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Hi all

Wondering if you can help, although we have camped & toured France a few times - this will be our first trip this summer with children.(3 &1 yrs). I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for child friendly sites within a reasonable drive from Calais.

Cheers

Ricky

Hi Ricky

Welcome to UKCS.

You should get loads of replies to your question.

Have you had a look at the campsites that advertise here on UKCS? This is the link: http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/results.asp?region=Overseas&county=France

You will also see our ad' & customer rewiews.

If we can be of any further help, just send us an email.

There's a lovely child-friendly site at Chateau de Gandspette at Eperleques - which is only about half an hour from Calais.  They've just had a new children's washblock built - which has excellent facilities for little ones, with special bright coloured doors, and animal symbols.  It's lovely.  There are good facilities for washing and ironing clothes, a restaurant on site which does lovely cheap regional food - and also the pizza and chips type menu - it also has a children's menu.  There is a smallish pool complex - nothing too frightening for little ones, wildlife in the woods around the site, and you're not far from beaches if they like digging in the sand.  I'd recommend it for little ones - there are loads of families who go back time after time.

The staff are helpful and friendly and speak good English, the bar is reasonably priced, and the two toilet blocks are kept clean and wholesome.  The newer area has spacious pitches, and a lovely toilet block - the older more established area in front of the Chateau has hedged pitches, good size, and the toilet block has just been refurbished.  This area has the new child toilet block.

It's worth a look to save on too much driving with tinies.

Thanks Val - sounds a great option. I suppose a reasonable drive would be 4 hours or so (a couple of stops for the kids) from Calais

Cheers

This is not what you asked about, but one tip from me is not to despise the cafes attached to the big supermarkets like Cora and Carrefour. They do very decent food to a much higher standard than our supermarkert cafes, are very child friendly and are cheap. Ideal for quick stop-offs en route. They do usually close in the afternoon though...they just open at mealtimes.

We used the one along from the campsite a lot on our last French vist...the made to order pizza bar was amazing, there was a wireless-loop thingie area for the laptop, they were showing the Tour de France on widescreen telly and there was a huge play area for our three year old. (This was the Cora between Bayeaux and caen, near Chateau Martragny if anyone is interested.) Plus cheap petrol and very good supermarket.

We took our 4 and 2 year olds to Royan last year.   It was 35 degrees and they wouldn't sleep until 10pm but still woke up before 7am every day - nightmare!   Also, our site didn't have a pool, which was a big mistake, as they decided they didn't like the beach!   We took a portable DVD player which was a very good way of keeping them quiet early morning when the rest of the site was asleep.   I have to say, though, that we're giving camping a miss for a couple of years, as we ended up coming home early last summer as the children were such a nightmare.   It won;t put us off completely though, that's for sure.   Good luck!

try raguenes-plage.  its a smallish site, but has a pool and a lovely beach if you take the path through some fields

we've been there three times now, with our two kids, from age 3 upwards.

good luck

Hi, sorry I'm another who can't advise on sites within your reach, but I've done a few french camp holidays with kids; mine will be 7 and 3 this year.

First tip on the journey; make sure they've got plenty to do, but rotate the kit so that different kit is available to them for each journey section. The in-car DVD is cheating, but in my experience makes for happier travellers, and campers. I got one from Aldi just before we went last year. Make sure you've got something to black-out the windows with - this helps with sleep too, and a dark car is a cooler car.

We found the Eurocamp and Keycamp brochures really useful when choosing sites. If you book through Eurocamp Independent you get access to the kids clubs; but your kids might be too young, and it can cost a lot more.

The year our youngest was 1yo, we unfortunately got a pitch that sloped and was very un-even, so he just couldn't walk on it without falling. Nightmare. So try asking for a flat pitch.

Don't know your outfit but if you're tenting make sure you got a potty!

Hope you have a great time; we always have.

I know that in this day and age you can probably get most things in France that you're used to at home, but if you are 'blessed' with fussy eaters (and if you have the space) you may find it easier/cheaper/less stressful  to bring the following from home: ketchup, favourite breakfast cereals, cheddar cheese, baked beans/spaghetti.

(Yes I know, I know, that France is the gastronomic capital of the world!!!! - but I've never really had a successful discussion on the matter with any toddler complaining that the corn flakes 'taste funny'.)