Our Route - Northern France

One of the daunting things about this type of trip is wondering where you'll stay. We found a great free app called Park4Night, which we used daily to find our next camping spot. We have no affilation, just highly recommend it.

We spent our first week at Jenna's Dad's home in La Rouaudière while we tinkered with the van. From there we headed North to work our way along the coast until we would have to return in a weeks time. Everywhere we stayed is free. This is where we visited...

Fougères

22/04/18 - 23/4/18

Fougeres is a quiet, pretty little town, but there's not a huge amount to see.

It's main feature is the castle which costs 6.50€ to tour or you can walk around the outside of the grounds, appreciating the moat and pretty gardens. 

There's a handfull of restaurants and you can take a tour of the town on a road-train.

Where we stayed

There's a free campervan parking site within a 5 minute walk from the castle. It was quite busy when we arrived and so we were lucky to find a space, but there's approximately 20 parking spaces.

Cost: FREE

Toilets: Across the road in a coach car park  

Water: YES

Toilet Waste: YES

Bins: YES

Would we recommend?

If you're nearby or passing through then it's a good place to stop overnight or to walk around for a couple of hours, but I wouldn't go out of your way.

Nearby

Just outside of town on the N12 there is a complex with a shopping mall, supermarket and a McDonald's. 

Mont Saint-Michel

23/04/18 - 24/04/18

Mont St Michel is one of the busiest tourist attractions in France. It's an Abby that sits on an island 1km from shore, with its own little village. It was first built before the year 1000 and has been built upon over the centuries.

You can walk or cycle to the island or take one of the free shuttle buses. It's free to walk around the island, which is mostly souvenier shops and overpriced restaurants, and you can tour the Abbey for 10€ (free if you're under 25 and an EU citizen). It's also popular to walk around the island on the mud flats when the tide is out. 

We intended on touring the Abbey but there were so many steps walking around it that we were too hot and exhausted. However I think it would have been worth it. The path of the village surrounding it is narrow and busy. It was full of school trips and felt quite claustrophobic. The shuttle bus was also rammed and uncomfortable. 

It's a nice straight walk/cycle if you want to avoid the tourist packed buses but make sure you're feeling energised.

Where We Stayed

The nearest free place that we could find is a car park on the D776 in La Greve, Beauvoir. It sits between a souvenier shop and a clothing shop, and backs on to the path that follows the river to Mont St Michel. From there it's about a 20 minute walk to the shuttle bus station or probably an hour to the island. 

Cost: FREE

Toilets: YES (A free urinal but 20c to use the cubicle).

Water: NO

Toilet Waste: NO

Bins: YES

Would We Recommend?

Yes, it's definitely worth looking at but go straight into the Abbey and see if you still fancy walking around the island afterwards. Do some research to find the best time to avoid the crowds. Would also recommend the car park for an overnight if you're stocked up.

Nearby

We drove through Pontorson 5 minutes before we arrived which seemed like a nice town that also has a Lidl. 

A few minutes from our car park is a campervan site if you want all the amentites for 24€ per night.

A couple of miles outside of Pontorson is a Super Intermarche with a water/waste point and laundry machines (all for a fee).

Cancale

24/04/18 - 25/04/18 

We can't comment on the town as we stuck to the coast and stayed roadside, but it's one for a beautiful view.

Where We Stayed 

There's a large layby intended for campervans at the side of the D201. It is right next to a main road with no services but it's worth it for the view. Cross the road and you can hike along the top of the cliffs, which leads to a sandy beach. This was our first stop that felt fully off-grid.

Cost: FREE

Toilets: NO

Water: NO

Toilet Waste: NO

Bins: YES

Would We Recommend?

Yes. It was lovely waking up and seeing straight out to sea from the top of a cliff. The road was noisy during the day but quiet at night. Make sure you're stocked up with water and food. 

Nearby

Walk down to Plage Du Saussaye, a beach 5 minutes west from the parking if you walk along the road or longer if you take the cliff trail. We let our dog off lead there but no dogs are allowed between 15th June and 30th September when it's probably pretty busy.

Saint-Cast-le-Guildo

25/04/18 - 26/04/18

This is another location on the coast. The town seems prime for tourists and has a beautiful sandy beach. There's a host of restaurants and shops, including independent artisan types with homemade cosmetics and soaps, and lovely boulangeries. We were there on a rainy day in April but I expect it is pretty busy in summer months. Parking is free.

Where we Stayed

 After fighting our way up some steep small roads, we stayed in a parking area next to a small cove where you could see the sea. Its about a 5 minute drive from the main beach and is very quiet. The only downside is that it is at a bottom of a hill and all the parking is sloped.

Cost: FREE

Toilets: YES

Water: YES

Toilet Waste: NO

Bins: YES

Would We Recommend?

If you're travelling that way then yes it's a pleasant place to stop. The beach has very soft sand and reminded me of Margate in its prime.

Nearby

On the same road as the stopover there is a bar/restaurant but I think it is only open in high season. 

Saint-Brieuc

27/04/18 - 28/04/18

We went there because we read good things online. Its on the coast, has a nice marina and a high street full of shops. That is all true but it felt very rundown and not particularly safe. We got the feeling that it's unemployment rate is high as is the crime. There's lots of graffiti everywhere and youths hanging around on the street. We went into a Super U Express (like a Tesco Express) where people had to check their bag in on entry and retrieve it when they left in an attempt to stop shoplifting.

Where we Stayed 

At first we parked in a peaceful area just outside of town next to a woods. It was very quiet and looked as though we could give our dog a nice walk. Only after being visited by some strange men and having a police car patrol the area every couple of hours, we decided it was too quiet and moved. We might have over reacted but we didn't feel comfortable to sleep there.

Cost: FREE

Toilets: NO

Water: NO

Toilet Waste: NO

Bins: YES

St Brieuc - Location 2

We moved to a residential area 10 minutes across town. Its a large car park next to a picnic area that looks out to the sea from a cliff. It was pretty and close to houses, but we still felt uneasy.

Cost: FREE

Toilets: NO

Water: NO

Toilet Waste: NO

Bins: YES

Would We Recommend?

No. We didn't like the town or anywhere we stayed. The marina looked nice and we drove past a lively looking bar/restaurant next to it, but otherwise just avoid it.

Nearby

10 minutes up the motorway we passed a Hyper U which is sure to have anything you might need. 

Rennes 

28/04/18 - 29/04/18

This was our first city stop. We only wandered the city for one evening so we didn't see much but liked what we saw. The city felt quite young and metropolitan. We could compare some of the streets to Shoreditch or Camden, while it had a huge town hall and an archway similar to St James' in London.

Where we Stayed 

In a residential car park close to the centre of the city. It's intended as parking for the neighbouring block of flats so the spaces have numbers on them, although there was one blank one available that we used. Its about a 30 minute walk into the centre of the city. We didn't stay the night. 

Cost: FREE

Toilets: NO

Water: NO

Toilet Waste: NO

Bins: NO

Would We Recommend?

Yes. We loved Rennes and would have liked to see more. It has an interesting mixture of architecture. We ate a place called "La Gavotte", a lovely little creperie which we highly recommend. The owner was lovely and the food was delicious. 

Nearby

Close-ish to the parking is a Tesco Metro type shop, good for something to eat and a drink top-up. At the end of the road there's also a news agents and a Pizza Hut.

Our next port of call is the western coast of France, and we'll update you on Where We Stayed In Western France once we've covered some ground. 

Matt :)



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