Camping de La Mothe

There are no calories on les hols, right? Good news then: the site’s a five-minute walk from Malakoff & Co chocolate factory, where there are tours and tastings during the week. The tours are only given in French, but it might be worth it anyway for non-French speakers, if only for the smell… Anyone feeling the need to get moving after choccing down is well placed here. As well as being just 15 minutes from Cevennes National Park, the site’s also within 35 minutes of the UNESCO-listed Grands Causses Natural Regional Park, where active types can canoe, climb, cave and paraglide to heart’s content (and the less active can opt for a microlight flight instead). This is a particularly gorgeous part of France, so be sure to spend as much time out in it as possible. Head to Creissels (40 minutes away) to hop on a boat trip beneath the Millau Viaduct (the highest bridge in the world); visit the rock formations and arches at the spectacular Chaos de Montpellier-le-Vieux, an hour away; and get snap happy at the stunning Cirque de Navacelles an hour and a half from base. Stick with nature by getting to know it, big and small: start with predators at the Gévaudan wolf park (20 minutes), before travelling a little further afield to meet the insects at Micropolis and the lizards at the Larzac Reptilarium, both within 45 minutes of the site.