# The Calais Aire, A Warning....



## peejay (May 10, 2005)

The aire at Calais plage has been upgraded, by the local authorities, nicely resurfaced with properly marked out parking slots and installed a borne de service just outside.
Good news you might think, but they appear to have shot themselves in the foot bigtime with a stupid entry/access system.
I interpret how it works like this...
On arrival you need to go to the muncipal camping just round the corner and pay €7 for the overnight stop, a bit pricey for an aire especially as you have to pay a further €2 if you want fresh water from the borne, but bearable I suppose. (Although it was free for many years, but with no facilities) Now comes the silly bit, you need to get a swipe card as well, with a deposit of €50 which raises the electronic barriers from the camping as well to enable you to raise the barier to get out of the site (its not clear if the barrier raises automatically on entry). The camping is only open0800 till 1700 out of season and 0800 till 1930 in season (see photo) if you arrive or depart outside these times, there is no apparent way of returning the card to get you deposit back and unconfirmed reports by another member (smiler) say the the barier only works after 1000hrs every morning.
This is hardly ideal for motorhomes arriving/departing at unusual times for ferries.
When we passed through last week the barriers were apparently temporarily out of service so we had a free night, there was a noticeable lack of vans parked there than there usually is at this time of year, especially european ones, so i think theyre all voting with their feet.
I was going to get the full gen from the camping about the correct procedures but the site was closed (1730hrs). To be on the safe side, I would plan to stay somewhere else if you're arriving or departing off an early ferry, maybe in the docks or up on the cliffs at cap blanc nez.









pj


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## Scotjimland (May 23, 2005)

Looks more trouble than it's worth , thanks for the info Pete. 

Jim 8O


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## annej (May 27, 2005)

Hi peejay, 
The barrier wasn't working when we were there 1st and 2nd April, so had two nights free. It was pretty busy with vans though. I had a look at your pics in the gallery and pointed out to Eddie (the husband) about the 50euro deposit 8O There is no way I am going to hand over 50euro for a deposit at an aire when the opening times of the office is so restrictive, so I think I will be voting with my feet also.


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## 88781 (May 9, 2005)

Thumbs down from me too!  perhaps a letter to the authorities may get things altered :?: 


M&D


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## Texas (May 9, 2005)

All the more reason for stopping overnight at the 'sans billets' parking on the calais terminal, no hassle, secure and you can start your holiday from there.

Texas


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## Boff (May 10, 2005)

Ooh, that really looks bad.  

Will report this to my German guides to aires. Next time I come to Calais I can be found on Cap Blanc-Nez....

Best Regards,
Gerhard


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## PIANOSONIC (May 10, 2005)

*calais/bologne aire*

hi peejay 
thanx for the info.we usally use the aire on bologne port .ouite a nice position easy walk into the centre 25 mins drive to calais port.nicer town than calais with its probs at the moment. free autoroute to calais.

regards t.c.


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## 88905 (May 10, 2005)

Yesterday, 14 June, we were in Calais to do a shopping run.
We noticed as we entered the port at 1000 there were 5 MHs on the park and the barrier was up.
At 1900 as we had our frittes on the sea front there were 17 MHs on the park and at 2130 as we left port there were 16 and the barrier was still up.
This gives an occupation rate of about 25-30%.
Last year when we last used the park there were anything up to 100 MHs in place each night and all self regulating!!
We guess that people are voting with their wheels.

Worthy of note though, and provided it has not been taken over by nomads, is the site signposted alongside the Gare, opposite the Hotel de Ville.Situated to the West of the Gare this site is posted as a MH park and the entrance sign says that it is regulated by Calais Ordinance to a stay not exceeding 48 hours. There are no facilities whatsoever and it does have a slight slope on it.. Most importantly is that it is FREE.

We also noticed that 5 MH had taken up overnight spots on the large park opposite the marina/inner harbour but we personally think that the Burghers will soon put a stop to that as it is too appealing an alternative to the new paypark.

nobby


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

peejay said:


> The aire at Calais plage has been upgraded.
> 
> I interpret how it works like this...
> On arrival you need to go to the muncipal camping just round the corner and pay €7 for the overnight stop, a bit pricey for an aire especially as you have to pay a further €2 if you want fresh water from the borne, but bearable I suppose. (Although it was free for many years, but with no facilities)
> pj


It was 8 Euros for 24 hours at Mont St Michel with no facilities. I stayed on three municiple sites where without electric hook up the charge was less than 7 Euros a night with all the facilities available. In my view, the real advantage of aires is often the convenience of being located close to where you want to be otherwise my prefernece leans towards the Municiples.

Is Calais the future of things to come?

peedee


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## Boff (May 10, 2005)

peedee said:


> Is Calais the future of things to come?


I hope not... 

However it is not so much the price what bothers me here. 7 EUR per night excluding facilities is not exactly a bargain, but still within acceptable range.

No, what I don't like is their site access policy: One of the most important features of an aire/stellplatz/whateveryoucallit compared to a camp site is that you can come and go whenever you want. For that benefit (and maybe the lower price) you take into account that there may be more noise (e.g. when your neighbor comes and goes whenever he wants), less security (though that is doubtful if the tenant is as alert as just in Calais) and maybe less facilities.

This principle has now been reverted to it's opposite on the Calais aire. Probably this is just an act of utter stupidity on the part of the city council (see my signature down below). But it could also be that the camp site tenant intends to deter motorhomers from using the aire and hopes that they come on his site instead.

Should the latter be true then let us all make sure that this idea backfires on the one(s) responsible here!

I know of a campsite in Norway where the owner "peppered" all surrounding car parks and potential wild spots with "No Camping" signs, and sometimes even harrassed any motorhomers at one'o'clock in the morning who still dared to stay outside of his site. Result after two years: The signs are still there but the camp site has gone bust! :twisted:

Best Regards,
Gerhard


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## 88887 (May 10, 2005)

So the Frenchies are at it again, eh?

One minute they blockade the roads with their sheep, the next they stop you turning up in the middle of the night to park your obscenity wagon by their stink-infested waters.

Well, well, well.

This used to be one of my favourite aires. I used to highlight it on my big list of suitable stop-offs. I didn't really enjoy the drive through Calais' busy shopping streets to get there, but I put up with it nonetheless for the pleasure of a late-night serenade by the local rascals tearing about in their souped-up 2CVs and a seagull laying a poo on my roof at sunrise.

Truly, it was a great aire. But now they've put their big garlic bulb in it and messed up my plans for September.

All the more reason to put one over in the World Cup next year.

:evil:


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## 90188 (May 1, 2005)

Part of the reason for the change must be that people abused the hospitality extended by the town of Calais. Parking on the original aire was limited to 48 hrs (IIRC) but I know that some people stayed there for up to a week or more at a time.


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

I'm with nobby, boff and stormy on this one,

Although €7 is a lot for an aire in the grand scale of things i'd probably pay it if it didn't have such a crazy access system and having to pay an extra €2 for fresh water is just being cheeky.

IMO it has totally lost the charachter of old, we used to love jostling for position with the other vans for the best view, the surface was awful, sometimes you could have a van come and park within a few few feet of you but it didn't matter, there was always a friendly air (pun?) about the place which now seems to have gone. Its a bit like parking at Tesco's now (and a lot more expensive).

They should have left it as it was and just got someone to come round every night and collect a few euros or put up a 'horrodateur' machine so you could display a ticket to stay the night.

pj


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## aido (May 17, 2005)

*calais aires*

i dont understand the fuss about the calais aire, why not stay in a caravan park with all the facilities it would be much safer....aido


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## 88887 (May 10, 2005)

*Re: calais aires*



aido said:


> i dont understand


Come back when you do, then...

:wink:


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## Boff (May 10, 2005)

Hi,

as said before, I don't complain about the price level. Only about the stupid access (and especially: exit) system. 

If the local council wants to charge a parking fee, why not. But there are more intelligent ways to do that: Pay-and-Display, warden going round collecting fees, coin-operated exit barriers, just to mention some examples.

Well, I still do hope that it is just another case of Finagle's law and that they will find back their way to reason soon. 

Best Regards,
Gerhard


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## SidT (May 9, 2005)

Hi. We stayed on the bottom car park at Cap Blanc Nez along with a dozen other vans last Sunday night, Don't think its an "official aire" but a great view and there was a frites van up at the top. Monday night we stayed on the car park at Gravelines as we were on Norfolk Line Tuesday morning. Interesting that the GPS shows the position as Les Dunes campsite which is 200 yds down the road.
Cheers Sid


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