Aveyron or Provence - favourite campsites

Mar 14, 2005
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Hi, I'm looking for recommendations for "camping" in France, prefer fully serviced but not essential. Must have swimming pool, preferably scenic and if at all possible launching for our dinghy and outboard. We have two children age 2 and 7 and prefer siteseeing and outdoor activities to clubs/bars/discos! So far I've looked at some lovely sites in the Gorges du Tarn, and some at the Lac de Pareloup between Rodez and Millau which have boating but not so stunning scenery .... any other ideas?

Thanks, Liz
 
Mar 14, 2005
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hi you might like camping-laribeyre MUROL nice well kept site in the hills you can walk to the lake plus a ch^ateau we stayed there a couple of years ago very relaxing and if you wish to go a little futher to the coast to GRAU d'AGDE its a beautiful area the sitewe used was camping NEPTUNE a small faimley site run by the owners very well kept nice pool and about a 10 min walk into the small village on the med super beaches and some very nice resurants and theres a market every morning for fresh fish and veg we had a super holiday there one we must go back to someday have a brillant holiday regards peter
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Thanks Pater, I'll look both up, sound like our kind of places! So far I've found camping Les Peupliers at Riviere sur Tarn, near Millau and the Val de Cantobre. Both look lovely - Les Peupliers looks easier access I'm just a bit worried it's jsut off the main road along the Tarn ...
 
Jun 11, 2005
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Thanks Pater, I'll look both up, sound like our kind of places! So far I've found camping Les Peupliers at Riviere sur Tarn, near Millau and the Val de Cantobre. Both look lovely - Les Peupliers looks easier access I'm just a bit worried it's jsut off the main road along the Tarn ...
Hi,

Val de Cantobre is fantastic, we have been three times and are planning to take the van down next Summer.

You can launch the boat at Millau which is proably about 10-12 miles away
 
Mar 14, 2005
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We've done both Les Peupliers, and Val de Cantobre. We've been many times to Cantobre, and it's truly beautiful. The pitches are terraced, most with fantastic views, there's a great restaurant on site, and a pizzeria where you can 'take-out' but eat in - fantastic value. Bread is delivered to your tent every morning (it really is)and the site organise activities throughout the summer. The toilet block is either 'uphill' or 'downhill' depending where your pitch is, and the hills are fairly steep so you need to be fit. Lovely!

Les Peupliers is a very nice site, too - friendly staff, small bar/restaurant with good value food, and their bread is the best I've ever eaten. Toilet facilities are plentiful - especially the 'upstairs' ones!! It's between the river Tarn and the road, so there may be a little road noise, but we didn't notice it when we were there in late August this year. It's a level site, with very good sized individual pitches.

Another nice site is Les Rivages in Millau (accepts ACSI card low season) which has the advantage of being next to the river, and within walking distance to the town. Lovely clean toilet facilities, nice pool, good restaurant and lovely grassy pitches.

It's too hard to choose between them!
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Thanks - I'm still undecided! The play park at Les peupliers looks better for Sam who'll be 2 and the pool looks great but I had picked up on it's location next to the road so that's not ideal - I've heard that the pools at Val de cAntobre are a bit small - is this true, certainly didn't see and slides or anything (Hannah's 7 and this would be her first time on such adventurous things!). I also started looking at sites around the Lac de Pareloup, Les Genets which looks fabby ... why is it so hard!
 
Mar 14, 2005
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The pools at Cantobre are small - compared to the 'complexes' which a lot of sites now have! There is a smallish children's pool and a larger adult pool - I think there is a small slide, but not the toboggans now available. The water temperature can be cool - good for a brisk swim for adults - but it doesn't seem to put children off.

Haven't been to Le Caussanel - so can't comment - but we weren't impressed by Lac Salagou so hope Pareloup is not the same.

You can launch boats at Les Rivages and at Les Peupliers, but not at Cantobre - the river there is really only a smallish stream. Have you thought about Ranc Davaine (Sunelia) in the Aredeche? That has a pool complex better than anywhere, (with toboggans, a river where you can launch boats - and you're near enough to the Ardeche itself. The restaurant on site is great, the children's play area itself is small but there is a football pitch, volleyball, etc., etc., etc. Some of the pitches are good, most are a bit dusty - because it gets really warm there - but there is a fantastic 'misting' system over the bar and restaurant which cools things down. It can busy in high season, and there is a bar/restaurant/thingy but outside of mid-July to mid-August things quieten down considerably - and it's lovely in early/mid May..
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Val, can you (or anyone else who has been there) tell us just how accessible the pitches are at 'Le Val de Cantobre'? We have just booked our ferry and camping cheques for next Summer and our first thought was to head down to the Aveyron/Gorges de Tarn area, as we have never been there before. The 2005 Camping Cheque' book states that 'on arrival, you will be given a hand manoeuvering onto your pitch' and the Caravan Club France book talks about 'steep access roads'.

We had almost decided on 'Les Peupliers', but I looked on both websites and I have to say the pitches at 'Le Val' do look lovely! But can anyone reassure us that getting into the site and onto the pitch is not a total nightmare?

Only six months to go! We shall probably 'decide' on another 10 destinations and 20 possible campsites before then. That's the great thing about Camping Cheques, you don't have to commit to anything at an early stage, so that wonderful planning phase where anything is possible can go on right up until the day you cross the Channel!
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Getting on to your pitch is not a problem. You're given a hand because the site owners are helpful, not because it's particularly difficult. On arrival you are usually asked to park and taken on a tour of the available pitches on an electric cart - choose your pitch, and then Claire and/or Francois escort you to the pitch and help you on to the pitch itself. The pitches are large, some very large, and on terraces, each terrace having its own access road behind the vans. There's no doubt that the hill into the site is steep, and some of the corners are sharp, but if you have any problems at all then Francois will unhitch you at the bottom, hook on to his big 4 x 4 and take you on to the pitch. It really is that 'hands on'.

We've been loads of times now, 23 years ago for the first time - and some years we've been twice. Sometimes we've stayed for a couple of weeks, and other times for just a day or two. Claire and Francois are a lovely couple - our friends now - and very very helpful. The site itself is lovely, and in stunning scenery! The facilities on the site are very good and kept immaculately clean. There is sometimes a rather off-putting smell of drains around reception - and we've suggested to Claire that they should look into re-siting the problem drain!! However, don't let that put you off.

If you do go there, don't go down the Dourbie from Millau - take the motorway to the La Cavalerie juntion, then follow the signs across the Camp du Larzac to Nant. It looks a long way around, but the road down the Dourbie is a sight-seeing road, spectacular, but a winding road, and seems to take for ever if you take the van that way - especially when you can't wait to get there.

We also liked Les Peupliers - but if I had to choose I would pick Val de Cantobre - indeed David and I have talked about getting married in Nant (nearest village) - and inviting our friends to stay on the site - but we've never got around to it.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Val, can you (or anyone else who has been there) tell us just how accessible the pitches are at 'Le Val de Cantobre'? We have just booked our ferry and camping cheques for next Summer and our first thought was to head down to the Aveyron/Gorges de Tarn area, as we have never been there before. The 2005 Camping Cheque' book states that 'on arrival, you will be given a hand manoeuvering onto your pitch' and the Caravan Club France book talks about 'steep access roads'.

We had almost decided on 'Les Peupliers', but I looked on both websites and I have to say the pitches at 'Le Val' do look lovely! But can anyone reassure us that getting into the site and onto the pitch is not a total nightmare?

Only six months to go! We shall probably 'decide' on another 10 destinations and 20 possible campsites before then. That's the great thing about Camping Cheques, you don't have to commit to anything at an early stage, so that wonderful planning phase where anything is possible can go on right up until the day you cross the Channel!
Hi Chrissie - see long posting, but you're right about Camping Cheques - we've set off once to go to Italy - but when we got half way through France the weather was bad in Italy so we turned right instead and went to Spain!!!! Our friends think we're mad as sometimes our only destination is 'the sun'!!!
 
Mar 14, 2005
357
0
0
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Getting on to your pitch is not a problem. You're given a hand because the site owners are helpful, not because it's particularly difficult. On arrival you are usually asked to park and taken on a tour of the available pitches on an electric cart - choose your pitch, and then Claire and/or Francois escort you to the pitch and help you on to the pitch itself. The pitches are large, some very large, and on terraces, each terrace having its own access road behind the vans. There's no doubt that the hill into the site is steep, and some of the corners are sharp, but if you have any problems at all then Francois will unhitch you at the bottom, hook on to his big 4 x 4 and take you on to the pitch. It really is that 'hands on'.

We've been loads of times now, 23 years ago for the first time - and some years we've been twice. Sometimes we've stayed for a couple of weeks, and other times for just a day or two. Claire and Francois are a lovely couple - our friends now - and very very helpful. The site itself is lovely, and in stunning scenery! The facilities on the site are very good and kept immaculately clean. There is sometimes a rather off-putting smell of drains around reception - and we've suggested to Claire that they should look into re-siting the problem drain!! However, don't let that put you off.

If you do go there, don't go down the Dourbie from Millau - take the motorway to the La Cavalerie juntion, then follow the signs across the Camp du Larzac to Nant. It looks a long way around, but the road down the Dourbie is a sight-seeing road, spectacular, but a winding road, and seems to take for ever if you take the van that way - especially when you can't wait to get there.

We also liked Les Peupliers - but if I had to choose I would pick Val de Cantobre - indeed David and I have talked about getting married in Nant (nearest village) - and inviting our friends to stay on the site - but we've never got around to it.
Thank you for that, Val. It is just the sort of information we need. So 'Val de Cantobre' remains on the list of places to build a few dreams around this winter!
 
Jun 11, 2005
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Hi,

we have been to Val de Cantobre twice ina caravan and pitching is no problem. When you arrive the 'team' accompany you to the pitch and help you unhitch. They then move your van into position manualy. The pitches are all level. To leave all you have to do might be to spin your van araound raedy to hitch up, but if there is any doubt then the 'team' will do the Carver Mover trick again. It is a fabuluous site and the twice weekly local meal evenings in the restuarant are really enjoyable. Oh by the way our van is 7m shipping length.

Other Clive
 

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