Situated in the midst of the beautiful countryside of Charente, we love this big, spacious, rural campsite – a large 20-acre site with just over 80 large pitches set on one side of a pretty lake and with all the amenities you could wish for. It's family-owned and run, which just serves to underline its greatest assets – pure, homespun tranquility, yet with enough in the way of facilities and activities to make you never want to leave.
You can camp with your own tent, campervan or caravan, opt for the pre-pitched ‘canvas lodge’ or book one of two mobile homes. Pitches are flat and grassy and most have electrical hook-ups, with the choice between full sun and shadier spots, set beneath the rows of mature, leafy trees. There are drinking water points dotted around the place and one of the two shower blocks has been recently refurbished, with brand-new showers, washbasins and toilets and a separate accessible bathroom with family-friendly facilities. The result is the provision of services you’d often expect on larger scale site, though with a much nicer, twist, owed mainly to the family-run vibe. Fresh bread and pastries can be ordered each evening for next day collection at reception – a French camping must – plus there's plenty of tourist info stashed alongside the main desk, along with local walking and cycling maps, board games and puzzles. To top it off, there's even a mobile beauty therapist who drops by from time to time!
It's a convivial place, with regular events during summer, including live music evenings, dedicated food nights focused on things like moules-frites and BBQs, and a popular boules tournament every Sunday afternoon. Plus there's fishing on the lake and an abundance of wildlife around the site. The neighbouring village of Les Bouchauds is worth a visit, home to the well-preserved ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheatre surrounded by a thick shield of trees, and the regional capital town of Angouleme is only a 20-minute drive away. That is, of course, if you can tear yourself away.