Hi,
I wondered if anyone has any suggestions. Me and my boyfriend want to go to france this year, it will be our first holiday and his first time abroad. I went camping to france when I was a little kid, but haven%26#39;t been since. I don%26#39;t drive, he does, but it seems a little unfair to make him drive when he arrives for the first time in a foreign country. so, I wondered if anyone knew any nice campsites, where couples wouldn%26#39;t feel out of place, also near good transport links so we can explore. he would like to visit the d-day landing beaches if poss, but that might be a tall order. Any suggestions?
thanks,
hanspans
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I really cannot help you regarding public transport because we bring our own car.
In terms of a camp site near the D-Day Landing beaches, La Cote du Nacre in St. Aubin sur Mer (Keycamp www.keycamp.co.uk) is situated very close to the British beaches (Sword and Juno, if I remember rightly). But you should be able to get an organised tour from there.
If you are in this area, it would be a pity to miss the beautiful town of Bayeux.
Most of the road from Calais to St. Aubin is motorway, it is rare to encounter a lot of traffic and there are some fabulous places that are %26quot;out of the way%26quot; in terms of public transport.
There is also the matter of the wonderful Cite Europe Shopping Centre, just outside Calais.
Would you reconsider the driving issue? We have driven the length and breath of England (and much of Wales) and even through Newcastle under Lyme, and we find the driving much easier in France than in England and Wales.
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Even Newcaslte under Lyme? Wow ;-)
Thanks for the advice. I just couldn%26#39;t force him to drive the minute he steps on foreign soil and I am seriously rubbish in a car. Car travel is definately not an option, although I agree with what you say. Any more suggestions you could offer?
Thanks
Hanspans
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I think the practical difficulty about having no car is simply that most campsites are out in the sticks, so it%26#39;s hard to get there, and once you%26#39;re there, you may be stuck with an expensive campsite shop for day to day provisions. You%26#39;ll also be limited in getting around and visiting any tourist sites.
If your boyfriend is willing to take his car provided you don%26#39;t make him drive a long way straight off the ferry (though I agree with Bean that Calais to Normandy is very easy), how about a longer sea crossing and find a nice site near Roscoff (?Carantec) or Caen (?St Aubin or Houlgate) or St Malo (?St Cast or Dol de Bretagne?) Dol is inland and has masses of facilities, while the others are nearer to the coast. I can%26#39;t imagine you%26#39;ll be out of place as a couple (I don%26#39;t think anyone pays that much attention to other people on a site), but you%26#39;ll probably find it a bit quieter if you avoid school holidays!
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Good Suggestions Diz about the longer crossings, and as a seasoned camper, I agree about not noticing whether people are singles, couples or families. Most people just get on with it.
Hanspans, Poole to Cherbourg is a good route with highspeed and cruise ferries. Utah Beach is only about 30 minutes from the city. You could then track back via Omaha (Saving Private Ryan) and the other beaches.
Have you spoken to your boyfriend about the driving? The roads in France are excellent. Lord knows, even I%26#39;ve driven them and that says a lot, lol!!
We%26#39;ve stayed in Houlgate, and Dol de Bretagne. Houlgate is lovely BUT you would most definately need a car and its further than St. Aubin in terms of the D-Day beaches.
Dol is miles from anywhere, the supermarket isn%26#39;t great and it really is a family oriented site. If you don%26#39;t like kids, avoid. Its also very far from the D-Day beaches and even a good 20 minute drive from MSM.
Hanspans, I would suggest you look at the organised D-Day beach tours first, and also the public transport network before you decide on camp sites. Most towns will have municipal camping which is urban, (but not used by companies such as Keycamp or Eurocamp) and suitable for tents only.
France is a great country for camping so you won%26#39;t have too much difficulty.
(Finally, we%26#39;ve been in N/u Lyme on several occasions ;o) Its easier to negotiate than Stoke on Trent!!)
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Thanks for your messages.I thought the car thing would be the issue to begin with, so I think maybe France is out for us this year. As soon as he has been abroad and knows what it feels like we can broach the subject. He%26#39;s a good driver, so we will definately make it our base in the future. For now, i may have to shift my view to a package. Hey ho!
Thanks guys
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