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Have been camping lots of times in Uk and am now thinking of getting adventurous and going to France but have a few issues. Children are young so very long car journeys are not the best idea and also want to keep expenses down.

Can anyone give me advise as in where to go and whats the best route - ie which ferry etc

Oh and is it correct that you cant take gas bottles on euro tunnell ???

Thanks Sally

Hi Sally

We will be travelling with a 4 year old to France in Aug - first time - this site has a wealth of knowledge and experience so you're in the right place!!

We booke3d a Dover to Dunkerque crossing back in Jan - no towing - so only paid approx £45, which to come back on a bank hol wknd i didnt think was bad at all. Thats with Norfolk lines, we are driving to Normandy - about 4 and a half hours or so from the port.

There will be plenty more people along with advice i'm sure, as for the gas bottle on the tunnel ...not sure, sorry!

Sally - if you can go the last two weeks in August, rather than the end of July and beginning of August, or during the May/June half term,  then you may be able to use some of the 'discount' schemes such as Camping Cheques, Touring Cheques, or an ACSI Card.  These all offer cheaper site tariffs, around 14 euros per night, all in including electricity.  You may have a supplement to pay for the children, depending on their ages, and will be limited by acceptance dates.  However, they are all certainly worth looking into.

As previously said, the shorter ferry crossings are cheapest - and if you start looking around September/October for next year you can get some real bargains.

There are loads of lovely sites in France, and something for everyone.  It's a real 'camping-friendly' country.  Roads, too, are quieter, and traffic less, so driving is much less stressful.

Have a look at the topic 'pinned' above in this forum - Advice for Continental First Timers' - full of useful information.

Are you planning to go this year - or next?

Will have a look at those - thank you. Its not until next year but like to do lots of research so just try and have a look on line as and when I get time.

I do collect tesco clubcard so eurotunnell would be free but am thinking that to go anywhere decent would be a long drive from calais ?????

We went to the Dordogne for our first camping holiday - when our eldest son was just six months old.  We stayed overnight en-route in a budget hotel, and didn't rush the journey.  We had two weeks, one week on one site - Le Paradis which we loved, and the second week at Le Truc Vert at Cap Ferret on the Atlantic coast.  On the way back we also stayed overnight, and the whole thing was lovely.  We enjoyed it so much we've been back (not to the same site, I would add) every year for the past twenty-eight years, and now there's only two of us we go twice a year - May/June and August/September for a couple of weeks each time!

To get the best weather people always say go south of the Loire - but this week the temperatures in northern France have been 'scorchio' - so you just can never tell.  There are some lovely sites in northern France and if you have really small children then you probably won't want boiling hot sun anyway.

Lots of 'tent' campers stay overnight in budget places (can be as little as 30 euros per night for a family room) or use 'pop-up' type tents for their overnight stay - just throw them up, pop the bedding in, and that's it!

Thank you all for good advice - better concentrate on uk trips for now - off to cromer and then the isle of wight in august