Camping l'Isle Saint Jean

The place to start for inspiration on local activities is the site’s reception area, which has stacks of info on outings including canoeing, horse riding, climbing, bike rental and hot air balloon flights. Those who like to explore on foot should certainly kick off their stay with a walk to the excellent Arcy-sur-Cure Caves (two and a half kilometres south) to see both natural limestone formations and rock paintings that have survived since prehistoric times. Head north instead and a walk of just over an hour should get you to Reigny Abbey to see a mix of buildings from across the ages (some dating back to the 14th century). There’s also much wandering to be done in the nearby town of Avallon (25 minutes’ drive) – a particularly pretty place with an old town accessed via a 15th-century gateway and home to all sorts of turrets, towers and fortifications. If you like that, you’ll probably also want to make time for Auxerre (half an hour) for half-timbered houses, medieval streets and plenty of cafés.