Lates ‘N’ Breaks
I LOVE camping. Staying on campsites brings back happy memories of family holidays in the likes of Newquay and Tenby.
Then, as I got older, trips to France with friends under canvas became the fortnight I looked forward to most every year. But creeping age and a bad back meant my time sleeping on airbeds had come to an end.
But I never lost the desire to stay in what could be called an en-suite meadow.
And that’s why I ended up at La Garangeoire in the Vendée region of France. With my pal Jane, her daughter Orla and my daughter Ella, I arrived at the five-star Les Castels site and was shown to a Taos three-bedroomed, two-bathroomed chalet called Roses.
Teens Ella and Orla were more interested in heading to one of the two pool areas or riding the bikes they had hired.
It would have been easy to spend all our time on the site, but part of the joy of France is driving along the quiet roads and discovering beautiful villages, seaside towns and harbours.
At Saint-GillesCroix-de-Vie we explored the market. On another day we headed to Les
Sables d’Olonne, with its busy harbour, plenty of fish restaurants and a golden beach.
At La Garangeoire there were daily activities including trampolining and archery. You could enjoy a wine tasting in the chateau, inset, and on Friday a quiz in English.
Look out for the crepe parties where you buy a jug of batter and cook your own crepes on a hot plate – great fun. Every morning from 10am to noon there’s a kids’ club, leaving parents with two hours to entertain themselves.
The Roses was self-catering and came well-equipped.
A beautiful restaurant offered two sittings through the day plus a takeaway, while the site shop was well-stocked, even selling Heinz beans.
It was with a heavy heart that we left La Garangeoire, more with an au revoir than an adieu.