France with young kids

[CaliHerts]

Hi there,

We’ve recently bought a 2018 Beach Edition and love it. The forum has been really helpful in terms of kit to buy and how everything works. Especially on the first night when we couldn’t figure out how to lock the van!

I’m planning a 2 week trip to France with my young family this summer and have some questions I hoped people could help with.

I was attracted to the California due to the nomadic lifestyle it supports. However, I’ve found a lot of UK camp sites I’ve looked at need to be booked in advance at peak times. Is this the case in France too? I don’t always want to feel we have to stay somewhere if we’d rather move on. But I do understand that really good places get booked up quickly.

Also, can anyone recommend any websites where they show tried and tested routes/sites stayed etc. I know some people really enjoy the planning side of trips but I find it a little overwhelming at the moment.

Thanks in advance

 

[Ryemslie]

Get an ACSI camping card. This allows discounted rates out of season but a lot of sites still offer the rates in July. The ACSI app is also very good. When you planning the trip? At the moment things are still fairly quiet & in most cases you can drop an email or call the night before for a space on the majority of sites, we are in France justnow & have had no problems with this. Later into July/August will likely be different. If you give us an idea of areas you’d like to go I’m sure you’ll get plenty of suggestions for campsites. The only one we booked in advance was the first day off the ferry.

 

[CaliHerts]

Thank you for the response. I didn’t know about the ACSI card so that’s really helpful.

We’re planning the trip at the start of August so that’s why I’m a little concerned about availability.

I was thinking about the west coast of France but I’m open to suggestions. As you can tell I’m a novice!

 

[2haw]

Hi there,

We’ve recently bought a 2018 Beach Edition and love it. The forum has been really helpful in terms of kit to buy and how everything works. Especially on the first night when we couldn’t figure out how to lock the van!

I’m planning a 2 week trip to France with my young family this summer and have some questions I hoped people could help with.

I was attracted to the California due to the nomadic lifestyle it supports. However, I’ve found a lot of UK camp sites I’ve looked at need to be booked in advance at peak times. Is this the case in France too? I don’t always want to feel we have to stay somewhere if we’d rather move on. But I do understand that really good places get booked up quickly.

Also, can anyone recommend any websites where they show tried and tested routes/sites stayed etc. I know some people really enjoy the planning side of trips but I find it a little overwhelming at the moment.

Thanks in advance

Where's the photos! Hopefully should get my Beach Edition next week.

How old are your kids?

We took our Beach down to Sequoia Parc campsite last year for a week in late August and the park had lots of spare plots.

 

[sapto]

Welcome CaliHerts!

 

[Amarillo]

If you are travelling in August, the ACSI Camping Card won't help. However, the ACSI app is a real winner and worth every penny. 8,300 campsites, their address, photos, reviews and amenities all available at the click of a button offline.


Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

 

[bigmac77]

We have camped in France with our two kids, end of July first three weeks of August for the last two years and we are headed there again this summer. Just go, trust me you will find places to camp we use a lot of municipal campsites they are a cheap and there are plenty of them. If we know we want to head to somewhere specific we will book a few days/week somewhere in advance. First year we did north coast and Il de Re, basically headed west from Calais and the south from St Malo. Read my report here https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/summer-hols-road-trip.15115/#post-162661

Second year we did Il de Re again and then up to south west Brittany. This year we are going to just head south and explore with a few days in Switzerland at the end of the trip before heading home.

 

[CaliHerts]

Where's the photos! Hopefully should get my Beach Edition next week.

How old are your kids?

We took our Beach down to Sequoia Parc campsite last year for a week in late August and the park had lots of spare plots.

 

[CaliHerts]

View attachment 34204

Not the best photo I’m afraid!

I have under 5’s so The Beach has been perfect for us so far. So much room and comfortable to drive.

Exciting about your Beach. We originally had a new T6 on order but swapped to this when it became available. The spec was very similar and we’re pleased we made the switch.

Thanks for the heads up on the site. I’ll definately take a look.

 

[CaliHerts]

We have camped in France with our two kids, end of July first three weeks of August for the last two years and we are headed there again this summer. Just go, trust me you will find places to camp we use a lot of municipal campsites they are a cheap and there are plenty of them. If we know we want to head to somewhere specific we will book a few days/week somewhere in advance. First year we did north coast and Il de Re, basically headed west from Calais and the south from St Malo. Read my report here https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/summer-hols-road-trip.15115/#post-162661

Second year we did Il de Re again and the up to south west Brittany. This year we are going to just head south and explore with a few days in Switzerland at the end of the trip before heading home.

 

[CaliHerts]

Another helpful reply - thank you. I can’t wait to hear about the Switzerland trip. It is on my list of places to get to. Maybe not for this year though.

 

[sapto]

Another helpful reply - thank you. I can’t wait to hear about the Switzerland trip. It is on my list of places to get to. Maybe not for this year though.

Let us know, when your around in Switzerland Same to you @bigmac77