Trip around France

[califonication]

We're off on a three week tip around France Nantes, Bordeaux, Tolouse, Beziers, Montpellier, Avignon then home via Lyon (route not quite decided yet). We are taking our two children four years old and the other six weeks old. We are staying in a mix of campsites for a couple of nights each time some close to towns and some more resorts with pools etc for the kids. Any thoughts would be appreciated:
> Bikes, we normally manage without but had considered two bikes and a trailler. Anyone know one the fits on a bike rack (need to take two kids one who is only six weeks)
> We're thinking of camping in a vineyard if possible. I've found the France Passion guide which sounds similar to the pub stops. Anyone got any experience good/bad of using this?
> I do enjoy cooking outside when the weather is nice. Been looking at lots of stove options, anyone any thoughts on taking a Coleman multi-fuel (or similar). Petrol in a van sounds like a bad idea, but suite case type stoves take forever (unless our is just rubbish because it was cheap) and I don't like the idea of lugging two full size gas canisters (especially as there is only room for one in the locker).

Any thoughts on doing a trip with young children would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Amarillo]

We're off on a three week tip around France Nantes, Bordeaux, Tolouse, Beziers, Montpellier, Avignon then home via Lyon (route not quite decided yet). We are taking our two children four years old and the other six weeks old. We are staying in a mix of campsites for a couple of nights each time some close to towns and some more resorts with pools etc for the kids. Any thoughts would be appreciated:
> Bikes, we normally manage without but had considered two bikes and a trailler. Anyone know one the fits on a bike rack (need to take two kids one who is only six weeks)
> We're thinking of camping in a vineyard if possible. I've found the France Passion guide which sounds similar to the pub stops. Anyone got any experience good/bad of using this?
> I do enjoy cooking outside when the weather is nice. Been looking at lots of stove options, anyone any thoughts on taking a Coleman multi-fuel (or similar). Petrol in a van sounds like a bad idea, but suite case type stoves take forever (unless our is just rubbish because it was cheap) and I don't like the idea of lugging two full size gas canisters (especially as there is only room for one in the locker).

Any thoughts on doing a trip with young children would be appreciated.

We are about to embark on a year long tour of Europe with two young boys (ages 2 and 3) and two dogs. A loop around the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Bothnia, followed by France and the Iberian Peninsula, Italy and the Balkans.

We are taking bikes and a trailer.

The boys' toy bikes fit on the inner rail, then the two Bromptons, and the Burley trailer on the outer rail, all wrapped up and held in place with two long security cables, and all folded down so below the roof line. We made an expensive mistake: we bought the Burley Bee, the entry model bike trailer from Burley about a year ago. We then realised that the next model up doubles up as a double buggy, so we sold the Burley Bee on Ebay at a massive loss, and bought a Burley Honey Bee. This will be our bike trailer and our pushchair.

You do need to check weights for the VW bike rack:
Bromptons weight about 12 Kg each so 24 Kg for the pair
Islabikes Rothan 3.5 Kg
Islabikes Cnoc Small 5.5 Kg
Burley Honey Bee 11.5 Kg
Total 44.5 Kg so we are well within the 60Kg limit.


Two Bromptons and the trailer we sold.

 

[Romke]

> We're thinking of camping in a vineyard if possible. I've found the France Passion guide which sounds similar to the pub stops. Anyone got any experience good/bad of using this?

France Passion insists on self sufficiency. You must have your own on-board toilet and don't count on water, drainage and electricity on many of their sites.

 

[califonication]

We are about to embark on a year long tour of Europe with two young boys (ages 2 and 3) and two dogs. A loop around the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Bothnia, followed by France and the Iberian Peninsula, Italy and the Balkans.

We are taking bikes and a trailer.

The boys' toy bikes fit on the inner rail, then the two Bromptons, and the Burley trailer on the outer rail, all wrapped up and held in place with two long security cables, and all folded down so below the roof line. We made an expensive mistake: we bought the Burley Bee, the entry model bike trailer from Burley about a year ago. We then realised that the next model up doubles up as a double buggy, so we sold the Burley Bee on Ebay at a massive loss, and bought a Burley Honey Bee. This will be our bike trailer and our pushchair.

You do need to check weights for the VW bike rack:
Bromptons weight about 12 Kg each so 24 Kg for the pair
Islabikes Rothan 3.5 Kg
Islabikes Cnoc Small 5.5 Kg
Burley Honey Bee 11.5 Kg
Total 44.5 Kg so we are well within the 60Kg limit.

View attachment 21671
Two Bromptons and the trailer we sold.

Thanks for the photo that's really helped. Did you buy the Bromptons for the trip? I really like the idea that they keep the height down...does this allow you to open the book without unloading the bikes?

 

[Amarillo]

Thanks for the photo that's really helped. Did you buy the Bromptons for the trip? I really like the idea that they keep the height down...does this allow you to open the book without unloading the bikes?

I bought my Brompton over ten years ago, Mrs Amarillo bought hers for the trip. The boot can be opened with the bikes, but a prop is required. I also needed to make an adjustment for the trailer hitch, as the standard axle position for the hitch on the Brompton is too low for the Honey Bee (it's fine for the Bee). I have removed one of the easy wheels on the front of the Brompton's rack and replaced it with the hitch.

 

[CYCLOPATH]

I love France passion,,,,,but as they say, you need your own loo and there are no showers....but amazing sites if you like to get away from the crowd.
Once you are half way down France you can't use charcoal or wood because of fire risk ...lots of threads on here as to favourites for outdoor cooking. mine is the cadac.

 

[Bellcrew]

Thanks for the photo that's really helped. Did you buy the Bromptons for the trip? I really like the idea that they keep the height down...does this allow you to open the book without unloading the bikes?

We have folding Dahons which are a lot cheaper and with larger wheels than the Bromptons although they are obviously not as classy.
We have the latest Fiamma T6 bike rack and with both bikes folded below the roof line we can raise the tailgate with the roof up or down. The tailgate will stay in the raised position only if we take the chairs out otherwise one of us is needed to support it when accessing the boot.

 

[Verity]

The motorway through Lyon is like the M25. Avoid if possible, particularly at anything near rush hour(s).

 

[califonication]

We have folding Dahons which are a lot cheaper and with larger wheels than the Bromptons although they are obviously not as classy.
We have the latest Fiamma T6 bike rack and with both bikes folded below the roof line we can raise the tailgate with the roof up or down. The tailgate will stay in the raised position only if we take the chairs out otherwise one of us is needed to support it when accessing the boot.

Thank you. I don't think it matters too much if the boot stays open, the only time we use it is when we setup to turn on the gas and get out a few bits and pieces.

 

[califonication]

The motorway through Lyon is like the M25. Avoid if possible, particularly at anything near rush hour(s).

Thanks Verity...I'll take a look at some alternate routes. Last year we got stuck going round Brussels and nearly didn't make the ferry...I don't want a repeat of that!!

 

[Walrus]

Thanks Verity...I'll take a look at some alternate routes. Last year we got stuck going round Brussels and nearly didn't make the ferry...I don't want a repeat of that!!

I came home via Lyon last Saturday and it was slow and irritating. Avoid it if you can.

 

[Hotel California]

I came home via Lyon last Saturday and it was slow and irritating. Avoid it if you can.

As long as you can keep rollin' and no standing still is involved things are pretty good when passing thru Lyon.

Here in Belgium we have Brussels ring and Antwerp ring on where traffic is slowing down almost the whole day. Times when there's no traffic jam in one of the both directions on the Antwerp ring or the Kennedy tunnel are rare .
Even when no accidents accure traffic slows down , to much verhicles at the same time...

 

[Bellesca]

As a stopover on your way home, Camping at La grape d'or in Mersault (just outside Beaune) is set with fantastic views over the vineyards.