We have booked for 2 weeks June july and paid by rcn camping vouchers , total cost £121 , the campsite has reserved a lake view pitch for us . Thanks for the review and photos , it helped us decide where to go
Quote: Originally posted by wardley17 on 10/1/2015Thanks for the review and photos , it helped us decide where to go
Nice one, Tel!
That's the main aim of these threads, I guess!
Sounds like you've bagged a bargain too!
Just had a look at these 'ere RCN Vouchers you mention... Looks like we can save ourselves about €60 when we return for 12 nights in Sept, which we are planning to do.
The only problem is, they currently seem to have disappeared off their "webshop" page! I'll keep checking.
Go to the Dutch language site and they will come up in the web shop http://www.rcn.nl/nl/webshop . Once ordered you get an invoice to pay for them it was in dutch but to pay you do an iban transfer which my bank charged £8 and the coupons arrived 2 days later . . I couldn't believe how good a deal they are . Terry
Searching "La Ferme du Latois", found this thread. Very helpful, whole are looks beautiful.
Got it down to here or Village de la Guyonnière, (maybe also Le Pin, but the OH thinks that looks far too commercial for us).
This looks a lovely site, and your photos are v helpful, but Village de la Guy, has a fully serviced pitch available.
I think both sites have pretty much massive pitches. There aren't many reviews for this site though, and it's only averaging 8/10 on here, 5 *'s on Trip Advisor though. Maybe it's just so damn nice on this site that no one submits a review?
So Mucker, (or anyone else) do I book here for next August?
Thanks Mucker
After going to Loire and Dordogne last year we want to go back to the Vendee. Have been looking at this site and it looks good. Your comments have helped too. We normally go to La Guyonniere but as the pool is cold I don't go in (arthritis) and would like somewhere different but with same large pitches.
------------- 2026
Various weekends, weather and time permitting
April - Yorkshire and Yorkshire
June - Wiltshire and Oxfordshire
Autumn - North and Scotland
Alphonso,
We went out and about on our bikes one day, and took in the local camp sites, to see what we were missing out on, and that included La Guy... and Le Pin, for that matter.
I would say, La guy was bigger... but less spacious, if that makes sense.
More pitches, bigger pool, with bigger slides. Bigger bar and outdoor seating, and generally more activities going on/available.
Maybe with kids, La Guy could prove the better option, but for a couple with peace and quiet at the top of their agenda, I think we chose right... to the point that we will return to La Ferme again this year. We saw nothing that day to even tempt us going elsewhere.
The pitches at La guy seemed a reasonable size, and on the whole, more private, in the sense that most, if not all, had full hedges to 3 sides. It was all a bit "New York Streets" for my liking... all roads at right angles, all pitches true rectangles!
I'd say a good portion of the pitches at La Ferme are truly "massive". Where we were, the hedges were "less full".
As it was September, and we were into the last fortnight of La Ferme being open, the west side of the site was closed off, but many of the pitches on that side were more open, with low hedges and the odd sparse shrub etc in between, so a much more open feel about them... and less trees, so a lot of sun. We were aiming for that area (having checked out google map views) until we found out that section was closed. We were far from disappointed with the pitch we had though, east of the lakes... from memory, it was something like 13m across the back, 15m+ across the front (tapered side) and a good 13m deep. Had to be around the 180m2 area? Many on the (closed off) West side were similar or even bigger! Most around the lake are nearer to the 10m x 10m.
I got the impression that the majority of pitches at La Guy were big, but not on the same scale of La Ferme.
We liked the bar areas at both, despite being different. But in general, we got the impression that La Guy would be "too commercial", particular during peak times. Not "so bad" when we go, to be fair.
Similar for La Pin, too. Pleasant enough when we popped in, but you could still smell the screaming children that were obviously there a month or two previous!!
There was more of a rural feel to La Ferme, in my limited experience. Just a bit more "natural"? Maybe not as pristine as the other's, not as clinical, not as square and regimented (in the pitch layouts). Reception was gloriously friendly and informal, but still professional and helpful.
Must say, these were short visits, probably an hour or so at each, a quick nosy around on our bikes, and a soft drink/coffee in the bar.
We experienced little of the staff, none of reception, and virtually none of the amenities, so I certainly couldn't offer a fair all round review, of course.
Overall, we left each with the impression that we were happy with our decision to go to La Ferme, and we will indeed return this September.
Ultimately though, I could fully understand if La Ferme just didn't quite "offer enough" for some folk.
One man's "great fun" is another man's "holiday from hell". One man's "Rural and tranquil" is another man's "Graveyard"!
I can only offer my opinion... it's you that has to decide!!
Gailbonny,
You'll certainly get large pitches at La Ferme!
Not sure when you are going, or indeed how busy it gets in the peak periods. For September, we just turned up unannounced, and I would say, even with half the pitches closed off, we were still spoilt for choice, when it came to available pitches.
For anyone interested, you seem to get a more defined "birds eye view" of the pitches in Bing maps, as opposed to Google maps. You can also measure the pitches on Google Earth.
La Ferme's website also has those 360 views of various parts of the site, too, although I suspect 3 or 4 years old? (Just guessing).
Each to their own, as always, but La Ferme, in September, suited us down to the ground!
Same for you, Gailbonny... let us know what you decide... and your resulting opinions!
Cheers Mucker. The OH and DD have just gone out for the day, so I have all day to brood about it....
Was it mostly Dutch on the site? I get the feeling there aren't many French yes thus site? Although last summer at Les Embruns we found our Dutch neighbours far friendlier than the French..
Really not worried about the bar size, we tend not to use clubs or bars... Prefer to chill at the pitch.,...
Looked on Camping Strret View, La Guy looks massive... Think we've discounted Pin. Too commercial for us I think, dancing in the pool etc
not our cup of tea,...
I like to treat myself to a fully serviced oitch for the "big holiday". That's possibly the only plus for Le Guy.
I'll maybe put a new thread u. The camping abroad forum, see which site comes on top :-)
The area looks lovely, your photos have been a great help with that. Cheers.
The staff were all Dutch (from what I witnessed) and all spoke perfect English. (We speak no Dutch, and can just about appear "polite" when conversing with French folk... hopefully! )
Of the couple of dozen or so campers we conversed with, I'd say 60% were Dutch, 40% were Brits. Give or take. Don't recall being involved in any conversations with French folk, (on site) although I'm sure there would have been a couple there!
Must say though, we neither go out of our way to attract "holiday friends", nor seem to attract "that sort" to us (thankfully!) as we very much like our own company. We're more than happy with polite passing conversations, and cheery smiles, and maybe, at a push, to hear where you have just been, and where you are going next week, but we tend to shy away from finding out where you have worked for the last 45 years, and how well your daughter is doing at Uni!
On a separate note, but as clarification...
When I said the West side of the site was closed off, due to the time of year... there were no barriers and no screaming "keep out" signs! It was merely that the one loo/shower block over that side was locked, and the pitches were unavailable to rent. It was all still fully accessible for a stroll around site. In fact, I believe the footy pitches/table tennis etc are over that side of the site, (beyond the Western-most pitches) and were still available?
It is often useful to learn a bit of Dutch.
We were on a site, run by a Dutch couple, who said on our arrival "We will speak English as you won't want to speak Dutch".
When we replied in dreadful Dutch "I am sorry I don't know any Dutch", they were astonished and said in the 7 years they had never had English guests who even tried to speak Dutch.
For the rest of the stay we were the privileged couple, offered to join them in a meal and then given a nice discount at the end of the stay.
Perhaps Ina on this site can run a very basic course. (You might need to bribe her with Camping Cheques)
Mucker, I'm more concerned about the DD making a friend or two than us. We're happy to spend time together, or sit with neighbours sharing a beer, don't go out of our way to make friends for sure, but it's good for the young Lard to get herself a buddy to pass the time, rather than spening the whole two weeks mythering us :-)
A great help this thread though Mucker, I think it's winning so far. I've put a post on the Camping Abroad thread also, it's such a tough call between the two sites, (never normally put so much agonizing into a site choice)...
Quote: Originally posted by SGThomas on 15/2/2015
It is often useful to learn a bit of Dutch.
We were on a site, run by a Dutch couple, who said on our arrival "We will speak English as you won't want to speak Dutch".
When we replied in dreadful Dutch "I am sorry I don't know any Dutch", they were astonished and said in the 7 years they had never had English guests who even tried to speak Dutch.
For the rest of the stay we were the privileged couple, offered to join them in a meal and then given a nice discount at the end of the stay.
Perhaps Ina on this site can run a very basic course. (You might need to bribe her with Camping Cheques)
I love the Dutch, as matter of fact as the Germans but with a super laid back attitude and great sense of humour. They are definitely doing something right over there.
Great photos Mucker, you've reminder me what sunshine looks like!
------------- “...reality, however utopian, is something from which people feel the need of taking pretty frequent holidays....”
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Rcn Camping La Ferme Du Latois - PICS...
)
