# Touring in Brittany



## Nemo99 (May 26, 2012)

Planning a trip to Brittany in early June and wondered whether anyone has come across any good aires around the coast. We will probably start from St Malo and drift round the coast to the South.
Any thoughts gratefully received.
Thanks


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

I don`t know much about the aires in the region as we were caravaners when we last visited. but Concarneau, Vannes, Carnac , St Trinite sur mer, Quiberon peninsular are all nice places to end up at.

You should not be dissapointed.


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

If you tire of the coast and want a quiet inland (17 miles) spot to chill out then this will hit the spot:

Lampaul Guimiliau 

48.49384	-4.03839


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## teljoy (Jul 4, 2005)

tonyt said:


> If you tire of the coast and want a quiet inland (17 miles) spot to chill out then this will hit the spot:
> 
> Lampaul Guimiliau
> 
> 48.49384	-4.03839


Sorry to hijack this thread Tony but you always seem to come up with the quite spots. We are heading down the east side of Paris on Friday and first stop somewhere near Charleville-Mezieres. I can see an aire at 
49.7779 4.72000 but if you know of any others???

Terry


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

teljoy said:


> Sorry to hijack this thread Tony but you always seem to come up with the quite spots. We are heading down the east side of Paris on Friday and first stop somewhere near Charleville-Mezieres. I can see an aire at
> 49.7779 4.72000 but if you know of any others???
> Terry


Hi Terry - I don't know that area too well but I did once stay here:

49.88648	4.73545

Montherme, just north of Charleville - I can't remember but I don't think there are services there, just a nice riverside parking spot. Several French motorhomes overnighted with me.

Or here:

49.38860	5.17830 Dun Sur Meuse but that's someway south east of CM.

Or here:

49.48580	4.58070 Attigny but that's someway sothwest of CM.

Nice spots. Enjoy


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

not done it in any detail, but you would be hard pressed to fit them all in :idea:


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## Tucano (Jun 9, 2006)

I don't have my map to hand, or my memory :roll: so apart from knowing that the Aire at St Malo is good and with a free bus to town, I am of little help. However I have always used the Aires when I am in that area and I have never been disappointed. Have a great trip.
Norman.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

There are more Aires in Brittany than any reagion in France. Making a recommendation is hard but what I will say is do your homework well. Use the All the Aires book and for really detailed info and to find those special places use www.campingcar-infos.com

In my experience the aires right on the coast are the most popular and perhaps not the best but some are lovely. There are also some good wild spots if you look and some of the best aires and wild spots are inland a bit.

Two of our favourite wild spots are in Brittany. If you want them PM me and I will send you the GPS


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Recently spent five weeks there and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves apart from the incessant rain.

Vire...town centre aire. Busy but goes quiet after 1800 hrs

Bazouges la Peruse,. smashing little village aire, bars and boulangerie.
Plerin sous Tour, on coastal estuary nice beach bars and restaurants.

Plouha, Plage du Paulas, right on the beach, nice very French restaurant.

Quai de Pempoul, busy port, extensive marina, good market lots of shops.

St Michel en Greve, got this down as small village and huuuuuge beach.

Penze, small village on river, midday 'formule' very good value.
Caramet sur Mer. Super area two aires one next to standing stones. WW2 relics and of course the headland at Pen Hir.

Pont Croix, attractive town, aire in quiet carpark.

Combrit, small aire pizza takeaway.

Concaneau, large aire busy port, old port area worth a visit.

Clohars-Carnoet, small town nice aire, very friendly bar etc

Port Louis. Coastal aire, interesting fortifications.

La Roche Bernard, attached to campsite, full facilities, pretty marina on river, lots of quayside restaurants quaint town.

Redon, busy aire cramped but town has shops and eating places.

Villedieau le Poules, aire in town centre.

Le Ferriere aux Etangs, lakeside adjacent to campsite quaint town.

St Nicolas d'Aliermont, got to be the most attractive car park ever. Recommend the tripe and frites in town!

The headlands at Finisterre are at their most spectacular in foul weather and well worth risking a soaking!


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## marionandrob (May 14, 2005)

Erquy - just behind the beach but not much more than a glorified carpark.
Lermot plage - a bit further down the St Brieuc bay. sea vanishes over the horizon at low tide to reveal miles of mussel farm installations.

Palus Plage - lovely little aire right behind the shingle beach.

Cap Frehel - no Aire but a couple of years ago we were able to overnight in the big car park - entrance on your right about 100 yards before the lighthouse. If you have seen 'The Vikings' (1957 film with Tony Curtis and Kirk Douglas) pop across to Fort la Latte - some of the film was shot here.

Diben - bourne and a row of parking spaces for motorhomes on the harbour wall.

thats as far round the brittany coast as we have been.

Dinan - inland from St Malo is worth a visit. Ancient walled town perched high above its river port. There is an Aire by the river under the modern road viaduct. Access to the old town full of quaint timbered buildings is either by a heart stopping climb up steps from just above the aire or a more gentle and picturesque ( but still fairly steep) road that runs down to the port and across the old road bridge.

have a good trip!


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## pilkingbeck (Jun 7, 2011)

We like quiet and out of the way places. Preferably near a beach wecan walk our dogs on. Here are 2 places we really liked on our recent trip.

Details in http://www.campingcar-infos.com

HILLION Lermot (N° 584) in Cotes D'Amour

and

KERLOUAN LA DIGUE (N° 19121) In Finisterre


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## mandyandandy (Oct 1, 2006)

Taken these from a number of posts read when we were thinking of going there, hope they help. 

Turn right out of Calais, and always keep as close as possible to the coast. This sometimes means turning down improbably narrow and unpromising roads, but more times than not, it was worth it.

Here's our rough itinerary...

Criel-sur-Mer
Dieppe
Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer
Veules-les-Roses
Saint-Valery-en-Caux
Veulettes-sur-Mer
Saint-Pierre-en-Port
Fecamp (Benedictine)
Yport
Etretat
Le Havre
Honfleur
Trouville-sur-Mer / Deauville (Aire on port closed off with large rocks)
Villers-sur-Mer
Barfleur

We then skipped across to:

Avranches
Le Mont-Saint-Michel
St Malo
Dinard
Dinan
Saint-Brieuc
Binic (very nice municipal site overlooking the bay from the north)
Plouha
Paimpol

Then across to Quimper

Concarneau
Vannes
La Roche-Bernard
Guerande (of the salt)
Saint-Nazaire (of the submarine pens)

BEACHES AROUND BRITTANY

The Crozon Peninsula is part of the Parc Naturel regional D'Armorique. It stretches from the picturesque Arree Mountains in the east
to the wonderful beaches and coastal scenery of the 'Presqu'ile de Crozon to the west. The whole magnificent National Park is in the
' Department of Finistere which in turn is part of the area of Brittany.
The Crozon Peninsula has lots of picturesque promontories, bays and beaches. If driving, the coast road is particularly spectacular.
En route, visit the town of Plougastel-Daoulas and make a detour to the hill of Menez-Hom which has fantastic views over both land
and sea.

The nearby town of Morgat is a treat, with its long crescent beach and sheltered harbour full of pleasure boats.

The Crozon Penninsula, Brittany, Top Ten Beaches in Brittany

Why not enjoy a boat trip around the headlands, such as the Cap de la Chevre. Or enjoy a 45 minute tour of the Grottes, multi-coloured
caves in the cliffs only accessible by sea, and take in the spectacular steep ‘chimneys’ which reach up to the cliff tops. 


Presqu'ile de Crozon has in general been undiscovered by tourists as they tend to by-pass it on their way south.
The French come in summer but it never gets that busy. The Presqu'ile extents about 30 kms by 10 kms. and in that area the scenery 
changes from towering cliffs at Point Espangnois with its bracing walks to long beautiful sandy beaches which stretch for miles 
(there are in fact over 12 sandy beaches to choose from and none of them get very busy). There are numerous delightful walks in
forests & moors and we have 145kms. of coastal footpath around the Presqu'ile to explore.

Along Brittany’s Pink Granite Coast you will want to explore Perros-Guirec, a haven of tree lined avenues, smart villas and beautiful 
beaches. Perros-Guirec is located at one end of the long Sentier des Douaniers walking route, which takes you along stunning cliff tops 
to the tiny resort of Ploumanac’h.


You will pass the incredible water sculpted rocks which the Pink Granite Coast is famous for, whilst seabirds glide overhead to the
Sept-Iles bird sanctuary.

Perros-Guirec, Tregastel, Treburden, Brittany, tropical looking lagoon, Top Ten Beaches in Brittany

Along the Pink Granite Coast to the west, you will come across the smaller villages of Tregastel and Trebeurden. Tregastel has a
newly renovated aquarium located in pink granite caves with displays of English Channel flora and fauna. Just south of Tregastel
is the dome of the Pleumier-Bodou Telecommunications Centre. Opened in 1962, it was the first receiving station to pick up signals 
from the American Telstar satellite. The site is now Cosmopolis telecommunications museum. 

Laber is considered to be one of Roscoff’s best beaches whilst the old harbour is home to both fishing vessels and pleasure boats
to the nearby Ile-de-Batz. It almost looks as though you could walk to the island as the deep-water pier in Roscoff stretches towards
it before abruptly plunging into the sea.



Long narrow Ile-de-Batz mirrors Roscoff across the water, 1000m away at high tide but only 200m at low tide. No cars are permitted
on the island. It has some amazing expanses of sandy beach such as Greve Blanche at the eastern end which families tend to head 
for. Alternatively, you may prefer Ile de Batz’s wild and windswept north coast.



Ile-de-Batz is famous for its Jardin Exotique. This extraordinary garden has 3,000 species of tropical plants from all over the world,
including South Africa, Australia and Chile. The rockeries are particularly spectacular and there are superbs view of the bay of
Morlaix, Roscoff, Carantec and the Chateau du Taureau. 

Situated east of Benodet is the coastal town of Concarneau, one of France’s largest fishing ports and a holiday resort full of charm and character.



The must-see sight in Concarneau is the Ville Close, a small, highly fortified 13th century citadelle on a rocky island in the bay.
Ville Close is extremely popular with visitors due not only to its 
picturesque setting but also the fishing museum and many Breton shops.


Concarneau's Ville Close, Brittany, Top Ten Beaches in Brittany

Concarneau has a good aquarium, sailing schools and a pleasant seafront and promenade. There is also an excellent selection of
shops and restaurants. 

Le-Val-Andre features a huge beach with fine sand and a long pedestrian promenade that stretches along the Victorian-style seafront.
Head to rue A-Charner, which runs parallel to the sea, for a good selection of shops and restaurants. Like so many other coastal towns
Le-Val-Andre also features a casino right on the waterfront for an evening out.
Le Val Andre and Erquy, Long sweeping beach, Top Ten Beaches in Brittany

To the east of Le-Val-Andre is the delightful town of Erquy with its spectacular stretch of beach which curves through more than
180 degrees. A great feature of Erquy is that, at low tide, the sea disappears beyond the harbour entrance, leaving just tiny pools of 
water. Equip yourself with stout shoes and take a walk right across the mouth of the harbour from the grassy wooded headland to the
lighthouse at the end of the jetty. Enjoy some shopping in Erquy or tuck into a fresh fish dinner in one of the many restaurants. 

Paimpol’s naval shipyards obscure the view to the open sea; however, a series of waterways lead to Paimpol’s 2 separate harbours
which are usually filled with the masts of pleasure yachts. Fishing boats still use Paimpol’s harbour and keep the fish market busy.
The harbour area is definitely the place to be for a lively atmosphere in the summer.

The Ile de Brehat lies 2km from the coast at Pointe de l’Arcouest

Paimpol and Ile De Brehat, Top Ten Beaches in Brittany

6km north west of Paimpol. The Ile de Brehat is in reality 2 islands that are joined by a small bridge. The north side of the islands has
windswept meadows that slope down to rock erosions. On the south side of the Ile de Brehat, you can enjoy walking amongst palm
trees, mimosa and eucalyptus. The Ile de Brehat, well known as a bird and flower sanctuary, is perfect for nature lovers and ramblers.

Have put these on before but you may not have seen them - 
Markets in Brittany
When the countryside comes to you. Find out when and where you can enjoy the pleasures of browsing
through an outdoor market in Bretagne for local produce, fresh fruit and vegetables and organic food from the bio-food producers.

There are very few towns or villages in Brittany without their own, special food market. Here is just a selection of them to get started.

To find the towns and villages mentioned below, use AngloINFO Maps.

The fresh fish auctions are at their best in Audierne, Concarneau, Douarnenez and Lorient, where they usually take place
daily within 30 minutes of the fleet docking.

Côtes d’Armor (22)
Monday Pontrieux 
Tregastel
Tuesday Paimpol: Mornings only
Quintin 
Rostrenen: Tuesday all day through the streets of town
Wednesday Broons
Callac de Bretagne
Dinan: Flea market in July and August
Plouha: All day
St-Brieuc: in the Centre Ville 
Tréguier 
Thursday Binic
Dinan: Mornings
Lannion: Fresh foods (mornings to 13:00). Clothes and other on sale all day.
Lamballe: Mornings
Friday Guingamp: Mornings
Kérity
Lézardrieux
Mur de Bretagne: Evenings July and August, local produce and crafts
Perros-Guirec
Val André
Saturday Erquy: Mornings
Loudeac: Mornings (town centre)
Plouézec
Saint-Brieuc: in the Centre Ville 
Sunday Plestin-les-Greves: Mornings 
Ploubazlanec
St-Brieuc: at Croix Saint-Lambert
St-Gelven: Sunday morning Easter to end October, local produce
Special Bréhat: Daily summer morning market on Place du Bourg


Finistère (29)
Monday Benodet 
Concarneau: Mornings
Douarnenez 
Guerlisquin: Mornings (with added events in July and August)
Quimper: Indoor market (since 1847) in the Halles Saint-François. Locally produced food (meat, fish, cheese) vegetables and fruits. Open 07:00-19:30
Tuesday Moelan-sur-Mer 
Plougasnou: Mornings
Quimper: Indoor market (since 1847) in the Halles Saint-François. Locally produced food (meat, fish, cheese) vegetables and fruits. Open 05:30-20:00
Saint-Pol-de-Léon
Wednesday Douarnenez: Mornings
Henvic: Summer only - night market. Open 17:00-20:00
Locquirec: Morning market on the port
Quimper: Outdoors at Place du Steir, Quai du Port au Vin, Place Terre au Duc, Rue Astor. April to September 07:00-19:00, October to March 07:00-18:00. Food, clothing and household goods
Quimper: Indoor market (since 1847) in the Halles Saint-François. Locally produced food (meat, fish, cheese) vegetables and fruits. Open 05:30-20:00
Roscoff 
Thursday Carantec: Mornings (town center)
Châteaulin: General market on the waterfront
Huelgoat: Mornings
Quimper: Indoor market (since 1847) in the Halles Saint-François. Locally produced food (meat, fish, cheese) vegetables and fruits. Open 05:30-20:00
Friday Concarneau: Mornings
Douarnenez 
Fouesnant 
Lanmeur: Mornings
Pleyber Christ: Second Friday morning each month
Plouigneau: Mornings
Quimper: Kerfeunteun (Place Théophile Bonnemaison, Boulevard des Frères Maillet) organic produce sold 15:00-19:00
Quimper: Indoor market (since 1847) in the Halles Saint-François. Locally produced food (meat, fish, cheese) vegetables and fruits. Open 05:00-20:00
Quimperlé: Mornings (Place Saint-Michel). Tel: 02 98 96 04 32
Saint-Thégonnec: Forth Friday morning each month
Saturday Carhaix: Mornings
Douarnenez: Mornings
Morlaix: Large market all day in the squares and streets of town
Quimper: Outdoors at Place du Steir, Quai du Port au Vin, Place Terre au Duc, Rue Astor. April to September 07:00-19:00, October to March 07:00-18:00. Food, clothing and household goods
Quimper: Indoor market (since 1847) in the Halles Saint-François. Locally produced food (meat, fish, cheese) vegetables and fruits. Open 04:30-20:00
St-Renan
Scaër: Mornings (in front of the mairie/town hall)
Sunday Quimper: Clothes, household goods and local food produce (Place Victor Schoelcher). Open 07:00-14:00
Quimper: Indoor market (since 1847) in the Halles Saint-François. Locally produced food (meat, fish, cheese) vegetables and fruits. Open 07:30-13:00
St-Martin-des-Champs: Mornings


Ille et Vilaine (35)
Monday Combourg: Large market
Dinard: Indoor market open mornings in the Halles de la Concorde
Redon: Indoor market in Les Halles
Tuesday Dinard: Indoor market open mornings in the Halles de la Concorde
Dinard: Mornings in the Place Crolard
St-Malo: Mornings
St-Servan: Mornings
Wednesday Dinard: Indoor market open mornings in the Halles de la Concorde 
Paramé: Mornings
Thursday Dinard: Mornings (Place Crolard)
Dinard: Indoor market open mornings in the Halles de la Concorde
Friday Dinard: Indoor market open mornings in the Halles de la Concorde
Pleurtuit: Mornings
Redon: Indoor market in Les Halles
St-Malo: Mornings
St-Servan: Mornings
Saturday Bécherel: Mornings
Dinard: Mornings (Place Crolard)
Dinard: Indoor market open mornings in the Halles de la Concorde
Dol de Bretagne
Fougères: Mornings
Paramé: Mornings
Redon: Indoor market in Les Halles
Rennes: Mornings (Des Lices)
Sunday Bécherel: Book market first Sunday of the month 
Cancale: Mornings
Dinard: Indoor market open mornings in the Halles de la Concorde
Maure de Bretagne: Small morning market
Plelan le Grand
St-Lunaire: Mornings from Easter to October


Morbihan (56)
Monday Auray: Mornings
Gourin: Mornings: vegetables, charcuterie, baskets, clothes, haberdashery
La Roche Bernard: Afternoon craft and local producers' market, summer only from 18:00
Le Crouesty: Mornings
Pontivy 
Questembert: In the streets and squares of town, weekly market for local produce with bigger market producers on the 1st Monday of the month. Open 09:00-13:00
Tuesday Arzon: Mornings
Damgan: Mornings
Lanester
Le Guerno: Festival market (summer only) from 17:00
Port-Louis: Evenings in July and August
Wednesday Ambon: Summer night market (July and August) with music and entertainment. Opens 17:30 
Bubry: Small market
Carnac 
Damgan: Night market for arts and crafts. Summer only
Kervoyal: Mornings
Le Faouet: 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month
Pénestin: Summer only, Place de l’Eglise, Rue de l’Eglise and Rue du Calvaire. Mornings
Ploemeur: In the Place de Falquerho, mornings only
Questembert: Summer only beneath the Halles du XVIème Siècle. Festival market with local produce, music and entertainment, from 16:30-20:00
Vannes: Mornings only 
Thursday Hennebont 
Locmine
La Roche Bernard: Mornings. Open 08:00-13:00
Malestroit: Mornings; local produce (dairy and meat) 
Queven: Evenings, organic market near the church
Saint-Pierre
Sarzeau: Mornings. Summer night market open 17:00-20:00
Friday Arzal: Market for small, local producers. July and August only. From 17:00.
La Trinité-sur-Mer
Languidic: Morning market
Locmiquelic: Mornings, in the Grande Rue
Muzillac: Morning market in town
Ploërmel: Friday mornings 08:00-13:00 on Place du Tribunal, small market with locally grown organic fruit and vegetables plus vegetable and bedding plants
Sene: Organic foods market open 16:30-19:30 
Saturday 
Baud: Small morning market
Damgan: Mornings
Josselin: Mornings
La Gacilly: Mornings; local produce
Larmor-Plage: Morning market
Lanester: Mornings in the rue Marcel Sembat
Port-Louis: Mornings
Quiberon 
Vannes: Mornings 
Sunday Ambon: Summer morning market (July, August)
Carnac 
Guidel: Sunday mornings (market square)
Larmor Plage: Mornings (around the Church)
Pénestin: Summer mornings only (Place de l’Eglise, Rue de l’Eglise and Rue du Calvaire). 
Ploemeur: Mornings (Place de Falquerho)
St-Gildas de Rhuys: Mornings


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

And since a picture is worth the thousands of words we've already had (_Isn't MHF great - never ceases to amaze me how helpful our members are!_  )

As the others have said, you ain't going to have a problem finding an aire! 8O 8O

Dave 

.


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## Nemo99 (May 26, 2012)

*Thanks!*

Some very helpful suggestions thanks everyone for the ideas! Hopefully the sun will shine at Finistere and everywhere else Murvi and his occupants decide to go! Just planning how to fit my kayak on the roof at present - hopefully a 'very nice man' who knows about light weight roof racks will make some useful suggestions then construct it for me!
LD Lines 17th June Newhaven can't wait!!!!


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## joedenise (Jul 20, 2007)

Is it possible to download the CampingCarInfos site onto your PC or do you have to pay for it now.

We used to have it but our old laptop crashed so haven't got it anymore. We had it saved on the desktop as a PDF document.

Joe


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

What are you wanting to download Joe, specifically?

Might be able to help.

Dave


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## joedenise (Jul 20, 2007)

Hi Dave

We used to have all the aires from CampingCarInfos as a document on the PC but don't seem to be able to download it now on the new one. It was handy to sort out where to go and the pictures were helpful as well, and didn't need to be online.

Joe


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Haven't got that Joe, sorry.

I downloaded the co-ordinates and installed them as pushpins on Autoroute . . . or they could go on the satnav just as easily.

I've tweaked them a bit for my personal preference, but I'm sure ActiveCampers has posted them (or something very similar) for downloading from his website.

Dave


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## joedenise (Jul 20, 2007)

Dave 

Thanks but it's not just the co-ordinates I want. The old version of Camping CarInfos had a PDF download available so you could just go to a Department and check all the Aires but this isn't available now.

Have already got the co-ordinates on TomTom.

Joe


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

I bet somebody has it Joe, and even if it's a bit dated, most of the sites will still be there.

Dave


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

joedenise said:


> Dave
> 
> Thanks but it's not just the co-ordinates I want. The old version of Camping CarInfos had a PDF download available so you could just go to a Department and check all the Aires but this isn't available now.
> 
> ...


I have the January 2011 on USB stick and on my laptop - any good to you?

Map, Departments, Aires, Co-ords, pics et al.


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## joedenise (Jul 20, 2007)

Hi Tony - that would be brilliant.

Joe

PS Would it be easier by e-mail? If so let me know and I'll PM you


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## oldtart (Mar 18, 2006)

Hi tony. We've only used books before. The USB stick sounds great. How do we get it please?

Val


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

oldtart said:


> Hi tony. We've only used books before. The USB stick sounds great. How do we get it please? Val


I got mine from Campingcar Infos, downloaded onto my netbook but also copied to a spare USB.


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## oldtart (Mar 18, 2006)

Hi Tony

I've been onto the homepage. It does advertise a USB,but I don't know where to start downloading on to the net book and onto a USB as you have done or buying the USB. Can you advise,??

Val


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

oldtart said:


> Hi tony. We've only used books before. The USB stick sounds great. How do we get it please?Val


Sorry Val - I didn't explain that too well. I bought the USB, downloaded it onto my netbook and just made a copy usb.


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