Once the ferry booking was done and dusted I decided that I might as well get the first overnight stop booked.
I had already been looking at Camping-Car Park (CCP) aires for the trip down through France as far as St Cyprien Plage. The firs top being around 180kms from the ferry port at Formerie. We have stayed there before. It's a small aire with only 6 places and it fills up quite quickly.
To book I needed to credit my account with enough to cover the €12.50 (inc local taxe de sejour) overnight cost. I added €20 to the account taking my balance to €20.68! So that's booked.
This will be a toll route start to the holiday! I have driven and ridden the "old" N1 from Calais via Boulogne to Abbeville so often and with the 80kph blanket limit even in the sticks, it's mind bogglingly terrible and tedious. I feel after 40 years I know every turn it has to offer. So it will be A16 from Calais to Abbeville. Once onto the A28 the route planning will be "toll free"!
With the new satnav aka Max (the TomTom GO Camper Max) being the go-to satnav for this trip I'll put the Formerie stop into the system and then each evening let TomTom navigate us down through France to wherever we feel like staying. If it is a CCP aire then depending on what the app says occupancy is like, I might pre-book rather than simply turn up. We have done both over the years.
We have found some really nice aires and I have no problems with paying €10 to even €15 a night for a decent park-up. I know that many motorhomers are scandalised at that idea and look for free everywhere. Horses for courses as they say.
Currently the TomTom non-toll route from Formerie to St Cyprien Plage does take it dangerously near to Paris and it's terrible traffic snarl-ups.
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