| French West Coast 14:09 - Jul 15 with 5332 views | LoftusR |
Hi all,
Like many of us I am looking at some options to take the family away in mid August. Looking at all the various travel restrictions and not wanting to be stuck in a plane for several hours I am thinking of driving over to France.
Ideally I would like to go to Ile de Re but I can't get any accomdation there. So can anyone suggest a specific town / resort that is on the beach in that general area. I don't want to go too much further south as the drive gets too much
All advice welcome [Post edited 15 Jul 2020 14:11]
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| French West Coast on 14:17 - Jul 15 with 4412 views | TheChef |
We did that last year and headed down to the Vendee which was lovely - stopped off at Rouen on the way which is beautiful. Hired a static caravan in a nice campsite with a big pool and slides, ten minute walk to the beach (booked through Eurocamp), lots of interesting places to visit too. Our kids loved it.
First time we've done it with the car/eurotunnel, would definitely do it again (especially in the current climate!). We did the ferry on the way back, and the tunnel is far quicker and a smoother process. |  |
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| French West Coast on 14:30 - Jul 15 with 4386 views | MrSheen |
About 15 years ago, we stayed just across from Ile de Noirmoutier, about 25 miles south of the mouth of the Loire. Last minute booking, a real dud to be honest. The island wasn't too bad, but as everyone else on holiday there seemed to have arrived by camper van and had brought everything with them, it was really hard to find places to go and eat and drink. Boring and a bit shabby, you can do a lot better.
Sorry Bucks, didn't see your post! I was put off by the town of Fromentine, which was where we were staying. A dump, to be honest. [Post edited 15 Jul 2020 14:32]
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| French West Coast on 14:42 - Jul 15 with 4364 views | Newhopphoops |
I've stayed in Fouras which is a bit south of La Rochelle. It's a nice town with some history, good bars and restaurants and three beaches. The only downside is that the sand on the beaches only reaches the sea at high tide, at low tide you have mudflats in between. |  | | |
| French West Coast on 14:43 - Jul 15 with 4360 views | BrianMcCarthy |
I'll have a think, Loftus, and dig out the old guidebooks.
The problem is we were always camping/camervaning and surfing. We really didn't care about the towns so my notes might be little use to you. |  |
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| French West Coast on 14:53 - Jul 15 with 4329 views | Boston |
Any experts on the French East Coast, I quite fancy swimming in Champagne? | |
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| French West Coast on 14:55 - Jul 15 with 4319 views | TheChef |
| French West Coast on 14:17 - Jul 15 by TheChef |
We did that last year and headed down to the Vendee which was lovely - stopped off at Rouen on the way which is beautiful. Hired a static caravan in a nice campsite with a big pool and slides, ten minute walk to the beach (booked through Eurocamp), lots of interesting places to visit too. Our kids loved it.
First time we've done it with the car/eurotunnel, would definitely do it again (especially in the current climate!). We did the ferry on the way back, and the tunnel is far quicker and a smoother process. |
Sorry, forgot to say we stayed in St-Jean-de-Monts. | |
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| French West Coast on 15:02 - Jul 15 with 4302 views | R_from_afar |
Les Sables d'Olonne is near there and has plenty of bars and restaurants as well as a long, sandy beach. I had a very pleasant holiday there a while back. |  |
| "Things had started becoming increasingly desperate at Loftus Road but QPR have been handed a massive lifeline and the place has absolutely erupted. it's carnage. It's bedlam. It's 1-1." |
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| French West Coast on 15:04 - Jul 15 with 4295 views | BrianMcCarthy |
| French West Coast on 15:02 - Jul 15 by R_from_afar |
Les Sables d'Olonne is near there and has plenty of bars and restaurants as well as a long, sandy beach. I had a very pleasant holiday there a while back. |
Nice place.
I crashed a rental car near there. Apparently they drive on the other side of the road. | |
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| French West Coast on 15:16 - Jul 15 with 4286 views | hoopsmark |
Ive worked (and still am) the Rosslare-Cherbourg/Roscoff cruise ferry run for 14 years now,i get to see the coast of Brittany a bit on down time,but its a bit windy at times.....)
Most of our tourist passengers head for the Vendee region and down to La rochelle,i hear nothing but good feedback on their return trips.... | | | |
| French West Coast on 16:47 - Jul 15 with 4192 views | Boston |
| French West Coast on 15:16 - Jul 15 by hoopsmark |
Ive worked (and still am) the Rosslare-Cherbourg/Roscoff cruise ferry run for 14 years now,i get to see the coast of Brittany a bit on down time,but its a bit windy at times.....)
Most of our tourist passengers head for the Vendee region and down to La rochelle,i hear nothing but good feedback on their return trips.... |
Wait ‘till Captain Pugwash reads this, me hearty. | |
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| French West Coast on 18:54 - Jul 15 with 4140 views | hoopsmark |
| French West Coast on 16:47 - Jul 15 by Boston |
Wait ‘till Captain Pugwash reads this, me hearty. |
Bloody hell I forgot about him... I’m a couple of ranks ( yes Ranks) below him so hopefully will go easy on me....shiver me timbers...😂 | | | |
| French West Coast on 20:11 - Jul 15 with 4096 views | R_from_afar |
| French West Coast on 15:04 - Jul 15 by BrianMcCarthy |
Nice place.
I crashed a rental car near there. Apparently they drive on the other side of the road. |
The first time I went to Corsica, we took one of those flights which leave in the small hours. Upon arrival, we hired a car at the airport and then drove for a couple of hours to our hotel. It was like being in a rally: twisting mountain roads, endlessly up and down, with almost all the locals driving at breakneck speed, usually inches from our bumper. The driving was challenging and we had been up for hours and were knackered, but somehow - somehow - we not only found our hotel, we reached it unscathed.
Cock a hoop, we breathed a collective sigh of relief, upon which I then proceeded to scrape the back of the car down a metal gate, having not realised how tight the entrance to the parking area was   | |
| "Things had started becoming increasingly desperate at Loftus Road but QPR have been handed a massive lifeline and the place has absolutely erupted. it's carnage. It's bedlam. It's 1-1." |
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| French West Coast on 21:58 - Jul 15 with 4011 views | dezzar |
Vendee is great but coastal resorts can be crowded , we stay inland , about 30km then travel to beaches .La trenche sur Mer is quiet but great beaches for kids , free parking and restaraunts . Normally get a gite in Lucon area. | | | |
| French West Coast on 00:14 - Jul 16 with 3959 views | Hooparoo |
My brother has a flat in Bordeaux so have stayed there a few times. Besides the obvious attractions of great wine etc the countryside is also beautiful and places like Biarritz and the Spanish border are a short train trip away. |  |
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| French West Coast on 02:50 - Jul 16 with 3933 views | timcocking |
I do bleddy love France. Very beautiful country.
Although we have better cheese. |  | | |
| French West Coast on 07:05 - Jul 16 with 3908 views | MrSheen |
| French West Coast on 20:11 - Jul 15 by R_from_afar |
The first time I went to Corsica, we took one of those flights which leave in the small hours. Upon arrival, we hired a car at the airport and then drove for a couple of hours to our hotel. It was like being in a rally: twisting mountain roads, endlessly up and down, with almost all the locals driving at breakneck speed, usually inches from our bumper. The driving was challenging and we had been up for hours and were knackered, but somehow - somehow - we not only found our hotel, we reached it unscathed.
Cock a hoop, we breathed a collective sigh of relief, upon which I then proceeded to scrape the back of the car down a metal gate, having not realised how tight the entrance to the parking area was |
Corsican roads!!! Built by Napoleon, barely touched since.
I took not yet Mrs Sheen there on our first holiday together, soon after passing my driving test in the friendly suburbs of north-wear London, and suffered a three hour ordeal in a weeny Fiat Panda driving 50 miles to the hotel. I think I got into third gear about four times. I crawled out, cramping up in agony at the end and only then realised I could have put the seat back.
Worth it when we got there. [Post edited 16 Jul 2020 7:07]
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| French West Coast on 20:47 - Jul 26 with 3744 views | BrianMcCarthy |
| French West Coast on 00:14 - Jul 16 by Hooparoo |
My brother has a flat in Bordeaux so have stayed there a few times. Besides the obvious attractions of great wine etc the countryside is also beautiful and places like Biarritz and the Spanish border are a short train trip away. |
Loftus,
Hooparoo's advice may be something, depending on what you want. I went through my notes of surf trips on the coast and asked my mates and we agreed that we rarely found much life along there bar holiday parks.
Depends on how many/old you are, I suppose.
Anyway, unfortunately, looks unlikely now. | |
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| French West Coast on 21:24 - Jul 26 with 3701 views | Hooparoo |
| French West Coast on 20:47 - Jul 26 by BrianMcCarthy |
Loftus,
Hooparoo's advice may be something, depending on what you want. I went through my notes of surf trips on the coast and asked my mates and we agreed that we rarely found much life along there bar holiday parks.
Depends on how many/old you are, I suppose.
Anyway, unfortunately, looks unlikely now. |
Plenty of great bars in Bordeaux. They even have a couple of Irish themed pubs that I found when I was trying to see some football. | |
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| French West Coast on 21:36 - Jul 26 with 3669 views | BrianMcCarthy |
| French West Coast on 21:24 - Jul 26 by Hooparoo |
Plenty of great bars in Bordeaux. They even have a couple of Irish themed pubs that I found when I was trying to see some football. |
Ya, inland is a great option. Bordeuax is amazingly cool.
Depends what you want. Those beaches are amazing, just not sure there are many cool villages and towns nearby. | |
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| French West Coast on 22:04 - Jul 26 with 3639 views | LoftusR |
| French West Coast on 21:36 - Jul 26 by BrianMcCarthy |
Ya, inland is a great option. Bordeuax is amazingly cool.
Depends what you want. Those beaches are amazing, just not sure there are many cool villages and towns nearby. |
Thanks for all the advice. Unfortunately we have made a school boy error in that my 10 year olds passport has expired with no chance of a renewal this side of the summer hols. So staycation it is!! | | | |
| French West Coast on 22:37 - Jul 26 with 3616 views | derbyhoop |
Royan which is south of La Rochelle, but still north (just) of Gironde.
Also La Palmyre and Cote Sauvage.
Vendee is OK but a bit flat and featureless.
Take the ferry from Portsmouth to Caen, Cherbourg or St Malo. Caen is probably the closest and A28 takes you most of the way. Driving on motorways with minimal traffic until you get to Tours.
We live about 2 hours inland from La Rochelle but took several holidays on West Coast, before we bought here. |  |
| "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one's lifetime." (Mark Twain)
Find me on twitter @derbyhoop and now on Bluesky |
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| French West Coast on 22:47 - Jul 26 with 3601 views | derbyhoop |
| French West Coast on 14:17 - Jul 15 by TheChef |
We did that last year and headed down to the Vendee which was lovely - stopped off at Rouen on the way which is beautiful. Hired a static caravan in a nice campsite with a big pool and slides, ten minute walk to the beach (booked through Eurocamp), lots of interesting places to visit too. Our kids loved it.
First time we've done it with the car/eurotunnel, would definitely do it again (especially in the current climate!). We did the ferry on the way back, and the tunnel is far quicker and a smoother process. |
The tunnel may be quicker, but its 2 hours extra driving on the French side and, depending where you live in UK , longer on UK side. Anywhere west of London and Portsmouth is easiest drive.
Do the sums, including fuel costs and peage (MWay tolls). You may find it's as cheap to use Western channel ports. If you use Brittany Feries 2x in a year join Club Voyage. | |
| "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one's lifetime." (Mark Twain)
Find me on twitter @derbyhoop and now on Bluesky |
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| French West Coast on 23:04 - Jul 26 with 3582 views | Faurlinho |
You could head further south: the Gers is beautful. | | | |
| French West Coast on 18:02 - Jul 27 with 3445 views | stevenagehoop |
| French West Coast on 22:37 - Jul 26 by derbyhoop |
Royan which is south of La Rochelle, but still north (just) of Gironde.
Also La Palmyre and Cote Sauvage.
Vendee is OK but a bit flat and featureless.
Take the ferry from Portsmouth to Caen, Cherbourg or St Malo. Caen is probably the closest and A28 takes you most of the way. Driving on motorways with minimal traffic until you get to Tours.
We live about 2 hours inland from La Rochelle but took several holidays on West Coast, before we bought here. |
Also Saint George’s De Didonne five kms down coast from Royan - less busy is a good stop. Bars And restaurants a plenty. |  |
| I never lie but I don't always tell the truth |
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