farm camping in france - any recommendations?

[Nocturnalnonsense]

We are probably going camping in france for 2 weeks this summer. We will go inland and mid/south in the hope of sunshine (drenched in brittany last year!) We ideally would like to camp on a farm which my boys (3 and 5yo) would love. Also want to be able to swim easily (nearby river swimming maybe). Any recommendations?

We're going to Ferme de Prunay in June - 6 weeks today we'll be there - it looks great and gets excellent reviews. I'll let you know if it's as good as it looks and sounds.

Sorry - the link's wrong. The right link is www.prunay.com - click on the Union Jack in the top right corner for the English version.

If any one can tell me how to edit my earlier post, it would be much appreciated!

looks lovely! thanks. Enjoy your holiday.

Not camping, but a few years ago we stayed at A place called L'Elzet in the Cevennes a few years ago. It was absolute paradise and my kids are still talking about it and wanting to return. There is a spring fed Poland a river nearby for swimming and dam building. There is also a steam train to the next town for the market.
We camped for a week by the beach,
then stayed there for a week.

Thanks for the messages. Cheerup - I have just booked the campsite you recommended and am very excited. It was just what we were looking for. If you have any tips following your holiday I'd love to hear them.
ps no idea about editing posted messaged but I am not very technologically minded.

I'm glad to have helped. Will let you know what it's like when we get back, along with any tips. Apparently there's a son et lumiere at the chateau of Blois narrated in English on Wednesdays so planning to go to that (if the kids are still awake - it's at 10.30pm, for the 3 and 5 yo's this is way past normal bedtime!)

Apart from that I'm happy just to chill by the pool or watching the kids on the play equipment - we've asked for a pitch in view of it. There are vineyards fairly localy and I think a lot of goats cheese production so that's dinner sorted and if we have an unexpected burst of energy, maybe a bike ride. I'm just hoping this horrible rain stops by June!

sounds like my kind of holiday! We got soaked in brittany last year but hopefully by the summer and a bit inland it will be nice and sunny. Have a great time.

Nocturnalnonsense - we're back from Le Prunay and had a great time. It was 30 degrees the day we arrived and the pool was very welcome and although the weather got more seasonal 20/21 degrees as the week went on we still made use of the pool which was def heated but not bath warm. Despite some showers and one nighttime thunderstorm there was plenty of sun and beautiful sunsets over the fields. It really is a lovely site run by a very friendly family. As requested, they gave us a great pitch on a corner close to the sanitaires and facing the playground which made the holiday so much easier. and more relaxing. I can't think of many tips although it's a half an hour round trip to the nearest supermarkets in Onzain (one of which is a very reasonable Lidl) so make sure you take enough supplies and remember everything closes on Sunday afternoon and most shops also close on Monday morning. Also, if you use SatNav the GPS in the area is patchy so would advise taking a decent map as well. The bikes are OK for around the site but if you wanted to go further, maybe take your own or look into hiring. Oh and they have two big fridges and a hob that you can use so we coped without a proper coolbox, just used a picnic coolbag and their fridges. hope that helps and that you have a great holiday!

Ooh Cheerup - we are off to Le Prunay next week! We are only going for a few days on our way south, but if nice we might also stay on our way back.
It certainly does look lovely from the website and I'm sure DD will love it.
Half an hour round trip to the shops is actually quicker than where we live, so that's ok!
Are there any pitches that you would recommend or avoid for any reason?
Someone did say that the toilets and showers were pretty awful though - is that true?
Do you mind me asking which crossing you took and how long the journey was (just trying to get a realistic idea not just a route planner one).
Thanks and sorry for all the questions.

hi Lucky - the toilets & showers were fine for me and I'm fairly fussy. They are housed around the outside of a barn and aren't 5* hotel standard but are clean and functional. A few of the shower 'hook' thingies were a bit droopy so had to hold the shower rather than just stand under it but didn't bother us. On the plus side there was a good supply of loo roll, hand soap and hot water as well as one family shower room with 3 showers and a sink. I would recommend the pitch that we had - opposite the jeux and across from the motorhome pitches. Got the sun during the day and we just moved across onto the bench in the playground later on as that got the sun later into the evening. All of the pitches are a good size but some would be a bit far from the loos for me. We did a Dover-Dunkirk crossing and spent a night in Calais on the way there and 2 nights in the Baie de Somme on the way back. We lost the route in Rouen both times. On the way there we left Calais just before 8am and got to Le Prunay at about 3.30pm but did have one loo/play stop, a McD's lunch in Chateaudun (not very French I know but handy for the supermarket & had an outdoor play area) and one stop to de-vomit two year old, much of her sister and the car enough to continue our journey. I would allow 6 hours without stops from Calais, maybe 3 and a half from Le havre but if you stay on the right roads you might do it quicker. My only other tip would be to be careful if you go to feed the goats, they are very enthusiastic and one jumped over the fence... chaos followed as I let more out trying to get that one back in. Very unimpressed dh had to go and sort it out for me. Enjoy your holiday!

Thanks for all the info - glad the facilities are just a little tired rather than dirty. We are doing the tunnel so will be similar esp the vomit stops knowing DD ! I might even copy the McD's lunch as DD is dairy intolerant and I know she can eat there ok.
We're really looking forward to it as it's our first family hol in a few years due to work commitments. Let just hope now that the Sun Gods are kind!
Thanks again and will beware of hungry goats!

Looks fab

Oh - just looking at thread for first time in ages. Thanks for the update/tips cheerup - sounds like you had a lovely time. I am getting very excited and counting down the weeks now!! Hope we are as lucky with the weather. Hope you enjoyed your holiday lucky.