ELTIPS AV R T
And as my sons Frank, 10, and Stanley, nine, put on their land zorb suits and waddled into battle shrieking with laughter I knew this was going to be their kind of trip.
We’d come to Eurocamp’s La Vallee parc in Normandy to test out their new super-charged Kids’ Club.
As well as all the usual childminding it had promised to deliver some more high-octane pursuits too, the type that would tempt my swimming-mad boys away from the pool.
And as they gleefully jumped, rolled and boinged their way acrosscross the fields in their zorbs it seemeded to be delivering.
Over the next six days they were rarely away from the Kids’ Club tent – a giant, circus-style canvasas set-up next to playing fields, tennis and basketball courts and a volleyball pitch.
Manned by crazily keen Britishtish 20-somethings, it offered a packed ked schedule of mostly free activity. y.
My boys tried human tableble football, a two-hour internationalnal footie tournament, land-zorbing, ing, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, water pistol battles and hoverboarding. ng.
There was a chocolate-tasting g and film-making session too but they just couldn’t fit it all in.
My husband, John, 45, a teacher, and I were pleased too as it meant we got some time to ourselves.
When they weren’t at the Kids’ Club the boys were swimming.
La Vallee boasts a covered pool, an outdoor one and three waterslides – one terrifyingly high.
I was too scared to tackle it but the boys seemed happy to throw themselves down it head first, backwards and in tandem a million times.
While they roamed the parc with a pack of new French and British mates, we sat on the deck of our mobile home enjoying a cold beer and marvelling at the sea views.
The two-bedroom Avant home, painted in light grey with a massive Most French swimming pools – including ours – insist male visitors wear trunks rather than shorts so don’t forget your speedos! Some motorway tolls are cash only or motorway tag, so make sure you have some Euros (notes are fine) close to hand when you set off. French hypermarkets and supermarkets often close at around midday, or don’t open at all on Sundays, so don’t wait for the weekend to stock up. deck and awning, was more of a cool, comfortable cabin.
The boys loved their twin beds and the kitchen came stocked with everything we needed, right down to a garlic press and bottle opener.
We used Eurocamp’s linen hire, which meant we didn’t need to lug bathroom or beach towels with us, and despite our pile of luggage we still didn’t manage to fill all the space in the wardrobes and cupboards.
Crepes
On the one rainy day we took the boys to see the Bayeaux Tapestry, a 45- minute drive away. They had written it off beforehand as “sounds boring” but they loved it.
After a lunch of galettes (savoury pancakes) and chocolate crepes we drove back along the coast, past the historic D-Day beaches. We live in north-west England so had flown from Liverpool to Charles De Gaulle, Paris, then picked up a hire car for the 140-mile drive.
With just two motorways and a few miles of lush country lanes, it was really straightforward and took less than two-and-a-half hours.
We nipped into the nearest town, the pretty seaside resort of Houlgate, for supplies. The main street is full of places to sample seafood, crepes and cider and we ate two courses each for less than 60 euros.
There was a mini-market and a hypermarket close by too. Like most of the other Eurocampers, we made use of our BBQ on hot nights or else ate on-parc.
The boys loved La Vallee’s restaurant, mainly because it had pool tables and MTV, and the pizza/ steak/ frites family- friendly menu proved a big hit.
We spent the last night there, sipping cocktails and watching the boys say goodbye to their new friends. It had been a brilliant trip. FACTFILE: Six nights in a two-bedroom mobile home cost £1,070 and linen/ towels cost £ 84 ( bed linen, towels and beach towels). Go to eurocamp.co.uk. Six days’ hire with Argus car costs £141 (collect and return at Charles de Gaulle airport).
Flights with easyJet from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle start at £122 return in July.