French campsite recommendations very gratefully received for a French camping novice.

[Purplemoon]

Aaaaaargh!! I have been trawling UK campsite reviews for days in a desperate attempt to find something suitable for our first camping trip to France, it clearly isn't helpful that I am trying to book to arrive in ten days time so late in the day, but complicated reasons rendered it impossible to book before. I'm not keen to go to some big commercialised site, but equally would like somewhere with a pool and nice, clean washing facilities (compulsory) which would serve as a base for exploring the surrounding area.I have been looking at the Loire Valley and Pays De La Loire as this doesn't seem too unreasonable a journey from Calais? Recommendations very, very, very gratefully received. (Oh, and we've 4DC and a VW campervan as opposed to a tent, but we do have a big awning too...) Sorry for going on, desperate for some MN advice.

a gawdy one in Normandy! Booked it in Jan as a complete novice and now I am at all these gorgeous sites being recommended. Ds's will love it though. Fancy that one MB recommended though - looks lovely.

gaudy - must use spell checker.

at your pre-booking, how much more organised you are than me Cornsilk. I fear I will have to spend the next week rushing around making sure we have everything we need, but actually, you know what? I'm too excited to care The lady on the phone at the one I booked on MB's recommendation sounded so lovely too.

Hurray!!!

Formule 1 was my worst camping stop-over experience ever! The room was prisoner cell-block H, which would have been fine, apart from the fact that it was about 40 degrees and no window, and our kids would not / could not get to and stay asleep

Never again!!!

sorry to hijack mooniek but could you give some idea how much a ferry crossing might be this time of year? or channel tunnel crossing?