Cycling UK Forum

As an occasional European caravanner I've found that the vast majority of French campsites only reliably operate Mid-June to September, certainly the holiday parks and larger sites are generally just the kids summer holidays only. In some really busy areas (Loire/Dordogne etc) you might just get a few weeks either side to get Late May to October, but that really can't be relied on without checking. A possible solution is to browse the back page adverts of the two caravan club magazines [1] as some (much smaller) sites realise that a niche market exists and open for a longer season, and a few are year round further south towards the Spanish border, mostly these sites are run by CC or C&CC [2] members looking to move where they love and can also earn an income.

[1][2] Caravan Club, and the Camping and Caravan Club.

Thanks all for your input, its been most helpful.

I think I’m going with the idea its going to be okay winging it a bit. I’ll have my first place sorted in Chateauneuf Du Pape before I leave the UK, so I'll know where I'm going when I get off the plane. I’ll also get the guide mentioned by BretonBikes and try and sort a target for the evening, in the morning, and give them a bell. Apart from that I’ll be prepared to knock on a few farmers doors.

Thanks again everyone, great response….

Well, our local one is open from mid March to mid September. It can't be that unusual?

Goosey wrote:Well, our local one is open from mid March to mid September. It can't be that unusual?

We use about 40 different campsites in Brittany. Only two are open in March. Our season is dictated by campsite availability and it means that we cannot accept bookings earlier than Mid May and even then only a couple of heavily hacked routes work and only when people are prepared to use hotels for a couple of their stops; only after the 15th June are all our routes available. We also close our normal season on the 15th September for the same reason, and then I go off to other parts of France with a group cyclecamping. Those trips are only open to people happy to cycle 50 miles in a day, because that's how far we may have to cycle to get to an open campsite during the fortnight - granted we avoid the tourist traps but then that probably applies to most people here:-)

PS - I just reread the thread and I really don't want anyone to go away with the feeling that I was being negative about French camping. The opening dates are the only problem, and as long as you do check each before riding 50 mile,s camping in France is something everyone should try at least once - it's totally addictive and the range of campsites and especially the number of small, quiet, grassy municipal sites just perfect for cyclecampers make it a very soft option. Even given the very few open out of season in some areas, you'll still be better off that just about anywhere else in Europe.

Do it and have fun:-)

There was a long discussion on the forum site of the Dutch cycle touring club last November. One of the members wanted to do a camping tour from Holland into France, and was wondering about open sites. With help from other members and a lot of homework on the web he succeeded in putting together a nice tour.
In Holland there are quite a few sites that are open all year, or at least much of the year, but the experience seems to be that in other countries too there is enough of an infrastructure to make such trips feasible. The snag is finding the sites. My friend posted his route and list of camp sites, and I do think there is indeed a need for such information. As a Dutchman I could do with a list of camp sites that are open much of the year along the main bike routes going south. I will retire in a couple of years time. I Imagine that my wife and I will be getting on our bikes in late September or early October, to slowly go South all the way to somewhere in Sicily, to only return in the Spring Anyway, there are many good reasons to want this information easily accessible.
Willem
Willem

The French campsite guide previously mentioned can now be had from Amazon UK for £9.71 including postage.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/2358 ... oks&sr=1-3

pedalsheep wrote:The French campsite guide previously mentioned can now be had from Amazon UK for £9.71 including postage.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/2358 ... oks&sr=1-3

Thanks for that link Pedalsheep, saves the faffing with euro exchange.