Camping Regio

For days of Salamanca sightseeing and stop offs en route between Portugal and San Sebastián or the UK and France, Camping Regio in Santa Marta de Tormes just the job.

A short and inexpensive bus ride takes you direct from the grounds into Salamanca (and back) every hour, and if you're up for a squeezing a spot of extra exercise into your itinerary, then you're a couple of kilometres from the Dutch-style riverside cycle path that leads right into the city's Old Town and branches off for jaunts into the newer part of the city.

There's plenty of space for running around, and the large pool and its neighbouring paddling pool provide ample splashing and swimming space as well as sun beds around a grassy surrounding space.

A food shop and a café bar with a big sunny terrace are on site too, but if you find yourself there out of season or fancy a further-flung forage, a huge hypermarket and a smaller budget supermarket are both within about four kilometres. The restaurant there serves reasonably priced set menus and, happily, offers discounts to Camping Regio guests.

Pitches are flat, level, grassy and the mature trees that lie dotted around the site provide a good balance of shade and sunny spots; there are water taps at every third pitch, and if you need to catch up on a spot of laundry, this is the place to do it: the laundry room's two token-operated washing machines and dryers have been highly commended by previous guests, as has their sparklingly clean sanitary block and top notch wifi service.