Hi Graham,

I don't have an answer for you but do have a question or two if you don't mind.

I'm guessing by your username you're a biker? I'm off to the South of France and Spain in July on my CBR. Have you biked and camped in Europe before? It's the first time for me and I was wondering if it's easy enough getting a camp site to stay on just by turning up. There are 3 of us going and we have a 3 man tent as a back-up but we're hoping to use a Keycamp or Eurosites type camp site and maybe stay in one of their tents or caravans. Any idea if this is possible just for one night or two at most?

Sailing from Portsmouth to St Malo on 6th July, can't bloody wait!!

Cheers mate.

......we stayed at a very good campsite in Ypres some time ago.....just a short distance from the Menim gate, incorporated within the sports complex.
It was part of one of our ww1 battlefield/cemeteries trips, and for really interesting and useful info about Ypres and the whole ww1 scene I can really recommend the book "before endeavours fade", by Rose Coombs, isbn number 0900913851 ; your local library could have a copy.

Hi Aladdin

It is the first time I have been camping in France, I am going with three friends all on our bikes. Last year I went to Germany on my bike but did B&B.

We are just taking a chance and going to turn up and try and get some where on the day. Although I read an article today that said alot of campsite do minimum stays of 5 night only.

If we get really stuck we will B&B it.

This is a website I found useful http://www.geotour.com/home-en.html

As you are sailing from Portsmouth are you in the South?

Sunowner

Thanks for that one of my friends is very interested in WW1 which is why we are going to Ypres. I will try to get a copy of that book.

Hi Graham,

Yeah mate, I am in the South, Cardiff actually mate so Portsmouth is a bit closer than Dover, but there are other factors that swayed my choice of crossing.

Dover to Calais? Very cheap, about £50 as I recall, but to get a decent start to the day in France it would mean arriving at Calais for about 7 or 8 am which would mean leaving Cardiff at about 3 or 4am. Not good. Ok, maybe overnight in Dover, but that negates the saving on the ferry.

Plymouth to Santander? Forget it, this is meant to be touring on the cheap.

Portsmouth to St Malo cost us £139 for my bike with myself and son as passengers. It sails at 8:30pm so you can be in the bar by then, and arrives in St Malo at 8:15am. So theoretically we should head off into France nice and refreshed. I'm not sure how we're gonna cope on the reclining chairs on the Ferry so we'll have to wait and see.

Another reason that I didn't want to travel from Calais is the fact that it is a very boring journey down to Spain. I've travelled the route a few times with Ferris coaches and have driven it once myself. Once you get past Leon (or was that Dijon??) the scenery is non existent until you hit the Pyrenees. It's mind numbingly dull.

Hopefully the run from St Malo to Narbonne in the South of France will be a little more scenic even though we're using the motorway all the way down.

Just a little tip for you. If you decide to go to Spain look up the web-site for the Spanish tourist board, they're based in London I think. I found their web-site a long time ago and e-mailed them asking for advice on travelling and camping in Spain. They sent me a superb map of Spain with literally hundreds of camp-sites with the phone numbers of all of them on the back. And it was free!!

Dunno whether the French tourist board will do the same but it could be worth a try.

Enjoy your trip. I'm off on the 6th July but only for a week or so.

Thanks for the tip, I go on Friday so I am running out of time now. The plan is to just go and see how we get on. I read lots of bike mags, some people spend months planning a trip, others take a change of clothes and a credit card and get going.

It will be an experience and I will let you know how I get on.
One thing you might want to check travel insurance, as some companies classify motorcycling as a dangerous activity and you are not covered in their policy.

Sunowner

Just to let you know, Graham found the campsite you recommended, he's just sent me a text to say he's there now and says it's very nice!

He left here yesterday at 06.00 and was soaking wet before he even reached the tunnel!

He's been soaked several times since, but is having a nice time despite that

I hope he manages to see the sun between now and when he comes home on Monday!

I know, but Aladdin Sane will be interested in this
Graham entered a competition in one of the bike mags a while ago.

He received an email from them last week to say he's won a track day at Donnington.....................on Tuesday!

So he's going to have one heck of a numb backside by wednesday morning!