know if you haven't got it and I'll re-send it!

We are going to le touquet in July - we wanted the beach - but can't recommend it yet as it's yet to come!

Another vote for Biscarosse and Archachon. Spent 3 weeks there last year and we had 1 day of rain . So much to do in the area. We get the overnight to St Malo from Portsmouth , much nicer times than the Caen route .

The weather is usually reliably hot in The Loire in July and August (I live there). You get thunderstorms but that is because it can get v hot (high 30s).

Archachon is really nice, as is anywere along that coast.