Renting Automobiles and RVs - Age Limits, p. 23
10/15/02 Update - Some friends did some research for us
on maximum ages for automobile and RV rental in Europe, here's their report:
Mike & Terri, I have found out the following info on the age issue of
renting in Europe.
Avis Intl says only restriction on car rental is if over 65 can't drive
in Ireland.
AutoEurope says can't rent a motor home in England at age 70, however
OK in Spain, Germany & France the only places they rent.
Overseas Motorhome Tours, INC. when asked about motorhome rental in
England and/or Europe the response was"the age of 70 is
fine for renting a motorhome. If you were 72 you would
need a letter from your doctor." - Ralph and Virginia Wiggers
Documents, p. 43
9/3/03 - There has been some confusion about the Schengen visa rules
for the Schengen group of countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway,
Portugal, Spain, Sweden). Here's a clarification we received from the U.S.
Consulate in Vienna:
Dear
Mr. Church,
I was finally able to get an answer to the question about Schengen rules
for
non-EU nationals. I am forwarding the response from the US Embassy in
Brussels (that is where the visa discussions take place), which
incidentally
also coincides with the information on the homepage of the Austrian Press
and Information Service in Washington, D.C.: www.austria.org/visa_reg.shtml.
Here it is:
The official policy is 3 months (visa-free) out of any 6 month period
which
covers the whole Schengen area. In other words, a person cannot spend 3
months in Austria and then three months in Italy, etc. (like in the olden
days). After spending three months in Schengen you need to stay out of
Schengen for at least three months before you come back in for another 3
months.
Hope this helps and is still of interest.
Sincerely,
Alexandra Fialla
US Embassy Vienna, Consular Section
Tel *43-1- 31339-7537
Fax: * 43-1-5125835
e-mail:
FiallaAM@state.gov
Bath Marina and Caravan Park, Bath, England - p. 73
This campground was being sold when we last visited and its future was
in doubt, a good alternative is:
NEWTON MILL CARAVAN AND CAMPING PARK
Address: Newton Road, Bath, BA2 9JF
Telephone: 01225 333909
Open all year, $$$$, tents, handicapped, restaurant,
groceries, laundry, playground, dump
This is a beautiful medium-sized campground in a
country location but convenient for visiting bath. The RV sites are gravel
back-ins, surrounded by grass and with convenient electrical outlets (Euro
outlets, 16 amp) and cable TV. Tent sites are separate and are on grass.
Restrooms have hot showers (adjustable) and there is hot water for washing
dishes. Access to town is by very frequent bus from just outside the
campground. To reach the campground from town take the No. 5 First
Badgerline bus from the central bus station opposite the train station.
Get off at the Pennyquick View stop, walk across the road, down the path
between the houses and playing field, through the gate to the left, down
the hill and turn right at the road to reach the reception office. The
town is also accessible by a three-kilometer bicycle path.
To find the campground start at the roundabout xx km
west of Bath on the A4 Bath to Bristol road. The intersection is marked by
the Globe Inn, a pub. Follow the road for Newton St. Loe and Twerton, the
campground is on the left in 1.5 km.
Shankill Caravan and Camping Park, Dublin, Ireland - p. 87
This campground has been closed. Fortunately there is a good
alternative:
Carmac
Valley
Tourist Caravan and Camping Park
Address: Road, Clondalkin, Co Dublin (Eire)
Telephone: 00 353 1 4640644 Fax: 00 353 1 4640643
This is a modern large campground in good condition. It
is located west of Dublin along the N7, about 40 minutes by bus from the
center of the city.
There are large areas of grass for tent camping as well
as over 100 sites for vehicle campers. Sites are paved back-ins separated by
hedges, they have electricity (Euro outlets, high amps), water, and drains.
The restroom buildings are excellent with hot showers (require a token) in
individual rooms. Access to town is via bus 69 which stops outside the gate
going into town, coming from town tell the driver and he’ll tell you where
to get off for the shortest walk.
Access to the campground is off the eastbound lanes of
N7. Arriving from the west on N7 you can turn directly into the campground,
it is easy to see on the left about 10 km outside of the city. From the
Dublin direction watch for the campground on the right 3.5 km past the Red
Cow roundabout over M50. After seeing the campground on the right GO 1.4 km
to the Baldonnell exit and reverse direction to return to the campground.
Little France Caravan Park, Edinburgh, Scotland - p. 89
This campground has closed. A good alternative is the nearby Mortonhall
Park Caravan Park:
MORTONHALL PARK CARAVAN PARK
Address: 38 Frogston Road East, Edinburgh, Lothian EH16 6T
Telephone: 01316 641533 Fax: 01316 645387
March 15 to Nov 1, $$$$, Tents, Handicapped, Shop,
Restaurant, Laundry, Playground, Dump
This is a very large private campground located south
of the city. It has convenient bus service and lots of amenities. Sites
are grass or hardstanding and electricity (Euro outlets, high amps) is
available. Several restroom buildings provide hot showers. There is also a
restaurant and a shop for supplies.
To reach the campground start from the A720 which
forms a bypass around southern Edinburgh. Turn north near Straiton on A701
(Burdiehouse Rd.) and proceed 1.1 km. Turn left on B701 which is Frogston
Road, the campground entrance is on the right after .9 km.
Camping de Molaen, Antwerp, Belgium - p. 124
This campground falls into the inexpensive category.
Les Gravieres,
Bordeaux, France - p. 144
This campground is closed and the land is being turned into a golf
course. A good alternative is:
CAMPING CARAVANING
BEAUSOLEIL
Address: RN 10, 33170 Gradignan, France
Telephone: 05 56 89 17 66
Open All Year, $$, handicapped, tents, coin-op
laundry, telephone
Now that Camping Les Graviers has been closed this is
the only campground convenient to Bordeaux. It’s a very nice campground
but small, we make it a point to get here early in the day when visiting
or passing through Bordeaux.
There are about 30 sites here, all back-ins with
parking on gravel and grass between them. Electricity (Euro outlets; 4, 6,
or 10 amps) is convenient to the sites. Restrooms are new and very well
kept, they have hot water for showers (adjustable) and dishwashing
(adjustable). There are restaurants and a supermarket within a kilometer.
Bus service to and from central Bordeaux (Republic stop) is convenient
with the end of the line for the G bus just north of the campground, the
stop is called Beausoleil
To drive to the campground take Exit 16 (this exit is
for N6 headed south) from the southern Bordeaux ring road (A630). At the
exit circle go south following signs for Beausoleil and you will see the
campground on your right in 4.1 km.
Camping Les
Roches Grises, Narbonne, France - p. 154
This campground has been
closed and replaced with a subdivision. We are aware of no good
alternatives at this time for visiting Narbonne.
Camping Caravaning International Maisons-Laffitte,
Maissons-Lafitte near Paris, p. 159 -
11/28/01 update - This
campground now closes for the winter, this year it closed on November 3.
Suspiro del Moro
Campground, Granada, Spain - p. 246
The freeway is being completed right
past this campground with an exit right to the door. The traffic noise will go down
because the freeway is in a trench.
The Alhambra has excellent automated
parking , remember to take your parking ticket with you to pay the fee at an automated
booth upon your return to the parking area.You'll need the paid receipt to exit parking.
The Court of Lions now requires a reservation. They are good for only a 30-minute window.
You can make the reservations by telephone the day before you are going to visit,
otherwise expect a lengthy wait.
Camping Alpha, Madrid, Spain
- p. 250
The dirt access road is now paved. If you take the bus into Madrid when
you return you must cross the freeway on an overpass walkway and then walk along a freeway
ramp for a total distance of 1 Km. The bus in to town is only .3 Km from the campground.
Camping Igueldo, San
Sebastián, Spain - p. 256
A reader reports that he had some
problems finding this campground and suggest that it is located 4.3 kilometers west of San
Sebastian rather than 4 kilometers.
Camping La Rosaleda,
Fuénirala, Spain - p. 263
There is a new exit from the north-most freeway that goes
right to the entrance road of the campground.
Camping Motel San Roque, Gibraltar -
p. 266
This campground is now closed. An alternative is just west
of Estepona along the coast about 30 km to the east from Gibraltar. From
the campground you can catch a bus across the highway and be in La Linea
in about 40 minutes. You walk across the border into Gibraltar and catch a
local bus to travel across the airport runway in to town.
CAMPING CHULLERA II
AND II
Address: Ctra Nacional 340, Km 142, 29691Sabinilas-Manilva (Malaga)
Telephone: 952 890196
Open all year, $$$, tents, store, restaurant, laundry, playground
This is a beach-side campground along the highway west of Estepona. The
beach here is dark sand, fishing is popular with residents of the
campground. The lower half of the campground is taken by permanently-located
units, the top has slightly sloping back-in sites under high shade screens
suitable for rigs to about 7.5 meters. An open area near chain-link fence
along the beach is suitable for larger rigs if not full. Electricity (German
outlets, 8 amps) is available using long cords. Restrooms are old but clean
and require a token for hot showers. The Estepona – La Linea bus runs past
the campground almost hourly so access to Gibraltar and Estepona is good,
probably the main reason for staying here.
The above describes Chullera II. Chullera III with the same ownership is
just a few hundred meters to the northeast, also along the coast. It is much
nicer with no permanently-located caravans, unfortunately it is only open
from June 15 to September 15.
Access is easy, the campgrounds are located along the free N-340 on the
beach side near Km 142. Access is directly from the four-lane divided road,
you must be northeast-bound to enter the campground but there is a
roundabout not far to the southwest so this is not a problem.
Camping Flaminio, Rome - p. 298
A note from a reader about this campground:
I enjoyed your Traveler's Guide to European Camping.
Have a comment on one of the campgrounds in Rome - Camping Flaminio. We
visited there in mid-July 2001.
This is the absolute worst campground I have ever been
to in my years of camping. You are almost killed by the speeding as you
try to cross two streets from the entrance to get to the train station.
Camp is expensive, dirty, too much noise, and a camp management that will
do nothing to stop the noise from other campers at 1-2 a.m. Also situated
next to a large nightclub where the music blares until the wee hours of
the morning. When you complain about the campground noise, you become the
problem and management stays in their air conditioned office. Whenever we
spoke to campers throughout our stay in Italy, the consensus was thumbs
down of Flaminio. It is a definite must-miss campground.
As the reader says, access to the train station from this
campground is very difficult. Do not try to walk across the busy highway
out front, ask at the office for another longer route. The preferred
method for reaching town from this campground is actually the bus which
stops out front.
Camping Fabulous, Rome - p. 298
We do not list this campground in our book but the owner
sent us an E-mail. The campground looks like a great base if you are
approaching Rome from the South. Take a look at the web site at
www.campingfabulous.com.
Address and telephone are: Via
Cristoforo Colombo, Km 18 - 00125 - Acilia - Roma
Tel. e Fax 06/5259354 - Tel. 06/5258062. It is open all year long.
Home
Europe Book |
Mexico Book | Alaska Book | Northwest Book | Baja Book | Vacations in Europe
To Order | Excerpts |
Updates | Authors
Letters | Links | Email
Copyright © 1998-2005 Mike and Terri Church
