First camping trip as family in france

Mistermeaner

General advice, comments and or tips appreciated

Just booked a family holiday for our family of 6 (me and missus, 4 boys ages 13, 11, 2 and 1) so go camping with Eurocamp independent in the Dordogne region of france (Eurocamp independent so taking our own tents etc)

We’ll be travelling from Northwest England in our Ford Tourneo mini-bus, so should be OK for carrying all our stuff (did test camp in Snowdonia 2019 and survived a lot of rain!) – only addition on this trip will be carrying 4 bikes on a thule rack on the back of the van and hopefully less clothes than we took to wales!

We’ve booked a 20:15 ferry with 2 cabins Portsmouth to St Malo (so overnight on way out), its then a 7 hour drive to campsite in the Dordogne where we stay for 18nights before heading back to St Malo. We’ve booked an overnight in a Hotel in St Malo before getting a day ferry (10:30am depart) back to portsmouth

We’re waiting for the campsite in France to confirm what items they have available for hire; a fridge is definite but they may have furniture etc available that will save us carrying all our stuff.

Would appreciate comments from anyone who has done similar and tips / learnings you may have.

Most of my holidays as a kid were camping in France but the stress was left to my parents (oh how it all comes around)

Stuff I’m interested in is what items people would say we either definetly should or should not take?

Any tips for travelling through France (e.g. legal requirements for driving the van – a GB sticker is a given but is there any unusual stuff such as carrying a fire extinguisher etc.?)

Any recommendations on splitting up the journey… would folk recommend getting a hotel in Uk day before the ferry etc or on way back?

Any and all general comments and advice from experienced French campers would be appreciated

maman

I'm sure you'll have a great time. I've done those crossings often but not for camping.

I can't picture the layout of the back of your van but do be careful that your loaded bike rack doesn't obscure your number plate. I've seen people pulled over by the gendarmes for this.

I'm sure you'd find a link if you googled about driving in France (including any insurance requirements post Brexit) but what sticks in my mind is that you need a high viz vest for each person inside the van.

We always take teabags with us!:D

stueyhants

Take some inflatable rings to use on the Dordogne. We took our own which was great as the local supermarkets didn’t seem to stock anything useful.

knightstyle

Ok, we are old hands at this sort of thing so for the journey be aware of speed limits in France, white town/village name signs are start of 50km limit and black ones 70km. You must have a reflective waistcoat in reach of the driver and have proof of ownership or permission to use the vehicle plus insurance on you. Tyre tread limits are higher as well so check before you go. Ask your insurance company to send you a standard european accident form before you go.
Camping well usual stuff but take an electric kettle, you can get a low power one if the electric supply is only 6A, a UK 4/6 gang extension lead with a French adaptor to charge all those phones etc.
I would also check your weight and do not overload with all of you plus the bikes hanging on the back.
You will not need to take a load of cash, we use our Halifax clarity cards for payments, road tolls and cash withdrawals.
Most of all have a great time and try to eat like the locals, usually at mid day in the week to avoid paying tourist rates.

hollydays

Check if there are any national holidays when you are travelling , and be aware some petrol stations close on a Sunday.In rural areas shops may be closed on a Monday .
Have google translate and a weather app Like M!t!o-France .
The App maps.me allows you to downloads maps before you go so you can use them offline.Its got a lot of very good features it's worth familiarising yourself with before you go.
Saip is the French security app.
Your campsite may close for a long lunch 12-2 so bare that in mind when you're arriving

jackomdj

Spare set of light bulbs.
Hi vi for each person, drivers accessible from front (we usually put them all under the passenger seat.
Headlight convertor.
Toilet roll for journey. (They have a lot of picnic stops as well as the motorway services, services can get VERY busy, we usually buy food earlier in the day and stop at a picnic stop to eat. Often the toilets at these don't have toilet roll).

A few bags for the supermarket.

The day before you shouldn't need a hotel, but you may want one on the way back. On the way back give yourself plenty of time (depending on when you are travelling it can get very busy).

Alfrescodave

An obvious suggestion which you've probably arranged but don't forget European breakdown cover for your vehicle .........and travel insurance for the family.

zagfles

jackomdj wrote: »

Spare set of light bulbs.
Hi vi for each person, drivers accessible from front (we usually put them all under the passenger seat.
Headlight convertor.
Toilet roll for journey. (They have a lot of picnic stops as well as the motorway services, services can get VERY busy, we usually buy food earlier in the day and stop at a picnic stop to eat. Often the toilets at these don't have toilet roll).

Nor soap sometimes - so take some hand cleaning gel. Also take a foot pump, most petrol stations don't have air machines. You're supposed to have breathalysers, I think there's something about they can't fine you but they're pretty cheap so you may as well get some. Definitely headlight converters and spare bulbs as mentioned. Also check if anything changes with Brexit - you may need a green card.

Most importantly - check passport validity here, you could have a passport that says it's valid for a year after your trip but may not be valid post Brexit: https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/check-a-passport

zagfles

Another thing - probably best to get a Crit'air certificate. When we went last year it was only needed in a handful of places but that's likely to increase over time. It wasn't expensive, about £3 or so IIRC.

https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/en/