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Europarc/keycamp a la francaise

Seeing as I'd have to remortgage to get a chalet at center parcs in June, I've been looking at the french option. Found a nice park in the Vendee region. Anyone been? How practical is it for me to drive from Calais with two bored kids in the back? Not really driven over there apart from a booze run about 15 years ago and that was just to the English beer and wine shack in Calais port car park! Heard it can get a bit pricey with all the tolls these days.

Comments

  • A nice area if a little windy :-)

    Why not drive to Southampton, ferry to Cherbourg and cut the driving in France?
  • Did something similar about 10 years ago, though drove from Cherbourg to the "Paris" Centreparc (which is like calling Longleat the London CentreParc).

    French autoroutes are great to drive on - generally empty and you can barrel along at 90 all day. On a journey like that, I'd break for the night in a hotel somewhere nice and it makes the journey much less of a strain, plus you see somewhere you'd never have gone otherwise. French hotels are pretty good value too.

    We went from Portsmouth to Cherbourg by catamaran ferry (about 4 hrs), then stayed in a hotel's family room which was huge, decent and very cheap. Great food in the harbourside restaurants - Cherbourg's pretty. You then start the next day feeling good enough for a motorway slog.

    It might be worth considering as an alternative crossing, as Cherbourg is closer to the Vendee than Calais by some distance, and unless you hate boats its much more of an adventure for the kids.






  • A nice area if a little windy :-)

    Why not drive to Southampton, ferry to Cherbourg and cut the driving in France?

    Swings and roundabouts for me mate.What I save on driving time I lose in crossing time. £200 cheaper and Easier for meto get to Dover.

  • Fair enough - I thought I'd offer a suggestion. It's not a journey I'd like to do in one day although it can be done with an early kick-off and luck with the crossings etc.

    Following on from Idle Hans's post, what about stopping off in Reims? And then skirting around Paris to the south.

    Alternatively, drive west from Calais to Normandy and do the D-Day beaches?
  • IdleHans said:

    On a journey like that, I'd break for the night in a hotel somewhere nice and it makes the journey much less of a strain, plus you see somewhere you'd never have gone otherwise. French hotels are pretty good value to.

    That was my thinking.Plan on cracking into the drive for a few hours once over then stopping over at a B&B before the final push.
  • Fair enough - I thought I'd offer a suggestion. It's not a journey I'd like to do in one day although it can be done with an early kick-off and luck with the crossings etc.

    Following on from Idle Hans's post, what about stopping off in Reims? And then skirting around Paris to the south.

    Alternatively, drive west from Calais to Normandy and do the D-Day beaches?

    Much appreciated BFR.

  • Parents always used to take us down to that region for our summer holiday, went to the same campsite for about 10 straight years. My sister and I always enjoyed it.
  • Done it a few times. Vendee is a lovely area, no more windy than any other coast but gets a lot of sun.

    Camps I've been to have been great. Clean and lots to do for the kids.

    Can do the drive in 6 hours from Calais if you use the toll roads. If the kids are toddlers then break the journey at a motel chain. If a little older in car DVD player will do the trick.
  • My parents used to go take us to them camps when we were younger. We always went with Canvas.
    I went from the age of 9-16 and each one was a very good holiday. Highly recommended.
    I think the furthest we went down was to the Dordgone and we stopped off at another Canvas site half way down.
    As mentioned above, you could get a ferry to Cherbourg, St Malo or Dieppe (newhaven).
    Would recommend these holidays
  • Also if you get a good site with hardworking reps then there will be loads for the kids to do.
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  • I've driven from Calais right down to the Côte d'Azur (hence my name) a number of times. Always in one go with just a switch of driver now and then, ie I do 4 hours the wife does one and I do the rest!
    The toll roads are excellent as is the standard of driving. Generally no one hogs lanes and if you travel through the night all the better. Under €200 for 800 miles.
    Also helps if you've got a big comfortable automatic with cruise control, and a nice car!


  • Following on from Idle Hans's post, what about stopping off in Reims? And then skirting around Paris to the south.

    Alternatively, drive west from Calais to Normandy and do the D-Day beaches?

    If you go via Reims, Laon is a lovely place just to the north of it, about 140 miles from Calais.
  • Came back from the Ardeche to Boulogne once on a wet night in a horrible little Z3, taking turns. The Centre Parc trip was in my old F reg Audi 100 - perfect car for that kind of journey.
    It's much better in a big car that you can sleep in when not driving, though there's no real benefit to auto - you never need to change gear anyway.
  • Just in case you haven't heard, if you're driving in France you now legally have to carry a breathalyser kit in your vehicle. Usual instant fine if caught without one.
  • IdleHans said:

    It's much better in a big car that you can sleep in when not driving, though there's no real benefit to auto - you never need to change gear anyway.

    What do you do at the Toll Booths? Just drive right through??? ;-)
  • DRAddick said:

    Just in case you haven't heard, if you're driving in France you now legally have to carry a breathalyser kit in your vehicle. Usual instant fine if caught without one.

    If you're an AA member they do a very good Euro Drive kit at a reasonable price. Red Triangle, vests, fire extinguisher, breathalyser etc.
  • edited January 2013
    I worked as a rep in one of these campsites in France years ago. We all did our training at a Vendee site. The area was lovely, really nice sandy beaches. The campsites on the continent are generally very clean with lots of facilities.

    We went via Portsmouth to Caen, rather than Calais.

    If you have an English holiday rep on site, give them any uneaten food you took out with you, particularly baked beans and cheese & onion crisps, they will be very well received :-)
  • Went Dover-Calais to the Eurocamp in Estartit in Northern Spain twice last time in 2002.
    3 kids, 2 adults, drove all the way, great roads, even the roadside restaurants are a la carte in some places, they know how to do it. Stayed over night both ways in French hotels. The kids were much younger and loved the place. Stayed in mobile home the second time. Excellent family holidays.
  • edited January 2013
    Went to St Jean de Mont on the Vendee last summer took the euro tunnel then drove to Le Mans love france go most years hopefully move there one day. One tip if you pick a Keycamp site go on the sites own website and your get the same site for half price
  • stayed at Le Garangeoire St Julien Des Landes Vendee a few years back really nice site good pools 3 lakes if I remember and excellent shop and decent restaurant on site, tents were well equipped and facilities clean and only about 10 mins to some great beaches plus that coastline gets good surf so take some bodyboards
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  • Last year we took our 3 grand kids with keycamp to south brittany ( carnac). We took the overnight sailing to st malo from portsmouth and arrived on site before lunch. we returned on the afternoon ferry from caen. The vendee is not much further south. It cost us £250 less for 7 nights than it did when we went to centre parcs for 4 nights the year before
  • Went to Carnac twice. Great site
  • madadd said:

    stayed at Le Garangeoire St Julien Des Landes Vendee a few years back really nice site good pools 3 lakes if I remember and excellent shop and decent restaurant on site, tents were well equipped and facilities clean and only about 10 mins to some great beaches plus that coastline gets good surf so take some bodyboards

    Le garangeoire is on my shortlist. Madadd. My missus isn't sure because there is no indoor pool as such. Could be a problem if it p*ss*s down all week but I really Like the look of it. Looks like there are some decent open spaces and parks.

  • The price of a ferry from pompey to cherbourg is outrageous. Does it stop off at St Kitts on the way?
  • Look to see if the campsite has its own website, you might be able to get a "chalet" directly for less than Eurocamp/Canvas etc. which is what we did a couple of times. Vendee beaches are pretty windy from recollection - but great for windsurfing if you fancy that.
    Eg.this might be the Carnac site referred to by a couple: http://uk.lesmenhirs.com/booking-mobilhomes-carnac/booking-mobilhomes.php
  • What is rough cost for chalet two beds and ferry crossing in say September for these sort of places Kids are two and not yet born.....
  • Ferry crossing is around £110 and if you look could get a chalet for £500 maybe less but most parks close the second week of september.
  • Incase others don't know; Another, potentially very expensive, driving warning for France I've just found out.........

    It's illegal to use any speed camera warning devices. That includes the one on your Sat Nav. Fine is up to 1500 Euro's apparently!!

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