Another two sites booked today. 4 still to be booked, if possible. It looks like one municipal can be booked so I will email later. The other three look like a turn up and hope. We had looked at some airb&b but the prices were extortionate. We are have three hotels and 8 campsites for our trip. Many aren't on UKCS so reviews will be forthcoming.
Why do so many French sites require a cheque for a deposit? I haven't had a cheque book for over 20 years. Also, waiting for SNCF to release advanced booking for the two TER journeys we need to make.
Roll on June.
------------- Hypercamp Alaska
Vango Force 10 mk3
Vango F10 Helium 1
Coleman Cobra Pro 3
Coleman Cobra 2
Naturehike Star River 2
Eureka! Solitaire
Dutch army goretex bivvy bag
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
You are booking for June?
Surely thats not necessary? Should be very quiet until nearer August.
Most of us just turn up (with ACSI Card for cheaper prices)
Only really popular sites in busy tourist areas during high season need to be booked.
Is this for your "walk" (to put it mildly!) or am I mistaken?
With a route to follow, destinations to be reached, and itineraries to be adhered to, it does seem to make sense to book where possible.
Good to have a plan, under those circumstances.
Must say, I'm looking forward to the full on report and pics when you get back. Hope it all goes well.
------------- 2024: 38 nights thus far...
2023: 47 nights
2022: 40 nights
2021: 30 nights
2020: Just 24 nights
2019: A personal best 50 nights
2018: Just the 30 nights
2017: 34 nights
2016: 32 nights
2015: 38 nights
2014: 34 nights
2013: 36 nights
From July 2012: 23 nights
As Mucker said, we don't have the flexibility of personal transport. If a site is complet we have to go to the next one or retrace our steps.
The biggest headache has been accommodation in Genets. We were going to book airb&bs but what was available two weeks ago is now all booked up. That is for the week before Bastille day. The only accommodation left is the site and we need to be in Genets to book a guide to take us across the bay at low tide. We are actually starting the walk in the last few days of June. Past experience has shown that many sites are filling up and acsi is not taken as the last week is seen as the beginning of high season.
If we had a car or MH it would be no problem but on foot we really need to book to ensure accommodation, even if it is only the day before. An extra 10km when you have already walked 15 or 20 is no joke so booking is very worthwhile.
It is a walking holiday, not a yomp.
Post last edited on 29/01/2018 06:19:13
Post last edited on 29/01/2018 06:20:46
------------- Hypercamp Alaska
Vango Force 10 mk3
Vango F10 Helium 1
Coleman Cobra Pro 3
Coleman Cobra 2
Naturehike Star River 2
Eureka! Solitaire
Dutch army goretex bivvy bag
The Coques d'or. The other one is further from Bec D'Andaine closer to Tissey. We didn't want to stay at les Coques but we have it booked now. We are sending them a eurogiro....for 12 euro. I will have to get it organised on my lunch break.
------------- Hypercamp Alaska
Vango Force 10 mk3
Vango F10 Helium 1
Coleman Cobra Pro 3
Coleman Cobra 2
Naturehike Star River 2
Eureka! Solitaire
Dutch army goretex bivvy bag
The OP mentions cheques, it is quite odd in this modern age when you often see folk in the French supermarkets scribbling out a cheque at the tills, I might just do the same next time I go down to my local Tesco, and see what reaction I get.
As for ACSI we are lucky enough to have found a 3 Star campsite that gives the 13 ACSI rate up to 4th July down on the Cote d Azur.
We always book, mainly as I think it courteous to do so especially as we are to be at the campsite for a fortnight or more.
In the past booking has been a faff, the first time I had to bank transfer 100 and you can't do that with an app from here in the UK it was a case of going into my bank to have my trousers pulled down!
In later years we would just leave a 100 In cash with the campsite owner, as a deposit for the following year.
But then this year thanks to the wonderment of the interweb, and the campsite updating their website, we can simply book online directly with the campsite including paying the 100 deposit.
I don't expect municipals to have online booking but I would expect the larger commercial sites to be able to pay a deposit by card. Camping de la Vanlee in Brehal waived our booking fee which was a nice gesture and I paid the deposit by card. Led Coques d'or in Genet's require a cheque as do the municipal in St Jean le Thomas. The other two municipals don't do bookings. Haliotis was very efficient and Camping l'ermitage in Granville didn't take a deposit for our stay.
------------- Hypercamp Alaska
Vango Force 10 mk3
Vango F10 Helium 1
Coleman Cobra Pro 3
Coleman Cobra 2
Naturehike Star River 2
Eureka! Solitaire
Dutch army goretex bivvy bag
Yep Ewen, when I came to book the campsite for this year, I had to pay the 100 deposit online to complete the booking process.
I had pretty much kissed good bye to the 100 cash that I had left with the campsite owner back in 2015!.
But hey, and the basis of if you don't ask you don't get I dropped an email to the campsite owner.
And much to my surprise he remembered the 100 cash that I had given him back in 2015, and was even apologetic that his system would not allow a refund of the 100 that I had paid online.
So the campsite owner said that he would simply deduct 200 from my campsite bill when we depart.
Which in effect means he will be giving me 12 back in cash on our departure.
Happy days indeed, and what an outstanding French campsite owner he is.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Yeah Francais it is always nice to come across the good guys. Of course I always treat the way I want to be treated myself. Being reasonable goes a long way.
------------- Hypercamp Alaska
Vango Force 10 mk3
Vango F10 Helium 1
Coleman Cobra Pro 3
Coleman Cobra 2
Naturehike Star River 2
Eureka! Solitaire
Dutch army goretex bivvy bag
Oops a duplicate post.
Another advantage of booking is that it is an added incentive to keep going. We might need that as the surroundings will be a bit different to our usual mountain haunts. Cafes and the ready availability of cidre en route may make for slow progress.
Post last edited on 29/01/2018 15:57:02
------------- Hypercamp Alaska
Vango Force 10 mk3
Vango F10 Helium 1
Coleman Cobra Pro 3
Coleman Cobra 2
Naturehike Star River 2
Eureka! Solitaire
Dutch army goretex bivvy bag
Quote: Originally posted by Francais on 29/1/2018
Yep Ewen, when I came to book the campsite for this year, I had to pay the 100 deposit online to complete the booking process.
I had pretty much kissed good bye to the 100 cash that I had left with the campsite owner back in 2015!.
But hey, and the basis of if you don't ask you don't get I dropped an email to the campsite owner.
And much to my surprise he remembered the 100 cash that I had given him back in 2015, and was even apologetic that his system would not allow a refund of the 100 that I had paid online.
So the campsite owner said that he would simply deduct 200 from my campsite bill when we depart.
Which in effect means he will be giving me 12 back in cash on our departure.
Happy days indeed, and what an outstanding French campsite owner he is.
That'll be the same 12 I left there when rounding my bill up, in Sept!
Good of 'em to still accept the deposit you left them 3 years previous.... but not exactly surprising, to anyone who's stayed there, of course!
------------- 2024: 38 nights thus far...
2023: 47 nights
2022: 40 nights
2021: 30 nights
2020: Just 24 nights
2019: A personal best 50 nights
2018: Just the 30 nights
2017: 34 nights
2016: 32 nights
2015: 38 nights
2014: 34 nights
2013: 36 nights
From July 2012: 23 nights