Cycling UK Forum

Morning all,

I'm flying down to Avignon on 19th May and have the next 19 days to cycle back up following the Loire, pretty much. Anyway, I'm just a little concerned that the camp sites will still be closed. I've cycled in France once before and arrived at the municiple camp site in Redon, in the first week of July, on the first day they were open, so I'm guessing some open late.

I'm fairly confident the sites in the far South will be open, its the sites further North that worry me a little.

I don't mind wild camping the odd night, but if I don't get permission from the land owner or its a bit iffy, I just don't sleep well. Anyway, don't you get eaten by wild Boar if you wild camp in France !

Cheers all,

Phil

Quite often, though this was twenty years ago, being shut only meant that you didnt have to pay for your stay!

Most sites have websites that tell you their open season, just google the towns on your route with the word 'camping' also in the search box.

Phil some will be open, some closed. If you have a GPS do a Google search for archiescampsites, and you can get a GPS map of all municipal Campsites in France.

If you don't go on Google maps and zoom into the area you wish to camp for the night and on the toolbar search box type in camping, Campsites, camping municipal and it will show you what's available in that area, then just go on their website for opening dates.

Crossed posts with you there Rualexander

For those who don't do GPS etc http://www.amazon.fr/Guide-officiel-cam ... 990&sr=8-1 10164 campsites organised by map or by department with opening dates etc

I had this problem three years ago in April. The actual campsite's website is the best source. The tourist office may have a list with opening dates but accuracy isn't as good. I got caught because a site was open but not for tents. Another municipal was basically a sports field so there was no website and I was a month early. Another was an informal site attached to a bar and not open for another 3 days. Its another source of on the road uncertainty.

Our business is based around French campsites so I know this problem intimately - Grrrrr!

You will find that campsite opening dates vary wildly, and that often departments seem to follow a certain pattern, but which is in no way universal in that department. MOST campsites will be open from the 15th June to 15th September, outside those dates you need to check - and that doesn't mean checking a guide because if there's been bad weather, or the number of campers is lower than expected, or the owner has gone on holiday himself there's nothing to stop an owner staying closed - this applies equally to fictitious dates on GPS or websites... You have to ring ahead each day to be absolutely sure - nothing is worse than having cycled 50 miles to arrive at a campsite late in the day, which is closed and the next open one is 25 miles away. This website lists all (in theory) in France http://www.campingfrance.com/ and once in France you can buy the guide from the same company at most newsagents - I'd certainly do that. However as I said, check every day's campsite in the morning.

Tourist offices can be worse than useless, often not knowing where the campsite is in their commune, or when it opens, let alone the next door commune - get the guide...

As for your specific route the availability of campsites in those areas will vary wildly, but in some sections expect 80%+ to be closed. You've been warned:-)

This may be of some help - http://www.bretonbikes.com/diy.htm though I should update it!

It always surprised me how brief was the opening period of many French campsites, particularly municipal ones, until I learned that many are staffed by people who work the rest of the year in schools, so are only available during the summer vacation.
So, yes, it's vital to check in advance. Or (and you certainly can't bank on this) you may be able to put up your tent on the unstaffed site.
Ray

All good info guys, thanks. My problem with searching all the places I’m going to stop in, is I won’t know where I’m stopping until I stop there. I guess I tour like a lot of other people, just get on the bike in the morning and do what I feel like.

So, while I have your attention, can I ask you about you experience’s of wild camping in France. I mean, whats the worse that can happen, get your tent shaken by an angry farmer and told to bugger off, just as its getting dark.

Phil66 wrote:All good info guys, thanks. My problem with searching all the places I’m going to stop in, is I won’t know where I’m stopping until I stop there. I guess I tour like a lot of other people, just get on the bike in the morning and do what I feel like.

So, while I have your attention, can I ask you about you experience’s of wild camping in France. I mean, whats the worse that can happen, get your tent shaken by an angry farmer and told to bugger off, just as its getting dark.

Well if you have the book I mention above it's simply not an issue as you can phone ahead - wild camping isn't something I'd advise personally, but if you go into a farm and ask nicely as often as not you'll get a pitch and frequently dinner (and more wine than you can possibly cope with). If I was cycling solo I have to admit it's a ploy I would use a lot, remember cyclists are very well thought of in France so you get a head start -

I fell foul of this on a tour of Brittany last year. All the campsites I tried were closed. However, just as I was pulling away from one supposedly-closed municipale site, I decided to try my pigeon French on the respectable-looking group of people that were camped there. They looked genuinely shocked that I was worried about whether it was closed or not - I got the impression that camping in municipales during their closed season is definitely not a problem.

tatanab wrote:For those who don't do GPS etc http://www.amazon.fr/Guide-officiel-cam ... 990&sr=8-1 10164 campsites organised by map or by department with opening dates etc

Thanks for that link as the same book from Amazon UK is being sold at £37 rather than the 12 Euro in your link. I've used this guide several times over the recent past and found it to be the most useful guide out of others I've tried.

I don't speak French much, so making telephone calls in advance of a visit is a challenge for me, and as per earlier postings, I have been faced with closed sites, but not often as the opening/closing dates in this guide book seem to be good (but there are hundreds of site entries and maybe I've just been lucky).

Currently doing night classes to improve my French although should I become more proficient at the language, I shall miss some of the hilarious mime acts I've got myself into

bikes4two wrote:

tatanab wrote:For those who don't do GPS etc http://www.amazon.fr/Guide-officiel-cam ... 990&sr=8-1 10164 campsites organised by map or by department with opening dates etc

Thanks for that link as the same book from Amazon UK is being sold at £37 rather than the 12 Euro in your link. I've used this guide several times over the recent past and found it to be the most useful guide out of others I've tried.

I don't speak French much, so making telephone calls in advance of a visit is a challenge for me, and as per earlier postings, I have been faced with closed sites, but not often as the opening/closing dates in this guide book seem to be good (but there are hundreds of site entries and maybe I've just been lucky).

Currently doing night classes to improve my French although should I become more proficient at the language, I shall miss some of the hilarious mime acts I've got myself into

Guy picks up the phone - you say "Est-ce le camping ouvert" - he'll say "oui" - not difficult:-) As I mentioned, that camspite guide is available in most papershops in France so you just sort your first couple of campsites at home using their internet site and then pick up the guide en-route if you want to avoid postage from France.

Remember that a bike can usually get in even if the gates are shut!

Also Camping Municipal sites are open most of the year.

Don't worry about it as you will always find somewhere. You can often camp free at an Aire de Camping. They vary but I have stayed at one with full facilities, They can be basic but all you need is a loo and water.
John

slowpeddler wrote:Remember that a bike can usually get in even if the gates are shut!

Also Camping Municipal sites are open most of the year.

Don't worry about it as you will always find somewhere. You can often camp free at an Aire de Camping. They vary but I have stayed at one with full facilities, They can be basic but all you need is a loo and water.
John

Sorry - I'd hate someone to get the wrong impression, and there has been quite a bit of misleading information on this thread, some of which could leave people in awkward situations - the vast majority of municipal sites will be closed out of season - been organizing commercial cyclecamping tours in France for 22 years so I'm confident! Some areas - most notably those where there are also winter sports (so Pyrenees etc), or very touristy places like right hard by the chateaux of the Loire will have more campsites open, but most rural areas will not. Some Municipal sites are shared with things like football teams and so will open if you warn them in advance with a call, or occasionally if you visit the Mairie and make 'big eyes' at them, but don't bet on it. Closed Municipal sites will have facilities locked up and most will have shut off all water etc, so 'yes' you could hop over the gate and camp there but there isn't a lot of point. Also the if you are unlucky the gendarme frequently patrol Municipal sites and if closed they will move you on - even if you are all pitched and comfy - it's happened to me on a couple of occasions, once when leading a group of cyclists and which was not popular. As I said, if you are stuck then best to ask a local farmer nicely.