# France never done it...But will soon with a bit of help !



## evad66 (Apr 4, 2011)

We are planning our 1st trip to France in October & could do with a little guidance.

I've looked at Brittany & feel that's as far as I'd like to go this time. Anyone with suggestions for sites and what to look out for would be greatly appreciated, our daughter is 3 so need kiddie stuff & Beach for her. 

Thanks David


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## suedew (May 10, 2005)

Have a great time, can't help with sites etc, we always enjoy France.



Sue


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

Sounds flippant, but get off the ferry, turn right and just drive until you find somewhere you fancy!

That's all you need to do.

Seriously though, many campsites close by the end of September so if you bring your trip forward you will have much warmer weather and more choice.

Some-one else will be along to give you lots of information.


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

Beaches and October are not the best combination that far north if you intend going in the sea. Think of Cornwall and it is similar. I have not been to Brittany in October but imagine that a lot of the holiday type sites have closed by then or have basic facilities if open.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

I do not know what type of site you are looking for, small, large well equipped etc, nut this site has a good selection of good quality sites in Brittany.

http://www.campingqualitebretagne.fr/Home

We have stayed at several there; Camping L'Orangerie de Lanniron on the edge of Quimper is very well equipped

this is the (English) web page for that site;

http://www.lanniron.com/index.php/en/

there are many sites around that area - we have been to Benodet on the coast several times BUT I am not sure it is open in October.

The South and West coasts are superb - many rocky headlands and coves, but in the autumn the weather will be roughly the same as Cornwall......

Happy to give you more ideas - we have been there several times and regularly use the Plymouth- Roscoff ferry which, while expensive, delivers you to Brittany and with an overnight sailing, delivers you there refreshed. There are dual carriageways available within 10 miles of the port to the West (Brest) or the East and South (towards Rennes), driving on these is very easy and will not cause any concerns.

Dave


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## SaddleTramp (Feb 15, 2007)

We travel to Europe every year and usually make our way home mid to late September, We find that many of the sites are closed and usually end up on aires, We try to find sites at that time of year for the EHU but not much luck that late.
There are some but few and far between, Good Luck.


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## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

We set off last year on our first MH holiday in France and had a well thought out and sensible plan of where we would go and what we should see.

Whithin a few hours of arriving in Calais we threw the damn plan in the bin and instead slowly meandered along the Northern coast towards Normandy and back for a fortnight.

We probably saw much more and visited, until then, places we had never even considered - and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

As mentioned earlier - just turn right and keep going - and you won't go far wrong.

We used 'All the Aires', the 'Michelin Camping Guide' and a bit of common sense.

Enjoy.


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

try this site. On the outskirts of La trinite sur Mer and not far from Carnac and theQuiberon peninsular
We have used it many times as the kids were growing up.
The beach is at the end of the site.
lots of lovelly towns and villages in the area.

www.camping-plage.net/ - France

we normally do not plan where we are going to unless we are attending a specific event. 
As above early september rather than october.

dave p


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

Could lose the kids easy HERE


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Octoner*

Hello,

October is a bit late for sun and warmth in Brittany.

We have been in the Dordogne and Eastern Med in October and had a week of mid 70's degrees F. But that far north may be a bit on the cool side. You may wish to look out for a site with indoor pool (if that is waht you are looking for?).

TM


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## Bill_OR (Feb 6, 2010)

We spend a couple of weeks in Pas de Calais, Normandy & Southern Brittany last October. We found very few camp sites open and stayed on aires for most of the time. Ignoring the refinery blockade issues and the lack of diesel, the 2 issues that caused us problems were:
a) it was very cold at night and we needed our heating on. With that and gas cooking we were starting to run out of gas by the end of 2 weeks.
b) charging the habitation battery became an issue as we didn't find campsites open - we used the service points at aires to keep us going.

The stress of the cold weather, being very low on gas, no overnight hook-ups and a diesel strike was just a bit too much and we came home after 2 weeks instead of staying 3 as planned.

We'll do similar trips again but not without a Gaslow-type system and possibly a solar panel as well.

Do a bit of planning and you'll have a great time!

Bill

P.S. Don't get me wrong, we had a great time and the sun shone most of the time but the weather was unseaonably cold in October last year!!


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

Bill_OR said:


> a) it was very cold at night and we needed our heating on. With that and gas cooking we were starting to run out of gas by the end of 2 weeks.
> Bill


When I visited France at Easter it was very easy to get a French gas bottle. There were many makes asking just €1 bottle deposit and available at nearly every supermarket. A high pressure bottle to regulator hose was about €10.


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## H1-GBV (Feb 28, 2006)

We went to Normandy in the last 1.5 weeks of September 2010 - over 1000 miles return: the Sun shone almost every day, the beaches were mainly empty, the ACSI campsites were cheapish (€15) but the pools were closed.

We used gas on aires most nights, with EHU on 3 days. We didn't empty one of our 6kg bottles (MTH), despite doing a fair bit of simple cooking (quite a bit of cheese, bread & wine, probably 1 day in 3).

The penultimate day (Quend Plage) was the only time we wore jackets, but we still enjoyed ourselves on the sand.

Brittany, being that bit further south, COULD be even better, but, of course, it is that bit further to drive, so more expense on fuel (we avoided toll roads, but the rise in diesel prices is proportionally much more than the rise in toll charges, so that is something I shall consider carefully this year). I envy these folk who drive off to the Med for 2 weeks - out of my league financially and in terms of travel fatigue.

If this is your first trip, I would suggest being modest in your ambitions and look to enjoy time with your family. When our kids were little, they were happy walking along rivers, looking for strange things in castles etc. Building sand castles, finding shells and throwing stones in the sea was enough. An early night in bed and an early start in the morning means you get all the daylight and you don't need so much heating on.

We're thinking about the Rhine/Mosel vallies for Autumn - lots of activities on the rivers, grape harvests, Rhine in Flames etc. Also, less liklihood of bitterly cold winds to keep you indoors. One of the joys of motor-homing is the freedom to change your plans.

Good luck - Gordon


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## ChrisandJohn (Feb 3, 2008)

Last September we stayed 3 nights at Camping Des Chevrets

It was a fantastic location at a beautiful sandy beach between Cancale and St Malo. Having just looked at their website it appears to be open until the end of October.

Chris


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## JohnGun (May 15, 2009)

you say you only want to venture as far as Brittany, but if you travel well into Brittany, you could be well down into France for the same distance, dont think that Brittany is handy , its not, we made that mistake first time we went, if we had driven the same distance/time it took to get to Quimper , we could have almost been on the Med Coast, but if its Brittany you want to visit, it is great. As stated before, you may be limited in the number of campsites that will be open in October?


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## evad66 (Apr 4, 2011)

Sorry for the slow response back !! Been away 

But Thanks everyone for your help, you've all made me slightly rethink the plan, we are still going but more likely 2012 in the summer.

Once again big thanks

David


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## BritStops (Mar 3, 2011)

Hi,

I'd just add France Passion to your list of things to check out before you go. They offer free one-night stopovers at vineyards and farms all over France.

You won't get swimming pools or children's parks, but you'll often find farm animals for children to admire (my daughter "helped" milk 250 cows once!) and of course the vineyards offer a little something for the adults... :wink: 

Useful for breaking your journey overnight on the way to deepest France, or just meandering off-the-beaten-track.

You can get the book from Vicarious Books at France-Passion.co.uk. 

Steve


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