Loire - Chateau des Marais - or further south?

[Looster]

Hi - we have ditched Dorset plans due to weather and planning to head on into France for a camping (well mobile home-ing) trip for either 10 days or two weeks (not quite decided - depends how far south we go).

Have an offer of staying with a friend for a few nights in Normandy, so will probably do that at the end of the holiday, but wondering where to go to for the other week to 10 days. Was thinking of the Loire - and looping round from tunnel down to Loire and back via Normandy - but wondering if we might get more certain weather further south? But then where? Don't mind stopping on way down for a night or two.

DDs are 8 and 4 - and love water, cycling, playgrounds, will join in activities/kids clubs if on offer. DH likes sports - anything will do, but not watching, participating. I have simple needs - sunshine and wine...would like to be near water - sea, lake, river - as long as we can swim in it that would be fab!
Many thanks in advance!

No advice, just envy here! We're stuck with camping on the east coast of England, so I'm hoping the weather perks up a bit or we're going to be very bored with playing cards and reading books Have a fab time.

We had only paid a deposit - so have slashed all excess expenditure and moved gas/electricity suppliers and scrimping to go overseas! I am sure it will probably be very sunny now when we were due to be away...luckily place in UK we were booked at is letting us transfer the deposit to a long weekend instead! now contemplating the whole of france as my oyster... -thanks for the lovely message

We stayed at Chateau des Marias last summer and had a lovely time. Loads to do in the area. Pool complex was great but the water was cold. Overall, it wasn't that hot - not sunbathing weather - but obviously warmer than here - shorts and t shirt weather usually. I had expected August to be hotter than it was. We are going a bit further south this year

We also stayed at Chateau DES Marais last year. We loved it! We were there in late August and it was v.hot. Pool, slides and playground were great. They had go karts on site to hire. Site not too big and the kids went and played on the outdoor exercise equipment. Shop sold lovely pain au chocolat etc in the mornings. Take away also good(didn't try restaurant). A lot to see nearby, including wild boar, deer in the grounds of local chateau. They had proper wildlife hides as viewing areas.

We are doing something we never do and going back there again this year. I can't wait.

Welshchick, we must have just left as the hot weather arrived?!!!

we've just come back from etang de breche near saumur. it's further north than chateau des marais (which we also considered). etang de breche was great - good pool with slides, bike hire, go kart hire, three or four playgrounds and pony trekking. saumur is pretty and there are nice days out to caves in rochemenier and chateuax including one that inspired the story of sleeping beauty. also wine tasting but we didn't do that. my hubby not sporty so don't know what there might be for your husband i'm afraid! oh and when we were there it was BOILING - 30C for about half the time. have a great time - wish i was going back!

Milliwatt...I thought so! It was hot as we arrived and people around us said that the previous week was varied!

Ooh, overnighting both ways at Chateau de Marais starting next week (:o) Nothing really to add except I was unreasonably excited to see a thread with "our" campsites name in it :o

we went to chateau de marais 2 years ago - it was fab - we went end of may weather was perfect - very hot - has lovely pool complex there - have fun am very jealous!!

We've stayed at Marais too - a few years ago.

In terms of landscape it's fairly flat and a bit dull, but it is Loire floodplain so it's going to be, but also being the Loire it means that it isn't safe to swim in.

Have you looked at St Catherine de Fierbois as they have a large lake to swim in - I haven't been since about 1984 - and I'm sure it's changed a lot but it's very popular with Brits as is Marais.
hth

Thanks all - any recommendations if we were to head further south?

We stayed in a mobile home at La Cote d-Argent at Hourtin Plage in the Gironde last year and had a ball. The swimming pool complex is fab (inlcuding a heated covered pool) and there is also a playground on site. You are really close to the beach too. We have camped in our own tent there before we had DD and loved it then too.

Might be a bit far south west for you but I would definitely recommend it.

Alternatively, Domaine de la Barbanne near St Emilion is great too. It only has an outdoor pool there if I recall but hopefully the weather would be good and St Emilion is gorgeous.

V jealous. Enjoy, wherever you go!

I'll probably regret mentioning this place as we'd like to return again one day - but it is just lovely.

Les Valades in the Dordogne It is quite a long way south but the weather will be better - as is the wine.

We are staying at Val de Cantobre near the fantastic viaduct at Millau for the main part of our holidays. Great pool, stunning location and on a river too. There is little entertainment there and the site is extremely remote which may not suit everyone but we love it (this year is a recce for taking our own gear next year, though DH is at the moment unaware of this :o) Though it is not too far from the coast (about 3 hours IIRC) it seems to make a huge difference to the travel times
(5 sleeps and counting and bugger the long range forecast!! :o)

Cantobre is fabulous - we watched the eagles soaring on the thermals a few years ago there and the thunder bounced off the mountains - agreed it is a little off the beaten track but Nant is close enough.

I first visited in 1985 with my parents in our orange & brown frame tent and entertainment in those days was to release a trout into the swimming pool and whoever could catch it could barbecue it that night for tea!
Luckily things had moved on a bit then last time we went!

lucycat it has moved on a bit since then but I totally agree about the eagles and the thunder. We are aiming to explore Nant a little more this time as DS is older and slightly more biddable! Shame the weather forecast is so shite at the moment though (not that I am obsessively checking of course :o)
The best of it is that we camped in the UK for the past 2 years and it rained all the time so we decided to cut our losses and head South where it would be sunny- The curse of the Bannana family camping strikes again! :o

How long does it take to get down as far as millau, I love it there but discounted it as too far to drive?

caerlaverock we are doing the Tunnel this year and the route planner reckons about nine hours from Calais to the site which is about 14 miles South of Millau. (Just under 600 miles total, 570ish on motorways)

We have done it (and further South) in one with a combination of us both driving and travelling through the night. This time though we are having an overnight stop as the car and my knees could do with the break :o

It works for us and we plan stops to eat and to grab a couple of geocaches en route but is not to everyones taste I know (FWIW I got free flights from Bournemouth to Carcassone one year so we hired a car when we were there. Its a question of whats available at the time)

Thanks tbanana, god I am so tempted, I love the tarn

We went to Val de Cantobre a few years ago - really lovely site, so quiet and peaceful, and we also had fab weather. If you're up for it, you can walk to Nant from the campsite - there's a path along the river leading directly from the site. Took us about an hour or so - go on market day. If you fancy a laugh, have a go at the Velorail - its a little way from the site, but there are some lovely villages nearby to explore. Dh and I thought it was hilarious - you wouldn't get anything like it here - health & safety would have a field day - which is one of the things we love about France . Have a wonderful time - I'm very !

Oo lots of fab recommendations! Holidays sorted for next few years ;)

Just to update....... we are back from the South of France with an overnight stop at Chateau de Marais either way. The South had beautiful weather, the Loire not so.

It rained almost constantly, apart from the time it hailed. That is all

Anywhere near Sarlat in the Dordogne is lovely. Have had good weather there for last couple of years. St Avit Loisirs and Moulin du Roch are both lovely sites. My children preferred St Avit due to the lazy river!! Both have kids clubs too. You can hire canoes and go down the Dordogne, really really beautiful.

We are the same as you - were going to camp in the UK but can't be bothered with the weather!

We spent 8 nights at a lovely site near Sarlat two weeks ago. It rained almost every day and we had a few storms too. One day it rained from when we got up to when we went to bed. When the sun did come out it was lovely, just wish it had been a bit more often.

It's a beautiful area but I'll be heading further south next time we go to France.