Information > Wild Camping in France

The following is an article, which appeared in the French Camping ?Car Magazine in March 2004. I have translated it in the hope that it will be of use to readers of Roundabout, with thank s to Camping Car magazine. If you use these places speak to other campers on the same place and use local shops and restaurants. You will then discover the true France which you will miss staying on organised campsites. You will also save your annual subscription to IMCC in about two days.

I would caution readers against using service stations, or aires on motorways in France .It is worse in Spain. Having spent four winters in Spain it is unusual to meet someone who has not had some sort of problem. You hear of people who park up beside the lorries and think this is safe. Don?t believe it. A lorry driver woke up this year in France on the grass verge beside where he had parked his truck. He was left with only his underpants .No lorry no money. Lorries are robbed frequently. At least he could make a reverse charge call to his employer and they rescued him. At the places recommended in this article you will usually find other campers and they look after one another. The French and Germans usually have at least one Alsatian with them and leave them on a short lead They can smell a robber at 100 meters. The golden rule is being vigilant. The advantages of these places are that they are near or in towns or villages. If you have a meal in a restaurant they will normally allow you to park overnight.

If you have been to France before you will know the quality of food is superb and restaurants serve good meals at reasonable prices. The French eat lunch from 12 noon onwards. If you are travelling in France get off the motorway and as you drive along you will see Lorries parked outside restaurants form 12 onwards. The more Lorries the better the food and the value. Bring a French phrase book with a culinary section, as this will help you to pick out the items you will really like. Some French dishes can be a little ?different?. Go ahead try them. You will probably be pleasantly surprised. Vive La Difference! Finally try to speak some French. Don?t expect all French people to speak English (or Irish). They don?t. If you make an effort they will be happy to help you if they can.

Bill Connell.
The title of the article is 85 good plans to make an overnight stop. As most of your readers know France is a country which welcomes camping-cars and which provides facilities for them at a small cost. Most garages and campsites have facilities to empty cassettes and fill with water sometimes for free and other times for a small fee. Some communities don?t have an?aire de service? but this does not stop them welcoming camping-cars with open arms and giving them free use of public toilets and fountains. The following are places, which have been selected by readers of Camping Car magazine for their location, or their tranquillity and also because they are free.

France is divided into regions and each region as well as a name has a number. This number also appears on car registration plates so if you are not sure which region you are in just look at the car numbers. If most of them have say 29 then you know you are in the Finistere region. All good Camp Site Guides also have maps showing the regions by name and number. I have also given the postal code, which is given in the Michelin Guides and may help members to find the places, which I have listed.