I’ve visited 100 campsites: here are my top 3 family-friendly sites in France with fun water parks, lakes & a beach club
FRANCE is full of campsites, making it one of the most popular places for a outdoorsy holiday among Brits.
From resort-like campsites with heated outdoor pools, water parks and thrill rides to lakeside pitches in the countryside, there’s a bit of something for every camper.
Breanne Lovatt is a camping expert who cut her teeth working for the European campsite chain Key Camp, where she met her husband.
The couple now have now been on almost 100 camping holidays together, and cover their trips with their two children, aged 5 and 2, on her website, Family Camping Europe.
She’s shared her three favourite spots in France with Sun Travel…
Les Lacs de Trois Vallées, southwestern France
Located just north of Auch is Les Lacs de Trois Vallées, a countryside campsite that’s operated by holiday company Yelloh! Village.
Breanne said: “I fell in love with it immediately. It’s in the middle of absolutely nowhere, complete countryside, but it’s gorgeous.
“It has this amazing lake where you can hire pedalos, paddleboards and loads of other things.
“There are lots of tent pitches as well as a few mobile homes and lodges”.
Spread across 140 hectares, the campsite has 347 tent pitches as well as 176 rental units like cottages and tent lodges.
The five-star campsite also has three on-site lakes, including a fishing lake and a lake where dogs can bathe.
Meanwhile, a huge five-hectare lake is reserved for watersports like pedalos, canoeing, kayaking and a beach club.
Other on-site facilities include a large aquatic park with waterslides, a counter-current river, and a heated pool.
There are activity clubs for children as well as a baby room for the youngest of campers.
Live entertainment is also provided in the evenings.
La Rive, Landes
Set next to a lake in southwest France, near Bordeaux, La Rive is one of Breanne’s firm favourites.
She said: “I just love La Rive. It’s a Eurocamp site in Landes. I think it’s very resort-like and it’s really good for people who are new to camping, or aren’t the best at it.
“They’re a bit more like a holiday park, with loads of activities, amazing water parks and slides.
“There’s another lake there as well so you can do water activities and a soft play area if it rains.”
The on-site water park has a huge water playground with four slides and giant water buckets.
And there’s also an indoor jacuzzi, a lazy river, a wave pool, a spa and a wellness centre with massage beds.
An on-site restaurant serves tapas overlooking the play area.
Breanne added: “It’s about an hour south of Bordeaux, so it’s just a gorgeous area.
“You’ve got the Dune du Pilat nearby, which is the largest sand dune in Europe“.
The campsite reopens in April, with Sun Online Travel finding seven-night stays from £235 for a family of four.
Domaine des Ormes, Brittany
For British holidaymakers who don’t fancy driving to the south of France, Breanne recommends a site in Brittany.
She said: “Domaine des Ormes in Brittany has loads of activities like a massive dome with swimming pools inside – it’s really beautifully done.
“There are outdoor activities too, but it’s Brittany, so it could rain quite a bit, which is why it’s nice to have indoor pools”.
Set in 400 acres of wooded parkland, Domaine des Ormes has an 18-hole golf course, a clubhouse, a horse riding school, an indoor pool complex and five outdoor pools.
The campsite reopens in April, with Sun Online Travel finding seven-night stays from £319 for a family of six.
Three camping tips from an expert
David Scotland owns camping equipment retailer Outdoor World Direct and knows all about how to make a camping trip run smoothly.
When visiting any campsite this summer it’s important to make sure you’re not making simple mistakes that could ruin your holiday.
Check your tent
David recommends putting your tent up a couple of weeks before you’re due to travel to give you enough time to repair or replace any damaged parts.
He told Sun Online Travel: “You’d be surprised how many people turn up with broken tents.”
Test the ground
Picking a good spot to pitch your tent is difficult, with lots of things to consider.
One of those should be the condition of the ground you’re putting your tent on top of, according to David.
He said: “Once you’ve found the perfect spot, test the ground with your pegs before you commit to camping there to make sure the ground is soft enough.”
Don’t nap in your tent
It may seem the perfect place for it, but a nap in a tent could end badly, if it’s done at the wrong time of the day.
David explained: “If the sun’s shining and it’s hot inside your tent – don’t do it!
“One of our friends nodded off in his tent during a heatwave at Glastonbury and ended up at the medical tent with heatstroke.”
Instead, he recommends finding some shade outside or somewhere well ventilated.
Meanwhile, there’s a beautiful campsite in the middle of a vineyard and it’s near one of Europe’s most underrated cities.
At the end of last year, a beachfront campsite in Europe revealed a huge £21million revamp.