Any help with planning a trip to France gratefully received

[Hattieboo]

Hi. We're hoping to go to France in our caravan with our dd's (5 & 9) at the end of July for two weeks.
Dh says i'm asking for too much (it is a possibility ;-) )
Anyway we'd (I'd) like...

A campsite not too big or expensive but hopefully with a pool and near a beach (either sea, river or lake be great) with calmish waters for swimming. I've looked at flower campings website, which looks fab, however then I've read reviews of some of the locations and been put off. Has anyone been to any flower campings sites? I couldn't believe the difference in price with them and say euro camp ( which we couldn't afford this year!).

Within walking distance to a town/village so we can have a wander.

Somewhere WARM! Not notoriously windy either! (I've read south of Lyon on a thread to get good weather?) I can't bear to have more rain (I'm sure like every mum with the thought of six weeks of summer holidays coming!) hence the trip to france rather than Cornwall!
Don't really want to go all the way to the med as dh thinks it would be too long a drive.

I've been looking at ile de re on west coast (but been slightly put off by comments about wind and expensive toll to get off island). The dordogne looks beautiful ( but again comments of lots of rain and cold nights have made me think again!) has anyone stayed anywhere lovely near these places??? With good weather!!!! ;-)

Massive thanks in advance and apologies if you think as my dh does, that I'm asking too much! We can dream! X

well the west coast of France is on the Atlantic so it's always going to be windier than inland.

Most of France is warmer than most of England, but it could rain anywhere any time.

I'm not helping, am I?

We've had fantastic weather in Normandy in the summer holidays, which would be a nice short drive for you. Further south you could try the Loire valley or Poitou-Charente, both inland but with lots of nice river/lake beaches

& we stayed near Riberac once (Dordogne-ish) in August - some really hot sunny weather, some not so sunny but still nice & warm, no cold nights or rain

The weather on Ile de Ré is very good indeed - much better than further down the Atlantic Coast, and much better than Brittany. Which doesn't mean you will never get rain/wind! Given that you don't want to go to the Mediterranean, Ile de Ré weather is as good as it gets.

The toll bridge to get on and off the island is paid for once, when you get on it.

Ooohhh thanks for all your advice... My first time on mumsnet, I'm quite excited!
Unfortunately none of us can predict the weather hey!!! I' m going to check out these suggestions right now, dh is right I'm obsessed;-) x

The Dordogne is very green and lush - for a reason. It is known for huge thunderstorms, we had a few when we were there the other week.

I would look at the Ardeche. There are some beautiful river beaches around Vallon-Pont d'Arc. It's south of Lyon, but not as far to drive as the med.

I'm biased though, despite going to the Dordogne this year I love the eastern side of France and will always go there in the future.

Ardeche is fab. Driving in france is easy so long as you have plenty of breaks. Much easier than here. Be prepared for lots of toll roads!

Hi mumnosbest and quenelle, I'm just looking at the ardeche region, can you recommend any particular campsites? It looks so beautiful! Thank you x

Hi bonsoir. Can you recommend any campsites on ile de re? I've read the south west coast is more sheltered and the beaches nicer too? Thank you x

I've never camped there, but I really love the village of Ars-en-Ré and there are definitely campsites there.

Well ponders, you have been a great help! We stayed in Normandy when I was little and the only thing I remember was the rain!!! That said some friends went a few years ago and didn't see a cloud!!! If only we could know!
I think I'm probably going to have to do serious research tonight!
It would be very nice to go somewhere someone's recommended, but I guess we don't all have the same taste anyway :-) x

I've booked our trip based on descriptions on Cool Camping France (now online), and cross checked with Trip Advisor. Worth a look maybe if you're not getting personal recommendations?

I haven't camped in the Ardeche yet. We've always stayed in gites before this year. There are some Flower ones that might be worth a look.

The Drome is another area to try, it's the other side of the Rhone from Ardeche.

I found our Dordogne one in Cool Camping this year. Also cross checked the reviews with Trip advisor. It was a fantastic site.

the campsite we used in Normandy is de la Vallee (I think) in Houlgate. eurocamp & keycamp use it too, but they do have pitches for people's own tents/vans & it has lovely facilities - it's about a mile to a very nice beach.

We've just come back from the Dordogne if you would like any recommendations?

Oh yes please, that would be fabulous! Thank you x

Quenelle, which one was that?

It was Domaine de Mathevies near Sarlat.

\link{http://www.campinglavallee.co.uk/campsite/\this is la Vallee} at Houlgate (I couldn't link it before, we were having internet access probs)

it isn't a mile to the beach, it's only a kilometer! (just under in fact) & the town is even nearer. it is a lovely place...

Normandy weather is slightly less reliable than further south, it's true, but just crossing the channel can make a big difference. One year we drove back from the SW & the weather was beautiful all the way to Calais - clear blue sky, sun, around 30 degrees - it was very frustrating being stuck in the car.

However when we left the tunnel at Folkestone it was 15 degrees, lashing rain & strong winds

If you want the Atlantic coast why not head inland a little bit to get better value. We stay here en.campinglajoletiere.fr/ It is in the middle of a lovely forrest. 45 minute drive to the coast, 1hr to the il de Ré. Prices are much cheaper than on the coast and they will take reservations of just a few days (many sites on the coast will only take for one week at a time).

Pool is nice and importantly is heated. The site is small, no Eurocamp type pitches.

I have recommended a campsite on the ile de re a few times on here, the family run site has a childrens play area and a decent size pool. The campsite is not to big and has everything a young family could want, I have stayed there:

you can wander into the village/town and there is a market and a supermarket, along with cafes
you can wander to the beach - either are a 5-10 minute walk

you can hire bikes and you can hire trailers to pull your dc around on bikes

there are over 100 miles of cycle paths on the island

It is expensive to shop - take food with you, I would suggest a good few store cuboard meals that you can add to when you get there to keep the food cost down, for warned is forarmed so to speak and it is worth going.

I can't find the campsite but will ask my dad later when I speak to him - as he stayed there a few times in his campervan as he then doesn't have to move apart from walk and cycle

Thanks everso much for everyone's advice, I feel like all I've done this week is bury my head in the world wide web ;-) I've looked at everyone's recommendations and now I want to go every where! France really is a big and beautiful place! Any more recommendations are appreciated! Keep you posted and thanks again x

Hi ivykay the campsite name on ile de re would be fab if u speak to ur dad, thank you :-)

Thank you for everyone's advice too, I have been lurking. Just booked Houlgate for a couple of nights before we head to the ferry, it looks perfect and DH only had to hear the words 'it was recommended on MN' before he was happy for me to book it . We are also camping in Brittany, Vendee, St Emillion and the Pyrenees so next year I hope I can have some useful tips!

I'm really sorry to be a downer but the houlgate site wasn't great when we stayed for 2 nights with eurocamp at the end of may half term. Some useful info as you are booked now

1 - make sure you arrive before 7pm otherwise you can't get through the car park barrier as reception is closed. We had to walk everything from the car park to the tent. Security guard who was sitting in reception refused to open barrier.

2 - the owner was a grumpy git face. No smiles or welcome to any guest. Refused to open outdoor pools or turn slides on as it was due to rain. The euro camp reps actually seemed afraid of him.

3- must wear tight trunks / budgie smugglers. Wetsuits and the beach sun suits were not allowed.

4 - indoor pool only open 10-12 and 2-4 even though there is no life guard or anyone needing a lunch break.

5 - bread etc needs to be ordered the day before as its frozen and baked on site in the morning. They don't cook any extras so you cannot buy ad hoc.

6- all children over 10 and adults have to wear a wristband at all times. It opens the gates for the pool and to access the campsite as a pedestrian. Reception requires ?10 cash deposit for each band.

Houlgate itself was lovely and we had a lovely meal at the Italian pizza place near the beach.

We spent the previous week at la garangeoire in the vendee which was brilliant. Wished we has stayed there or gone straight home rather than spend 2 nights at the la vallee site.

Further reviews on uk campsite.