Corradobrit
With only 2 weeks to play with I wanted to be a little cautious with the itinerary. Even so travelling from Hannover I clocked up over 3600km!! Luckily the Cali makes extended travel a real pleasure. I packed what I thought was a carefully curated set of equipment and accessories but will need to carefully revisit this for future trips. Items I took and never used. Awning groundsheet and side elements, and the espresso coffee maker were the prime culprits. Ended up using mainly the Ridge Monkey leaving the other pans sadly neglected. Partly this was down to me forgetting the key for the water port (assumed it was keyed to the rest of the vehicle). SO I had to rely on bottled water and needed to be frugal and avoid trips to campsites.
In the end I visited 3 campsites I found on the ASCI app. Very quiet and basic operations but cheap. Most I paid was 6.50 Euro. I used France Passion 3x, first location was ruined when 2 big whites turned up with a soccer team of kids in tow. 2nd was much more relaxing as shown in the pics next to a farmhouse and the 3rd was equally enjoyable. The advantage here is that I could raise the poptop which I couldn't use when wild camping. I won't be renewing my subscription next year. France just has too many other great options and it felt a little awkward camping out on someone else's property, especially when there was nothing to purchase.
Park 4 Night found me my most rewarding locations. Highlights were the Ile du Re island and a carpark I found after being disturbed one night, the only night I felt a little uncomfortable. It was a quiet location near a river, no other camping vans and poor lighting. At around 11.30pm I hear a car on the gravel, opened a blind with the lights off to peer outside. The car was angled towards a hedge and the driver was digging around the base clearly looking for something. After 5 mins he left and so did I. Wasn't going to hang around waiting for a knock asking if I had seen his stash. It's all part of the learning experience but I will be a bit more cautious next time. It was a beautiful location for dinner though.
Puy du Fou was OK and I especially liked the new show for 2023, chronicling early French cinema. Cool special effects. But after 6 hours battling crowds and queuing I had had enough. A personal tour of Vallein Tercinier cognac operation with the 5 generation owner was another treat. Vendome, Nantes and Vitre were especially nice cities.
Next time I want to visit the area around Lyon.
In the end I visited 3 campsites I found on the ASCI app. Very quiet and basic operations but cheap. Most I paid was 6.50 Euro. I used France Passion 3x, first location was ruined when 2 big whites turned up with a soccer team of kids in tow. 2nd was much more relaxing as shown in the pics next to a farmhouse and the 3rd was equally enjoyable. The advantage here is that I could raise the poptop which I couldn't use when wild camping. I won't be renewing my subscription next year. France just has too many other great options and it felt a little awkward camping out on someone else's property, especially when there was nothing to purchase.
Park 4 Night found me my most rewarding locations. Highlights were the Ile du Re island and a carpark I found after being disturbed one night, the only night I felt a little uncomfortable. It was a quiet location near a river, no other camping vans and poor lighting. At around 11.30pm I hear a car on the gravel, opened a blind with the lights off to peer outside. The car was angled towards a hedge and the driver was digging around the base clearly looking for something. After 5 mins he left and so did I. Wasn't going to hang around waiting for a knock asking if I had seen his stash. It's all part of the learning experience but I will be a bit more cautious next time. It was a beautiful location for dinner though.
Puy du Fou was OK and I especially liked the new show for 2023, chronicling early French cinema. Cool special effects. But after 6 hours battling crowds and queuing I had had enough. A personal tour of Vallein Tercinier cognac operation with the 5 generation owner was another treat. Vendome, Nantes and Vitre were especially nice cities.
Next time I want to visit the area around Lyon.
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