In May and June this year [2023] we travelled through France for around just over six weeks. We moved around the west [Atlantic] coast in a fairly adhoc way, deciding where to go next as we went along and booking nothing. To help anyone planning their own trip to France I have listed where we stayed by departments below, rather than in the order we visited them.
Every campsite we stayed on was offering a discount with an ACSI card. In France this discount is generally available out of season until the beginning of July and again from the end of August or the beginning of September. The amount we saved varied from just a couple of Euros a night to more and we recovered the cost of the card in around a week. Over a six week trip the ACSI card more than paid for itself.
With a couple of exceptions, the sites all had unisex facilities, most provided toilet paper but not all of them and some provided soap at the sinks in the sanitary blocks. Many of the sites had swimming pools too. We also always paid a tourist tax of around €1/night each. We were often only travelling short distances between campsites and sometimes we arrived before the 12.00 lunch break and this was never a problem.
Loire-Atlantique & Maine-et-Loire
These are the regions around Nantes and Angers. Maine-et-Loire is inland from Nantes around the River Loire and the Loire-Atlantique is the coastal area north and south of the Loire estuary.
Camping Paradis La Promenade, Montjean-sur-Loire This large site on the banks of the Loire has good-sized marked pitches, some open views and indoor and outdoor pools. The facilities are fine, although the showers were warm rather than hot. There was no bread available early in the season but there is a fantastic bakery 700m away in the village that baked their own rich brioche. The village also has a corner shop. We cycled on pleasant off-road paths and quiet lanes by the Loire. ACSI price €17.00/night.
Camping La Guichardière (Flower Campings), La Plaine-sur-Mer – Just a five minute walk from the sea, this slightly sloping site has good-sized hedged pitches with some shade. The pitches are separate from but surrounded by bungalows. The facilities are very smart with good hot showers in roomy cubicles that also have a sink. The site has an indoor and outdoor pool and a pleasant snack bar. We could order bread for the morning. The coast is rugged here with sandy coves and we walked and cycled on the coastal path and inland agricultural tracks. The ACSI price €19.00/night.
Camping Les Paludiers (Flowers Campings), Batz sur Mer – This sandy undulating site has very little shade and some uneven pitches. The facilities are dated and really need a refurbishment. The showers are roomy but not adjustable and only just warm. You were lucky if there is one hook in the shower! We have stayed here before as we have friends who live nearby. It is close to the beach, a pretty town and an area of salt pans. ACSI price €19.00/night.
The Vendée & Deux-Sèvres
These areas are south of the River Loire. The Vendée has a popular Atlantic coastline of sandy beaches but inland is mostly agricultural. La Roche-sur-Yon is the place to go for out-of-town shopping. Deux-Sèvres is also rural, growing cereals and potatoes and apples. The idyllic Marais Poitevin, an area of marshland crisscrossed by picturesque canals and drainage ditches, is in this area too.
RCN la Ferme du Latois, near Coex – This large site has clearly marked grassy pitches around ponds in peaceful countryside. There are four facility blocks and three of these were open when we visited in May. The showers were good and hot with adjustable temperature control and the facilities clean. RCN is a Dutch organisation that runs campsites in the Netherlands and France. They use the profits to provide holidays for people who otherwise would not have the opportunity. The site is north of Lac du Jaunay and we walked there and around half of the reservoir and cycled a local route. ACSI price €17.00/night.
Camping Le Martin-Pêcheur, Magné – On the edge of the Marais Poitevin and near to Niort, this small site suited us very well. The pitches are generous, the facilities are modern and clean with the best showers we had all holiday. There was toilet paper and soap too. They didn’t have morning bread but I enjoyed my five minute cycle ride to the smart bakery in the pretty village before breakfast. There is a supermarket in the village too. The site is handy for picking up the cycle route along the canal to Coulon and there are buses too. We cycled on different lanes and paths through the woodland and fields and fell in love with this picturesque area. ACSI price €19.00/night.
Camping Paradis La Bretonnière, St Julien des Landes – A grassy site with some hedged pitches and touring pitches separate from bungalows. The site is in peaceful countryside south of Lac du Jaunay and has a pool. The showers and toilets are open to the outdoors and this is fine in warm weather and there was plenty of hot water. The village is 2kms away and this has a convenience shop and a cafe. We cycled to Lac du Jaunay and around the quiet countryside. ACSI price €15.00/night.
Charente-Maritime & Charente
The beautiful River Charente runs through these two departments. La Rochelle and the Ile de Ré are in the north of the Charente-Maritime and this coast is popular with tourists. Inland, Charente is quieter and has a tradition of producing cognac and pineau, an aperitif of wine and cognac.
Camping La Tour des Prises, Ile de Ré – This is a popular campsite but well positioned in the centre of the island, allowing us to cycle to either end of the island. The site is walled and the pitches are not enourmous but many of them have solid hedges giving privacy. There are two facilities blocks which are clean and the showers are good with temperature adjustment. There is a pool and morning bread is available. We were given a cycling map when we arrived so we could explore the island. Despite being easy to access and cycle from, the campsite is peaceful. It is about 10 minutes cycle ride to a small supermarket about 2.5kms away. ACSI price €21.00/night.
Camping de Cognac, Cognac – This grassy and shady site by the river is about a 30 minute walk [or a quicker cycle ride] into the city of Cognac. The site has some road noise from the surprisingly busy road that crosses the river. The male and female facilities were roomy and the shower temperature is adjustable. There was no morning bread out of season. La Flow Vélo, a long distance cycle route passes the campsite and you can cycle by the river in either direction. ACSI price €17.00/night.
L’Ile Madame Camping, Jarnac – This level and prettily laid out grassy site is on the edge of Jarnac and a short and attractive walk into the town centre. Jarnac is a lovely place with a small shopping area, an indoor market, an edge of town supermarket and some Cognac houses. The campsite facilities are fine, with good hot showers, although the washing up sinks are outdoors. Campers have to walk to the bakery. Off road cycle routes by the river go in either direction as part of La Flow Vélo. ACSI price €19.00/night.
Camping des Ribieres, Confolens – This popular site has a riverside setting and is near to the tourist town of Confolens that has restaurants, shops, some charming buildings and a 13th century arched bridge. The site has two kayaks you can take onto the River Vienne and you can rent huts and ready-erected tents. Unusually, we found that campers are allocated a pitch even out of season. The facilities are fine, the showers warm but somewhat cramped. The road alongside the campsite is busy and there is some road noise but if you are nearer the river this is negligible. There is a snack van that does a roaring trade. ACSI price €15.00/night.
Dordogne
The large rural Dordogne Department in southwest France is mostly north of the River Dordogne. We spent a few weeks in the Périgord area in the north of the Department. This historical region is sparsely populated and has abundant woodlands and meadows of cattle and crops, cut through by winding steep-sided river valleys.
Camping Chateau le Verdoyer, Champs Romain – In the Périgord countryside this campsite is in the grounds of a traditional-style chateau. Many of the pitches have open views over meadows and woodland and they are marked and some have hedges. There are also pitches with private bathrooms on your pitch but not for the ACSI price! The showers are timed for five and a half minutes and are warm rather than hot but kept clean. The washing up sinks that were available when we stayed here had no roof but others do. There is an indoor and outdoor pool and reception has a small shop, snack bar and morning bread is available. Good evening meals are available in the chateau and they have a vegetarian option. We purchased a local walking map for a few Euros and hiked on the waymarked paths over a few days. The village is about 30 minutes walk away and has a cafe, a corner shop and a free weighbridge. ACSI price €19.00/night.
Camping Brantôme Peyrelevade, Brantôme – This is a large riverside site with plenty of pitches with shade and three sanitary blocks, although they were not open fully when we were there out of season. The pitches are marked out. The facilities are okay and the showers hot. The site is well run and close to the busy tourist town of Brantôme which has an abbey and gardens to visit. There is a good network of local waymarked walks in the woodland and meadows from the site. ACSI price €17.00/night.
Camping La Chatonnière, Jumilhac-le-Grand – This terraced campsite was a big hit with us. It is family-run and friendly, our shady pitch overlooked the river and it was peaceful and tidy. The three facilities blocks are kept clean and eventually we found that the ones nearest reception had the hottest showers. Bread is available at reception and they sell some essentials including local honey. The campsite also sells takeaway pizzas in the evening that are good. The village of Jumilhac-le-Grand is a short walk away uphill and has a corner shop, a pharmacy, a couple of cafes and a beautiful chateau. There are numerous waymarked walks from the village and we hiked along the valley and up and down the steep hillsides of this idyllic countryside. ACSI price €15.00/night.
Ille-et-Vilaine
One of the departments in Brittany, Ille-et-Vilaine spreads inland from the coast around Saint-Malo and Dinard. Rennes, its main town, is in the centre of the department and the name comes from two rivers in the area, the Ille and the Vilaine.
Camping des Chevrets, St Coulomb near Saint-Malo – If we have visited a campsite more than once it means it certainly has our seal of approval. This large and popular site was busier in June than it was at the end of August when we last visited. The weather was warmer too and we chose a shady pitch. There are red squirrels in the trees and direct access to beaches and coastal walks. The facilities are fine although I would have liked some soap for handwashing as we were paying more than other campsites. The campsite has a cafe overlooking the beach and a shop that has morning bread and other essentials. ACSI price €21.00/night.
Domaine de la Ville Huchet, Saint-Malo – We stayed at this site with some trepidation having read very mixed reviews. We would now use it again for one or two nights as it was okay and has good bus [about ten minutes walk to the stop] or cycling access into the fascinating town of Saint-Malo. The site is grassy with trees and marked pitches that are allocated. The reception and snack bar are bright and modern and campers are given maps for Saint-Malo. The facilities are light and airy and the shower temperature is adjustable and so can be as hot as I like it and the cubicles are roomy. ACSI price €21.00/night.
Back on the road again 