WelshGas
Retired after 42 yrs and enjoying Life.
Super Poster
Lifetime VIP Member
Well we spent 4 weeks in August driving down through the centre of France to the Ardeche region, across Southern France into Italy to the Italian Riviera then back up through the Italian lakes region, into Switzerland and on to Southern Germany and then home. Just 2 Adults.
We used the Euroshuttle on a 0550 morning crossing having spent the night at the Holiday Hilton which is 5 mins from the terminal.
We stayed at 8 campsites, 4 of which were booked via Eurocamp Independant. 2 were booked Independently and 2 were Municipal Sites which were 1st come so no booking.
The Purists will be aghast at using Eurocamp Independant but
a. They were campsites in good locations with some of the facilities we wanted and
b. You get good Travel Insurance for passengers and vehicle for a very good price.
We booked Euroshuttle ourselves as Eurocamp couldn't offer the times we wanted as they had used their allocation. Didn't matter as I got a good price travelling mid-week outward.
The 1st day was the longest drive, some 400 miles but the rest of the trips between sites were about 250 miles. We used to drive for about 100 miles and then stop for refreshments and also about 50 miles before the camp for the same and fuel so we didn't arrive gasping for a cuppa or the loo.
The Eurocamp sites in the Ardeche had 4 swimming pools with one for Adults only, as SWMBO enjoys swimming . Next to the Ardeche river with canoeing, fishing, a local town with plenty of eateries, although the campsite restaurant was very good, and plenty of recreational cycling. Similarly the German site but here the swimming was provided by the Municipal Lido next door. 2€ daily entrance with 6 pools including a diving pool all in fantastic condition. Also many miles of cycling paths and routes along the Rhine. We stayed at these sites for 6 and 5 nights respectively.
The other 2 Eurocamp sites had good facilities but not dedicated adult swimming or so many cycling facilities for an old timer but we only stayed ther 1 or 2 days.
Our Italian Riviera site we booked ourselves having been before. In a Pine Wood 50m from the sea with its own private beach and you can book sunlougers and Parasole set on the beach for your stay. Excellent beach with lifeguards. Short ride to the town of Castiglionie just down the coast, and lots of cycle paths.another 6 nighters and then north to Paris, just south of Milan. Basic but good amenities on the city outskirts. Plenty of history and culture. Like Sienna etc: but without bus loads of tourists.
Over the Simpson Pass into Switzerlandfor a 1 night stop. Campsite had good facilities and a swimming pool that must have been fed from a glacier. Invigorating though.
Then to the German site.
We stayed at 2 Municipal sites, cheap with excellent toilets/showers and no problems getting in even in August. Both very close to the town centres.
I already have the Sanef Tag for France, so useful as the Tolls are now virtually all unmanned so if you get clocked as Class 2 then it is easy to get this amended but not so easy if you pay by card/cash.
I also hired a AutoPass Tag/Card for Italy which made life so easy. With this you pay the hire charge and tolls via PayPal.
Electrical connections were all via the standard Blue Plug/Socket except on 1 Municipal site that required the Euro adapter that comes with the California and the Swiss site that had a Euro type socket that the adapter wouldn't fit or the Diamond type socket used on the California Inverter socket. But my World Multi adapter fitted OK and then the UK lead adapter.
Temperatures were from 30-38c during our travels but we coped very well. We had the Brandrup Airsafe for the tailgate, the roof windows open, Brandrup Airvents on the front windows and a 7" 50watt electric fan that ran off the Mains clipped to the roof bed front edge directed to the back. We slept on the lower bed and slept well. Might have been the Peroni and local wine.
We do not have mosquito or fly nets and never had a problem in the California despite camping in woods, by rivers and the seaside,but then I do use one of those plug in insect repellents that fits the Inverter socket, from Go Outdoors, which was plugged in and left on for the duration of our stays.
We cooked numerous meals on the gas Hobson as barbecues were not allowed at any of the southern sites due to the fire risks.
The awning was used on every site plus additional panels and poles to extend the area on the longer stays
We took 2 recreational bikes that were used extensively, carried on a Tow hitch carrier an Altera Strata.
Each site we used our pop up toilet tent and Bog in a Bag for night use only.
So what went wrong?
Very little. One Italian Garage where they serve you, common in Italy, didn't like my Fuel Angel anti-petrol system. They insisted on jamming the nozzle in which activated the cut-out. In the end I had to do it.
We used the Awning on every stop despite the temperatures and it failed on the last site. Not the seam but the plastic holder the legs clip into and so the Whole Awning will be replaced shortly.
We covered almost 3000 miles door to door. My SatNav a RNS510 performed flawlessly throughout. No holdups, a few Route changes due to traffic congestion on the excellent European roads, nothing at all until our return to the UK, the good old M25 and the M4 Brynglas Tunnel in Newport.
Have already started planning next years, probably in reverse order and including the Isle de Re to meet up with family.
Hope this is of help to someone and encourages you to look further afield and if there are any questions then I'll try and answer them.
We used the Euroshuttle on a 0550 morning crossing having spent the night at the Holiday Hilton which is 5 mins from the terminal.
We stayed at 8 campsites, 4 of which were booked via Eurocamp Independant. 2 were booked Independently and 2 were Municipal Sites which were 1st come so no booking.
The Purists will be aghast at using Eurocamp Independant but
a. They were campsites in good locations with some of the facilities we wanted and
b. You get good Travel Insurance for passengers and vehicle for a very good price.
We booked Euroshuttle ourselves as Eurocamp couldn't offer the times we wanted as they had used their allocation. Didn't matter as I got a good price travelling mid-week outward.
The 1st day was the longest drive, some 400 miles but the rest of the trips between sites were about 250 miles. We used to drive for about 100 miles and then stop for refreshments and also about 50 miles before the camp for the same and fuel so we didn't arrive gasping for a cuppa or the loo.
The Eurocamp sites in the Ardeche had 4 swimming pools with one for Adults only, as SWMBO enjoys swimming . Next to the Ardeche river with canoeing, fishing, a local town with plenty of eateries, although the campsite restaurant was very good, and plenty of recreational cycling. Similarly the German site but here the swimming was provided by the Municipal Lido next door. 2€ daily entrance with 6 pools including a diving pool all in fantastic condition. Also many miles of cycling paths and routes along the Rhine. We stayed at these sites for 6 and 5 nights respectively.
The other 2 Eurocamp sites had good facilities but not dedicated adult swimming or so many cycling facilities for an old timer but we only stayed ther 1 or 2 days.
Our Italian Riviera site we booked ourselves having been before. In a Pine Wood 50m from the sea with its own private beach and you can book sunlougers and Parasole set on the beach for your stay. Excellent beach with lifeguards. Short ride to the town of Castiglionie just down the coast, and lots of cycle paths.another 6 nighters and then north to Paris, just south of Milan. Basic but good amenities on the city outskirts. Plenty of history and culture. Like Sienna etc: but without bus loads of tourists.
Over the Simpson Pass into Switzerlandfor a 1 night stop. Campsite had good facilities and a swimming pool that must have been fed from a glacier. Invigorating though.
Then to the German site.
We stayed at 2 Municipal sites, cheap with excellent toilets/showers and no problems getting in even in August. Both very close to the town centres.
I already have the Sanef Tag for France, so useful as the Tolls are now virtually all unmanned so if you get clocked as Class 2 then it is easy to get this amended but not so easy if you pay by card/cash.
I also hired a AutoPass Tag/Card for Italy which made life so easy. With this you pay the hire charge and tolls via PayPal.
Electrical connections were all via the standard Blue Plug/Socket except on 1 Municipal site that required the Euro adapter that comes with the California and the Swiss site that had a Euro type socket that the adapter wouldn't fit or the Diamond type socket used on the California Inverter socket. But my World Multi adapter fitted OK and then the UK lead adapter.
Temperatures were from 30-38c during our travels but we coped very well. We had the Brandrup Airsafe for the tailgate, the roof windows open, Brandrup Airvents on the front windows and a 7" 50watt electric fan that ran off the Mains clipped to the roof bed front edge directed to the back. We slept on the lower bed and slept well. Might have been the Peroni and local wine.
We do not have mosquito or fly nets and never had a problem in the California despite camping in woods, by rivers and the seaside,but then I do use one of those plug in insect repellents that fits the Inverter socket, from Go Outdoors, which was plugged in and left on for the duration of our stays.
We cooked numerous meals on the gas Hobson as barbecues were not allowed at any of the southern sites due to the fire risks.
The awning was used on every site plus additional panels and poles to extend the area on the longer stays
We took 2 recreational bikes that were used extensively, carried on a Tow hitch carrier an Altera Strata.
Each site we used our pop up toilet tent and Bog in a Bag for night use only.
So what went wrong?
Very little. One Italian Garage where they serve you, common in Italy, didn't like my Fuel Angel anti-petrol system. They insisted on jamming the nozzle in which activated the cut-out. In the end I had to do it.
We used the Awning on every stop despite the temperatures and it failed on the last site. Not the seam but the plastic holder the legs clip into and so the Whole Awning will be replaced shortly.
We covered almost 3000 miles door to door. My SatNav a RNS510 performed flawlessly throughout. No holdups, a few Route changes due to traffic congestion on the excellent European roads, nothing at all until our return to the UK, the good old M25 and the M4 Brynglas Tunnel in Newport.
Have already started planning next years, probably in reverse order and including the Isle de Re to meet up with family.
Hope this is of help to someone and encourages you to look further afield and if there are any questions then I'll try and answer them.
