|  All
the Aires – the complete motorhome
Aires de Service guides in English for: France,
Spain, Portugal, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway,
Sweden, and Finland aires guides.
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All
the Aires France – The groundbreaking French
Aires de Service guide is now in its second edition.
Written entirely in English, it shows you everything
you need to know. 1300 Aires have been inspected
and photographed. GPS co-ordinates were taken on
site. Aires suitable for large motorhomes and RVs
have been identified. In total 1600 Aires are listed
across France. All The Aires France 3rd edition
will be published in the autumn 2010. Subject
to 2nd edition stock. |
Look
inside the Guide |
If you have any pictures of Aires we could use
please send them, along with a completed report form, either
online
or by printing the form and sending it to us. Click here to print.
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All
the Aires Benelux and Scandinavia |
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| All
The Aires Benelux and Scandinavia. This is another
unique aires guide from Vicarious Books as no other
publication has all of the countries in one guide.
175 Scandinavian Aires (Norway Sweden and Finland)
have been inspected and photographed during 2008.
111 Aires in Benelux (The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg)
were inspected in 2009. Making
this the most up-to-date, comprehensive and accurate
guide of its kind. |
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Look
inside the Guide |
If you have any pictures of Aires we could use
please send them, along with a completed report form, either
online
or by printing the form and sending it to us. Click here to print.
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All
the Aires Spain and Portugal |
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As
it says in the title this Aires guide has all the
Aires in Spain and Portugal. Not only the Aires
but also all the LPG outlets in Spain and a good
selection in Auto gas stations in Portugal. Vicarious
Books published all the Aires Spain and Portugal
in 2009. Chris and Meli the directors of Vicarious
Books carried the research in the autumn 2008. All
the Aires Spain and Portugal is unique as there
is no other guide in any other language. |
Look
inside the Guide |
If you have any pictures of Aires we could use
please send them, along with a completed report form, either
online
or by printing the form and sending it to us. Click here to print.
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The following is all about French Aires but a lot
of the information is generic
French Aires de Service and Aires de Stationnements
are located across France; there are probably no more than
1800 stopovers in total in France. Some regions are rich in
these motorhome Aires, while in other regions of France Aires
are harder to find. The best way to find Aires is to use a
guide. Until recently the only guides available were Le Guide
Official Aire de Service Camping Car, published by Les Guides
Motor Presse who also produce Camping Car magazine and the
Guide National des Aire de Services Camping Car published
by Guides Lariviere who also produce Le Monde du Camping Car
magazine. Both of these French Aires guides are written in
French only giving basic information, and no GPS Coordinates
for the Aire locations. Trailers Park an independent publisher
of French aires guides has five detailed Aires guides for
various regions of France The Trailers Park guides are titled
Guides Aire de Service Camping Cars; Bretagne - Brittany,
Centre, Littoral Manche-Atlantique - Atlantic Coast, Mediterranee
- Mediterranean and Montagne - Mountains. Although these Aires
guides had more detail they were expensive and in French.
In 2007 All the Aires France was released, the first Aires
guide in English detailing 1100 French Aires.
Practical Motorhome
"All The Aires France, is a spectacular guide which covers exactly what it says."
Customer Testimonial
“I’ve just come back form three weeks in France and All The Aires Frances is absolutely priceless”
All The Aires France proved so popular that a second edition has been
released. This is not a translation of other Aire de Service
guides (as this is illegal) but instead over 1300 motorhome
Aires have been inspected and photographed during 2007/8. Making
this the most up-to-date, comprehensive and accurate Aire de
Service guide available. It is significantly better than all
the French Aires Guides, though all are available from Vicarious
Books.
Why call them Aires?
There are several names you may have heard of, Aire, Bourne,
Stellplatze, Aree de Sosta, stopover or camperstop. The name
Aires comes from the French ‘Aire de Service Camping
Car’, their term for motorhome stopovers. Until recently
not much was known about these overnight motorhome facilities
and the title was shortened to ‘Aire’ by the British
motorhomers and press, technically this just means ‘area’
in French. Therefore people have been confused with other
signs using the word ‘Aire’ but this word is used
on signs for motorway service and rest areas, children’s
play areas and activity areas to name a few. There is more
information on the signs below.
These motorhome stopovers are not confined to France and every
country has its own name for motorhome facilities. In Germany
where there are at least 3,000 motorhome stopover areas they
are called Stellplatze, which translates to parking bay. In
Italy they are called Aree de Sosta, having over 1500 motorhome
stopovers. There are also two generic words that refer to
these motorhome service areas. In the UK they are known as
motorhome stopovers, in Europe they can be referred to as
Camper Stops. So whether you stay or an Aire, Stellplatze,
Aree de Sosta, stopover or camperstop it is all the same thing.
What they are not is Wild Camping or Free camping areas.
What are Aires:
The full title for Aires is ‘Aire de Service/Stationment
pour Camping-Car’ which translates to ‘Area of
service/parking for motorhomes’. These are special areas
providing facilities for motorhomes in the form of overnight
parking and/or service point for water collection and disposal
of waste fluids. Located in towns and villages across France.
Aire just means area, therefore the Aires you see on motorways
are simply service areas for all vehicles, not the specialist
motorhome parking detailed in this guide.
Who can use Aires?
French law forbids caravans and tents from using these Aires,
they are just for motorhomes. French law permits motorhomes
to be parked responsibly and their users to cook and sleep
in them. But French law does not allow for camping, for example
winding out awnings, and putting out tables and chairs. If
you want to camp, use one of the 10,500 campsites in France.
Using Aires
Aires symbolise the freedom of motorhoming. You are welcomed
into local communities, where you can stay overnight at unique
locations unavailable to other travellers. These are a luxury
not a right, so park sympathetically to your neighbours and
use the service point and facilities responsibly and always
abide by the RESPECT rules:
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Respect the
Environment
Elect to use un-crowded
Aires
Shop Locally
Park
responsibly
Exercise courteous behaviour
Communicate with others
Totally
abide by these rules |
Responsible use of Aires is vital so that local Mayors keep
them open, use them but don’t abuse them. Municipal
Aires are paid for by the local community, so repay this
service by spending freely, in the local shops, restaurants
or garages. Remember you represent the motorhome community,
bad behaviour leads to resentment and Aires closing.
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Supermarket Aires
Recognising the potential income some supermarkets provide service
points, normally
located near the fuel station. It is reasonable to consider
this to be an invitation to park overnight after hours, normally
7pm to 8am or whilst shopping. It is not reasonable to park
all day unless designated parking has been provided.
Service Points
There are several types of service point, professionally manufactured
brands include Flot Bleu, Euro Relais and Aire Service. Around
half the service points in France are custom made (see service
point section). Service points normally facilitate 3 vital functions:
Drinking Water: French tap water is very palatable
and consistent countrywide. Using disinfectant wipes or spray
before drawing water will improve hygiene. Taps are normally
threaded to assist connection of hoses.
Grey Water:
Though very variable, often a metal drive over grid will be
set in concrete near the service point. Badly chosen materials
and careless driving often leads to their destruction. Take
a length of flexible pipe to direct water accurately.
Toilet
disposal: Only use the designated facility, removing
any grids before emptying. Do not rush this operation as spillage
will occur. Often a tap is located above the drain for rinsing
toilet cassettes; this tends to flow even if tokens are required
for other services. There are very few service points suitable
for emptying fixed tank toilet systems. We strongly recommend
you have a macerator fitted and travel with a long length of
pipe.
Parking
Aires operate on a first come first served basis. It is not
possible to reserve a space. Always park in designated bays
if provided and never obstruct roadways or service points. If
the Aire is full find another one. Park in the allotted Aire,
not in another car park that looks nicer. Never put out camping
equipment or awnings on municipal Aires.
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Custom made service points are common across the
whole of France, making up about half of all service
points. Because they have been custom made by local
people they range from totally inadequate to almost
perfect. You may need to look hard for the hidden
tap and toilet emptying point. |
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Some are well built
and hard to miss. |
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| Some
are very basic. |
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| The service
point may be located in the toilet block. |
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You
may have to hunt for the service point as it
may be hidden behind flower beds. |
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against a wall. |
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Service
Points - Aire Service |
The Aire Service brand of service point comes in
two main varieties, plastic and stainless steel.
Although size varies they generally contain a fresh
water point, a WC disposal point in the front with
a button flush, and electric. Grey water is usually
disposed of in a separate drain. |
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Left:
Aire Service also have a stand alone electricity
point providing 4 hrs of electricity for a token,
but are rare.
Right: Stainless steel variety
of Aire Service. |
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| Aire
Service point constructed from plastic. |
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Service
Points - Urba Flux |
These have only been installed since 2007. They
are made of concrete and are also used as electricity
distribution points on new housing developments.
They only house water and electric points. Toilet
waste is usually disposed of in a drain at the base. |
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| When locating
an Aire it is always advisable to follow the Motorhome
symbols, if provided. They can take several forms
so you need to look carefully for them. Here are
some examples: |
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| Please note: If using
GPS/ Navigation software, remember that your system
may chose an unsuitable route, due to width, height
or weight restrictions. Postcodes in France can
cover a 10 km radius; therefore you will also need
to enter a town name and street. We would advise
that you always read the directions provided. |
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The
signs below refer to parking restrictions: |
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Left: No parking except for motorhomes.
Right: Parking reserved for
motorhomes.
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Left: Motorhome parking is controlled.
Speak to the Mairie (Town Hall).
Right: No motorhomes allowed
to park.
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Aires are
ideal for using in the winter. Most campsites are
closed and Aires are predominantly on hard services.
The French use Aires all year, but in the winter
most Aires have spaces and often the best spaces
are available.
If a service point is closed it may be marked ‘Hors
Gel’ so it is advisable to plan to visit several
in a day in order to replenish water and empty tanks.
Many ski resorts in the Alps, Pyrenees and in Limousin
have Aires open in the winter for winter sports.
These can be at the bottom of ski runs. Details
of most of these are in this guide. |
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Caravaneige
These are special campsites set up for winter skiing,
walking and sightseeing. These campsites are popular
in ski areas because they have hot showers, heated
ski storage, free shuttle bus or are next to slopes,
and may offer discounted lift passes. Some even
have a heated pool and wifi. They are always helpful
with local info and if necessary can organise a
snow plough to get you in and out. |
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