Tipis at Folbeix

Folbeix, 23270 Ladapeyre, France

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Peaceful and natural woodland site with an environmental conscience.

Tipis at Folbeix campsite Cool Camping France

This is based on a review from:

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Cool Camping campsite review:

Not far to the east of this site, the little town of Treignat claims to be the geographical centre of France. It’s not the only place to make the claim as there are dozens of villages, fields, and hilltops bearing plaques and flags making the same claim. Quite how you calculate the centre point is complicated and all to do with how you define the borders of France and whether you include Corsica, and so on. Anyway, staying at Nigel and Sheila Harding’s tipis in the hamlet of Folbeix is as close as makes any difference to staying right in the heart of France.

For centuries this heartland region was so dark and dense that it was virtually bypassed by roads, commerce, modernity – you name it. No one since the Romans had really ventured in. During the Second World War even the occupying Germans knew better than to try to police such a difficult area. They simply threw a cordon around it and tried to stop people from getting in and out, though this didn’t prevent a couple of plucky British agents parachuting into a nearby field to make contact with the Résistance. What they got up to after that has never been really clear, but Nigel found an old service revolver in the attic of the farmhouse, so they must have come here for more than a walk in the woods and to check out the local cheese.

When the first edition of Cool Camping France was published, the site was ending its first season and Nigel was busy up ladders with a hammer in his hand, still building the facilities. Now that it’s all complete it’s even more impressive than it was first time around.

Beside a picture-book, ivy-clad old farmhouse is a piece of ancient natural woodland, which houses the six tipis, each one situated in a different part of the wood. They sleep up to five people (two adults and three pre-teen kids), though there’s one tipi, the one furthest from the others, which is reserved for couples (where two’s company and three’s a crowd).

Such is the charm of the place that it’s become a huge hit with families. The natural boundaries of the site make it an ideal spot for the kids to roam around and get mucky. Nigel can provide bows and arrows if you want to play cowboys and Indians and he organises midnight walks, where he leads a gaggle of petrified children through the dark woods.

Despite the greater emphasis on family fun, the site remains a haven of environmental consciousness. Solar power and candles provide the lighting, waste is composted and recyclable, and biodegradable products are used wherever possible; all good things to teach your kids.

Meanwhile Sheila’s a dab hand at table d’hôte and serves a mean dinner in the restored barn. And just so that you’re ready for it, in addition to the three courses plus wine, plus a fantastic cheese board, you’ll be offered one of Sheila’s home-made liqueurs. So make sure you’ve left room for one because they’re delicious. Particular favourites are the strawberry and the walnut, described by Sheila as ‘tasting like Christmas in a glass’. And if you could distil the essence of a great campsite into a single dinky liqueur, you can bet the result would taste something like this.

Cool factor:

Peaceful and natural woodland site with an environmental conscience.

The basics:

Bedding is provided, but you need to bring your own towels. Outside the sanctuary of your tipi there are male and female facilities with a couple of hot showers and a couple of WCs. There’s also a handy kitchen (with a fridge and cool box with ice packs, plus everything else you’d need) and the day room in the restored barn, which doubles as the breakfast and dining room; une salle de réunion, as they say. There are herbs for picking in the garden and various jams, chutneys, and home brews available from the house. There’s one communal fire pit and BBQs off the ground are allowed.

Who's in?:

People under 7 feet tall – yes. Campervans, caravans, dogs – no.

Offsite fun:

This area’s pretty remote, making for some great walks and cycle trails. You can hire bikes from the site or Nigel and Sheila can point you in the right direction if you fancy a walk. Nearby is the area known as Pays de Trois Lacs, a collection of three lakes, and further afield is Lac de Vassivière, a huge man-made lake that’s one of France’s top water-sports centres. Check out www.lelacdevassiviere.com.

Food & drink:

In this remote spot it’s best to come prepared to cook for yourselves or to partake of Sheila’s table d’hôte (which is €15 for adults and €10 for kids, with under 3s eating for free). Meals are usually on Fridays and Sundays, though you can make a special request. There are plenty of herbal pickings at the site and drinks available from the house and a local market every Friday in Châtelus-Malvaleix, along with a boulangerie and pâtisserie. Further afield there are plenty of restaurants in the medieval part of Montluçon, particularly on the rue Grande, which goes up to the castle. Try L’Eau de la Bouche (00 33 4 70 03 82 92), whose owner also runs a saucy cabaret review bar called Le Royal Avenue if you fancy it. It’s cheaper than the Moulin Rouge.

The damage:

Three-night breaks are around €150/€170/€200 in low, mid, and high season and full weeks are €300/€350/€400. Prices are based on 2 adults and 2 kids and additional kids are €15 for a 3-night break and €35 for a full week. Breakfast in the barn is included.

Open:

May–end August.

You say

Reviews:

Tipis at Folbeix

alisonl

- Visited on: 08/11

5

We spent 3 weeks at this site in August and had a really brilliant time. The tipis are set deep within the woodland site, each within its own little glade giving just a glimpse of your neighbour’s tipi through the leaves. The tipis are light, bright and comfortable and each has it’s own large waterproof storage box for bits and bobs that you don’t want cluttering up the tipi and a picnic bench and hammock. The futon was warm and comfy and Sheila very kindly found us a carry mat when our youngest daughter kept rolling off her mattress in the middle of the night.
The rest of the site was equally lovely. The shower facilities are basic but clean and the watre is hot and plentiful. As there are only 4 tipis you rarely have to queue and there is storage for each tipi in the shower room to save you carting your wash bag and towels up every time. The kitchen area has everything you could need to prepare your meals and if there is anything you need then Sheila will find it out of her own kitchen for you (we needed a rolling pin for BBQ pizza dough!) The Salle is a cosy area with tables, games and information about the local area where you can cozy up if the weather is bad and there are lots of picnic tables scattered around the site for lounging around and enjoying your meal in the evening.
This is a very friendly site. You are introduced to all the new guests as they arrive and chatting and making new friends is an inevitable part of staying here. The children quickly got to know each other and rushed off into the woods in search of adventure. The table d’hote which is offered twice weekly is another way to get to know the other guests on the site. Do not miss this! For us it was the icing on the cake of an already brilliant site. Nigel and Sheila offer 4 delicious courses, finishing with an extensive local cheese board and and homemade liqueurs. Sheila actively encourages the children to go off and play in between courses leaving the adults to relax and chat about the day’s adventures and upcoming plans. This makes the whole experience chilled out for all involved and actually much easier than going out for a meal (also you can both have a glass of wine as all other restaurants in the area are a car drive away!) Just remember to bring up a torch at the beginning of the evening as it is bound to be pitch back by the time you drag yourself away from the Salle!
We found that a lot of people use this place as a 3 night stopover en route to the south of France and it is ideally placed for this purpose. However, the area has so much to offer we found plenty to do on a fairly active 3 week family holiday. The 3 lakes area is great for walking and swimming (although we found all the cycling route much too difficult for our 3 and 5 year old). The man made beaches are extremely safe as they have roped off, life guarded gently sloping areas for the children to splash in. For us it was blissful to swim out into the middle of the lake through silky smooth water and lie back looking at the expanse of blue sky and beautiful scenery - a great stress buster! We had mixed weather and the rainy days allowed us to really explore the local area - the highlights were a tiny church completely covered inside with abstract paintings and a local potato festival!
All in all a fantastic holiday, and we would recommend it to anyone, particularly families. Just don’t rush away too soon!

Stayed in: luxury tented accommodation

Review submitted on: 05/01/12

Photos

Getting there

The site is discreet so pay attention. Heading east from Guéret on N145, turn on to D11 at the sign for Ajain, and follow it to Ladapeyre. If you’re coming west from Montluçon via Gouzon then turn on to D990 to Ladapeyre. From Ladapeyre take D990 towards Châtelus-Malvaleix and you’ll pass through Folbeix, which is little more than a few houses on either side of the road. One of the first is an ivy-covered house on the right. Pull in there and shout ‘Bonjour’. If you’re coming from the north on D940, take D990 just past Genouillac, through Châtelus-Malvaleix and the ivy house is on your left in Folbeix. You should still shout ‘Bonjour’, though.

Public transport:

The nearest railway station is at Guéret (with services from Paris) and you can arrange for the Hardings to pick you up.