Campeole La Cite
Route de St. Hilaire
F11000 Carcassone
Languedoc-Roussillon Region
France

Tel: 04 68 25 11 77
Fax: 04 68 47 33 13

E-mail: cpllacite@atciat.com
Web site: http://www.campeole.co.uk/

A large site with good sized pitches bounded by hedges.

A lovely walk in to Carcassone which just has to be seen both by night and by day.

A good place to stop over for a couple of nights on the way south.

Continental hook up.

Neville Goward. CLIC. July 1999

Camping Le Boucanet
Route de Carnon
F30240 Le Grau Du Roi
Languedoc-Roussillon Region
France

Tel: 00 33 (0)4 66 51 41 48
Fax: 00 33 (0)4 66 51 41 87

E-mail: campingBoucanet@wanadoo.fr
Web site: http://www.campingboucanet.fr/

Mobile Reception Good

To Find Site: - Leave the A9 Autoroute at junction 26. Take D979 signed for Aigues Mortes. As you approach Aigues Mortes look out for signs to Le Grau du Roi. As you get near to the town watch out and follow signs for Le Boucanet, this is the place rather than the campsite. Eventually the signs indicate Camping Le Boucanet. Entrance to the site is just off a roundabout, as you exit the roundabout (with a boat in the middle of it) turn right and campsite entrance is almost immediately on the left. The entrance is barrier controlled which is usually manned.

Le Boucanet is a large site with over 400 hundred pitches most with some shade and all are divided by bushes or flowering shrubs. The majority are touring pitches but the site does have some mobile homes and tents for hire. All pitches are on sand and whilst most are firm there are those, particularly near the beach, which are very difficult to get on with a caravan and non-4X4 car. This is a fact you will be unaware of if you book in advance, far better to turn up and choose your pitch although this is unlikely to be possible in peak season. The problem is caused by the location, long stay campers digging trenches to protect awning and tent campers doing the same. Size of pitches is OK without being generous.

The site has four toilet blocks, although at least one is closed immediately at the end of high season. All have showers and toilets and two have washing machines and chemical toilet empting facilities. My gripe with the toilets is that in all but one block the majority are of the Turkish, hole in the ground type. I find this unacceptable, particularly for a campsite that purports to be to an International standard.

Boucanet has a bar/restaurant which provides entertainment on some nights which does go on beyond midnight and can be quite loud depending on where your pitch is. There is a takeaway selling pizzas and other dishes. Also in the complex is a fairly comprehensive shop, although I found the organisation a little chaotic at times. However they do manage to get English Newspapers quite early on the day of publication which is quite impressive. There are the usual telephone boxes including one where you can connect to the Internet, it is handy and costs about 11p a minute. Perhaps unusually for a beach side site it also has rather a nice swimming pool. There are also tennis courts and table tennis tables.

The beauty of this site is its excellent location right on a gently shelving beach so particularly safe for small children.
Unlike campsites situated around St Tropez you have none of the difficulties with traffic congestion, as there are good road connections.
There are two excellent supermarkets about 7 miles from the site.
There are many interesting place to visit nearby, Le Grand Motte, Le Grau du Roi, Aigues Mortes, Stes Maries de la Mer and Nimes to name but a few.

Personal View: - Unfortunately the start of our visit was during the peak season so the site was full. We found it impossible to get onto our pre-booked pitch because of the ground conditions. We had to accept a pitch right at the back of the site. There were a lot of long stay French who don’t really camp but set up for the season what we would regard as static’s. There were also a fair proportion of groups of youngsters in tents and they tend to be noisier than you would prefer. Out of the peak season the campsite takes on a completely different complexion with a much more relaxed atmosphere and this is the only time I would consider returning to this site.

David Klyne. CLIC. September 2003
For images of this site, and other reports, go to Caravantravels

Camping Le Serignan Plage
L’Orpelliere
F34410 Serignan
Languedoc-Roussillon Region
France

Tel: 33 (0)4 67 32 35 33
Fax: 33 (0)4 67 32 68 39

E-mail: info@leserignanplage.com
Web site: www.leserignanplage.com/..

Some images of Camping Le Serignan Plage:
Image 1 The beach --- Image 2 View of the pitches --- Image 3 Pitches with more shade --- Image 4 The swiming pool

To Find site:
Leave A9 Autoroute at Bezier and follow signs for Serignan/Valras Plage. At Serignan follow signs for Serignan Plage. Just before the Serignan Plage sign turn right into narrow one way road (campsite sign at turning). At T junction turn right and pass large public parking area, then naturist campsite and continue to Le Serignan Plage reception.

This is a very large campsite, mainly taken up with static’s, but there must be a couple of hundred touring pitches.
The pitches vary in both size and quality. Most are on compacted soil but those nearer to the beach can be quite sandy which could cause problems for motorhomes. Some of the touring pitches are set back from the sea but closer to the many excellent facilities this site has to offer. This includes a large pool complex with lots of space for loungers.
Towards the centre of the site is a shopping/restaurant area which includes a small well stocked supermarket, excellent boulongerie. In an inner courtyard is the restaurant and bar with a takeaway to one side.
Serignan Plage also offers internet connections. Particularly useful was the WiFi connection which could be used within the bar/restaurant area. Cards for both can be purchased from reception in either 30 or 60 minute segments.

Children are well catered for with many organised activities.
There are toilet blocks dotted around the campsite. Most contain a mixture of English and Turkish style toilets. During our stay we were impressed by the efforts made by the cleaning team to keep everything in order.

The main reason for staying at this type of campsite is the easy access to an excellent sandy beach. Le Serignan Plage has a sister site immediately next door which caters for Naturists. There is no need to be concerned about this as it is very well screened and there is a section of the beach reserved for the Naturists.

The group that run this campsite, Yelloh, have invested a lot of money to provide a self contained holiday centre. This is just as well because without some form of transport there is nothing in the vicinity within easy reach. Valras Plage is ten minutes away in the car and is well worth a visit, including many restaurants. We used Kim’s Bar for lunch one day. At Serignan there is an excellent Hyper U supermarket to satisfy most needs.

David Klyne. CLIC. June 2006
For images of this site, and other reports, go to Caravantravels

Camping Les Sablons
F34420
Portiragnes Plage
Languedoc-Roussillon Region
France

Tel: 0467909055

Email: Via the web site
Web site: www.les-sablons.com

To find Site:- From Beziers take D612 towards Agde. Exit D612 onto D37 towards Portiragnes and then onto Portiragnes Plage. At roundabout continue straight on and campsite on left in about 200 metres. On market days it can seem as though you can't get to the campsite but the stalls clear of the entrance.

Les Sablons is a large campsite/holiday resort on the Mediterranean just south of Beziers. There is direct access to a wide sandy beach from the site. The site is very busy during the summer season, which extends to the first week of September, so perhaps not the best destination for a quiet holiday during that period. Of the 560 pitches 223 are available for touring units, the rest being given over to permanent accommodation. On arrival you may be directed into the site before booking in as there is not a lot of room at the entrance to the site. The pitches vary in size from about 80 to 120 sq mts. Don’t expect much grass during or after the main season. Most pitches have some shade from trees. Access around the site roads can be difficult because of vehicles parked close the road edge, there is also a one way system in operation which is not always obvious. Electrics are via CEE17 blue connectors and are rated at a useful 10 amps. There are some water points dotted around the site but grey water disposal is only available at the toilet block or the motorhome service point. There are numerous toilet blocks around the site. Some are newer than others but all are of a good standard and have seated pedestal toilets and paper is provided. Most of the leisure and shopping facilities are located near the entrance. These include a large heated swimming complex with adjacent bars, takeaways and restaurant. For shopping there is a well-stocked supermarket, a bakery, press and bookshop, greengrocers and other outlets. For children there is a large adventure playground near the pool and there are also other facilities like volley and basketball for older kids. Because there are tour operators on site they also have their own play schemes. The site has total cover WiFi at additional cost. We were rather surprised to be asked to pay for our stay when we booked in. When I later asked about this I was told that it only applied during the high season when most visitors have already booked and paid in advance. If you are uncertain about the length of your stay it might be best to say fewer days and extend as you go along. The site accepts the ACSI Card during the low season.

For many the access to the beach will be a big pull for this site. The small built up area immediately outside the site is Portiragnes Plage which consists of some shops and a few restaurants/takeaways which I imagine are only open on a seasonal basis. For more serious shopping there are large supermarkets at Beziers and Agde although be warned the roads around Agde can be busy. If you take cycles with you there is a nice bike ride along the Canal du Midi towards the village of Portiragnes. A couple of times a week there is a market outside the campsite but I am unsure if this extends into the low season.

David Klyne. CLIC. 2012
For other reports, and images, from David go to www.davidklyne.co.uk/

Camping Les Vagues
F34350 Vendres Plage
Languedoc-Roussillon Region
France

Tel: 00 33 (0)4 67 37 33 12
Fax: 00 33 (0)4 67 37 50 36

E-mail: contact@lesvagues.net
Web site: www.lesvagues.net/gb..

We arrived here during Siesta (12-2:30) The reception staff refused to deal with English guests until the English member of staff was on duty. WE were allowed to find a pitch and set-up camp but that was all

Pitches 99% sandy lots of shade
Electric 6amp French fitting and Reverse Polarity

Photo: The bar Entertainement at night announced to be for the French only so Most German, Dutch and English ended up leaving the bar.
Drinks highly priced and unless it came out of a bottle -??

The pool was best part of camp but so full of kids being silly not a safe place (no Lifeguard either that we saw)
This was 7am so the only way you could see some of it

Photo: Play area---Photo: Toilet block

Also saw evidence of greed from staff taking money to let campers in and out bypassing reception Security should have been good as the gate code changed when the length of stay you had paid for ran out but see above

We stayed only long enough to visit Valras Plage just up the Road
(see map this covers 7km in total)

The site has a footpath down to the sea through a mosquito infested wetland area – this was the only site that we got bitten at all holiday.

Fishing Good fishing though at the end of the Road is the Estuary of the Agde with a selction of fish that cope well with brackish water (Pike Perch Bass Flatties)

Graham Wilson. CLIC. October 2004

Camping Ma Prairie--- Second report below
Avenue Des Coteaux
F66140 Canet en Roussillon
Perpignan
Languedoc-Roussillon Region
France

Tel: 00 33 (0)4 68 73 26 17
Fax: 00 33 (0)4 68 73 28 82

E-mail: ma.prairie@wanadoo.fr
Web site: www.maprairie.com

200 touring Pitches.
6amp electric no converter needed.
most pitches quite shady.
The Pitches looked tired by end of season but still grassed. Some pitches have water and waste points.

There was multilingual staff on reception and nothing was too much trouble. They will even ring for a taxi for you.

The pool is unheated but usually warmer than the sea. (pool pic 2)

There is a Supermarche 2 minutes drive away.

The harbour a 10 minute bike ride away. There are also lots of cycle paths, so there’s very little need to go on the road to get to most places though in some areas driving is extremely hazardous at rush hour.

Lots of places to go sea fishing (sans Permit). Canet harbour and the Etang estuary and of course with no time limit in the Mediterranean you can fish at any time. There is also a large lake to go fishing (avec permit).

There are lots of good restaurants and easy driving into Perpignan also Spain easily reachable in an hour.

Graham Wilson. CLIC. October 2004
For more sites on fishing go to www.madcaravanner.co.uk/

Camping Ma Prairie--- Third report below
Avenue Des Coteaux
F66140 Canet en Roussillon
Perpignan
Languedoc-Roussillon Region
France

Tel: 00 33 (0)4 68 73 26 17
Fax: 00 33 (0)4 68 73 28 82

E-mail: ma.prairie@wanadoo.fr
Web site: www.maprairie.com

Loved this Campsite. Well kept, clean, friendly helpful people, (excellent own wine sales, ahem).
It has a "Best of both worlds" location - it’s not right on the beach, it’s actually accessed via a small housing estate, but getting to the beach takes about 15 minutes, and getting anywhere else in the area is easy.
The area itself is lovely; there are the trappings of tourism, but they don’t spoil Canet itself, and the beach is wonderful, especially on the bank between Canet and St Cyprien.

Back to the site. It’s slightly unusual in that it is split in half; the swimming pool (childrens pool has small but fun water slides), play areas (including bouncy castle), restaurants and entertainments are all the other side of a very quiet residential street, and the pitches are on the other. The road is very quiet though so that’s no real problem.

One thing to watch out for is the main pool is all the same depth (1m70) so there is no ’shallow end’ for weaker swimmers.

The site is very peaceful except when there is entertainment on (which stops reliably at 11:00 and appears to be on every other night in high season, roughly), except for a white van which wanders round the site every other day advertising the evenings entertainment for a while.

There is a choice of open or shaded pitches; when we arrived we were given a suggested list and told to pick one we liked.

Two minor problems. There is no shop (except for bread and wine), though there is a Lidl Supermarket five minutes walk away and Hypermarkets ten minutes drive away. This can sometimes be irritating if you forget something.

The water system leaves something to be desired ; there were very few drainage and tap points, or there weren’t in our part of the site, anyway. Why this is I don’t know. However, the site and area are both highly recommended, and my wife wants to go back there next year, always a good sign.

Paul Robson. Internet. September 2006

Camping Ma Prairie--- Fourth report below
Avenue Des Coteaux
F66140 Canet en Roussillon
Perpignan
Languedoc-Roussillon Region
France

Tel: 00 33 (0)4 68 73 26 17
Fax: 00 33 (0)4 68 73 28 82

E-mail: ma.prairie@wanadoo.fr
Web site: www.maprairie.com

Visited 2005 and 2008
200 touring Pitches.

Some images of Ma Prairie: Reception --- Our pitch --- Swimming pool

The site:
Some pitches quite shady. Some have sunshine most of day. The Pitches look tired by end of season but are still grassed.
6amp electric, no converter needed.
Some pitches have water, needs a SMALL screw on adapter for push fit and there are waste points (extra charge in high season) but the hedges need watering, so you are encouraged to do that.
As per most French sites waste facilities for multi recycling are good.

There is multilingual staff on reception and nothing was too much trouble. They will even ring for a taxi for you.

There is a Supermarché 2 minutes drive away now a Hyper U.

The harbour is a 10-minute bike ride away. There are lots of cycle paths around the town and car parking is free too, so there’s very little need to go on the road to get to most places though in some areas cycling is extremely hazardous at rush hour.

Sea fishing: (sans Permit)
Canet harbour and the Etang estuary and of course with no time limit in the Mediterranean, you can fish at any time with tides only being 2 - 4 inches.

Freshwater fishing (avec Permit) There is also a large lake nearby and there are some small lakes dotted around with Carp in them as well as the river into the Etang further inland

The touristy stuff:
There are lots of good restaurants and easy driving into Perpignan, and is Spain easily reachable in less than an hour. Argeles, Collioure, and Port Vendré are all on the road to Spain, anyway you can make a good day driving from café to café in each town you visit.

The on-site bar and restaurant are now run by Alex and his wife Nadja when we visited they were just setting up after moving in but Nadia’s cooking is very good and Alex keeps a very hospitable bar.
Both of them have good grasp of at least three languages so are able to chat to everyone. Their Pizzas are very nice and there are tapas on offer with your drinks

Graham Wilson. CLIC. June 2008
For more sites on fishing go to www.madcaravanner.co.uk/

Camping Ma Prairie
Avenue Des Coteaux
F66140 Canet en Roussillon
Perpignan
Languedoc-Roussillon Region
France

Tel: 00 33 (0)4 68 73 26 17
Fax: 00 33 (0)4 68 73 28 82

E-mail: ma.prairie@wanadoo.fr
Web site: www.maprairie.com

We had the usual warm welcome from the Gil family and our usual pitch the same one we’ve used for 4 years

The restaurant has new operators this year and offers local French and Catalonian cuisine as well as Italian food.
Travelling later this year meant that the pool was a lot warmer and pleasant to swim in.

The site:
Some pitches quite shady. Some have sunshine most of day. The Pitches are grassed. 6amp electric no converter needed.

Some pitches have water, needs a small screw on adapter for push fit and there are waste points (extra charge in high season) but the hedges need watering, so you are encouraged to do that.

As per most French sites waste is sorted for multi recycling. There are multilingual staff at reception and nothing was too much trouble. They will even ring for a taxi for you.

There is a Supermarché only 2 minutes drive away. The harbour is a 10-minute bike ride away. There are lots of cycle paths around the town and car parking is free too, so there’s very little need to go on the road to get to most places though in some areas cycling is extremely hazardous at rush hour.

Sea fishing (sans Permit):
Canet harbour and the Etang estuary and of course with no time limit in the Mediterranean, you can fish at any time with tides only being 2-4 inches.

Freshwater fishing (avec Permit):
There is also a large lake nearby and there are some small lakes dotted around with Carp in them as well as the river into the Etang further inland

The touristy stuff:
There are lots of good restaurants and easy driving into Perpignan. Spain easily reachable in less than an hour. Argeles, Collioure, and Port Vendré are all on the road to Spain, anyway you can make a good day driving from café to café in each town you visit.

Yet again we were made to feel like family and regular visitors We stopped for 2 nights so we could see a Carnival in Place de Mediteraneae which went on until the early hours and was free for all which included Acrobat stilt walker and jugglers of fireworks as well as surreal music and at midnight a foam party for kids and adults alike.

Graham Wilson. CLIC. July 2009
For reports on sites that offer fishing, on or near to the site, both in the UK and Europe, go to www.madcaravanner.co.uk/

Camping Neptune--- Second report below
46, Boulevard du St Christ
F34300 AGDE
(on the South Coast between Montpellier and Beziers)
Languedoc-Roussillon Region
France

Tel: 00 33 4 67 94 23 94
Fax: 00 33 4 67 94 48 77

E-mail: info@campingleneptune.com
Web site: www.campingleneptune.com/english/

This area is full of campsites; there’s almost literally one round every corner. This one is one of the quietest and least "touristy" in the area.

It’s right by the River Herault - there are boats moored outside the site entrance and about 1 mile from the Mediterranean beaches.

The site itself is clean, well kept and efficiently run. The facilities are good, but there is really only one toilet/shower block (though a recent small block has been added), and despite the sites relatively small size the pitches are quite reasonably sized. There is a swimming pool (and a children’s pool) which is heated - though it must only be slightly heated!
Entertainment is provided for children, but there isn’t much night time entertainment - which suits me fine.
The downside is not thesite but the area and its road systems. Getting in and out of the site is not easy and is a one way system without signposts - and the area is in a permanent state of road chaos as far as I can see.
There is the old town of Agde (permanently jammed) and an inadequate relief road with a bridge which also seemed to be permanently jammed. This made getting to and from anywhere other than Grau d’Agde itself a nightmare. Not that the area around was particularly present, it mostly seemed to be real downmarket tourism. I know this sounds snobbish but it’s not really my sort of thing. I’d recommend the site happily to anyone who wants to come here, but I doubt we will return to the area itself again.

Paul Robson. Internet. September 2006

Camping Le Neptune
46, Boulevard du St Christ
F34300 Agde
Languedoc-Roussillon Region
France

Tel: 00 33 4 67 94 23 94
Fax: 00 33 4 67 94 48 77

E-mail: info@campingleneptune.com
Web site: www.campingleneptune.com/

To Find Site:
Leave A9 at junction 34 and take N312/N112 towards Le Cap d’Agde. After crossing the river on high level bridge take first exit for Le Grau d’Agde, at first roundabout take a left and then cross the next two roundabouts and at the fourth take the left hand turning which takes you back under the high level bridge. Once under the bridge the road becomes one way, with the river on your right, Camping Le Neptune is a short distance down this road on the left. Reception is only open from 10.00am to midday and from 14.00 to 18.00pm so it might be best to time your arrival to coincide with these times as there is limited space in front of reception.

Neptune is a relatively small site for the South of France with around 160 pitches of which 100 are touring pitches, the rest are taken up by static caravans. When the site is full this could be a positive advantage in terms of peace and quiet. Pitch size is quite generous although access can be difficult on some because of trees on the pitch which makes reversing almost impossible without a mover if you have a caravan. However most pitches are free of such obstructions. Also access roads need to be taken with care as some turns into site roads are tight and low overhanging palm trees can make progress along some site roads difficult.
Water points are placed along the site roads. Electric points are convenient to pitches and take CEE17 connectors.
The main toilet block is situated behind the reception area. Toilets and showers are separate and are unisex although the toilet cubicles are accessed from around the outside of the building. There is a mix of Turkish and English toilets, the latter are seatless and no paper is provided. There is a second facility block at the other end of the sites but this is quite small.
Also in the reception area is a bar that does snacks and sells bread and in the main season other essentials. Adjoining the bar is a swimming pool.
There is WiFi available in the area of the bar at reasonable cost. The site also has a site wide internet network system which runs via the electricity cables around the campsite, this requires the hire of special equipment with a deposit of €150 and €6 a day for use of the internet. Unless you really need that level of internet connection the WiFi seems a far better option.

The site accepts Camping Cheques with the exception of a period of about 6 weeks starting from the 10th July. They also offer a 7 days for 6 Cheques which makes for pretty good value.

The beach at Grau d’Agde is about a mile from the site. Whilst there is parking near the beach there is a convenient cycle path/walkway along the river from the campsite. There are lots of options for boat trips from Grau d’Agde including those that use the Canal du Midi.
Near to the site is a large Supermarket. At Le Cap d’Agde there is an Aqua Park.

Date of visit mid September 2009.

David Klyne. CLIC. October 2009
For images of this site, and other reports, go to Caravantravels

Camping Sarl La Plage
69, Chemin du Pairollet
F34340 Marseillan-Plage
Languedoc-Roussillon Region
France

Tel: 00 33 4 67 21 92 54
Fax: 00 33 4 67 01 63 57

E-mail: info@laplage-camping.net
Web site: www.laplage-camping.net/..

Having just spent three weeks in June/July there in the company of two who have been using the site for 20 years I think they would agree that the best time to go is at the end of the season September/October.

The site is run by Marc who speaks good English and his assistant Coreena has a full comand of English.

Everybody is very friendly and many go back to the same pitches year after year. It does get full and advanced booking is strongly recommended.

The site is right on the beach and there is a 20% increase in price for those on the first row and 10% for those on the second. We were on the second and were well satisfied because if the wind does get up - and it does - the sound of the sea crashing all night is enough to fill the biggest loo!

By the middle of July the resort was starting to get quite noisey and crowded and I fancy that August would best be left for the French to enjoy! September October would be a better bet if only for an increase in sea temperature.

Continental hook up - beware of reverse polarity.

Neville Goward. CLIC. July 1999

Le Charlmagne (a Yelloh site)
380, chemin de l’Airettes
F34340 Marseillan Plage
Languedoc-Roussillon Region
France

Tel/Fax: 0033 (0)4 67 77 18 68

E-mail: camping@beauregard-a-sud.com
Web: www.beauregard-a-sud.com/uk/..

Site is large (480 total pitches) and twinned with Nouvelle Floride across the road. There are a lot of advertised facilities but most are across the road

This pool complex is across at the Nouvell Floride site there is a smaller unheated pool at Charlemagne

Pitches are sand, surrounded by hedges and trees in the usual French style, some are quite small and irregularly shaped
Electric is 6 amp but it appeared to Trip at 4 amps
There is a water tap on pitches too.

Toilets/ washrooms/showers/pot-washing/laundry block is modern and cleaned regularly, I could find the supposed chemical toilet waste point, until after a long search realised it was in one of the holes in the floor loo’s - one had a water tap and hose in and that was the waste point.
There was only one sanitary block for the whole campsite (308 touring pitches 480 total)

The supermarket (Petit Casino) outside the gates opens 8:30am (ish) until 14pm (ish) then again at 5:30 (ish) until 7pm( ish). Usually late opening and early closing

Internet access is on 1 terminal, in the bar, on a phone card system which can be purchased from reception when open.

Despite the large size of the site there is only one set of rubbish bins and no recycling despite signs saying there is.

You have to pay 24 hours in advance of leaving and if you are 1 minute past 12MD you cannot access the security barrier until you pay for another day.

Graham Wilson. CLIC. September 2005

I have been informed that this site has lost it’s inclusion on Camping Cheques due to falling standards

Montpellier Plagé
95 Avenue Saint Maurice
F34250 Palavas les Flots
Languedoc-Roussillon Region
France

Tel: 00 33 (0)4 67 68 00 91
Fax: 00 33 (0)4 67 68 10 69

E-mail: camping.montpellier.plage@wanadoo.fr
Web: www.domaine-saint-maurice.com/gb..

An example of the pitches....

Campsite dirty, lots of broken glass, 80% of site street lights broken.
Toilet blocks (3) all raised up (for flood defenses!) though only one has disabled access.

This picture of Stephanie, with the site in the background, shows how scruffy this 3* site is, which is a pity as Pavalas les Flots is a really nice town.

Pitches basic Southern European facilities but in poor repair. Electric 4amp, French plug, reverse polarity, but power boxes take 10 plugs so when site empty you can get up to 10amps which is what the trips in the box are rated for (could be dangerous).The boxes were also open to the elements and had bare wires too

The directions to the site don’t mention to avoid the low bridge either just outside Pavalas and Carnon

Graham Wilson. CLIC. September 2005

Valon Pont D’arc
Ardeche
Languedoc-Roissillon Region
France

Just got back from just over two weeks down at Valon Pont D’arc in the Ardeche area of France.(About 10 to 12 hours actual driving from Calais, plus any large breaks).
Its about 40 minutes above Avignon in case anyone doesn’t know the area, and situated in one of the most picturesque areas of France. I’m no expert, but have travelled about the country a bit. The Dordoyne must come a close second.

The actual site was booked via CCC Carefree travel services, and is called Camping Nature (not naturist although there is a two mile stretch along the river further down)Parc ’L’Ardechois’.

It actually borders the river itself and Canoe trips can be booked from the site, although it is cheaper to walk about 15 minutes off site and use ’Cano Lulu’ a saving of FF 110 on a site cost of FF 340 per double canoe.
Same service with coach returns.

The canoe trip was 32km (luckily downstream) and includes some of the most fantastic scenery in the world, and some ’interesting’ simple rapids.
A good 5% ended up wet.(Yup yours truly with 18 year old son included). He took the risks every time as others took easier routes, but one time out wasn’t bad (:-)
5 hours paddling sees the shoulders loosened though. Guess who forgot the suncream, but luckily my mate had his, and he hadn’t lost it when he overturned.

Back to the site.
It takes about an hour with the van on the back from Junction 18 of the A6 below Lyon.
Its a twenty minute walk from the town itself, which has a variety of historical areas, but many ’tac’ shops. Still worth an afternoon though, and the banks, and some Excellent, and I mean excellent, restaurants are therein. Well cooked and excellently presented evening meal for eight adults with a few bottles of assorted wine complete with fine waitressing; FF1200 in one of the best restaurants in town.

Market day early Thursday. Worth getting up for but after 1100 hrs forget trying to park.

Horseback riding, climbing/absailing, caving, mountain biking, and of course short and long canoe trips can be booked from site. About FF150 for a half day activity, and the guides/experts were far above average.

Safety was always paramount but not so as to belittle the experiences.
I ached where I didn’t even have muscles the day before on more than one occasion. (Including the ever enlarging main stomach muscle/beer/wine belly).

Most pitches have more than sufficient shade, showers are plentiful and clean, washing machines cost FF 25 per wash (I asked the Mrs. (:-)), tennis, restaurant (:-( but good take away, boules area, very nice pool(trunks only, no sawn off jeans), children’s’ play area, and a very well stocked bar.
Beer FF14 per 0.25cl. Most drinks FF14 but shorts are pricey, if that’s your tipple.

There are a few Eurosite tents on site and a few mobiles, but not to spoil the site as the vast majority are tourers.
Possibly a few too many Dutch IMO, but that’s a personal view, and we actually got on very well with the Dutch local to our pitch.
The site was completely full during our stay, but we never queued for anything. I would guess about 250 pitches or less in total.
The ’Animation’ wasn’t particularly good at night, but I was told that the kids were well looked after in the daytime with assorted organised games.

I have a current price list if anyone is interested, but an extra night with 5 adults, caravan without electricity cost FF310.

Its a 4 star site and deserves it IMHO. (There. I got one in (:-).

Norman Elkington. CLIC. July 1999

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