OK, thought I would get this thread started as a planning forum to gauge where and when people are heading to for the summer break.

Need to co-ordinate a meeting point for the Pirate reunion with Andy and Cath et al.

Debs and myself are using Eurotunnel on the late night 10pm crossing on Friday 17th July. We return on the Thursday night 6th August.

Although we had planned to do a trip through the Alps, we are now more keen to head down south first, perhaps to Leucate / Perpignan area as I fancy a stop of in Carcassonne for a night or so ; before heading north westwards up to Arcachon or Lacanau or Hourtin.

Any views / opinions ?
Want to make the most of the beach time and meet up with all the travelling contingent.

Loxley


[Edited on 12-6-2009 by Loxley]

hi Mark. Ren and moi are going over dieppe 23july then heading straight south through the alps to the med south of perpignon there are some huge beaches with kites on beach looking at google earth. i know that just over the spanish border starting at Roses is one huge beach.
we will then cross to biscarauce, one of out fav haunts staying in the trees in the northerly of the 2 aires, just behind the beach and only about 6E per night. slowly making our way then to plouharnel at quiberon before home on the last thurs in august and off to borth for a few days. i have a file with all the GPS of places to stay on the west coast is you have a tomtom peeps.

These are our cuurent plans.

We set sail from Dover to Boulogne on the morning of the 18th July and return 8th August.

From there we will be heading to Tours (about 1/2 way to Lacanau) where we will be visiting some Frenchie Rugby mates for a couple of days. So plan to be heading down to Lacanau/Hourtin on the 22nd July.

Must admit I would like to go to Arachon/ Cap Ferret so that could be the place to meet up. We didn't really want to go as far south as Perpignan but if that was the consensus may do. A lot will depend upon what Kath and Andy have planned. I had planned in my head that once we all get together spend some time in one place we would be moving northwards up the coast, but Cath pointed out that K&A may not want to head north so early in their trip (please indicate Andy).

Anyway won't be at the coast for the next few weeks got Glastonbury etc, but hopefully we will get together and share our plans. Must post some pics of the Outer Hebs it was awesome.

I do know that K&A are currently on the south coast at Sete, liking it very much and planning to stay for a while.

Another interesting note from my long distant driving brother in law, he informs me that diesel is currently cheaper in the UK than France and tells me to fill up before sailing. Maybe Andy or Mark can you confirm this, odd as it is usually the otherway round.

Catch you all laters going to catch some rays

Im going but sooner, sailing on the 4th and returning the 14th. Ill be heading straight to Lacanau for a couple of days then straight down to Hossegor for the rest of the trip, maybe a day in Lacanau on the way back up. Any one else over there then? Ill be surfing and kiting, depending on conditions, hopefully both each day

Setting sail...

well not quite sure as I haven't booked yet!

Planning on going over probably 24/25 july for 2 weeks. I want to stop by the Normandy beaches, war graves and look round Mont Saint Mitchell. Apart from that no real plans other than heading down the west coast and meeting up with some of you other guys - just gimme a map reference and a date and I'll see you there!

Like Kitefish - I didn't want to go TOO far down, would spend 1/2 my break driving. Lots of mention of the Bordeaux area - Arcachon, cap ferret, Biscarrosse, Lacanau - maybe thats a happy medium.....

Oh - and the French Govt's official website suggests Diesel prices are currently 85p - 95p per litre, though the autoroutes tend to be the most expensive.

no where to park in cap ferret and takes an age to get to for very little; lacanau itself is swamped with people and the kite beach is on the south car park, free water etc at the aires on the right jujst as you arrive at lacanau; fav spot is La Porge plage; less busy, 15 clicks south of Lacanau but stock up on stuff first unless you want to drive into la porge village.Bisc is one of our fav spots; as i said earlier there are 2 aires there, the best one being the more northern of the 2; just keep turning right as you come to the islands in Bisc. great cycle tracks there to all the inland lakes etc even i did 30k ride one day!! you can also bike to the Dune de pilat from there. Forget Mimizan , south of Bisc; packed solid and they want to charge you E11 for staying on a car park like sardines.
Distance on the motorways is nothing; do lacanau easily in one day going very steady; done calais to grenoble in one day at 65, french motorways are a doddle, wine crap, food fantastic!

Another thing Andy is that South of Lacanau the wind gets less, and if you head right down to Hossegor region don't get too much wind at all, great for surfing down there tho.

Yip, surf mc tasty, I kinda figure I can kite surf here anytime, but am hoping for consistant surf unlike here,(although I did have a great sesh today at the trap). Hossegor quite often gets a NW afternoon wind in the summer, and theres the lake as well, although Im unsure as to any kite restrictions. Any body know?? Ill certanly be around lacanau area for a couple of days anyway, fingers xed for waves

Like Neil said the roads are great, bordoux by car is about 5-6 hours from St malo, maybe a bit slower by van? Ive driven all the way to biaritz in one blast b4 now, and it aint so bad.

Spooks, Ren wanted to see the normandy beaches-cemetarys a couple of years ago. not my cup of tea really walking down lines and lines of graves but you can wild park on the beach think its omaha as there are a couple of areas( take a look on google earth for omaha beach france and follow the road along the beach northwards untill it turns inland at 90 you can see a couple of vans parked and if you look at the photos you will see an old german bunker thats where we parked upfor the night) but no room to kite at high tide.Col found a great beach but i think that was well north.
parking at bisc plage; look on google earth:
44*27'36.16"N 1*14'44.78"W and you can see the vans parked in the trees.
place worth seeing is la Rochelle and in august you get free parking and stop over at the university just by the marina, short wlk to the centre google earth:
46*08'38.19"N 1*09'38.12"W you can see some vans parked up.NOTE I CANNOT FIND A DEGREE SIGN ON MY LAP TOP SO THE FIRST NUMBER/NUMBERS SHOULD HAVE A LITTLE DEGREE AFTERWARDS not the *.


[Edited on 16/6/09 by mNeil]

[Edited on 16/6/09 by mNeil]

Looks like a variety of travel dates and plans then.
Had only considered heading far south for a touristy stop off at Carcassone, though the area around northern spain does look interesting.

just a note for you tobacco smokers ( as in leaf not cig's ) the spanish government regulate the price and it is seriously cheap compared to uk.

even at the airport duty free, 500g of Golden Virginia for €43 and Amber Leaf for €32

have to find where K&A are going to as they are the reason for the big trip over anyway as we wanted to meet up with them for 2 of the weeks.

Told K&A when we were all heading over there. They don't know where they will be then and suggested we check back in nearer the time.

Oh the joys of drifting along day to day.....

FERRY BOOKED!
Sailing on 18th with Fish, closely followed by Tony, Dan and their kids I think....
(They make a lovely couple)

Let the good times begin

We are planning to visit Troyes on the 18th which is a couple of hours south of Paris. Will aim then to meet up with the main convoy later that day perhaps and do our travelling around on the homeward leg of the holiday.

hi peeps sorry we havent posted reguarly wifi a little up and down here. dont really mind were we meet up, come the end of the month heading up to carcassonne, perpignan then over to bayonne and work our way up the coast, willing to go as far as st jean de mont not to far if we want to head back down south.

as for fuel prices chris we have paid as much as 1.02e and as little as 92.2e but have seen it for 1.12e intermache and casino have been the cheapest we have found.

still in sete water both sides been out this morning on my 9m fully lite. came back to kath in tears the bloke that had said it was alrite to park where we were managed to reverse into the side back of our van. he left a hand size dent with a 10pence piece sized hole in the alliminum. then tried to drive off not thinkin the rottwiller was still in the van. after alot of efing and blinding she got him in the van and got all his particulars down.lol. oh well these things are sent to try us let the insurance sort it out when we get home.

missing you all (a little any way ) will be great to see you all soon. love andy & kath xxxx

txt me your mobile no Andy, ill message you a few days b4 i get over there and see where ya are.

oh nooooooooooooooo. get some tape on that hole toute suit Andy before the rain gets in!
i got fed up with st jean de mont as its always just chop and no waves because of the island that is just off shore; didnt go there last year stayed down south bigger waves!!!!!!!!!before heading to quiberon area, even bigger waves last year!!!!!!!BUT COLD.

Well as for myself and Deb's we are wanting plenty of sun ! So will travelling as far south as needs to be to get that ! LOL
Anyway, looks like the Bordeaux beach area is common favourite and should be well placed for sun and wind.

what beaches around bordeaux?? My folks's house is just down the road from Royon, I sailed la palmer last time, really good

Shem read my postings.

Shem I reckon area around lacanau, just west of Bordeaux, is a great compromise between surfing and kitesurfing, you still get great fast beach break waves ( not quite the quality of hossegor but in the same sort of league ) plus you get a fair bit of wind there as well, hence best of both worlds.

ye, im gona stop there on the way down, but have found in previous years to just get loads of close outs rarther than quality stuff, all depends on the banks tho hey, so well see. The nice thing around hossegor is that mundaka works, Ill pop to spain and try get it, fingers xed

all taped up neil, ive got to say some french people dont seem to value vehicles most have bumps and scrapes, i asked a guy to show me how the 24h pay thingy worked at a garage and he then proceded to rip my indicator off. AHrrrr

after talking with Andy B on wednesday evening i am having new pads put on the van before this summers trip.
like myself Andy had new tyres befor the trip and checked the brake pads, they looked fine but after the trip through the alps; all that brake use slowing nearly 4 tons, the pads went and also took with them the discs. one rescue later and nearly £500 for new discs and pads.

prevention is cheaper than the cure, be warned!


ah remember to take with you your log book (V5)for the van; it is an offence not to have it in the vehicle in france and can be a hefty instant fine.

[Edited on 26/6/09 by mNeil]

Also, Hi-Vis jackets. If you stop ALL people in the vehicle are supposed to put one on, NOT just the driver. Plus, with regard to the V5, the same goes for having a copy of your MOT certificate and insurance. Take a copy of each and put in a clear plastic wallet. Have one in the glove box and keep a spare somewhere else in the van.
Boots and braces !

Just by way of added incentive, since October last year - if you do not have a safety triangle and at least one reflective jacket in your vehicle - the boys in blue will hit you with an on the spot fine of €90 - €135!

Welcome to France

Useful Website of French Aires, with google road maps, sat nav co-ords and simple spec of what the aire has to offer in the way of services.


http://airecampingcar.com/aire_camping_car_gps.php/629?z=12 />
This is the web link for the Biscarrosse Plage site so presume this is the one you were on about Neil ?

PS, that blue loo chemical I picked up at the motorhome show is with Tony still !! Be careful not to get any on your hands as it stains instantly and took 2 days to wash off !

thanks Mark, will only put it on the beard then!
no the one we stop at is by the beach to the north of the town, as i described earlier look on google earth and you can see the vans in the trees.

[Edited on 30/6/09 by mNeil]

Im sailing tommorow, hope to catch up with the early crew. Im heading straight for Lacanau. Wind looks light but just enough, and surf looks 2-3, so well acceptable. My mob is 07739031593, txt me if yoour around there from sat onwards. Cant wait, 3 boards and just 1 kite packed and ready

head for the south car park Shem its free and thats the kitesurf beach; above all have fun and be safe!

Counting down the days.
Had a visit to the physio yesterday who said it's just muscle pain and not a slipped disk !
Relief ! Well, not from the pain yet ! LOL

Anyway, he is confident I will be ok for the trip. I have a couple more massage sessions booked before we head off next Friday so should be good to go by then and then I could take it easy for the first day or so and get some sun and sightseeing before getting out on the water.

Yep - not long to go now

Heading down to Dover Friday 17th with Tony and his menagerie and sailing on 18th. Looks like Andy and Cath are moving towards Biscarosse to meet us there.

I'm just off to the beautician to get my legs waxed - wana look good in my monokini

mmmmmmmm its a bit revealing....

better get my arse waxed as well

Spooker/Tony

What time are you going down to Dover, perhaps we could have a convoy and anyone have a spot nearby to stay overnight nearby.

I have just been confirmed today of a positive swine flu diagnosis, but doc assures me that I will be fit for France.

What is the general itinerary when we arrive. As I have said I will be heading to Tours for a couple of days to catch up with some Frenchy mates then plan to head south west.

Sorry to hear about your affliction Chris.

We will aim to get to Biscarrosse ( if that's the preferred rendezvous with K&A ) on late Sunday night or early Monday morning. As we are going to spend the Saturday and Sunday doing a bit of sight-seeing on the way down.

Chris we re planning oink! oink! to go down to Dover Friday evening oink! - missing the snort! peak times on the M25 etc and looking for a quite squeeel!! lay-up for the night.

ok no more porcine humour...

Itinerary once there will be to go straight to Biscarosse - arriving sometime Sunday I guess, chill out there or thereabouts for a week or so and then maybe work our way back up the coast over the next few days.

Spooker your plan sounds similar to our idea too, hopefully I will speak to you over the next couple of days. Was thinking that me and cath could meet at your house to form the first part of the convoy.

Biscarrosse sounds very good, is this one of Neils fav spots? and does anyone have the coordinates? I believe there is some excellent camping there. I would imagine that Cath and I will not get there until Tuesday or even Wednesday.

Can't wait now, van goes in for service and oil change tomorrow then its just pack the goodies to go. My only problem is I still don't feel very good Oink! But I think it is now the side effects of the tamiflu antivirals

Andy if you happen to read this, drop me an email with your special requests, think we have got most of what you want.

Sorry to hear you are still on the dodgy side Chris. Still, a few days yet for you to recover or at least improve.

Got the camper all packed up at the weekend, the boat and engine are loaded in the garage. Went in more easily than I expected in the end. The van is in for a "mini" service this morning with all brakes, oil, coolants etc being checked and topped up.

Counting down the days !

and where do you intend to put a boat in on the west coast Mark. up towards brittany or maybe the arcachon basin?
whats the weight like with all that gear in the garage?
drive safely anyways.
had my brakes looked at and had to have all new discs and pads allround; salt water appears to eat discs!!!

had the brakes done yesterday, i had the chassis uprated a while back to increase the payload so within the limit there.
hope to use the boat where we are going on lake cazaux at biscarrosse, otherwise in the arcachon basin. either way it's there for when there is no wind or just to play around doing something different, spot of fishing etc etc. taking the kneeboard, wakeboard and hotdog so should be something for everyone.

Hi all

Have a cracking trip. I'm off to La Rochelle on 12th Aug for 2 weeks of dinghy racing and hopefully some kiting in between if wind and time permits.

Will be parked up at the municpal site near Les Minimes yacht harbour from 13th - 28th. So if any of you guys are still out there and passing La Rochelle then drop in for a bevy.

Plan on staying on after the racing til mid-sept and dropping south to Hourtin, Arcachon and Biscarosse. Hopefully the wind will be kind and I'll get some kiting in down there.

Catch you all mid-September.

Bon Voyage and see ya soon

Rich

Has anybody actually booked up a camp site for any time over the next 2 weeks ?
It's just that as it is high season from this weekend then we may be fighting for space and as there will be 4 or 5 vans it's a bit more problematic than being just one.
Thoughts everyone ?

for a last minute 'taster / teaser' , then here is set of webcams on the beach at biscarrosse. cant see A&K tho !

http://www.biscarrosse.com/Webcam-a-l-ocean

CAMP SITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! struth Mark you dont stay in those, there full of peeps in tents, and in France the private ones will cost you a fortune! the only one i have stayed on is the municipal at Kersily just outside plouharnel and thats more like staying in the dunes; 6E per night last year.
there are loads of spots down roads to beaches, behind beaches that are free and usually more fun and less crowded.
sent Spooks a great place to stop over after the ferry just north of le mans little ville called Gace, in the aires book; oh and thats also free!

hi all, got to say we were on the beach today and the sea was mental red flaged all day behind the aire
( biscarrosse plage ) .stumbled across 2 campsites on the lac and they are asking silly money, of course this is only my opinion and iam tight but 28- 40 euros, saying that they did look high spec

there are lots of aires around asking 6-8 euros they are alittle cramped though and lots of rules, some are in very nice settings by the lac 10 to 15 k from beach,
i think this is where you will use your boat mark there will be a fee, i will find out how much tomorrow and let you know .
looking forward to seeing you all. A&K

Hi Andy,
Thanks for that. I have just logged on to the webcam and the sea looks a lot nicer today ! it certainly did look manic yesterday.
I could see 2 kiters last night, it was showing about 7pm your time so dont know if that was you !
I have heard there may be a 'lake tax' to pay, but it's a case of avoiding the river police if you can ! LOL
Mind you, I am happy to pay a sensible fee to get out on the water as its supposed to be mirror flat in the morning and perfect for wakeboarding.
Debs has set off this morning for Cambridge to see her parents and I will meet her there tomorrow afternoon and then head on down to the Chunnel to get into France for about 10pm.

Just booked our ferry going to Le Havre on the 4th Aug for 3 weeks, will probably head south first and work back up, Itinerary is Hourtin area, Ile d'oleron, Quiberon or La Torche

Hope to catch up with some of you few folks somewhere, sometime.....

Ok guys, I am signing off now. See most of you on the beach sometime on Sunday.

Safe driving. Dont forget they drive on the wrong side over there !

Andy, keep some of that wind for us. Looks like you will be having a good day Sunday !

Mobiles at the ready guys.

Tony, I have that spare mobile charged up for you. Its a mini-nokia phone plug so my spare mains and car charger will work with it.

Mark