Which small, family campsites in France?

[Goldensnitchberry]

We're recent converts to camping and fancy doing an extended camping tour somewhere in France next year (at least 3 weeks) - a bit further afield than Brittany, but not right down south as it's a bit of a trek. Probably West coast, but doesn't have to be.
We have 2 small dc (wil be 6 and 4) and prefer well-kept but pretty low-key sites. I've had a look online, and so many of the French campsites look huge and busy, a bit like whole holiday resorts in themselves !
Can anyone recommend any lovely, relatively small, peaceful campsites? Thanks!

No help I am afraid but watching with interest as this is where we will be aiming for this year and would like all the things you say.

We went to Notre Dame De Monts, to the Camping Municipal this year (called L'orgatte).

It is very low-key - a few kids activities but lots of children at the nice playground, no pool, snack bar selling bread at the entrance, cycle paths from outside the door, walk through the sand dunes to the beach.

We did get a bit of noise a couple of nights from a group of teenagers but mostly it felt very safe and friendly.

just back from here.... lovely site - has pool and kids club but v v low key not a place for teenagers - play area simple but clean and nice trees for shade - inland though but lots v nice cheese and wine!

www.campingchantepie.com/v2/

I just got the flower camping brochure and it looks like its full of small-ish family sites. Or at least they are I what I would consider small and family.

I can't wait to try at least one next year.

www.flowercampings.com

Thanks everyone - will check those out!

It's not that small, but we went to Chateau Les Eaux in Normandy last year and it was utterly perfect for us - two families with children aged 4, 3 and 18 months. So perfect in fact that we're off to the same place on Thursday and have booked the same pitches. It's got an indoor pool complex well away from the tent pitches, a great playground and a small (free) kids club run by a lovely English woman which is basically full of art and craft materials and puzzles etc. They describe it as a calm, quiet campsite and we certainly found it very low-key and relaxing.

HTH.

www.welcome.lez-eaux.com

Lu

We went to Lez Eaux this year too (half term) and it was fabulous, would agree with everything said by Herecomethebelgians. Only thing was we were in the touring part, which was mainly occupied by older couples, so not much opportunity for the DCs to meet other children on nearby pitches and just play near the tent, most of the families seemed to be in the Keycamp part over the other side. But that might be different in high season. We spent most of the week in the swimming pools.

We've just toured round France with our three DC's, we went as far as the med/Italy had 6 nights in a villa and then camped our way back up. We had the Alan Rogers book and it was brilliant, we would drive 4-6 hours to a site, pitch, have two nights there and then decide where to move on to next. We are planning on doing it all again next year as we had a brilliant time.

Have a look here to wet your appetitie, wish we'd thought to look at the website before we went as it's much easier to see what is what than from the book. Plus you can book in advance if you want to be less fly by night than we were. Can't wait to do it all again!

Flower camping sites are brilliant. But I would also recommend the green Michelin Camping France Guide. It's got loads of sites in it which aren't on the web, small two star municipal ones, which can be absolutely amazing.

Another vote for Les Eaux - we had a 10 week old and 2 x 4 year olds at the time so we stayed in one of the chalets (for sound proofing purposes!). Had a fabulous time, children had an absolute ball. Definitely planning a return trip.

Hi
We are off to France next week. Did you all find it very expensive. Just read an article about Brits avoiding France for this very reason. Dp just looking at petrol and seems same price as here. Is food very expensive?

Raguenes-Plage is lovely and quiet. Access to lovely beach and super safe.

We've been here a couple of times: www.domaine-eperviere.com/en.html. Not too big, very well maintained and no play equipment of interest to teenagers (and boeuf bourguignon & chips from the takeaway :o). Might be a bit more of a drive than you have in mind atm, but its a lovely site.

Been to Tangles site before - the boeuf bourguignon is The Best I Have Ever Tasted. I love that site - lots of cheery Dutch folks. And you would be in serious wine country there - lots of caves and co-operatives around for buying cheap, lush Burgundy. Sadly it will leave you forever with a taste for the good, expensive shit.

Chateau Chanteloup is a favourites, just outside Le Mans. With the autoroute now completed, it wouldn't be a long journey at all - around 90 minutes from Le Havre say. Small but perfectly formed. Has a pool & a fishing pond. The onsite bistro did an 8 euro, 3 course set meal including wine when we were there. We loved the place.

We have just returned from staying on a small site in the Vendee area. Its called La Treveillere and its in Bretignolles Sur Mer about 8 miles from Sables D'Olonne.

There was a good mixture of English, French, Dutch and a couple of German people. The site is close to the small town of Bretignolles, has cycle hire, an indoor and outdoor pool with slide (not with lifeguard), crazy golf, play areas with table tennis, boules area and a small footy pitch which my 2 sons had fun playing against the French boys. There is a laundrette with dryer and 3 washing machines and an ironing board.

The sanitary blocks have showers (free), baby baths, disabled shower/toilet and wash cubicles. We didn't have to wait long for either shower or wash which was good. One day the boiler broke and I mentioned it to the site manager who then organised someone to fix it the day after - was very impressed!!!

We shopped at Super U and then we found a Lidl in Brem (nearby town) which was cheaper and there was a petrol station at Super U. There was a cycle route which went from La Paree beach either way to Brem and beyond or St Gilles and beyond.

Hope you like the look of the site!

Camping Bel, la Tranche sur Mer.

We are just back from 3 weeks there - DC's are 4yo and 11mths. Very family friendly campsite, lots of younger children, not so much to do for older kids, so there were no gangs of older kids hanging around.

Lovely pitches and also they had mobile homes (Keycamp/Eurocamp). We had our own tent though. Exceptionally clean toilet/shower blocks (in fact, they were permanently being cleaned!), baby baths, etc. bread van came round every morning with baguettes, croissants, etc. Nice pool, was a bit cold sometimes, but fine overall.

They put a childrens film on every night (English - disney films and the like) and all the campsite kids were round watching it.

Really lovely site - within walking distance of the beach and also town. Great cycle paths nearby, lovely place!

Meant to say, La Tranche is in the Southern Vendee (West coast) about 1 hour north of La Rochelle.

Have just returned from Chateau Eperviere in Burgandy, was lovely, lots of friendly families with small children. Pizzas very good, laundry room, cafe, shop, restaurant, ping pong/boules, toddler playgrounds, two swimming pools and a paddling pool. Our spot backed onto a central green with the little children's play area in the middle. Clean and modern toilet block. Fab.

We also stayed here in the northern Ardeche www.camping-lecheylard.fr/#/FR/Pr%C3%A9sentation/Camping---ajax=article Camping La Cheze. It was a long way from anywhere and it was lovely. Limited number of spaces on quite steep terraces so better with children, rather than toddlers. Stunning countryside and a lovely little town. No campsite swimming pool but a local outdoor swimming complex c. 5 miles away in landscaped surroundings beside a lake.

Everyone very curious about our belltent!

We have just returned from Parc de Montsabert in the Loire Valley. Lovely site, small enough to be safe and friendly but with play park, swimming pool and some activities. Each pitch is large and hedged on 3 sides, so you have a lot of personal room and privacy. The site is part of the Yelloh Camping chain, the advantage of this is that you can hire fridges to put in your tent, which is very useful and saves money and daily trips to the supermarket with small children in tow!

(Belated) thanks everyone - I've been away, so haven't had a chance to come back to the thread .

I am here and it is small, family run by a French chap and his german wife, there is a chap in a wheelchair next to us and the owners have taken him to the beach on their sand buggy, helped get parts for a broken electric wheel chair, bent over backwards to help

the sight is clean, a few rent a tents and cabins, with tents and caravans v-its small and lovely with lots of little hedges to seperate the pitches.It is nice being on a small site without much noise.

Pool is very very clean and they put the cover on at night, the sanitary facilities are very very clean, the meals are good if you want to buy meals you can and pizza on a tuesday.

gteh cycling is great and it is 6km into St jean and 4 km to Notre dame.

it is 300 for two adults and electric for 7 night with tax

It is now one of my favourite camps after chantapie in samur which is lovely - this one on the vendee is easy to stay and not use the car at all - we have cycled all week everywhere and had a couple of good meals out we have cycled as far as st hilary and back with ease. the supermarkets are close enough to pop to on the bike and the market in st jeans is ok but a little pricey.

That La Forêt place in St Jean de Monts looks fantastic! Definitely high on my list. Loving the sound of ta walk through the pine forest to the fine sandy beach...

*the

La Domaine des Forges in the Vendee-just had a fantastic fortnight there-big enough to keep children occupied, two pools, table tennis, crazy golf but not overwhelming and quiet at night.

when you made bookings at any of these sites, did you contact them directly? I've enjoyed reading the recommendations. It's always so helpful when someone else has been there, done that :)