Practise Your French !

If you would like to practise some French language about booking a camping pitch or a hotel room then try out this page from the BBC French language website. http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/experience/hotel/

If you select the section on the right which says
Narrowband options:
Finding a pitch on a campsite:
then you can listen to a French speaker booking a tent pitch on a campsite for a week !

There are also worksheets if you want to really get learning.

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Bad News for Oyster Lovers

Oysters from the Mediterranean right round to Brittany have been hit by a plague for the third year running. This is bad news for all those who love eating oysters on their French holidays and may mean that oysters are either unavailable or very expensive.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/10294649.stm

I must admit I am not a great fan of eating seafood myself but I do love to see those great steaming plates of varied shellfish and lobsters. A real taste of summer in France !

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Flash Floods in Southern France

Deadly flash floods have hit the Var Region of Southern/ South Eastern France. For more information please read this report : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/10327034.stm

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Camping Recipes

If you are fed up cooking the same old camping foods - like our usual of tuna and pasta ! , then there are some great camping recipes here at http://camping.about.com/od/campingrecipes/u/recipes.htm as well as tons of other camping information !
I think I will try the recipe for baked apples - it sounds great and also the macaroni cheese one sounds like a good one to use.  When we go for a short camping weekend I tend to take rice and pasta and some tins so it does feel like I am cheating.
We have also tried the dried packets of camping food - we found one brand was excellent and one was not at all good but I forget which was which so I will maybe buy some, try them out and review them for you !

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Le Mans

The Le Mans 24 hour race took place this weekend and there were lots of British people camping right next to the track !
If you love cars then why not plan this for next year  ! You probably wont get much sleep but if you are into your cars and racing then this might be for you. Or maybe you would prefer to camp somewhere nearby and just visit Le Mans to sample the atmosphere.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i0GzJ6bn67N4aOl596KOX7EQk7CQ
However if you like getting a good nights sleep and just visiting Le Mans then there is a great campsite in the Loire Valley at Chambord which is 1 hr 45 mins from Le Mans and another Chateau le Brevedent in Normandy which is 2 hours from Le Mans. Both these campsites are reviewed at http://www.bestfrenchcampsites.com/

What Do the Beaches Look Like in that Area ?

To check out what the beaches are like in the area where you are planning your French holiday, have a look at this site :
http://www.maplage.fr/

You can also upload your own images of beaches. More photographs are being added all the time ! I dont think they have a link yet to Tahiti Plage at Nevez though which is the fantastic beach near our holiday last year and which can bee seen in this photo. It has to be one of the best we have seen in France. (Campsites nearby include Les Deux Fontaines and Raguenes Plage, which can be booked via Keycamp and/or Eurocamp) :

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Route Maps Etc

You may have used your AA route finder online which is an excellent facility. However I found that this Michelin route finder recognised the small French village I was trying to find and was able to give me the best route to it :
http://www.viamichelin.com/
It also has a lot of other useful information for planning your French holiday !
Go Back to Best French Campsites

D-Day Celebrations in Normandy

Normandy is busy this week as it prepares for the 66th D-Day Celebrations.

http://www.ouest-france.fr/actu/actuLocale_-La-Manche-s-apprete-a-feter-son-66e-D-Day-_-1395253------50129-aud_actu.htm

D-Day is the name given to the landing of 160,000 Allied troops in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. The success of the invasion of Normandy was really the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. The invasion, also called “Operation Overlord,” involved five separate landings by American, British, and Canadian troops and was commanded by American General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Camping Equipment

Do you find that the latest camping equipment is just not such good quality as the things they are replacing ? We have found that although the latest camping chairs we bought were cheaper, they were actually verging on dangerous as they werent quite strong enough and broke fairly easily.

We bought a new small gas ring camp cooker and I can only hope that the gas is all working properly, but the catch to open the storage box is just not as well designed as our old box.

Why cant they just copy the old design ? It is all very well getting cheap prices but there must be a certain quality. Has anyone else had the same experience ?

Go Back to Best French Campsites

VW Camper Van is 60 Today !

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8704175.stm

Photo by Neil Watters of his restored VW Camper Van. (from photo.xchng site)

Here's a website with photos of lots of the models and pics for sale : http://www.aidan.co.uk/photos25-.php

Go Back to Best French Campsites