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| Just for interest, these are some of the French campsites that Mandy and I are happy to recommend (and 1 or 2 we wouldn't!). They are not necessarily everyone's cup of tea, and certainly if you want on-site restaurant facilities and nightclub entertainment, you won't find them here! Each site is listed under the nearest main town with the distance and direction from that town. Prices where given are for car, caravan, 2 adults and electricity. |
| 1. Blois | ||
| Camping Municipal de
la Varenne Neung-sur-Beuvron (22 miles east of Blois) From the A71 at Lamotte-Beuvron (exit 3), turn left on D923 for 9 miles following signs to Neung-sur-Beuvron. Site signed in village. |
Well equipped and maintained municipal
site in wooded area. The campsite is about ¾ mile from the village
centre. Pros: Good sized pitches. Local walk leaflets available free of charge from Office de Tourisme (a separate leaflet for each village offering a choice of grades). Good birdwatching at nearby étangs. Cons: Only a few pitches suitable for satellite dishes because of trees. Website: http://www.neung-sur-beuvron.fr/ Tel: 0033 (0)2 54 83 63 38 (Marie) Fax: 0033 (0)2 54 83 73 60 |
| 2. Boulogne | ||
| Camping Manoir de Senleques | October 2008. This site is now closed. Gabby will be sadly missed but I'm sure all his customers will join me in wishing him a long and happy retirement. |
| 3. Brantôme | ||
| Camping Peyrelevade
(formerly Municipal) (close to town centre) |
Beautiful town, on and around a loop
of the River Dronne. The campsite is about 0.5 mile from the centre,
behind the stadium. Pros: Spacious. Ancient riverside gardens and 8thC abbey (now the Hotel de Ville) in town Cons: None that I can remember. [I've have now (April 2008) heard from someone who visited Brantôme last year. He reports that the site is no longer a municipal and looks rather run down and in need of some serious investment. If anyone can provide more information, please let me know. Roger Frampton then reported: "I have just seen your note on this site and must agree with your informant. I too visited this site last year (May) and I can confirm that it has been privatised. The site looked in need of attention, the grass was long and gave the appearance that a hay crop had been taken off it a month or so earlier and it hadn't been cut since and a general clean up was needed. The town of Brantôme was of course unaffected and was still lovely."] Website: n/a Tel: 0033 (0)5 53 05 75 24 |
| 4. Cahors | ||
| Camping Municipal de
l'Arquette (10 miles northeast) Take the D653 north from Cahors to Vers. Site signed in village. |
Beautifully situated right on the bank
of the River Lot. Pros: Immaculate. Watch the otters swim in the river. Lots of places to visit (St Cirq Lapopie, prehistoric cave paintings at Grotte de Pêche Merle). Cons: Slight flood risk from the river at certain times of the year. Website: n/a Tel: 0033 (0)5 65 31 41 94 |
| 5. Chateauroux | ||
| Camping Municipal
Rosnay (30 miles west) Follow the N151 towards Le Blanc and turn right at Ciron on the D44. At Rosnay, continue north on the D44. Site on left in 0.5 mile. |
Pleasantly situated around a small
lake. Ideal location for birdwatching (the Parc Natural Regional de
Brenne, in which Rosnay is situated, is the area of the '1000 lakes') Pros: Quiet. Cons: Limited number of pitches with satellite access because of trees or tall hedges. Open: all year Website: n/a Tel: 0033 (0)2 54 37 83 53 or 02 54 37 80 17 (Mairie) |
| 6. La Flèche | ||
| Camping Municipal la
Route d'Or (close to town centre) |
Large site on the banks of the Loir
and just across the river from the town. During August it is possible to
visit the Prytaneé Military Academy, the former Jesuit college in
La Flèche where René Descartes ("I think, therefore I
am") was educated. Guided tours available from the students if you
speak French. Well worth a visit. Pros: Good facilities (though might be reduced in low season), swimming pool, superb base for exploring the Loir region. Cons: Busy in high season. Open: Mar to end October Website: www.ville-lafleche.fr/portal/TourismeetEconomie/CampingMunicipal/tabid/933/Default.aspx Tel: 0033 (0)2 43 94 55 90 or 02 43 48 53 53 (Mairie) |
| 7. Mâcon | ||
| Camping Anonymous |
This site is now getting extremely and justifiably popular, so in fairness to its regular visitors who already have to book 12 months in advance to be sure of getting a pitch, I've decided to withdraw it from this list. |
| 8. Troyes | ||
| Camping des Haut Frênes At Eaux Puisseaux (20 miles south of Troyes) Take the N77 south, site well signed on the right. |
Attractive farm site with good wide
pitches. The shower rooms are exceptional with showers that can be
varied from cold to blistering hot (and unusually for the continent,
there's no need to keep pushing a Presto button either). Pros: 10 amp power supply, service posts (electricity and water) are 1 between every 2 pitches. Excellent village restaurant (reservations essential). Cider museum in village. Troyes has a beautiful medieval centre and is well worth a visit. Several large lakes to the east of Troyes for birdwatchers. Cons: Rather a long way from the autoroute system for night halts. Open: all year Website: n/a Email: les.haut.frenes@wanadoo.fr Tel: 0033 (0)3 25 42 15 04 |
| 9. Vendôme | ||
| Camping Municipal Rue
de l'Etang (at Frèteval, 10 miles NE) |
Quiet but mainly because it isn't accessible! To deter gypsies, the local council has installed a chicane-type entrance, so narrow that it deters everyone else as well! Avoid. | |
| Camping Municipal les
Grands Pres (close to town centre) |
Vendôme is a beautiful old town,
full of floral displays, and this site is within a few hundred metres of
the centre, well within walking distance. Pros: Beautiful church and cloisters within a few minutes walk. Tourist trail round the town marked by metal plaques inset into the pavement (leaflet in English available from tourist office). Cons: Huge convoy of gypsies invaded the place the first time we were there. That was in September and I think the site now deliberately closes earlier before they arrive for the harvest. Open: mid June to end-August. Website: n/a Email: camping.vendome@free.fr Tel: 0033 (0)2 54 77 00 27 |
| 10. Vichy | ||
| Camping Municipal
Route de la Batisse (15 miles west) Take N209 to Gannat and follow signs in town. |
Good base for exploring the Auvergne
region. Vichy is 30 minutes away, Clermont-Ferrand about 1 hour. The Puy
de Dôme is the highest volcanic mountain in the area (well signed
from Clermont-F, toll road to the summit) Pros: Good views. Facilities clean and well equipped. Cons: Some pitches are difficult to manoeuvre into. Open: 1st April to end October Website: www.ville-gannat.fr Email: gannat.camping@libertysurf.fr Tel: 0033 (0)4 70 90 12 16 |
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