T6 Ocean Stress Test

[John Stevenson]

So we got our T6 Ocean - 'Clive' - a few weeks ago and have been on a few weekend trips in the UK with the kids and the mutt, yes, 5 in the van and all went well. Everything settling in nicely and getting used to the features but we decided that myself and Meg (without the pooch and the girls) would take the long weekend and take Clive on a proper outing to France (Ardres - Hautvillers - Fontainebleau - Barbizon - Ault and Wimereux).

Wild Camping - Ardres
We got the graveyard Le Shuttle in order to get a good start the next day and first night of wild camping in a side street the quiet town of Ardres went ok. Took a while to get to sleep because as the van settled every clink and clank were people trying to break to murder us in but the night passed uneventfully, apart from the quiet road seemed to be a bit of a thoroughfare so the odd car did hoon past.

Aires
After buying the Aires book and doing our research we stayed in two Aires, the most lovely of which was at a very nice canal-side location in Mareuil-sur-Ay. We felt like we really hit paydirt with this one and it was full later in the afternoon - good luck with getting a spot in summer. The second in Ault was a glorified car park but there were a few other campers there so it was ok. Aires do seem like the way to go in France.

Camping
I have mixed feelings about campsites but camping on the continent is a bit cheaper (Not that I'm a tightwad). Nice to have a shower and an electric hookup though. The kids will like them in the summer and there are some great French campsites with water slides and all manner of entertainment so I will reserve judgment for now. The campsite in Fontainebleau was nice enough and a motorhome chap came over and said hello and we had apparently seen him three times on our travels and stayed in the same Aire. He must have been a retired copper as I didn't remember him.

Clive
What a great vehicle the T6 ocean is. Loads of space. Amazing to drive (thank god for that rear parking camera) and such a fantastic finish on all the internals - storage, table, sink, hob and the cavernous fridge. Also glad Meg talked me into the 204 DSG - it's got a lot of poke.

In summary
All in all I think van life is great and as we get more confident with the wild camping I think the options for being where the action is are a lot less limiting than a campsite. The T6 is a great vehicle and you can blend in more on quiet streets. We saw the odd VW camper but generally we saw load of motorhomes. I do see the benefits of having more space but right now Clive gives us what we need for what is effectively a big car and we love it (him).

 

[Hotel California]

Glad it all worked well for you , the next time(s) it will get smoother ....

 

[hirsty]

I've never been in a 204 but I'll bet it flies!

I'm always a bit wary of wild/stealth sleeps but have watched a lot of living-in-a-van youtube videos recently & there's a whole lot more of it going on than I'd realised.

 

[CALI FATE]

We did a french stress test over Easter - great fun ...... i love the idea of wild camping and finding stealthy beautiful spots - that i think is what its all about ..... fortune favours the brave

 

[kave]

Great, keep the reports coming !!

 

[GrannyJen]

The Main town square in Ardres, by the church not on the main road, is great for wild camping, although it does get busy around you in the morning.

I do get jittery sometimes though and do like busy Aires.

One can never really tell. I stopped on a campsite two weeks ago that had only just opened and I was the only one in residence and felt distinctly uncomfortable. I was wishing afterwards that I had gone to the Aire in Arras that is always busy.