France. A month. Few ideas to share .

[CYCLOPATH]

I have got so much from the forum. Here are a few musings from my month away.
And a few pics from places I stayed.
FRANCE PASSION . An amazing network of free stopovers on farms, and vineyards, and a kayak encampment. I never met another van on the sites. All lovely locations, and so friendly .
PARK4NIGHT had some great ideas of places to stay, although a couple were clearly marked no camping-cars . But it was never far to find another place. There are loads of free places to stay, Aires , Car parks, Lay byes, even a really nice spot on the edge of a supermarket car park, with mountain views, that clearly welcomed vans.
MUNICIPAL CAMPING. I did use a camp siteon a couple of occasions.....less than a tenner, and you get a hot shower, a swimming pool in one, and lots of hot water to wash clothes. And water to refill the drinking water tank.
THE PYRENEES. Were my favourite place. Although hot, with altitude, I could get a cool nights sleep. Off the main roads, they were quiet, and it was eaisy to find a deserted place to camp. And the scenery cycling and hiking was just amazing.
VIEW RANGER is a great free app for hiking, with suggested routes, and hiking maps. And you can download the map you want before you set out, for when you run out of signal.....worth having an extra battery for the phone though, if you are also using Strava, and face timing the children back home.
HOOK UP. I travelled for a month, 1200 miles, and my battery never got below 60%, so I never needed hook up.
BATHING. With a little bit of searching, most days I managed to find a river or lake or stream where I could wash, although I did resort to washing in a small storage box a few days. I cycled or hiked most days, so felt I needed a good wash each day.
BOGINABAG. When there wasn't a coffee shop, supermarket, public loo, or forest to go with my spade, the boginabag worked perfectly. I used heavy duty refuse bags, and weed before I sat, to reduce the volume. I stored the bag, next to the battery in the engine compartment, it didn't melt, and even though it didn't smell if I sealed the bag well, I just didnt fancy keeping it in my living quarters till I found a bin.
BILBAO PORTSMOUTH. I love wandering in the van, and the trip south is great fun, but I have in the past ended up blasting back on the autoroute, which even in two days, from the south of France, is hard work.
So this year I went for the ferry back. By the time you count deisel, tolls, food ,Chanel ferry, and an extra 800 miles on the van, I am sure it is cheaper, but also so much more relaxing to come back on the ferry from Spain.
THE VW CALIFORNIA FORUM. My tap stopped working. A 5 minute search via google, and the forum gave me the answer.....I should have carried spare fuses, but was given one by a friendly kayaker with a van, soon replaced from one bought in Carefour Market.
And I couldnt remember how high I could use my heater,,,,quick search for the answer.
THANKS FOLKS

 

[T6 CFO]

Great post. Thanks


Mike

 

[DM]

View attachment 23510 View attachment 23509 View attachment 23508 I have got so much from the forum. Here are a few musings from my month away.
And a few pics from places I stayed.
FRANCE PASSION . An amazing network of free stopovers on farms, and vineyards, and a kayak encampment. I never met another van on the sites. All lovely locations, and so friendly .
PARK4NIGHT had some great ideas of places to stay, although a couple were clearly marked no camping-cars . But it was never far to find another place. There are loads of free places to stay, Aires , Car parks, Lay byes, even a really nice spot on the edge of a supermarket car park, with mountain views, that clearly welcomed vans.
MUNICIPAL CAMPING. I did use a camp siteon a couple of occasions.....less than a tenner, and you get a hot shower, a swimming pool in one, and lots of hot water to wash clothes. And water to refill the drinking water tank.
THE PYRENEES. Were my favourite place. Although hot, with altitude, I could get a cool nights sleep. Off the main roads, they were quiet, and it was eaisy to find a deserted place to camp. And the scenery cycling and hiking was just amazing.
VIEW RANGER is a great free app for hiking, with suggested routes, and hiking maps. And you can download the map you want before you set out, for when you run out of signal.....worth having an extra battery for the phone though, if you are also using Strava, and face timing the children back home.
HOOK UP. I travelled for a month, 1200 miles, and my battery never got below 60%, so I never needed hook up.
BATHING. With a little bit of searching, most days I managed to find a river or lake or stream where I could wash, although I did resort to washing in a small storage box a few days. I cycled or hiked most days, so felt I needed a good wash each day.
BOGINABAG. When there wasn't a coffee shop, supermarket, public loo, or forest to go with my spade, the boginabag worked perfectly. I used heavy duty refuse bags, and weed before I sat, to reduce the volume. I stored the bag, next to the battery in the engine compartment, it didn't melt, and even though it didn't smell if I sealed the bag well, I just didnt fancy keeping it in my living quarters till I found a bin.
BILBAO PORTSMOUTH. I love wandering in the van, and the trip south is great fun, but I have in the past ended up blasting back on the autoroute, which even in two days, from the south of France, is hard work.
So this year I went for the ferry back. By the time you count deisel, tolls, food ,Chanel ferry, and an extra 800 miles on the van, I am sure it is cheaper, but also so much more relaxing to come back on the ferry from Spain.
THE VW CALIFORNIA FORUM. My tap stopped working. A 5 minute search via google, and the forum gave me the answer.....I should have carried spare fuses, but was given one by a friendly kayaker with a van, soon replaced from one bought in Carefour Market.
And I couldnt remember how high I could use my heater,,,,quick search for the answer.
THANKS FOLKS

Sounds like a great trip. Thanks for your insights.

 

[calimera]

Many thanks for such helpful feedback on your trip.

We are going to try France passion( sticker on Cali) & the app PARK4NIGHT on our next trip in September from Roscoff to northern Spain .. Last time we prebooked sites but would like more flexibility . Also feel braver this time.

We are also planning to return Bilbo to Portsmouth rather than blasting back through France. It will give us more time in Spain.

Boginabag has been one of our best buys apart from the Cali.

 

[hirsty]

Nice one - sounds like a great trip & hats-off for sharing back into the collective brain.

For all our fetishising over kit, the best possible accessory for any van would be a month to wander Europe in it ...