Thursday 30 September 2010

Some Interesting News from France !

Three interesting pieces of news !
Firstly, the not surprising news about a positive drug test for this year's Tour de France winner.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11441045

There were more protests against cuts yesterday across Europe : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11432579

and finally some thieves have stolen 30 tonnes of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from a vineyard ! I wonder if they will try to make them into wine ?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11442633

(Picture of grapes by Stasi Albert from Stock Xchng photo site)

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Wednesday 22 September 2010

Choosing a Motorhome for Next Year ?

If you are hoping to buy a motorhome for next year's camping holiday then why not make use of all the fantastic internet resources out there.
Here is a website which outlines some of the main models :
http://www.motorhomechooser.co.uk/used-guides-index.php

and why not watch some video footage to get a look round your motorhome. Once you have narrowed down your choices that sounds like a good time to head to a showroom or outdoor show to have a look at the real thing !
For example here is one with some nice music and doesnt this look like a luxurious motorhome ! Would you keep it this tidy though !!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONn9_fUc5G4
and here is a motorhome hire company showing their 6 berth model http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWD6TjhCbiU
I wonder if it has seating for 6 though when driving along. I'm not sure if they all do even though they call themselves 6 berth.

or here is some information about "The Caravan Channel" http://www.youtube.com/user/caravanchannel#p/u/1/6S8BIsuK7Fc

Mind you I think we'll be sticking to our tent for holidays in UK and mobile homes in France for a bit of luxury for the time being !
Let us know what your experiences are with motorhomes etc and would you recommend particular models ?

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Our French Camping Holidays and Planning for Next Year !

Our First Camping Holiday in France was when we visited a great campsite "Le Chatelet" right on the northern coast of Brittany at St Cast, which was only a half an hours drive from St Malo. That was a great holiday and we were lucky to see the 2006 Tall Ships race at St Malo. Also memorable from that holiday was watching the World Cup final at the campsite bar, sharing with lots of nationalities as we watched the now infamous or famous head butt incident !

The next year we ventured to South West Brittany and Benodet where we stayed at La Pointe St Gilles Campsite. The memorable moment from that holiday was watching the fishing boats racing in to land their catch at Guilvinec ! What a moment ! At least 30 small boats race into the port at 4.30 to land their catch. Thanks to the Canvas holiday reps on our campsite for letting us know about this !

I had always wanted to see the standing stones at Carnac, so the following year we finally made it to Carnac, or more precisely to Trinite Sur Mer which is adjacent to Carnac. We stayed at La Baie Campsite. What a great holiday destination that is. So much to see ! We viewed the miles of standing stones both on foot and from "Le Petit Train" which takes you around Carnac. We visited the very interesting museum which was co-founded by a Scotstman and a Frenchman and bears their names. We went on some great walks from that campsite and discovered a very old church which is dedicated to the memory of St Columba, who visited this area. Our guide for these walks was a multi-lingual Russian student who was in France to learn (or perfect !) her French. But this was a great opportunity to mix with some others from the campsite so we met some lovely French, Belgian and English people who were on the walk.

In following years we have stayed on a lovely spacious campsite Les Deux Fontaines near Nevez with probably the nicest beach we have seen - Tahiti Plage - a well named beach ! From Nevez we visited the lovely artist's town of Pont Aven - famous for paintings and crepes and also for a fantastic glass blowing workshop where you can watch the glass blowers at work and also buy some lovely glassware. We also managed to watch the start of one of the stages of the Tour de France that year in Auray which was not too far from Nevez. That was great fun if you ever get the chance to watch that.

This year we ventured further south to the Vendee. We stayed inland at a lovely site called La Garangeoire. Our highlight of this holiday and definitely worth a visit was the fantastic theme park "Puy du Fou" ! What a place ! There are five main shows to see during your day at this park and these include a Gladiator show in an amphitheatre with a chariot race. There is a Knights, (Chevaliers) Show and a spectacular Birds of Prey show with birds swooping just above your heads ! Be warned though, at the bird of prey show the warning to "keep sitting, don't wave your hands around and pack all cakes away" is only announced in French !

We have loved most of the campsites we have visited although we always make sure and do lots of research beforehand. However at least one of the sites was not particularly busy last year whereas other campsites which are not so nice were full of people so we decided to spread the word about some of the lovely campsites we have visited and for this reason we started a website http://www.bestfrenchcampsites.com. We have also included details of some of the great places we have visited from each site. And to make sure we all stay as "happy campers", we have started this blog so we keep track of any useful websites and we have also translated any relevant news items from France.

We haven't booked up yet for next year. We have loved all the places we have been but it is also good to see new places. We will possibly visit the Alps for a change of scene or perhaps even visit in early or late season. As the weather turns increasingly chillier at home, we are already looking forward to next year's holiday !!
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Tuesday 21 September 2010

Velib Bike Network in Central Paris

You might like to try out the excellent Velib bike network in Central Paris if you are visiting Paris this year. There are over 230 miles of cycle lanes in Paris. For more information have a look at their website at http://www.blogger.com/www.velib.paris.fr

Have any of you tried this and how did you get on ? We'd love to hear whether it all went smoothly ! (not intended as a pun!)
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Monday 6 September 2010

Transport Strikes in France

There are to be transport strikes in France from today until Wednesday, affecting air travel and train travel. To read more : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/7984463/France-strike-to-disrupt-flights-and-rail-services.html

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Top 10 Reasons to Visit South of France !

Top 10 reasons to visit the Southern French regions of Ardèche, Gard and Vaucluse-Provence !
And if you are going to Orange this weekend then you can go to some authentic Roman Theatre ! Children get in free if they go in disguise !! So get your togas on !
http://www.visit-southern-france.com/en/explore/incontournable

Have you visited this area and what would you recommend to visit ?

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Friday 3 September 2010

September is last month to Visit Puy du Fou Theme Park this year

September is the last month for 2010 when you can visit the fabulous Puy du Fou historical theme park. It opens again April 2011 for summer 2011.
Its definitely worth a visit !
If you want to see all our photographs please visit our flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/best_french_campsites/sets/72157624495744356/

So if you are camping in the Vendee or Loire areas then this is definitely worth a visit ! You can also stay there in either a Roman Villa Hotel or some huts on stilts over water. So that might be an option - combine a couple of nights stay there with a camping holiday.

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Bargain Hunters Going to France

If you are heading for France on holiday and would like to find out where there are various "flea markets" or marchés aux puces, bourses, braderies, brocantes et vide-greniers going on near where you are staying then check out this website ! http://www.marchesauxpucesdefrance.fr/
For a translation of the various terms into English :
marchés aux puces are "flea markets"
braderies are fairs
vide-greniers are like "yard sales"

Maybe others can help out here with some comments as I'm not quite sure what types of fairs or car boot sales etc they all are !

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Wednesday 1 September 2010

Wildfires Near Montpellier

Read this report about wildfires in South of France near Montpellier :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11145787

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German Trains to try out Channel Tunnel !

German trains are to try out the Channel Tunnel in October, possibly ending the Eurostar monopoly. Hopefully this will mean more competition and reduced fares for passengers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11152794

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Very Funny Holiday Phrases

This article contains some very funny holiday phrases. Particularly funny are the list of Things we wish kids said on holiday and the "Laws of Camping" !

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/holidays/holidaypedia-i-know-what-you-did-this-summer-2066923.html
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September Sun Selection from Eurocamp

September holidays are becoming more popular for Eurocampers every year. It's a great time to get away. For exploring, excitement or escape, whatever your reason for getting away you'll find some great options in Eurocamp's September Sun Selection.

More details of this offer can be found here:

Link to Eurocamp

Don’t forget there are great savings to be made if you book your 2011 holiday or at least reserve it. You can make savings of up to 30% off next year’s holiday.

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Oldest Champagne to be Salvaged !

The oldest bottles of champagne in the world are to be salvaged from the Baltic Sea Bed - apparently they will be drinkable and very expensive !

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11148844
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