Bongo Fury

Hi all,
Looking at 4 or 5 weeks round the edge of France this year May into June (Vosges/Alps/Camargue/Pyrenees) do any, or a significant number of Aires have a (useable!) toilet facility? We are planning on using a lot of Camping Municipal, but Aires would make a useful add-on for flexibility....?

downward dog wrote:Hi all,
Looking at 4 or 5 weeks round the edge of France this year May into June (Vosges/Alps/Camargue/Pyrenees) do any, or a significant number of Aires have a (useable!) toilet facility? We are planning on using a lot of Camping Municipal, but Aires would make a useful add-on for flexibility....?

Nearly all of them. Most are well kept (on the Toll roads at least), The ones with eateries and shops are likely to be better. You may find showers and baby changing facilities too. I only found one last year that was disgusting but on the whole they are as good or better than the UK in my experience. Plus a lot of towns have special facilities for motorhomes even some small towns.

All the Aires on main routes have toilet facilities, which are usually pretty good (though not exclusively so!). However, many of the smaller town or village Aires don't, even though they generally have toilet waste disposal facilities.

Book of Aires by vicarious books is very handy for all the information you need about Aires in France as well as other countries in Europe

http://www.all-the-aires.com/

Also a good way to camp is buy buying France Passion book.

The concept is as follows:-

Farmers and wine-growers invite you to stopover freely on their property, day or night, for up to 24hrs.

Each host signs an invitation for one year, reserved exclusively for France Passion members traveling in a self-sufficient (water, waste, rubbish) motorhome. To use this extraordinary campervan stopover network, all that is required is to say "Hello" and "Thank you" and to have the current France Passion guide.

If you take a portaloo with you and water... away you go! Very good way to meet locals too and get a real sense of the belle France

http://www.france-passion.co.uk/

downward dog wrote:Hi all,
Looking at 4 or 5 weeks round the edge of France this year May into June (Vosges/Alps/Camargue/Pyrenees) do any, or a significant number of Aires have a (useable!) toilet facility? We are planning on using a lot of Camping Municipal, but Aires would make a useful add-on for flexibility....?

The best way to virtually guarantee a sit down loo rather than a hole in the ground is to go for the disabled ones.
We had an awesome time going the Alsace region through Switzerland, Interlaken, Zermatt and up and over to Briancon in France down to Montpelier back up over the Millau viaduct (awesome) 4,500 miles in two weeks! (mental) AS for camping as you head further south more and more villages are providing spaces in car parks for motor homes (free) also water waste and chemical loo emptying facilities, We found those particularly around the Dordogne region
Enjoy

Thanks for the info!
I will get kitted out with a guide I think. We have stayed in the Dordogne in June in a gite, and It was quiet then, so we assume it will be in May thro early June.
Cheers!!

Velocette wrote:

downward dog wrote:Hi all,
Looking at 4 or 5 weeks round the edge of France this year May into June (Vosges/Alps/Camargue/Pyrenees) do any, or a significant number of Aires have a (useable!) toilet facility? We are planning on using a lot of Camping Municipal, but Aires would make a useful add-on for flexibility....?

Nearly all of them. Most are well kept (on the Toll roads at least), The ones with eateries and shops are likely to be better. You may find showers and baby changing facilities too. I only found one last year that was disgusting but on the whole they are as good or better than the UK in my experience. Plus a lot of towns have special facilities for motorhomes even some small towns.

It all depends what you mean by an "Aire" - there are several different sorts, Aire de rest, Aire de service and Aire de camping car. If you are thinking of using the latter you will rarely find there are any public toilets unless they are near some other facility that has public toilets.

An "Aire de Camping Car" is specifically designed to cater for fully self contained motorhomes only, even caravans are forbidden to use them and you are expected to have all your facilities on board. What you will find in various degrees and at various cost are facilities such as EHU, waste (grey) water disposal and sewage (black) water disposal and water supply.
Some at sports centres etc. do have extra facilities such as toilets and showers but do not bank on it. Sleeping overnight at Autoroute Aire de Services is not generally recommended especially those in the vicinity of large towns and cities.

Details (in French) here on Aire de camping cars.
http://www.campingcar-infos.com/index1.htm