Apparently, there are bits of France that aren’t the Ardeche, Languedoc, or Dordogne. Who knew?
Anyway. The new hubster doesn’t do heat very well. We also are planning on having more frequent, shorter holidays, so maybe not all the way to the South.
ALSO (and this is very exciting) we no longer need school holidays as the smallest small goes to uni in September! 🙈 No, I’m not sure how that happened either.
So. What other bits of France are ‘must see’? We like paddle boarding and bodyboarding, wild swimming, castles, history, pretty villages and towns, nice views, nice meals out. More castles. If himself had his way it’d be all castles 😂😂
Will be in our little caravan.
Not Loire….had two hideous holidays there when the kids were small.
Ta muchly, lovelies xx
------------- Amanda
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The Drome is stunning although still a long way south. We've stayed near Die and there are places for wild swimming near there as well as vultures in the hills.
I like the area around Pont du Gard - you can visit PGD, Nimes, Arles, Orange, Avignon and take in a lot of history. There is an old aqueduct in the countryside near PDG that is unmarked and if you find it you can clamber over it quite happily.
For history the area around the baie du Somme is interesting - you can follow the ww1 trail.
My sister has a place in the Limousin - it's very rural but the meat is pretty good. She's in department 23 - pretty, lots of countryside (to be honest nothing but), swimming lakes and you're near Limoges, Oradour sur Glane and places to walk. There is a wolf park in Gueret and places around to go walking in woods/clamber over rocks.
So many different places - I'd pick a department or 2, head there and explore.
------------- pork
Remember a good wife always helps her husband with the dishes.
South Brittany is less warm but usually sunny enough and has pretty villages in spades, anywhere from Benodet to Nevez to Carnac.
Just below that the Loire-Atlantique has a lot to offer given its size, including Guerande and Nantes.
I would suggest to try the Loire again from an adult perspective - if you want castles there's really nowhere better.
Have you looked at the Auvergne ? A bit left field, it doesn't suit everyone, but it's much quieter and a bit different and a renowned foodie destination.
Also, where are you arriving into ? If Cherbourg, the area around Mt St Michel / St Malo might be worth a look, if Calais, then a lot of people love the remoteness and difference of Champagne and Burgundy (I haven't been to either) and theres also the history of Alsace / Lorraine.
Second the Auvergne, a lovely area. Drome is nice as is the Alsace region.
Not France but we have enjoyed a couple of holidays in Luxembourg. Nice scenery, friendly people and safe.We stayed at Diekirch on a Riverside site.
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
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How about returning to the Nyons area? Maybe the previous villa holiday is still a bit raw.
Another goody place for castles etc and river etc is around Auxerre
Thanks folks, plenty to look at there. Currently Alsace is looking amazing -lots of castles. And Brittany for our bodyboarding fix -it’s a bit like Cornwall but French, yes?
Stuart, definitely back to Nyons at some point, in fact this summer we are doing two weeks in a villa just outside Avignon with the last remaining kid holidaying with us this summer, so not a million miles away.
Will check out Auxerre as not familiar with the area.
------------- Amanda
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Burgundy (mentioned by SGT) is much under-valued, especially by those who just drive through it on the way to somewhere south. There are lots of lakes, lovely villages, and chateaux to visit and in summer almost daily wine fairs, agricultural shows, and displays of some sort. Have a look at the Chateaux of Commarin, and Chateauneuf, which are both near the Lac de Panthier lake and campsite which was another of our regular stop-overs when we had our children with us.
Quote: Originally posted by exessexmum on 12/5/2022
Thanks folks, plenty to look at there. Currently Alsace is looking amazing -lots of castles. And Brittany for our bodyboarding fix -it’s a bit like Cornwall but French, yes?
Stuart, definitely back to Nyons at some point, in fact this summer we are doing two weeks in a villa just outside Avignon with the last remaining kid holidaying with us this summer, so not a million miles away.
Will check out Auxerre as not familiar with the area.
Any votes for the high mountains?
We discovered the Alps 50 years ago, had a look at the Pyrenees to see if they were as good, they weren’t so went back to the Alps again and again.
Favourite spot in all that area is probably the Alpine garden at the top of the Lautaret pass, with glaciers tumbling down in the background.
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Have had a look at spots and fancy giving Alsace, Burgundy and Brittany a try. Any site recommendations? Lac de panthier seems to have gone downhill in recent years, and pitches appear very sloped, not great for a little old caravan.
We’ll be going off season, and must haves are good loos and showers and location. Would prefer WiFi and a pool. Preferably not a static site with a few touring pitches in the crappy part! Not fussed about bar/restaurant but not dealbreakers if there/not there.
Brittany, coastal please, possibly Benodet, but anywhere near a decent beach for a spot of water sports.
Alsace, Colmarish (clairvacances which was the standard one way back when seems to have gone downhill)
Burgundy, open to suggestions.
Thanks lovely people.
(It’s so good to be back here)
A xx
Try the Allier. Just south of Bourges and very nice. I can highly recommend this site (I have written a review in the reviews page) Camping Champ De La Chapelle
Get yourself the Wild swimming France book, we basically base our holidays around that, choosing some quiet areas. Heading down to Lodeve this year so will be a warm one. Some favourite areas below.
1: Cevennes area, tarn gorges, dourbie etc.
2: Rosans just on edge of Drome, not far on from Nyons
A place that I will get to noted below, was fully booked this year so maybe next year, this is not far from Crest.
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: Other bits of France?
via mobile 11/5/2022 at 4:52pm
