Late night crossing to Calais. Kip at an Aire on the A26?

[a892374923874]

Not seen a recent thread on this...

Arriving in Calais say 10pm or later. Destination Alps as quick as possible.

Want to drive for a while then kip for a few hours before carrying on. We'll need to use pop-top for the kids.

Lots of posts saying for and against using the autoroute aires. However, if we come off the autoroute, then can we /should we turn up at a village or Camping-Carpark aire in the early hours?

If we stay on the autoroute, what's the safest type of aire? Any specific recommendations near either Calais or Reims much appreciated please!

Does it depend on season? This is for October half term, but I have the same question for Spring, and Summer.

Thanks.

 

[Begize]

Stayed here in late July for the night and had no problems at all. Was pretty quiet, just us, another van and a few trucks.

Area of Zutkerque | SANEF

Take a break at the Zutkerque rest area near Calais towards Béthune to find out how much even a short stop on the site can help you manage your journey on the A26 motorway.

www.autoroutes.sanef.com

 

[kp64zl]

We have stayed the night at service stations a few times. We stay outside the shop and have not have had any hassle at all. Feels safer than the unmanned aires but I’m sure they would be oK too.

Other than time my children made loads of noise and annoyed some people in the car next to us who were trying to sleep. Thankfully they were scary enough for my children to remain silent for the rest of the night.

Note that on the return leg (northbound) the aires in the 100km or so before calais are all closed off and just the service station ones are open.

 

[sidepod]

If you disembark at 10pm then it’s easy to make it to Reims. Just drive off the Autotoute and find the first small village. Pitch up near the Boulanger. Simple.

 

[Brianandjoy]

We camped for the night by the beach in Calais there are a few parking places further down that have spaces big enough for vans

 

[nomadicjonboy77]

20 mins the other way but this is a good spot near Calais for campers. It's free. https://maps.app.goo.gl/BvyeRSNnrq3CoPof8

Last week on way to Spain I found many of the French motorway Aires were taken up by trucks who were parking across tourist bays. Less of a problem south of Poitiers where there seem to be more height Barriers to stop trucks entering tourist rest bays.

 

[smokie]

Not seen a recent thread on this...

Arriving in Calais say 10pm or later. Destination Alps as quick as possible.

Want to drive for a while then kip for a few hours before carrying on. We'll need to use pop-top for the kids.

Lots of posts saying for and against using the autoroute aires. However, if we come off the autoroute, then can we /should we turn up at a village or Camping-Carpark aire in the early hours?

If we stay on the autoroute, what's the safest type of aire? Any specific recommendations near either Calais or Reims much appreciated please!

Does it depend on season? This is for October half term, but I have the same question for Spring, and Summer.

Thanks.

Hi
Used the Aire at Reims both southbound and northbound. Attached to a hostel easy to find with sat nav. Overspill in adjacent car park the other side of sports stadium. No hassle either way.

Cathedral worth a look.
Enjoy your trip.

 

[dazcleveland]

We have a holiday home in the Alps (Abondance Valley) and drive that route several times a year, winter and summer. We have stopped during the night and slept with pop-top up & down at various aires along the route but we always ensure it's one with a service station, shops etc - never the unmanned ones! We try to find a parking space sufficiently far away from the entrance to the shops to avoid being disturbed by people coming & going but within sight of it and around other vehicles. You have Aire d'Urvillers, which is about 2 hours south of Calais - sits up higher than the péage so less road noise and nice bakery for croissants in the morning! There is Aire de Reims Champagne Sud, which is about 3 hours away - we have stayed there before but found it quite noisy because the parking areas are quite close to the road. The aire we use the most often though is Aire de Troyes Fresnoy. This is about 3½-4 hours south but nicely breaks the journey almost in half for us, the fuel prices are one of the most competitive on the péage and there's some decent facilities there too. Never had any issues at any of the "main" aires and although some of them are in pretty locations, we only use the unmanned ones for quick toilet breaks!

 

[a892374923874]

Thanks all, some good suggestions there to investigate.

 

[Azteccamper]

Done this route many times. Overnight is hard work with kids I found. Ended up with grumpy kids and wife for days and no one sleeps well.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Done it many times. If you are family then stop at service station on a toll road. Park close to the shop entrance as will be covered by cctv; Downsides are noise from refrigerated trucks and area is very well lit (but could also be seen as a plus for security).

 

[edocali]

Lots of posts saying for and against using the autoroute aires. However, if we come off the autoroute, then can we /should we turn up at a village or Camping-Carpark aire in the early hours?

If we stay on the autoroute, what's the safest type of aire? Any specific recommendations near either Calais or Reims much appreciated please!

I stop in aires along the paid-for motorways -done this between July and October, both ways, for years.
Pop roof up and parking near toilets.
I prefer the aires without a service station as they tend to be quieter. Never had any issues except traffic noise.