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Subject Topic: Europe trip - THS equivalents? Post Reply Post New Topic
Personoldskoolskater
11/6/2017 at 10:35pm
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Hi All,

I'm booked to sail into Bilbao with the caravan in August and sailing back out of Rotterdam a month later. In the UK we make extensive use of the CCC's temporary holiday sites as we love the flexibility of no booking required, cost, etc. - suits us perfectly.
I'm hoping to find an equivalent on the continent but have found nothing to date, so am wondering if you folks have any experience with this?

Here is a link to the approximate route we'll be taking

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WS7enn_tCg6jYSTYihp9yjZJI5Q&usp=sharing

We're hoping to avoid busy sites, preferring the quieter non-feature packed sites.

Thanks in advance

Oldskool


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Personalan29
11/6/2017 at 11:38pm
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France is full of cheap municipal sites. If you are going later in August and can use the ACSI scheme it can be cheaper still.
We are just back and never paid more tgan 17 Euros a night.
Didn't book a single night, either.


Personfleck2
12/6/2017 at 7:13am
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You can't use ACSI in July and August, it's an off-peak discount scheme. But worth getting for September you save the cost of the card in a couple of nights.


Personalan29
12/6/2017 at 7:53am
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Plenty of sites accept ACSI at the start of July and end of August, when kids are in school.


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PersonVal A
12/6/2017 at 7:55am
 Location: West - North Yorkshire
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You can use ACSI in both July and August on some sites, and on some dates. There are 418 sites which accept the card up to the 10th July, each day that week the number reduces, but there is one site which will take the card until the 17th July. On the 17th August 93 sites start accepting the card again and more come on board each day after that.

With ACSI it pays to check dates carefully to see just what is available when you want to go. Don't just search for the period of a fortnight, but pick one day at the beginning or end of your holiday- then check exact dates for any sites you like the look of.

However, looking at the OP's route it takes in some of the most popular areas, with the most expensive campsites, and so some more extensive research will probably be required in order to find smaller sites in those areas. Try

The Camping Municipal website for details of sites run by the local Mairie - but prices may be more expensive in the popular areas. The real way to do smaller sites is to go inland and take less well-used routes. Generally you don't book at municipal sites.

Also get Le Guide Officiel Camping Caravanning, a guide book which will give details of all 10,000 sites in France. It's available from Vicarious Books in Folkestone. Our friends (teachers) manage to holiday during July and August - but they don't choose to drive along the coasts of the Languedoc, Cote d'Azur and the Riviera.



Post last edited on 12/06/2017 08:03:36


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PersonBerriow
12/6/2017 at 8:21am
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In inland France it is easy to find sites with plenty of space even in August - especially small municipal sites in small villages. But go soon, because the Motorhome revolution is driving them out of business. We went to one where the Mayor and local council had given up paying the wage bill and a few volunteers were trying to keep it going - there were just two of us there - but I see that it too has now closed for good. But coastal France in August is another story altogether.

Post last edited on 12/06/2017 08:25:48


Personoldskoolskater
12/6/2017 at 8:53am
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Thanks All for your replies it's much appreciated.

We'll be dipping in and out of France as we're pretty much skirting the border for most of the time, so will be visiting:
Spain
Andorra
France
Italy
Switzerland
Luxembourg
Germany
Netherlands

Is the municipal site a French thing or will I find similar in the above countries?

Thanks


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PersonVal A
12/6/2017 at 9:00am
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It's a French thing. You will find smaller sites in some of those countries but I wouldn't like to say how easy it will be to find sites in other countries but France, without booking in advance. Reading between the lines, over many years of being a member on here, most people seem to book in Spain, Italy and Germany.



Post last edited on 12/06/2017 09:08:56


PersonBerriow
12/6/2017 at 9:05am
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Can someone please give me a live link to the OPs proposed route so that I can have more idea of the plan . This I pad won't accept the link that was originally given. My impression is that he is going to struggle on that route in August.


PersonVal A
12/6/2017 at 9:11am
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I was just going to post something similar Berriow - so here's the Live Link which works for me.

My comment was going to be:

Have you toured in Europe before or caravanned in any of these countries? I ask because your route just seems to be 'skirt the edges of a whole lot of countries without seeing more than a few of the nicest bits' and your dates are at the very busiest of times for campsites. There is an awful lot of motorway driving along some of the busiest roads in Europe and it seems like you're driving thousands of miles to miss out on some spectacular places.


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Personoldskoolskater
12/6/2017 at 9:11am
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Can you please try either of these and let me know?

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WS7enn_tCg6jYSTYihp9yjZJI5Q&usp=sharing

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1WS7enn_tCg6jYSTYihp9yjZJI5Q&ll=46.362993655624635%2C2.8370899999999892&z=6

We'll be away 4th August to 4th September yay!


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PersonBerriow
12/6/2017 at 9:40am
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Thank you Val for the live link.

A good site guide will give enough possible campsites on that route from Bilbao as far as Narbonne. From there to Genoa the sites will be very, very busy and phoning ahead will be just about essential. . From Genoa up through Italy to the Swiss border the problem is that there are very few sites indeed - sometimes a hundred miles apart. From the Swiss border onward they become more plentiful and the ACSI card will come into season and become useful to avoid high Swiss and German prices.

I agree with Val that it is only going to give a very superficial look at all those places. Is it with a Motorhome?





Post last edited on 12/06/2017 09:45:04


Personoldskoolskater
12/6/2017 at 9:51am
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Hmm, food for thought indeed.

We've camped quite a lot in France in coastal areas having got as far down as Limoges area in the past. This would be with a caravan though. I did wonder about cutting across France to end up in the Black Forest area in Germany, as this would take us through new areas of France and also give more access to the municipal sites..


Personbulldogmick
14/6/2017 at 12:52pm
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Quote: Originally posted by Val A on 12/6/2017
I was just going to post something similar Berriow - so here's the Live Link which works for me.

My comment was going to be:

Have you toured in Europe before or caravanned in any of these countries? I ask because your route just seems to be 'skirt the edges of a whole lot of countries without seeing more than a few of the nicest bits' and your dates are at the very busiest of times for campsites. There is an awful lot of motorway driving along some of the busiest roads in Europe and it seems like you're driving thousands of miles to miss out on some spectacular places.

Hi Val hope you are well. How the heck do you do this on Google maps. Anyone know how to. Cheers Mick


-------------
Aussie mick


PersonVal A
14/6/2017 at 8:18pm
 Location: West - North Yorkshire
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Hi Mick, We're fine. But the map was shared by the original poster, and I only added it as a hyperlink rather than the line of text which you have to copy and paste. I've never tried to share a map in this way, but have created our own maps years ago when we were planning to inspect campsites for Camping Cheques. These days we just go where we want so there's very little, if any, pre-planning.


Personoldskoolskater
14/6/2017 at 8:44pm
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Hi Mick,

I created my route using custom maps which is tied to my google account.
I've included a link to Google Maps Help which may be of use.

If you need any further info just give me a shout :)



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