Camping Satillieu

Not done with nature just yet? See it from a different perspective 40 minutes’ drive away on the vélorail along the Gorges du Doux (there are two different routes to choose from) or head instead to the 35-kilometre Dolce Via walking and biking route starting 45 minutes from base in Lamastre. If you prefer to see all the splendour under someone else’s steam, sit back and chug along the Gorges du Doux on the Train de l’Ardèche steam train, 35 minutes from the site – or have a leisurely explore of a different kind by bringing animals into the mix at Safari de Peaugres, half an hour away. For bittersweet days, let Valrhona’s City of Chocolate melt away any remaining stress: a 40-minute drive from home base, there are tours, a chocolate waterfall and up to 20 different tastings here. A very different option is a trip to the Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval, a spectacular and surreal palace a little under an hour away, built by a postman over the course of 30 years. If city days are beckoning, the museums, gardens and castle of Valence are an hour away, and Lyon’s Old Town, Roman remains and aquarium are within 80 minutes.