Loire Valley
Looking for recommendations for sites in the Loire Valley for July next year
Comments
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Which stretch of the Loire ? It's hundreds of miles long - and what style of site ? - something like a CL or a five star superlative? There is so much choice.
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FF have a look at Les Saules near Cheverney.Not sure what types of sites you like,but we stopped here earlier this year.It is on cycling routes and nearby Chambord and Cheverney Chateau's.The site is wooded,pitches are large,but no entertainment laid on
(which we prefer)This site is in the Club's Oversea's brochure.0 -
Blois / Chambord area and we will be travelling with 2 teenagers.
The nicest site I know midway betwen Blois and Chambord is Camping Rural de Chatillon - but it's small, only 25 pitches, lots of open space, and has neat, clean and spotless facilities. It's in a village, and on the cycle routes along the valley - but I'm afraid it's not the place if your teenagers are looking for romance or entertainment. Sorry.
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I'd agree with another David (and Deleted User) - if your teenagers are anything like mine were. We're not big fans of cramming in as many beautiful Chateaux as possible, and so we found little else to interest us in the Loire. Our (typical) teenagers would have found even less. They both loved the Ardeche and Tarn areas, where they found plenty to do, exciting things like canoeing down the Gorge, white water rafting, body-boarding down river for picnics, jumping off rocks and swings into the river and so on. These days there are even more activities for typical teenagers - such as organised bike rides, those tree-top walkways, death-slides, bungee jumping, canyoning, etc. By comparison they would have found the Loire too 'tame' and 'boring'. However, you know what your teenagers want - but what sort of site do you all prefer? Do you want large and lively, with pool, slides, take-away, restaurant and bar, and organised activities for teenagers, or a quiet site in an orchard or vineyard with just a few other caravans and tents around? Do you want a state of the art sanitary block, or a small building with a couple of showers and toilets. All sites in France have some sort of sanitary facilities, electric hook-ups and chemical disposal points (though occasionally, on smaller municipal sites, the latter may be just outside the site).
Mine loved a lively site, with plenty of other teenagers to 'hang-out' with, sometimes with organised sleep-overs out in the woods with everyone playing instruments around a camp-fire or other teen-targeted activities. They liked a riverside site, a good sized pool, table football tables and tennis courts, somewhere to ride their bikes, and a good area for teenagers to meet up and do what teenagers do - preferably with a take-away, or pizzeria! Accordingly when they were that age we always stayed on sites like that and if they were happy then so were we. However, friend's teenagers were quieter, more introverted, and more interested in church architecture and buildings, and gardens, so they would have been quite happy wandering around the Chateaux of the Loire.
Even now we still like riverside sites, with pools and all the facilities we got used to when they were with us! And this year the youngest (now thirty) came back and joined us on a site in the Ardeche where we now store our caravan! He took our canoe out on the river, and his dog swam alongside!
Tell us what sort of site you prefer and it will help with recommendations.
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Thank you everyone for your replies. A friend had talked about good cycling in the Loire and we will be taking our bikes. 1 chateau is probably more than enough in reality!! We like sites with pools and activities especially if they are aimed at teenagers
rather than the pony walks which we are well passed. A riverside site is ideal as it would give them the option to canoe / kayak etc. We are just at the planning stage so if you could recommend a site in another area that you have enjoyed that ticks all these
boxes we would love to hear about it. Thank you everyone0 -
I would recommend some of the riverside sites near Vallon Pont d'Arc in the Ardeche. We used to stay at L'Ardechois but it is expensive these days. In a similiar situation, but perhaps with better river access, is Le Mondial, and this is considerably cheaper. Next door again is Le Provencal - and there are others 'up river', nearer to Ruoms: Bastide en Ardeche, Soleil Vivarais, Le Plaine, and more besides.
Have a look at the websites and see what you think. There area lots of links to sites here and reviews of those sites:
Vallon Pont d'Arc (sorry about the non-French sites included)
and others:
Cycling will probably be more challenging. There is a Voie Verte (green cycle route) which takes you between Vallon and Ruoms, and in future onwards from there. You could perhaps do some of the descents (and even ascents if you are very fit) of this year's Ardeche state of the Tour de France.......... and here is a website which gives you some idea of the cycling available around the Ardeche.
Vallon and Ruoms are 'holiday towns' but with some charm, and my sons still love them. Both 'towns' have good markets, and plenty of interesting shops, bars and restaurants, plus museums and nearby caves (caving type caves as well as wine 'caves').
It's been a favourite area since our first trip there when the youngest was just four!
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Millau is the gateway to the Gorges du Tarn, Jonte and Dourbie. Another area loved by us, including, my sons, though in those days we stayed at Val de Cantobre which is a few miles away from Millau. This is a good site, but in a more out of the way area - though one we absolutely loved and went back until 2007 when the family owners sold up to RCN. We haven't been back since, though keep saying we will pay another visit just to see how it compares. It used to have a great pizzeria where you could buy a 'take-away' price pizza but sit at an outdoor table, with cutlery and condiments provided, wine available, and eat your pizza and meet and chat to people.
We like Les Rivages too, though we haven't stayed there with our 'teenagers', just as a mature couple.
You could cycle along the Gorge du Tarn, but in July traffic could be a problem and there are no 'Voie Vertes' in the area. However, if you're into mountain biking then it's an exciting area. There would be some interesting cycling opportunities through the wild country on the rather level areas on each of the 'Grand Causses' and if you're interested in wildlife then it's a fantastic area for plants, animals, birds and butterflies. In the Gorges du Jonte there is a colony of vultures which is growing year on year, and a viewing centre where there are cameras trained on the nests and feeding area.
Millau has a lovely night market, on Mondays (I think) in the summer months, where local food producers set up their stalls, and you can buy their produce and sit at communal tables and have a meal or a snack. There is a similar smaller market at Montredon on the Causse du Larzac which on the right sort of night (starry, warm, no wind) can be a magical experience with musicians and sideshows.
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Sorry forgot to add this link for mountain biking around Millau:
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Another area/site you may wish to consider is Domaine de Soliel Plage, it was a favourite when our boys were teenagers. It's near Sarlat. The site is right on the Dordogne river with all the river activities which they loved. This year our son went back with his own children and they all loved it. Lots to do on site, the canoe adventures right from the site, were a big hit. Lots to see in the area. Sorry I don't know about cycling areas but I'm sure the information is available.
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Another area/site you may wish to consider is Domaine de Soliel Plage, it was a favourite when our boys were teenagers. It's near Sarlat. The site is right on the Dordogne river with all the river activities which they loved. This year our son went back
with his own children and they all loved it. Lots to do on site, the canoe adventures right from the site, were a big hit. Lots to see in the area. Sorry I don't know about cycling areas but I'm sure the information is available.A first class site with some large hedged pitches near the river. The on site nosh spot is not bad either.
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A first class site with some large hedged pitches near the river. The on site nosh spot is not bad either.
But not on the Moroccan Nights - the food was truly awful! I agree it's a nice site for adults as well as teenagers - though not if the weather is bad and the river high!
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And not fun at Soleil plage in wet weather. We had the worst week of our caravan life there - despite the owners sending a slurry tanker to try to suck up the worst of the water on the low lying part of the site. Dreadful conditions. But that's the Dordogne not the Loire which the OP asked about.
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Val the main market in Millau is Friday with a smaller one on Wednesday.
David
David - I meant the night market (Millau has a lovely night market, on Mondays (I think) in the summer months, where local food producers set up their stalls, and you can buy their produce and sit at communal tables and have a meal or a snack).
Details and photograph here: Millau Producteurs Marche Nocturne
(Producers night market)For anyone who hasn't been it's a great atmosphere, and you can get to taste lots of things for free, or buy a platerful and have a really good meal.
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Last April we stayed at a site called La Bouysse De Caudon, near Vitrac in the Dordogne. This site is next door to the site at Soleil Plage and you will find it listed in the ACSI guide. We chose this site in preference to Soleil Plage based on the ACSI
reviews we read many of which rated it more highly than Soleil Plage and said it was cheaper. We were not disappointed. A lovely site right next to the river with great views. the site was well maintained with large flat grassy pitches bordered by hedges to
give some privacy. Toile/shower facilities were good and the staff were helpful and friendly. We were there early season and had the site virtually to ourselves. Only downside was that they were still preparing the site for the main season and some of the
facilities were not yet open. Watched them transform the pool from its winter state to a pristine gleaming pool. Had it been open was tempted to go in for a swim even in April! Would imagine the pool would be a major attraction in July with great views and
an area for sunbathing. Kayak hire available from the campsite or just down the road at Soleil Plage. A lovely area. Can highly recommend it0 -
Unfortunately the photo of the night market in Millau no longer 'fronts' the link I posted, so here are some others (the firsts few on the page) showing the stalls in the middle, and the radiating communal tables.
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Looks great fun Val ,I wonder if its just a high season event as we have only ever been there in September and October and hadn't heard of it.
Hi David - you're right, it's high season only. I think that's why the picture in the original link disappeared, because it was no longer a current event in Millau. I'm not sure when the first one of the season is, but they certainly finish the last week
in August. Definitely worth going, though, if you're there when one is on. The food on offer is fantastic - things you don't see anywhere else, with lots of farmers selling and their wives cooking pots of stuff. There are also commercial stalls, but we
generally avoid those and stick to the stalls with home-made products.0 -
We seem to have drifted away from the Loire and rightly so. Apart from the endless boring chateaux the Loire can be more of a stream than a river in the summer. The Dordogne is fantastic for the variety of things to do. There are the river activities then
the caves, Rocamadour etc. Sometimes though you can get unsettled spells. Rain for two weeks in Summer is not unknown.The Ardeche region has the great river activities and it will be reliably hot (too hot?).
West coast, Royan etc. great for teens.
Mllau a good town. For adults I highly recommend Les Erables (no pool). The recent new owners have done an outstanding job and this is the only site in France where I have ever seen the proprietor on duty during the lunch hour!
So, I agree with the comments above - anywhere but the Loire!
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