# Best bits La Rochelle - Gijon



## cje101 (Aug 1, 2009)

All,

We planning our trip for summer, we are sailing from Portsmouth - caen and returning 3 weeks later from Gijon - Poole.

We are looking for good areas and aires/municipal sites to visit/stay at. We have extensively covered the areas down to la Rochelle, therefore will be looking for areas, aires/municipals south of la Rochelle - Gijon 
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Chris


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

There is quite a nice Aire at Mortagne Sur Gironde. http://goo.gl/maps/dQExB

South of Bordeaux on the coast its all very flat and a little Dull but still some interesting places such as the Dune Pyla (Biggest sand dune in Europe) A few lakes down in Landes with some good Aires but very little else. Biarritz is quite nice but I am not keen on the Aire and prefer the one out of town at Anglet.

Of course you could go inland a bit and visit the Dordogne which is well worth seeing and much more interesting than the coast IMO.

Sarlat, La Roque-Gageac, Domme are all in the same area and worth a visit. Further east is Rocamadore which is very interesting and south along the Lot valley is good.


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## cje101 (Aug 1, 2009)

Thanks, will start reviewing.


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

On the contrary to barryd's post, the coast around Royan is gorgeous. We had a rally nearby there in Sep 2010. A short ferry ride takes you across the mouth of the Gironde and a pleasant ride down to Arcachon which is lovely. And the Dune de Pyla I remember well, having dinged my awning cap on a very crooked pine tree in the motorhome overflow parking which was more like a ginormous sandpit. All around that lagoon is lovely, Andenos-les-Bains etc. From Arcachon you can catch a train into Bordeaux for the day to see the city. There are lovely beaches all the way down to the border, including Hossegor (surfing). Just depends if you like hot sun, sand, water and sea breezes. Very busy in midsummer season though!


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

As you are using the Gijon ferry, I would recommend touring mainly at the Spanish end of your journey. Maybe going a little further west, it's a lovely coast. Any part of France is easily reachable from the French ferry crossings.
I agree with Barry, the coast from Bordeaux to Irun (Spanish border) is pretty bland, but nice characterless beaches!


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

Although the Aire in San Sebastian is not free, this was one of the more interesting places to visit, especially if you have bikes. There are marked cycle paths throughout the town, shopping and beach areas. There are also many streets in the same University area as the Aire which fill up every night with motorhomes, for free I assume.

If you have a liking for VERY popular Aires, Cap Breton has to rank quite highly. I counted 140 vans on the Aire when I last visited.... the beach is enormous, hence its popularity. 

Alan


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## berni109 (Jun 9, 2005)

Aire at Palace Vauban Blaye - park up in their garden free but limited space. Water and elec available. Think i found it on Camping Cars info.
We did the tour of the winery and bought a few bottles but you dont have to - but they maybe expect you will. 
Much bigger aire under castle walls in town. 

somewhere to park in biarritz near these coordinates 43.4778355,-1.5525165 with a free shoppers bus right into town/sea front. 

HTH
bern


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## cje101 (Aug 1, 2009)

For those that have responded, thanks this has given us lots of fuel for thought, does anyone else have any suggestions?


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## Yaxley (Jul 25, 2008)

I agree with Barryd re the Aire at Mortagne sur Gironde .
We were there last year. It is located facing the marina where there are cafes, takeaways etc. It costs €7.50 including hook up. There is water and cassette disposal also available. The village with shops is about 800m up the hill. Nice location.
Ian


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## Yaxley (Jul 25, 2008)

I forgot to mention there is also free wifi from the harbour office.


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## cje101 (Aug 1, 2009)

bump


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## Cazzie (Feb 13, 2009)

On our way down to Spain this week we are hoping to stay a while at Caumont sur Garonne. This is a very pleasant village and the aire is right beside the canal.
Our Aires book says there are 5 places but when we were there last year they had opened up another large area.

Cazzie


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

barryd said:


> There is quite a nice Aire at Mortagne Sur Gironde. http://goo.gl/maps/dQExB
> 
> .


There is a cosy little campsite up the hill in the town. 
We spent a couple of days R & R there when the aire was full to overflowing.
Pizza, boulangerie and bar within couple of minutes walk.


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