French campsites open in December??

The Other PaulG

The Other PaulG

Still searching
UKGSer Subscriber
Joined
Jul 1, 2004
Messages
9,089
Reaction score
3,950
Location
Surrey, England
Please, does anyone know whether the French close their campsites for winter or keep them open?

I'm biking down to Brive in early December (to watch London Irish in their H cup game), returning probably via Dijon or further East if the weather permits.

So, will the campsites be open?

Any recommendations?

Cheers!!

Paul G
 
Some will be open.... some (many) will be shut. Not so different to the UK on that score.

Find the towns you want then contact the local tourist offices, who will know, for sure.

Aren't you better off just flying down for the game? Great match to go to, mind.
 
Wapping said:
... Aren't you better off just flying down for the game?
Click to expand...
I've thought of doing this myself, but Wappings got a point mind. I've dreamt of taking the bike over to Paris for a game (especially if the Scarlets get to the final) or if one of the Welsh sides play Clermont Ferrand (exc spelling) but when you bear in mind
  • How long it would take to ride to Clermont Ferrand
  • The cost of toll roads
  • How cheap some flights are from regional airports.
  • That a flight from Cardiff / Bristol to Paris only takes about 45 minutes
it just didn't seem practical TBH. :(
 
It's not about the rugby...

Taff said:
I've thought of doing this myself, but Wappings got a point mind. I've dreamt of taking the bike over to Paris for a game (especially if the Scarlets get to the final) or if one of the Welsh sides play Clermont Ferrand (exc spelling) but when you bear in mind
  • How long it would take to ride to Clermont Ferrand
  • The cost of toll roads
  • How cheap some flights are from regional airports.
  • That a flight from Cardiff / Bristol to Paris only takes about 45 minutes
it just didn't seem practical TBH. :(
Click to expand...


I have an exceptionally rare thing... a three day window to myself.

So the very best thing I can do with that, is jump on the GS and have a mini trip. (Shame it's not July, I know)! :rolleyes:

For any kind of trip, I quite like having a purpose, or a destination... everything else then just hangs off that backbone.

I absolutely love my rugby - 2 year ago I did a very similar trip around this time to see Leicester play Clermont, and that was brilliant.

So yes I could get to the game quicker and more cheaply... but the game's in fact only incidental - it's the riding that's the main focus. :beerjug:

Oooer.... I've got myself all excited again thinking about this trip.....!

:clap
 
The Other PaulG said:
I have an exceptionally rare thing... a three day window to myself.
Click to expand...
Fair point PG, but you'll take up 2 days just getting there and back. We did it in the car last Summer and it's surprising how long it took, and the bulk of the trip was on boring motorways. :blast
 
We've travelled to Brive in a day and a half on N and D roads, but it was knackering. Thirteen hours on day 1 to Le Mans and 7 hours on day 2 to Brive. But those were on the scenic(ish) routes.

We've stayed here in Brive a couple of times. Good rooms, easy to find and brilliant food if you don't want to venture out. Paid about fifty quid for a double last time.

If you hammer it down the Autoroutes you'll easily do it in a day but I can't see it being an enjoyable ride. :nenau
 
Its getting bloody cold at night here ,for camping , came back from UK on 13 Nov Caen to Aubusson in 7 hrs all free motorways/ autorouts , Brive is about another 2 hrs
 
Dansin said:
We've travelled to Brive in a day and a half on N and D roads, but it was knackering. Thirteen hours on day 1 to Le Mans and 7 hours on day 2 to Brive. But those were on the scenic(ish) routes.

We've stayed here in Brive a couple of times. Good rooms, easy to find and brilliant food if you don't want to venture out. Paid about fifty quid for a double last time.

If you hammer it down the Autoroutes you'll easily do it in a day but I can't see it being an enjoyable ride. :nenau
Click to expand...

Last time, I did Caen to Clermont easily in a day on N roads - interesting and fast.

Brive isn't that much further, so it should be OK.

PG
 
http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/home/index.shtml

This time of year why not go for one of Accors budget hotels, most camp sites are shut in France after mid september. A Formule1 will cost less than £30 pn per room for up to 3 people. Nothing fancy, but its warm and dry and has showers and continenetal breakfast in the morning.
 
Not knowing if the campsites will be open is the real fly in the ointment. Have you decided where to stop and found one that is open?

Mix in probably arriving at the campsite after 16:30 - it being dark and possibly lashing down - to put your tent up, makes it all look a bit daft.

For the Clermont / Leicester game. Where did you camp then? Assuming you did camp, how did you find the campsite? Use the same method this year.

For any kind of trip, I quite like having a purpose, or a destination... everything else then just hangs off that backbone.

I absolutely love my rugby - 2 year ago I did a very similar trip around this time to see Leicester play Clermont, and that was brilliant.

So yes I could get to the game quicker and more cheaply... but the game's in fact only incidental - it's the riding that's the main focus.

These sentences do not quite hang together. You like having a purpose to ride your bike. I guess the purpose is to watch the rugby, not the camping? So riding for riding's sake is secondary; yet by your last sentence, the riding has become the main purpose.

Budget airlines and cheap hotels have a clear purpose, too. To get you where you want to go, fed and watered for little effort, all without breaking the bank. It gets the vote for your escapade, surely? Why not see if the visiting club's supporters have anything arranged? Might be a good crowd to share a hotel with, perhaps?
 
Dansin said:
We've travelled to Brive in a day and a half on N and D roads, but it was knackering. ... If you hammer it down the Autoroutes you'll easily do it in a day but I can't see it being an enjoyable ride. :nenau
Click to expand...
But that's my point Dansin. He's got 3 days free- it will take him 3 days to get there and back if he takes the scenic route or if he hammers it down the Autoroutes, he can do it there and back in 2 days but he'll spend the 2nd day crying into his pint through boredom. :(

We went to the Dordogne on the bikes last Summer. We left the ferry at 8.30am IIRC and arrived at about 6.30pm. It hammered it down most of the time, and we used motorways for most of it. TBH it wasn't an enjoyable trip down.
 
Hi PG!

You can camp over here in December for free - no need for a camp site!

The law here say you can, all year.

:) Liv.

(....some camp sites here in Norway are open all year. I would be surprised if all are closed in France. -But I don't know! )

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAUL!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
 

Attachments

  • 21022009(005) Primustreffet 2009.jpg
    21022009(005) Primustreffet 2009.jpg
    86.8 KB · Views: 122
Just about all of the campsites are closed around Brive, drove round the other day to check them out. There are a couple of CamperVan parks which have a van or 2 in them on the way into Brive from Tulle but they have little facilities just a gravel pan and a sewrage dump thing.

We are a 30 min ride from Brive ;)
It takes me 6 hours from Le-Havre to get here via the autoroute and a further 1 to 2 hours if I take the non autoroute option... :thumb
 
Riders Rest said:
Just about all of the campsites are closed around Brive, drove round the other day to check them out. There are a couple of CamperVan parks which have a van or 2 in them on the way into Brive from Tulle but they have little facilities just a gravel pan and a sewrage dump thing.

We are a 30 min ride from Brive ;)
It takes me 6 hours from Le-Havre to get here via the autoroute and a further 1 to 2 hours if I take the non autoroute option... :thumb
Click to expand...

Thanks, that's really useful local advice - much appreciated. :thumb

Paul G
 
The game is on the 12th December kick off is 7 PM the venue is Brive's Stadium Municipal Address and telephone: +33 (0)5.55.74.20.14,
116 Avenue du 11 Novembre , 19100 Brive La Gaillarde. N45 9.39 E1 32.52

from Limoges take the A20 and Exit J50 for Brive Centre Follow sign for centre commercial.

From us I take the D940 to Tulle then the D44 to Malemort the Stadium is on the East side of Brive ;)

The car park for stadium municipal is located at the back of Leclerc and is accessed via a footbridge.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Buttso
10 Best: French campsites -
Replies
0
Views
2,908
Buttso
Buttso
Udders
French campsites
Replies
6
Views
1,474
Hustler
Hustler
Sgt Bilco
Mexico in December 2010 January 2011
Replies
0
Views
1,193
Sgt Bilco
Sgt Bilco


Back
Top Bottom