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Hi blueexpo97.

                     Best laid plans, and all that, my intention was to go down to the Southern Ardeche or Provence in 2011, in fact the ferry was booked for the BH at the end of this month.

I was to take a friends caravan down there, one way trip for storage, and longterm holiday plans, first obsticle was the language, then we had problems with campsites accepting a twin axle 23ft van. in the end my friend gave up on the idea, and has decided to sell his van and buy a FC!.

If it had worked out, then 2010 would have been our  last visit to Domaine maybe.

Fact is with a tent, I don't want to risk the out of season weather, maybe in the future I will go for a FC, or maybe a Trigano Silver caravan, both are nil charge on the Autoroute, and are better suited to out of season camping.

I am not bothered about the cost of Domaine for 2012, as we have a surplus from the 2010 pot, added to the unused 2011 pot, so 2012 is going to be a real blow out.

At the time of the MIL death, I was just about to sign upto a pair of new Passports for me and Mrs Francais, following my mis-investement in a pair of ID card Passports, back in 2010, not quite £60 down the pan, as it has saved us buying pukka Passports for a couple of years.

NorfolkLine have been superb, and fully refunded my May ferry booking, so that has also gone into the pot for 2012.

Going back to the cost of Domaine, I feel for us it's a little over indugence, along with the fact that the campsite fees in peak, go towards the stuff for kiddies, which being just the two of us we don't benifit from, but in a way we feel good that we are contributing.

Don't get me wrong, Domaine is fine for couples on thier own even in peak, we were by no means the only ones, and having looked around numerous campsites in the Ardeche, I have yet to find one, that betters Domaine for us.

Like the old saying, if it ain't broken, don't fix it.

Andy.

I was interested to read your comment about the ID cards, Andy - what happened?

For anyone reading Andy's comments and recommendations about Domaine de Gil, it is an ACSI card site (15 euros - child supplements between 2 and 5.50 euros depending on age/date) until the 24th June, and again after the 22nd August - so it's just possible to squeeze in a two week holiday before the kids go back to school on the 5th September (for anyone still looking).

Hi Val.

         The ID cards were cancelled as of midnight 21 January 2011, as confirmed in a letter we got from the Home Office.

As promised by the now Government, no refund or discount against a proper Passport.

One of the reasons why I will never vote again, and a lot of my friends have taken the same stance, even though they did not obtain a ID card, they feel that I have been robbed by my own country.

Strange thing is though, foriegn nationals, get to retain thier ID card and can still use it as a Passport.

So like I said, not quite £60 down the pan, as we got to use the ID cards for our 2010 hol, and we now don't need a Passport for this year.

But will be buying two new Passports, next January.

Apparantley I am told, that the ID cards are a collectors item, and although they cost £30 each, I could more than get my money back of Ebay for them.

But I have decided to keep them, as a momento to remind me never to trust in a Government ever again lol. 

Andy.