Chris Anthony

Camping Holiday France 2017

Tuesday 6th June – Tuesday 11th July. 
Liz + Chris
No Hugh with us as he had used up his holiday in Australia

Ferry Portsmouth to Caen (Ouistraham).

Total: 1,750 miles; 2,800km

Ouistraham, Nr Argentan, Mortagne au Perche, Nogent le Rotrou, Brou, Bonneval;  Meung sur Loire, Aubigny sur Nere, Vailly sur Sauldre, Jars*;  Pouilly sur Loire, Corbigny, Chateau Chinon, La Celle en Morvan*;  Autun, Montceau les Mines, Cluny, Pertuis, Montrevel en Bresse*;  by motorway (A40) around Bourg en Bresse, Amberieu en Bugey, Belley, St Genix sur Guiers*;  Motorway (A43) around Chambery, South to St Jean de Maurienne, Valloire, Col du Galibier,  Briancon, Vallee de la Claree, Nevache *;   Briancon, Guillestre,   Col de Vars, St Paul sur Ubaye, Larche;  Barcelonnette, Le Lauzet-Ubaye, Seyne, Le Vernet* (a perfect drive);  Col du Latouret, Digne les Bains, Riez,  St Laurent du Verdon;  Quinson, Tavernes, Rians, Peyrolles, Rognes, Lambesc*; St Cannat, past Salon en Provence, St Martin Arles, Le Clos du Rhone  (near Stes Maries de la Mer;  Montcalm, Etaing de Charnier, Sommieres (Masserau campsite) *;  Ledignan, Ales, Portes, Villefort, Pailleres (SW of Villefort)*;  Chasserades, Chateauneuf de Randon, , Col du croix de Bor;  St Alban sur Limagnole, St Flour, Riom es Montagnes, Trizac;  Bort les Orgues, Ussel, La Courtine, , Aubussan, Evaux les Bains;  Boussac, La Chatre, St Gaultier, Ciron, Rosnay;  Mezieres en Brenne, Chatillon sur Indre, Loche, Amboise, Montoire sur Loire, Savigny sur Braye*;  St Calais, La Ferte Bernard, Mortagne au Perche, Gace, Vimoutiers, Livarot, Troarn, Cabourg, Merville-Franceville Plage*, Oustraham, home.

*New campsite.

Ouistraham, Falaise, Nr Argentan, Le Merlerault, Mortagne au Perche, Belleme, Nogent le Rotrou, Brou, Bonneval [153 miles]
7th June. Wednesday. Bonneval, Bois de Chievres. 2 nights. Nice wooded site. Friendly owners (Michel Vuillon, falconer) with excellent Pizzas, Nice bike rides and walks. Great tit nest in electricity box.

Patay, Meung sur Loire, Lamotte Beuvron, Aubigny sur Nere, Vailly sur Sauldre, Jars [108 miles]
9th June. Friday. Jars. 1 night. France Passion site*. By lake on goat farm. Good toilets and bar. Can see goats being milked.

West of Sancerre, Vinon, Pouilly sur Loire, Narcy, Premery, Corbigny, Chateau Chinon, La Celle en Morvan [103 miles]
10th June. Saturday. 2 nights.La Celle en Morvan. Les deux Rivieres*. Pool. Well organised Dutch site shady by river. Hoopoes, nightingles, damsel flies. Nice walks. Boules tournament.

Autun, Mont Cenis, Blanzy (diversion), Montceau les Mines, Mont-St-Vincent, Cluny, Donzy le Pertuis, Pont de Vaux, Montrevel en Bresse [97 miles]
12th June. Monday. 1 night. Montrevel en Bresse. La Pleine Tonique. Huge site with pools (closed), and lake shop (closed) and restaurant (good). Good for children. Not for us.

By motorway (A40) around Bourg en Bresse, Amberieu en Bugey, St Rambert en Bugey, Belley, St Genix sur Guiers [79 miles]
13 June. Tuesday. 1 night. St Genix sur Guiers. Les Bords du Giers*.  Dutch site (Ludo and Ria). Very well-run. Excellent restaurant and nearby supermarket. Small pool. Nice walks.

Motorway (A43) around Chambery, South to St Jean de Maurienne, St Michel de Maurienne, Valloire, Col du GalibierCol du Lauteret, Briancon, Vallee de la Claree, Val des Pres, Navache
 [129 miles]
14th June, Wednesday. 2 nights. Nevache, La Lame de Provence*. Very long site by river. Only just opened. Shop in village. Great views of mountains. Nice walks. Beautiful valley.

Briancon, L’Argentiere la Bessee, Guillestre,   Vars, Col de Vars, St Paul sur Ubaye, Meyronne, Larche [63 miles]
16th June. Friday. 4 nights. Larche. Les Marmottes. Mr Durand’s wonderful site nearly 6000 ft up Col du Larche. Boef Bourguignon. Vultures, winchats. Wonderful walks, great views and marmottes galore.

Meyronnes, Barcelonnette, Le Lauzet-Ubaye, St Vincent, South on D900, Seyne, Le Vernet* (a perfect drive [49 miles]
20th June. Tuesday. 1 night. Le Vernet Lou- Passevous campsite*. Dutch. Neat. Nice walks. Woken by redstarts singing. Must refrain from going over their wooden bridge.

Col du Latouret, Digne les Bains, towards Nice (D85), Chateauredon, Riez,  St Laurent du Verdon [59 miles].
21st June. Wednesday 4 nights. La Farigoulette at St Laurent. By the lake under forest of pines. New management of one of our favourite sites. Good restaurant, pool, shops etc. Hoopoes. Great white egret, redstarts nightingales.

Quinson, Tavernes, Rians, Peyrolles, Rognes, Lambesc [63 miles]
25thJune. Sunday. 1 night. Lambesc Camping de Provence*. Nice site under trees. Pool and restaurant (closed). Kites in shape of buzzards as bird scarers. Nice dutch neighbours. Only suitable as stopover. Flat and few walks etc.

St Cannat, past Salon en Provence, St Martin de Crau, Arles, D570 to Le Clos du Rhone  (near Stes Maries de la Mer [68 miles]

26th June. Monday. 4 nights. Le Clos du Rhone2km from Stes Maries de la Mer. One of our favourite sites. New owners. Restaurant and pool and shop all good. Safe bike ride to Stes Maries de la Mer and its great restaurants. Celebrated my birthday there with Laura and Phil Hewitt.

Mas Senebier, Montcalm, Mas des Iscles (reserve de Scamandre excellent bird sanctuary), Etaing de Charnier, Sommieres (Masserau campsite)
30th June. Friday. 2 nights. Sommieres, Le Massereau*. Big expensive site with excellent pools, restaurant etc. Large pitches. Cycle road (Voie Verte) for long rides into countryside or into lovely small town of Sommieres with its excellent restaurants. Visiting Phil and Laura Hewitt. 

Ledignan, Ales, Portes, Genolhac, Villefort, Pailleres (SW of Villefort) [57 miles]
2nd July.  Sunday. 1 night. Pailleres*. In the mountains by river. Very friendly (Veronique). Good small restaurant. Pool. Very good walks.

La Garde Guerin, La Bastide Puylaurent, Chasserades, Chateauneuf de Randon, Baraque de la Mottes, Col de Trois Soeurs, Col du Croix de Bor [51 miles].
3rd July Monday. 2 nights. Our wild site on the Col du Croix de Bor. At about 5000 feet in the Margerides. Wonderful views and walks. Butterflies and flowers. Mistle thrush, linnet, meadow pipits, stonechat, Montague’s harrier.  

St Denis en Margerides, St Alban sur Limagnole, A75 to St Flour, Murat, Riom es Montagnes, Trizac [90 miles]
5th July. Wednesday. 2 nights. Trizac, municipal site Le Piolat. Our special Auvergne site with excellent restaurants (but closed these particular days). Swimming in lake and excellent walks and bike rides. Red kites fly low overhead.

Nr Riom, Antignac, Bort les Orgues, Ussel, La Courtine, Felletin, Aubussan, Chambon sur Voueize, Evaux les Bains [107 miles]
7th July Friday. 1 night. Evaux les Bains. Neat site. No shop, pool or restaurant. These are nearby but walk to pool is lengthy. Excellent restaurant in town.

Chambon, Boussac, La Chatre, past Argenton, St Gaultier, Ciron, Rosnay [89 miles]
8th July. Saturday 1 night. Rosnay municipal site. By lake in the watery Brenne region. Some of our favourite walks were closed but good bike rides. Excellent restaurant now open with new owners.

Mezieres en Brenne, Chatillon sur Indre, Loche, Blere, Amboise, Chateau Renault, Montoire sur Loire, Savigny sur Brave* [117 miles]
9th July. Sunday. Savigny sur Braye, Le Pre aux moines *. New Owners. Excellent pool. Very near village with Shops and restaurants. Closed so had a pizza from a pizza machine- very very good.

St Calais, Vibraye, La Ferte Bernard, Belleme, Mortagne au Perche, Moulins la Marche, Gace, Vimoutiers, Livarot, St Pierres s Dives, Troarn, Carbourg, Merville-Franceville Plage*[143 miles]
10th July. Monday. 1 night. Le Mer in Merville-Franceville Plage*. Next to the site we used last year {2016). Excellent friendly informal site. Pitches scattered over wide area. Direct access to beach. No pool or restaurant. But excellent restaurant about 20 minute walk up huge beach. Likely to be preferred option in future.

11th July. Oustraham and ferry, Portsmouth, home.