Châteaux, of course. And what French châteaux they are, for this Loire-et-Cher park is within simple striking distance of two most excellent castles in the Loire Valley: the valley's biggest Château de Chambord, set splendidly by the Loire river eight kilometres away, and Château de Cheverny, famed as the influence for the animated setting of Marlinspike Hall in the Tintin books. Even if the kids generally wail and gnash teeth at the thought of visiting a castle while on hols, it's a fairly safe bet they'll like at least one of these...
Camping Les Châteaux is a Huttopia park, set on eight hectares of greenery bordered by two streams a couple of minutes' walk from Bracieux. Set out on castle-hunting days from here, canoe along the Loire or Cher rivers (or both), try your hand at fishing, golfing or exploring the hundreds of kilometres of local hiking and cycling trails… then retreat to a peaceful base for the evening and a gentle slumber before more of the scenic and active same the next day. (And if this seems rather too much or the kids are gnashing teeth at another culture-filled day out? Bag local foodie bits and pieces from the Bracieux shops or Thursday market, and make your way to a suitably secluded spot along the Loire for a suitably serene picnic.)
Whatever activity – or picnic spot – you pick, your first port of call should be the site reception, where there's loads of tourist info on the region, as well as a free internet point and ticket sales for Château de Chambord. Then retreat with your gear to sort out your pitch, picking from shaded, part shade or not shaded at all (sun = huzzah), all flat, spacious and in a woodland of oak and Douglas fir trees. If your wheeled base now looks rather tired after its journey to the Loire Valley, a motorhome service point is on site to give it some loving attention first.
And then? You can fish from the site or hire a bike to pedal around its tree-lined grounds, before cooling off in the summer pool or sinking restfully onto a sun lounger alongside. A cosy central lodge with board games and stacks of books is also on site, open all season for lazy indoor hours.
Salads, homemade pizzas and other snacks are yours for the taking during the May bank holiday weekend and in July and August at the café-restaurant, where there's also a roomy terrace if you seek to work through all those books with the aid of a cold drink. This might not sound much like what your offspring might settle down too, so book your reading sessions to coincide with the kids' club, running in summer for active small sorts.
As a family site, the amenities at Camping Les Châteaux are well set up for all ages too: the four shower blocks all have baby changing areas and family cubicles.