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No, the fees don't apply if you just turn up.  However, whether you'll get a pitch depends on the dates you want to go, and the sites.

We've been to the Ardeche lots of times, and may have a bit more 'insider information' if you could give the name of the sites, and the dates when you want to stay there.

Don't pay unless you have to when booking low season stuff   But high season is a different matter   You have to take your chance and could well lose out    The cost of the arrhes is minimal in comparison to the whole holiday, so just go with the flow

If I have to pay, I get them to phone me and I pay by plastic   I don't want to pay over the internet or send my bank details by email.  Generally works well.  One guy said - 'you'r booked, just come, don't bother paying the deposit'   good guy!    Helps if you talk French I find

Domaine de Gil takes the ACSI card from the 27th August, at 16 euros per night compared to their 'normal tariff' of 33 euros plus 5 for electricity, so for the first three 24/25/26th August nights you'd pay full price, and 27th August to the 1st September the ACSI price, saving 22 euros per night on those four nights (!) and then 6 euros per night thereafter. (see the website www.campingcard.co.uk) for details.

You won't need to book at L'Ardechois I don't think.  In the past when we've been there the campsite was almost half empty by that weekend in August.

In case you decide to 'do' L'Ardechois (your other choice) when we were last there the facilities (superb in every way) were definitely Unisex.  I'm not sure if the new sanitary blocks are the same as it's a while since we actually stayed there - though we had a 'tour' about two years ago.

That tends to be quite common on French sites, and if it's a 'must have' then you might be better posting a question asking which sites have separate facilities.  I can't think of any that we've stayed on in the Ardeche - but it doesn't bother me or OH at all these days!

Hi the whitehouse.

                          Domaine de Gil wash block is separate male and female, although when cleaning is in progress, one block will be closed, whilst the other doubles up as unisex.

The pitches are mostly very shaded, but imho definatley not gloomy, if there was no shade you would be in for a roasting during July, downside is that it is a real bugger to get a decent satellite signal, so we use an 80cm dish, which works fine, despite all the folidge.

For us there is more than plenty to do, we are slowly working our way through the places to visit for free, in the Ardeche region, this will be our third visit, and we have hardley covered the tip of the ice berg.

Hope to get to Rae Peak if it's open this year, definatley one on my to do list, and involves a full day's rambling I am told.

Hi the whitehouse.

                          Friends of ours went to Domaine de Gil back in 2010, they went for the last week of August and were in one of the Statics, they had a great time, with outstanding weather, but did comment about the restaraunt being closed, and also not all the markets were happening, which I guess is to be expected towards the end of the season.

They almost had the run of the campsite to themselves, as there were hardly any tourers at that time, which suprised me with it being an ACSI site and only €15 per night inc EHU quite a bargain for a 4 Star campsite.

Just think if they had taken thier own tent, they would have only paid £90 instead of almost £500 for the Static!.