Au Bois d'Escoumos

This is a fab base for exploring the local area on foot, bike or horseback, perhaps with a spot of fishing in between. A 10-minute drive gets you to Gorges de la Save for pretty walks around lakes and waterfalls; for more ambitious hikes, opt for the Pyrénées National Park (an hour). For watery antics, take a lake swim at Lac de Montréjeau (half an hour), or choose sporty stuff like wakeboarding, paddleboarding and waterskiing at Wake Park La Source (an hour), where there’s also an inflatable aqua park to bounce across. More lake-based larks can be had at La Demi-Lune leisure park (20 minutes), with pedal boats, bumper boats and water zorbing. Dry land activities here include pony rides, a toboggan run, miniature golf, ziplining, climbing and a trampoline park. Toulouse can be reached in about an hour and a half, for glimpses of the impressive Basilique Saint-Sernin de Toulouse and the Capitole de Toulouse, home to the town hall and a theatre. On the outskirts of Toulouse, the Cité de l'Espace space museum is packed full of nipper-pleasing interactive displays.