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Arrived at this site on 18th July for a 2 week stay.
The positives:
Entire site and all amenities spotlessly clean - could not fault it.
Pitches large and fairly flat
All staff very friendly and polite and willing to help if you have any problems, as we did with our electric. Most have a reasonable amount of English for non French speakers.
Plenty of activities for younger children from what we saw.
Food in restaurant and takeaway better than you usually find on sites.
Nice quiet location with a very safe feel to it. There was no noise at night time after 10. 30 ish in the area that we were pitched.
Most, if not all pitches had electric and water points
Has both indoor and outdoor pools. Indoor pool is great.
Very pleasant lake for fishing or to cycle or walk around.
Lots of information available for what to do in the area and Avrille has its own Tourist Information Office.
We had a fair bit of rain during our visit and the ground drained very well where we were pitched.
Short drive to supermarket in Talmont and beach (Le Rocher)in Longeville sur Mer. Lovely sandy beach, free car parking and toilets
Aquarium in La Rochelle is lovely visit but use the Park&Ride at Lagord, only 2. 80 euros for parking and 24 hr bus pass for up to 5 persons. Parking in La Rochelle a nightmare unless you go really early. Also if long queues at the Aquarium, you can buy tickets from the tourist information office a little further along, and save a lot of time!
Negatives
The surface surrounding the outdoor pool is quite sharp and uncomfortable to walk on. Small pieces of gravel have become detached and stick to your feet - I ended up with a small but painful cut because of it. The finish generally is a bit below par - small holes and cracks can be found which I think present a hazard for small children in particular. This is a shame as they have obviously spent a lot of money on the adjoining new indoor pool which is fab. The water in the outdoor pool was freezing! My daughter (12) normally spends most of her time in the outdoor pool on holiday - we struggled to get her to go back after the first visit! Even on hot days the poolside was never full when we went past it and sunloungers were always available so perhaps others were put off by this too. There seem to be some inconsistency with regard to what was permitted in the pool with regard to swimwear and inflatables - I think it varied according to which attendant was keeping an eye on the pools.
We were given a pitch in the new extension at the furthest end from the shop and main facilities - a good 7/8 minutes walk for adults. Not a huge problem for us but might be for young families. There was also some traffic noise at times from a road that runs behind the pitches in this area. As someone has already mentioned, this is part of the new extension and although shrubs and trees are planted around each pitch, they are very immature and provide no privacy or shade at this point. Make sure you take plenty of pegs for hard ground. Ordinary pegs refused to go in or bent. This might just be the case for the new area of the site.
The site was only half full during our first week and we experienced no problems with the toilet/shower blocks other than the showers not being warm enough and an irritatingly varied flow rate. After a week, though, the site filled up and we had to queue for showers, toilets and wash basin cubicles. There are only 4 toilets and 4 showers in the block at the far end (it seems to be the same on the other new toilet blocks)and as the facilities are unisex this is not adequate. Toilet paper ran out completely at times.
The opening times for the shop and bar could be better. The shop is open from 8 till 12 and 5 till 7. The bar from 5. 30 onwards. The shop is better stocked than others we've visited but doesn't sell ice creams, though these were available from the bar if you were prepared to wait till then.
This might seem a bit picky but I'm going to mention it anyway. The site has a very smart looking (from a distance)crazy golf pitch. My family really enjoys having a go at these. They were really underimpressed with this one because of uneven surfaces, cracks and poorly finished paving. Now in the grand scheme of things it may not seem that important but as with the outdoor pool, just a bit more attention to detail would lift this experience to a higher level.
Having said all of that, this site has a lot to recommend it, not least the hygiene standard throughout and the really great staff, from receptionists to cleaners. However, we were disappointed with some aspects of our holiday here. We've stayed in this area on four occasions over the last few years and thought we'd treat ourselves to a top quality site this year. Two of our party wished we had stayed at Camping Bel in La Tranche, much smaller and with older facilities. I will add that unusually, the weather was not great during out stay though it picked up during the latter part of the holiday. We've tried not to let this influence our comments.
This site was perfect for us. A heated pool, some activities for the kids and quiet at night! The staff were all friendly and highly professional. Last year we stayed really close to the seaside and it was mayhem at night with next to no sleep on several occasions. By coming inland 15 or 20 miles things seem a lot calmer. I think the Castels group are more upmarket than the last place we stayed at. The shop has most things you need but it is owned by the mini market in the village, which was only 2 minutes in the car. I recommend this site if you are in the area.
We have just returned from 8 nights at this site and cannot praise it highly enough.
The owners in reception were really welcoming and soon had us checked in with lots of smiles and bienvenues. The pitches are huge. At least 200m2, and each with it's own power and tap. We have an 8m tent but could have pitched it four times on our emplacement.
The toilet block was immaculate, in fact it looked brand new and was kept spotlessly clean at all times of the day. It was split into male and female sides and all the toilets were proper ones and had a good stock of paper and soap.
The pool was very nice, nearly 20m long so you could do a reasonable length in it and had a smaller pool for toddlers. Usual hygiene standards so a compulsory foot bath and no shorts in the pool. Other facilities included a tennis court, mini golf, games room, TV room and gym.
There was a bar offering a good range of pizzas and snacks to eat in or take away and drinks at typical French bar prices.
The shop had fresh bread and croissants as well as a few essentials like wine and water. There are a number of supermarkets nearby with the large Super you 10 minutes away at Talmont St Hilaire.
The general ambience was very peaceful and relaxed although it was outside the school holidays. This site seems particularly popular with British caravanners who probably made up about 50% of the site's patrons.
There is a kids club but I would have thought that the site lent itself to catering for families with younger children or couples. Older children and teenagers might find it a bit too quiet.
The surrounding area was typically rural with fields of corn, maize and sunflowers. The coast is a ten minute drive with the long beaches at Les Conches and La Terriere a favourite of ours. Parking at the beaches was free and there was a very strong lifeguard presence.
The resort town of Les Sables D'ollone was a half hour away and la Rochelle about an hour.
Overall, we loved the site for it's tranquilly, quality and friendliness. Clean comfortable and welcoming. We would go back tomorrow.
We came here having liked a previous camping castels site. And wanting to travel further into France. It is a heck of a drive from Calais but do-able in one day if you get an early crossing. It helped that we met my dad there who arrived earlier that day who sorted tea for us on the barbie!
The site owners couldn't do enough for us. We had a pitch which needed an impossibly long extension for the hook up ( which we hadnt packed as we had never needed before so didn't bother!) but the man went backwards and forwards with extension leads and never left until we were happy with siting the tent at the angle that the cable could reach. ( a long process and discussion here!) We had our own water tap on the pitch. ( a first for us and extremely convenient, will be a hardship having to walk to the tap in future!)
The facilities were good and quiet and clean. (quiet as there are a quite a few mobile homes and chalets on the site). Pool is good, there is a bar and food is available. We had takeaway pizzas on packing up night, yummy and reasonable priced.
No site shop but gorgeously fresh croissants and bread available from the reception. Avrille is 5 min walk for some local shops and restaurants.
The site is quiet, some organised events but we never ventured to these. It is only approx 6 miles from the coast and is ideally sited for exploring the area and the beaches. Not too bad for travelling further afield for La Rochelle/ green venice etc.
We will be using this site again.
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Common Questions
Is Camping Les Forges child friendly? YES, it accepts children & has a playground View all facilities
Does Camping Les Forges have a swimming pool? YES, there is a pool on site View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Camping Les Forges? There is a shop on site View all facilities
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
All reviews and comments are the personal opinion of the review author only , and as such do not represent the view of the UK Camp Site.co.uk.
The facilities shown on this website are a guide only, and you should check with the campsite direct before making any booking. The UKCampsite.co.uk will not be held responsible for any errors or omissions
Tent Pitches 
Caravan Pitches 
Motorhome Pitches 
Small Campervans 
Glamping Units 
Holiday Homes for Hire 
Holiday Homes for Sale 
No Seasonal Pitches 
Electric Hookups 
No Hardstandings 
Fully Serviced Pitches 
Families Welcome 
Not Members Only 
Rallies Welcome 
Not Naturist Site 
Dogs Welcome 
No Dogs Allowed 
Groups Welcome 
Toilet Facilities 
Hot Showers 
Washing Up 
No Bathroom 
Baby Changing Facilities 
Laundry On Site 
Drinking Water 
Disabled Friendly 
Chemical Disposal 
No Battery Charging 
No Gas Exchange 
Recycling Facilities 
No Kitchen Facilities 
No Freezer / Fridge 
Motorhome Point 
Wifi Access 
Shop On Site 
Bar On Site 
Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway On Site 
Kids Playground 
TV Room 
Games Room 
Evening Entertainment 
Fishing On Site 
Wild Swimming <5 miles 
Indoor Pool On Site 
Outdoor Pool On Site 
No Horse Riding 
Cycle Hire On Site 
No Golf 
Tennis On Site 
Beach <5 miles 
Watersports <5 miles 
Boat Launch / Mooring <5 miles 
No Sea Views 
Not Working Farm 
No Campfires Allowed 
No Waterside Pitches 
Public Transport <1 mile
No Dog Walk 
Arrived at this site on 18th July for a 2 week stay. 
