# Dunkerque- Where to Park?



## carol (May 9, 2005)

Am going Norfolk Line on Wednesday pm crossing - gets to Dunkerque around 2145 - can anyone post info on where to park close to the port - and directions if you have them. 

My first trip on this route so am unfamiliar with it, and the first time I will be without my other significant half, who normally drives, and is this is going to be dark - I do NOT want to be driving very far.

Any info, greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.


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## Traveller_HA5_3DOM (May 9, 2005)

If you are under 3m high you can turn left and travel back round towards the ticket office. It is just far enough from the lorries to get some rest. It will all look better once it gets light.


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## carol (May 9, 2005)

Well no - how tight is it - we are 3.00 plus sat and a/c on roof..... could be too tight, as I think we are probably about 3.25m

Just looked that up, always thought we were 2.85m before the additions....oopps..... Best remember that one.

KNow anythwhere else?


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## PhilM (May 9, 2005)

Hi Carol, just over the border in Belgium there are several campsites on or near the coast. That is assuming you want to stay on a campsite, if you do look at www.campingcheque.co.uk there you will get directions to each of the sites and usually a link to the campsite's own website where you can ask them if they accomodate late arrivals. 
Phil.


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## carol (May 9, 2005)

HI Phil

To be honest that first night I would be happy to find the closest place and just stop - it will have been a long day driving from North Devon and the crossing, and a long journey we want to do the next day.

Is there a Lorry Park, noisy I know, but in Calais we found a large Lorry Park by the side of a Marine, close to the Holiday Inn, there were lorries, but no real noise that bothered us.

Carol


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Carol; I've never done this but made a note for future reference of the fact that there is overnight parking for motorhomes at Plage des Allier, at the end of Ave. de la Mer in Dunkerque. I don't know how far it is from the port.

I have a map if you e-mail me. 

G.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Me again;

I've been looking into this further as it is something we will need to know in summer.

I came across a letter in another forum in which the writer advises simply following the lorries as they unload from the ferry. Many of them overnight at the port in the lorry park. Safe if rather noisy and as close as you are going to get I imagine.

G.


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## 88845 (May 9, 2005)

Carol,
On the last two occasions we have spent the night under the lighthouse at Petite Fort Phillipe.The last one about three weeks ago.
Turn right onto N1 at roundabout towards Gravalines and head for the Plage, a well lit spot and providing you leave before it gets busy nobody seems to mind.
Recomended by tourist office and police came by during the evening and did not bother us.
Have a good trip. We will be off to France again in 3 weeks.
Regards ,
John


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## carol (May 9, 2005)

John thank you for that. I have printed it out and will see what transpires.

Carol


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## Traveller_HA5_3DOM (May 9, 2005)

There is plenty of room on the lorry area, which is left and then immediate right as you leave the dock area. But why not ease up to Brugge there is a motorhome stopover park provided by the council for free and its very close to the town. You take the main A16 route north and this changes name to the A18 in Belgium. Stop off for fuel at Jabeeke (its cheaper in Belgium) you can overnight here but it is only a little further to junction 7, just after your fuel, turn for Brugge on the N397 and follow that all the way in until you go under a large railway bridge, stay to the right here and just past the Train station is the turn to the Coach station where all the coaches park to wait for the day trippers. Thats where the stopover park is. toilets nearby and water at park. mileage is about 50 so it will only take an hour. You can arrive anytime and allways seem to be a space.


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Hi Carol,

We're on the Dover/Dunkerque ferry 19 May and did a bit of research....

Theres overnight parking at Malo les Bains just east of Dunkerque centre at the address given by Grizzly:-


















Hope this helps,

pj


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## carol (May 9, 2005)

Well thank you everyone for your suggestions and help. I now have several options.

As the ferry isn't due to arrive until 2145, by the time we are off loaded it is going to be late - and although Bruges does sound very good, and perhaps we will use that in September when we go, I will see the others.

Again PeeJay and Traveller and everyone else thanks.

I shall miss you all, but will be back to see how Dave will have got on, and to hope that he has been able to get back some of the data.

Carol


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## 89660 (Jun 2, 2005)

We normally travel into Belgium and stop at the motorhome park at De Panne. The sign says parking in the day only , but nobody seems to take any notice. We stayed there two night recently. About 20 miles from Dunkerque


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## chrisgog (May 17, 2005)

*Overnight stop near Dunkerque?*

Carol
We are doing similar norfolkline crossing 25th July. Can you tell me where you stayed for the night after. Curious to know where to stop as we will be touring Belgium, Luxembourg etc. Any recommendations in that area greatly received


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## carol (May 9, 2005)

Hi Chrisgog

Well in the end, as it was around 2230 by the time we actually got off the ferry, I did what was easiest, being my first time driving alone on the continent, and wanting to get to sleep quickly, I drove off the ferry, and followed the lorries, and turned left before going out of the port. I then got into a bit of a lorry jam, as the park was absolutely jam packed and there were lorries coming out and the one in front of me started backing - oohh - quick into reverse, and hoping the lorry behind me could also reverse, I did a sort of about turn as I had space, and took the right side of the barrier, which took you around to the reception parking..... the sign was bent and all I could see was 3m - and remembering the post earlier, I thought, oh gosh, I will go very slow and keep everything crossed..... managed to get thru without any mishaps, (we are 3.15m) and parked up, popped into the reception desk and checked it would be ok to stop overnight there. Fine they said.

So quickly went to bed. It was a bit noisy, but to be honest, it didn't bother us, we got off to sleep quickly and next morning, stopped to look in the duty free shop, to see what they had and prices (for our return) and then drove out, and guess what the barrier, going out said 3.3m - and when we actually arrived back there at the end of the trip in daylight, that bent sign does actually say 3.3m - so we had been alright all along.

Actually we found it quite interesting watching the comings and goings of these juggernauts, and the difficulties they got into due to some unthoughtful parking of other lorries.

I would park there again, given the time of night - especially as I had had (what for me was a long drive to Dover from North Devon that day). My brain needed time to get around the drive on the right bit.... which was OK next morning.

Hope that helps, we will be there again Sept 14th for the 1700 crossing.

Carol


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## SidT (May 9, 2005)

Hi Carol. Glad you got sorted without mishap.If you head for Gravelines which is about 6 miles towards Calais you can follow the camping signs which take you to Camping Les Dunes and about 150 yds from the entrance is a car park were you can stay overnight. we stayed there last week with 2 other vans.
John. We had a walk round to the lighthouse and there was a sign saying "not suitable for camping-cars"?
PJ Pity we didn't have your map, we looked but couldnt find, I think we were looking further along the coast. I have an eye problem which flared up so we dived into a campsite on the edge of Dunkerque called La Licorne, not much shade and the toilets not up to scratch for the site fee of 15 euros without electricity.
Cheers Sid


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Sid wrote..



> PJ Pity we didn't have your map, we looked but couldnt find,


No probs Sid, we took the map with us and still got horrendously lost! Dunkrque is a right nightmare to navigate, especialy trying to follow the coastline along as there are loads of one way systems that throw you into total confusion. Still, we found it eventually and had two pleasant nights stay outbound and inbound from the ferry. :wink:

pete.


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