Camping Rambouillet

'The perfect place to go camping,' is the opinion of a former guest of Camping Rambouillet, a family and forest park within easy reach of Paris: potter along here for a hol to see if you agree. (And schedule in a hefty amount of time for Disneyland Paris and Parc Astérix if you're accompanied here by offspring, natch, or a large chunk for Paris sightseeing and occasional gazing romantically into your beloved's visage if you grownups are here on your own.)

Camping Rambouillet is 55 kilometres from Paris, or about an hour and 10 minutes on public transport from the closest bus stop 15 minutes' walk away. It's between fab Versailles (30 kilometres) and the cathedral city of Chartres, and is a few minutes' drive from the Yvelines department town Rambouillet and its famed 14th-century château.

Rambouillet's also a mighty popular place for its surrounding state forest, where this friendly well-equipped site is set. You can hike or bike the woodland trails from here, or (this is rather splendid), venture to the south of the forest on a nature spotting trip to meet a few of the resident Bennett's wallabies, who have lived among the trees here since breaking out of a nearby zoo in the 1970s.

Camping Rambouillet is a Huttopia site, so comes equipped with leisure options and plentiful facilities among its forest setting: it's next to a small lake so guests can go fishing; there are sports areas for ping pong, volleyball and pétanque, and live music events run in summer. The pool on site is natural and eco friendly – no chlorine here – and has plenty of room alongside for idle days sunbathing.

Food and drink are well covered too, at the central lodge with restaurant service; grocery corner and bread and pastries service: just let the staff know the night before what carby treats you want to await you in the morning.

Other facilities include a family communal area, a free internet point in reception, tourist info and barbecues and fridges for hire.