Driving +camping in France

[scotty_d]

Hi

I have booked time off in September and been looking to go away for a week to 10 days in France, plan on taking the Tuscan ,oh and the Mrs

I will use hotels as well but any ideas or previous experience are welcome don't want a driving tour as such just turn up and chill out with some light driving would be good in a nice clean area.

Cheers scotty

[Mark.]

How far in to France do you want to go?

We always used to camp in the Dordogne, weather should still be good down there then, some lovely roads and stuff to see.
Can pull together some place names for hotels and camping if it's any use?

[scotty_d]

Hi Mark please that would be useful, as for distance it to France not fussed really we did a large euro tour of 3000miles in 10 days in 2010. But seen very little of france , other than my aunt and uncles place 2 hours south of LM.

A nice chilled out drive, some nice scenery wine and food and we will be happy

[Mark.]

We did a fair few trips down to the Dordogne years back and they were always great. From Cherbourg I seem to remember it took about 7 hours.
You can split the area in to north and south, in the south we have stayed at a campsite that I don’t remember the name of between Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil and Sarlat-la-Caneda both lovely towns Sarlat with it’s narrow streets Les Eyzies for the countryside.
From here, if you are in to prehistoric stuff you can easily make Lascaux, the place first European Man lived although I think you see a replica now, Gouffre de Padirac is worth the drive, MASSIVE hole in the ground where you go down and take boat tours right under ground. There are loads of caves to explore in the whole region.
Make sure you take in Rocamadour, amazing place with a Monastery carved in to the rock face. Out to the west if you like your wine, Bergerac and to the south Monbazillac (superb dessert wines) and further over Bordeaux.

To the north we once stayed in Nontron, at the Grand Hotel (it’s not very grand) but superb hospitality and a restaurant that it seemed half of France would travel many miles to eat at. Superb food. To the south the island town of Brantome is worth a visit and a stroll and watch the canoeists capsize themselves over the weir
Slightly north is Angouleme one of the best lunch time curries I’ve ever had. And not too far from Carl Baker now
Keep heading west to Cognac, do the factory tours at Remy Martin and Courvoisier – free tasters at the end.

I’m rambling, but love the place and would happily settle there, loads of great little villages and towns and rivers to pitch up at and have picnics etc. Try it out I’m sure you’d enjoy it, and in the TVR that’d make it more special.

[Mark.]

Forgot to add - if you want a stop over Poitiers is good with Futuroscope theme park - not massive rides etc. but moving images, was the first iMax in Europe when we were there, and some pretty funky cinema effects in the other 'rides'.
Awesome laser display in the evening too.

[scotty_d]

Cheers Mark lots of food for thought now. Will sit down with Mrs d and plan something

[Mark.]

Pleasure mate. I've probably missed loads of stuff.

[scotty_d]

Dordoge looks breathtaking I think you have sold me and plenty to do as well.

Edited by scotty_d on Saturday 20th July 16:23

[scotty_d]

Double post android

Edited by scotty_d on Saturday 20th July 16:25

[scotty_d]

Dordoge

Edited by scotty_d on Saturday 20th July 16:24

[Mark.]

It is one of my very favourite destinations

Be interested in what you think if you go.

[angusfaldo]

I'm with Mark - it's really lovely round the areas he describes. We spent a few summers at this camp site:

http://www.lapalombiere.fr/gb/news.php

where you can go full tent or static van.

In August it was very full with families but by the end of the month they all go home and it is very quiet and relaxing. The restaurant and bar are enough to mean you don't have to go anywhere but you're only a couple of miles from Sarlat if you do want to try dining out. Camp site will provide BBQ equipment and has a shop of all your coal etc. They get an early morning bakery delivery so you can have fresh croissants in the morning.

Rocamadour, Domme, Sarlat, Dordogne river for canoeing, stloads of fois-gras and montbazillac. What's not to like!