Trip to France from Ireland via Ferry and Car

As a child, we went to France 3 or 4 times. My parents have always loved France and so we got to see alot of it. We would cover quite alot of the country in one trip and as a child I don’t think I really appreciated the scenery, all I wanted to do was be in a pool and eat all the amazing pastries!

I understand that the holiday is primarily geared up to keep the kids happy, but I work hard all year so I also wanted an enjoyable experience for both my husband and I.

So, when it came to booking my own family trip – it was quite surprising in hindsight that I chose to do such a long car journey with my own mad clan! Still, before I knew it, the ferry was booked and so began the minefield that is camping in France.

First off, I had been to lots of campsites in France albeit quite a few years ago,ahem, but I knew I wanted slightly more comfort than my own mother went through…I wanted as many comfort creatures as possible whilst camping. I had a feeling this may be harder than I thought.

Number one: SUN! And many hours of it. Coming from Ireland it is one of the top priorities for many of us pasty freckles! We need to warm up our bones for the long winter ahead.

Number two: Creature comforts, such as: a dishwasher, nice clean accomodation with plenty of space. There’s 6 of us so I didn’t want to feel cramped should the weather turn, which is a high possibility in France.

Number three: If the kids are happy and entertained, then we’re happy. So, plenty of entertainment, safe & clean pools, onsite security, playgrounds & extra activities and a happy friendly atmosphere.

So with all that in mind, I set to trawling the tinterweb. There is SO much out there, my God…I had only one starting point and that was that to maximise the possibility of getting some sun, we had to travel south….waaay down south.

I went on trip advisor, Instagram and Facebook to find some recommendations and one that kept popping up was Aloha Beach Camp so that’s what we booked! (FYI: I have no affiliation with this site/company, all views & opinions are my own)

The journey down south was to be a 10hour car trip so we decided to cut it in two and do 6 hours the first day and 4 hours the following day. We stopped off in La Rochelle in a very basic campsite. It was clean, but there was no pool or much for the kids to do, but we literally had dinner there and went to bed, so it was fine for just the one night.

Now I’ll focus on the ferry trip and what we brought etc.

We travelled with Irish Ferries, booking one cabin for 4 without a window. Honestly, I felt that for the extra money, a window was not worth it, that could be used on a couple of extra bottles of wine! The kids will see enough of the sea from the decks!

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  • There is so much to do on the Ferry, they have a few restaurants, a cinema, a play area, a shop etc so the kids will never be bored. The cabins are small, but we managed to get two ready beds(with 2 toddler duvets,vacuum packed) on the ground for the two youngest, so it worked out well.
  • I also brought a “picnic” on board for snacks, breakfast & water. I even brought little bowls for the coco pops. I got the milk in the cafe on board.
  • We brought plug adaptors as they are EU on board. The kids took their pillows from the car which was great because the pillows are nice but one only per bed.
  • We only took one change of under wear each for the next day as the kids were wearing summery-ish clothes, and it won’t be roasting hot when you arrive in France. Just keep a change of shorts in easy access in the car just in case it is unusually warm when you arrive.
  • I advise to turn the temperature down when you get into the cabin as it was so hot during the night that it woke us all up a couple of times. We did this on the return journey and it made all the difference.
  • The restaurant is okay, we found it hard to get a veggie meal for the kids, as it was just burger/chicken/sausage etc,but one of mine wanted what I was eating(I’m vegetarian and opted for the Asian meal,but they did not do child portions,weird but hopefully they have rectified this). Meals are not cheap for what they are, but service is friendly. Again bring as many snacks as you can to save you a few bob on board.

Disembarking is a relatively quick process, the staff are well organised and pretty clear on their instructions, just try to get into your car as soon as possible, but if you’re a bit slower don’t worry as cars will just drive around you so no need to feel anxious.

So a quick checklist of what to bring on board the ferry:

  • One suitcase with everyones change of clothes/toiletries etc
  • Ready bed/travel cot if extra bed needed
  • Cool bag including snacks and drinks etc
  • Kids carry their own pillows from the car
  • Plug adaptors
  • Tablets/portable dvd player

In my next post, I will go through the activities I organised for the kids for the long drive ahead. I made up some pocket folders which contained different crafts and puzzles that they could swap with eachother. I also made 2 quiet books that were fairly easy to make. I’ll give links and descriptions in my next post.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear any of your own tips/tricks for the Ferry ride in the comments below.

Till next time,

Mrs.Black