Ive lived in france for over 20 years and would like to start my own campsite in northern France in the next couple of year, I am passionate about camping and wild fishing, and was wondering, what makes a realy good campsite? What are the must haves, and the do nots,
Im looking for a minimum 10 acre site with a 6 acre fishing lake, and maybe a couple of log cabins to rent out, with camping car placements and camping ( tents) area,
Any advice on the must haves would be great fully appreciated
Thanks
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Every single person here will give you a different answer to that question so it would be better to go with what YOU want and concentrate on making it the very best it can be.
I kind of thought that, but its nice to know the things people would appreciate, or can make life easier when on holiday, i can then implement the suggestions that i think will help people enjoy there stay,
I have loads of ideas, but would appreciate a different perspective 👍😁
As has already been said, everyone has their own ideas as to what makes a good campsite. I think it's as much about location and ground conditions as anything. Good, flat, well drained ground is a start. For us we would want somewhere quiet but not too far off the beaten track. Others though would probably want somewhere with a bit of life and entertainment. Our ideas change as we get older I find, as we would have liked somewhere more lively when we were young and had kids around, but now we are retired and only ever go on our own, we want a bit of piece and quiet.
------------- Best Regards,
Colin
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Thanks for your input, im over 50 and can see myself catering for people who would like a bit of peace and quiet,
I was thinking of a man made beach on the site, variouse entertainment, boule, darts, table tennis, comunal kitchen and a small shop for essentials,
As im a very keen gardener i would like to sell my own produce as well as offering a weekly BBQ,
As i say im new to all this and will have to sell my house in france before entering into this next stage of my life, but i do like to be prepared, so im researching as much as possible now,
Any advice of any kind will be greatly appreciated,
EG, advertising, dos and donts, peoples prefered areas in france etc
Thanks
Welcome to UKCS, Mr woodland. This question gets asked regularly. Try the Search tab to see previous threads, you may need to try a variety of key words. Go back several years because no one in their right mind has set up a site in UK during Covid.
The only differences in what you plan in France might be admin details relating to getting planning permission or regulations about dealing with chemical toilet waste or toilets etc.
Oh, we’d want a toilet & EHU, minimum. If you look at any site in the UKCS directory (maybe one near your location), you’ll see how many facilities are listed here (greyed out if the site doesn’t have it).
Good luck with your plans.
We too would want EHU and decent toilets, but we would steer clear of any site that had entertainment as we prefer to go out for that if we want it. We mainly use our caravan for sleeping in, and we are out for most of the day exploring. A small shop selling essentials would be handy but not vital as we tend to bring stuff back with us. For us a site shop would be just for things we had forgotten while we were out.
------------- Best Regards,
Colin
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
For me personally, now that I am an owner of a PVC (panel van conversion) with her own facilities, I would like EHU at least 10A, well-drained grass pitch or a hardstanding pitch (an all weather pitch would be fine too), washing up area, flushing toilet and shower in case I do not wish to use my own, and a CDP (chemical disposal point).
Dog walk on site is not essential as long as it is available close by.
A small shop selling the basic provisions like milk and bread would be great, however, not essential if there is a shop close by.
WiFi is not essential, however, it would be useful.
DK
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In Northern France many British campers are passing through heading South or home. It's getting towards dusk, we've been traveling all day and we are looking out for a sign for a campsite.
If we see a sign it must lead us to other signs and to the campsite. Nothing is more frustrating than going on a wild goose chase.
When we arrive at the campsite we need to feel welcome, let us in, if the office is shut tell us to find a pitch and sort it out later or in the morning. I've seen campers arriving late being shouted at by the warden for their bad manners.
No one notices the toilet block unless it is horrible,if you build cheaply it will wear out quickly and become horrible faster. Don't blame the campers if cheap fittings break, replace with better asap.
Facilities cost money and require staff to attend or maintain, add them as you can afford them and as you see a need for them. Long term campers may want EHU but lightweight campers passing through will not, so not all pitches need be the same.
If there is bread supplied in the morning please tell us how to order and buy it.
I like very ‘natural’ sites with clumps of trees, camp where you like rather than in rows, or pitches dotted about in little glades or mown into meadow grass, lots of space.
I also choose sites where I can have a campfire to cook over, and actively avoid sites with EHU, and caravans.
I like sites where any amplified / electronic music is banned.
Quite happy with (good) compost toilets but I do like a washing up sink.
Quote: Originally posted by DeborahTurner on 02/3/2022
Hello Mr Woodland!
I like very ‘natural’ sites with clumps of trees, camp where you like rather than in rows, or pitches dotted about in little glades or mown into meadow grass, lots of space.
I also choose sites where I can have a campfire to cook over, and actively avoid sites with EHU, and caravans.
I like sites where any amplified / electronic music is banned.
Quite happy with (good) compost toilets but I do like a washing up sink.
I agree with your first sentence completely, that is just the sort of site we usually go for. However, we have a caravan so it's unlikely we will ever turn up on the same site as you.
We are not against campfires but we certainly wouldn't look for a site that allowed them. We would hope that anyone who had one kept it well away from us. EHU is essential for us, as without it we wouldn't be able to use our fridge or water heater. On cool nights we use an electric convector heater too.
As for music, we do have a radio in our caravan, and it can play USB sticks too so we can bring some of our own music with us if we want. However, we only ever put it on when the door and windows are closed and we always make sure it cannot be heard outside more than about 6 feet away. If you were on the next pitch to us you would not be able to hear it, even if you were at the minimum allowed spacing. I wouldn't want to hear anyone else's loud music either.
------------- Best Regards,
Colin
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Our ideal campsite has large, flat, well drained pitches with hedged boundaries, EHU and water point. Good washing up facilities, laundry facilities (in northern France a washer and a dryer, both commercial / large size). A well planned sanitary block (roomy shower cubicles with washbasin and mirror, hooks and a bench; toilets with seats and where dividing walls go down to the floor. Include liquid soap by handwashing basins.)
As for on-site shops, we only really buy bread and breakfast pastries, preferring to get provisions when out and about.
We're not interested in on-site entertainment, but I recently read in another thread about a site where they do regional dishes on a few evenings per week and people can collect and take back to their units. This appeals to us, or even a campers communal evening - nothing flash, just tables and chairs or benches, perhaps under cover (am thinking of one particular site we visit where there's a courtyard with tables and chairs, with canvas sails overhead).
We're in the 'No campfires' club, basically because not everyone is responsible or sensible and our canvas cost a lot of money and is easily damaged by stray sparks. We've had two nasty experiences with other people's campfires: one where sparks were landing on the roof of our new folding camper and another where the wind changed and smoke blew straight into our tent. So, unless pitches are extremely well spaced, that would put us off staying at a site.
A pool is a plus, especially for a longer stay, but is a huge investment.
I think the major consideration when choosing a site is location. Will you be essentially a transit site, where people overnight then move on to a more interesting/popular area, a longer-stay site, or a mixture of the two? That will largely depend on location. Overnighters tend to leave early and can disturb other campers, so maybe reserve pitches near the entrance for them.
If you have rules (about noise after 10pm etc), have a wander about and check that campers are being considerate to others.
It sounds as if the fishing lake will be your main attraction, which perhaps will focus your clientele. Advertising on websites and publications affiliated with angling is surely the way to go. In which case, a campers kitchen with fridges and a good freezer, microwave, hob etc would be useful.
Will yours be an adult only site or a family site? If the latter, you'll maybe need to think about a playground, somewhere for ball games, smooth road surfaces for bikes and scooters.
I'd say identify your niche market and go visit similar sites to assess what they do well and what they don't. As has been said, everyone has their own preferences for a site.
Have a look at some small sites already in operation in northern France and see what they offer. For example, Forest View sounds like a similar setup with a lake and fishing as well as camping.
I notice that you don’t mention caravans but just camping cars and tents. Is there any reason why you don’t want caravans as you would be ruling out a lot of people? People in camping cars tend to not stay in one place for long, maybe only a few days before they move on, whereas caravanners often stay put for at least a week.
We have a caravan and personally, our requirements for a site are
1. Level, well drained pitches with plenty of space between them
2. Electric hook up
3. Clean toilets and showers
4. Strict rules about noise after 11pm
5. Near a small/medium sized town with cafes and restaurants and weekly market
6. Peaceful rural location but within a short drive of interesting things to see (this is why we love the Loire region, close to loads of interesting towns and chateaux)
The above are our essentials, then we have our preferences which are not absolutely essential but preferable. These are
1. Adults only
2. Small shop selling basics plus fresh bread and pastries every morning
3. Pitches separated by hedges for privacy
4. A water tap and waste water drain directly on the pitch which you can connect directly to
Then there are the things that would make us avoid a site completely
1. Entertainment on site
2. Games rooms (usually attract noisy teenagers)
3. Site directly on a busy road where road noise will be an issue.
I am not completely against children, indeed, I was a teacher for many years and like children a lot, but the problem I have encountered many many times is that the type of site you are proposing doesn’t provide much entertainment for kids. If you don’t make the site adults-only then some families with kids will turn up and then the kids are bored and start congregating together, without any parental supervision, and make a nuisance of themselves. I have been on an occasional big all-singing-all-dancing site in France with full on family entertainment, which initially might sound like the place for kids to be a problem, but we found on that type of site, the kids are kept so busy with all the kids clubs and entertainment that their behaviour is usually not a problem. It’s the quiet, small sites where kids are more problematic because they are bored and get into all sorts of mischief trying to entertain themselves so I believe these types of sites should be adults-only.
As you can see from the responses you have had so far, we all have different opinions and ideas so it’s probably best to decide on who you want your key market to be and then do some market research with that group specifically to gauge their requirements. For example, if you are trying to attract fishing enthusiasts over 50 then getting their opinions is the most important consideration.
Quote: Originally posted by franbee on 04/3/2022
As we all like different things, it might be helpful to do a bit of camping yourself at different sites to see what they are offering.
One visit you could usefully make is toTwin Lakes at Soumeras in the Charente. British owners there started in the way you describe many years ago and have developed from there, combining fishing lakes with camping..They have developed things further than you might want to go but go and talk to them and they will tell you what has worked for them.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: New on here and was wondering
via mobile 02/3/2022 at 10:14am
