La Paillote

View prices & book 8 85 reviews
Spacious pitches (added by manager 18 Aug 2023)
Spacious pitches
Our nice plot.
Really well maintained.
Peaceful and private pitch
Great little pitch
Space was fine for van and 2 tents
Barbecue area
Shaded picnic tables
1/22
Favourite
Our nice plot.
Really well maintained.
Peaceful and private pitch

  • Family-friendly site with grass pitches a 25-minute drive from Calais
  • Cap Blanc-Nez half an hour’s drive; Boulogne-sur-Mer 35 minutes
  • Brasserie/bar with live music and beer garden; pétanque on site
An excellent base for exploring the northern French department of Pas-de-Calais, La Paillote is in the village of Balinghem, about five minutes by car from the medieval market town of Ardres. And if that doesn't help you place exactly where this small well-maintained site is, it might help to know that Calais and the beaches of the Opal Coast are a 25-minute drive to the north. As well as level grass pitches and a ‘dogs are welcome’ policy, La Paillote also has an on-site brasserie/bar that serves simple meals (think croque monsieur sandwiches, that sort of thing) and local beers. The bar often comes alive with live music, and the entertainment might also spill outside into the beer garden, where there’s no shortage of picnic tables for alfresco dining and drinking. A pétanque court is available for those who want a bit of traditional outdoor competition. Keen anglers might be grateful for the proximity to the Etang d’Ardres lake (five minutes’ drive), with its stocks of carp, while hikers and birdwatchers should make a beeline to the Marais de Guînes (10 minutes), a wetland area inhabited by marsh harriers and cuckoos. If you prefer your walks with a dash of sea salt, you can head to the cliffs at Cap Blanc-Nez (half an hour) and walk the coastal trail while taking in views across the Channel to the White Cliffs of Dover (weather permitting). In addition to the toilets in the brasserie, there is an on-site toilet block, showers and a washing-up area, plus a launderette.

Site type

Motorhome pitches 15
Tent pitches 15
Touring caravan pitches 15
Open now
Opens 1 May

Tourist board rating

Please note
  • The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro) and/or any of the following: Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Rottweiler, any Mastiff or Tosa.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.

Languages spoken

English

French

Open from Wed, 01 May to

Reviews

8

Overall rating based on 85 reviews View breakdown

Budget/backpacker

Voted 52% of visitors View breakdown

78%

would recommend this site to a friend

79%

would stay here again

  • 42%
    10
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    9
  • 31%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 12%
    6
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    5
  • 9%
    4
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    3
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    2
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    1

Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Rough

Overall 6/10
Location 8
Value for money 4
Accommodation 4
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 4
Child friendliness 2
Cleanliness 2
Wifi 2
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric optional grass and earth pitch

Liked: Close to ferry port.

Disliked: Not overly friendly reception, being stared down a lot by the regulars, we were in bed around 10 and heard a group of people walk past loudly talking about l’ étrangers. There are no showers or basic camping facilities only toilets. This is basically a trailer park with a few grass pitches. With a bar/resto and a garden bar on site it will be quite rowdy and noisy when the local rough crowd is in.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very basic, but convinient campsite close to ferry.

Overall 6/10
Location 6
Value for money 10
Accommodation 4
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 2
Child friendliness 4
Cleanliness 4
Wifi 2
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric optional grass and earth pitch

Liked: Large pitch . Reasonably good value for money. Close to Calais for Ferry crossing.

Disliked: Cool reception- no explanation where anything was or how the electronic gate worked. No showers. Outside toilets without toilet paper. Loud music and noise from the bar past 11pm.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site with clean facilities

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 8
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric optional grass and earth pitch

Liked: Very friendly owner. He made us feel very welcome. The facilities were not modern but were scrupulously clean. The evening was rainy and we were in the bar with a young family, we were made to feel welcome and at home

Recommend to friends Visit again

Quick stop over for ferry

Overall 4/10
Location 6
Value for money 4
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 4
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 2
Wifi 2
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric optional grass and earth pitch

Liked: Food in restaurant was great.

Disliked: Only 2 showers available and 1 shower wasn't working at all.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great place for a night or 2 stay

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric optional grass and earth pitch

Liked: Lovely and friendly place. The hosts were really pleasant and the food from the restaurant was great quality

Disliked: Toilet and shower block was a bit dated

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great size of the pitch. Lovely area,all amenities there. Not far travel…

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 6
Scott C. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric optional grass and earth pitch

Liked: Great size of the pitch. Lovely area,all amenities there. Not far travel to the town.

Disliked: Maybe updating facilities in the future

Recommend to friends Visit again

Poor quality services

Overall 2/10
Location 8
Value for money 4
Accommodation 2
Facilities / Activities No rating
Customer service 6
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness No rating
Wifi No rating
Dawn E. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric optional grass and earth pitch

Liked: Near to Calais

Disliked: The shower block was shabby and dirty. The electricity nit maintained and didn't work so had to find an alternative some distance away. Definitely wouldn't stay again. It should be removed from pitch up until improvements made.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly staff, good pitch, great bar and restaurant.

Overall 8/10
Location 8
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 4
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 2
Andrew J. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric optional grass and earth pitch

Liked: The pub/restaurant was excellent and the staff were really friendly, it was busy and had a good atmosphere. Overall it was realistically priced and a good quality pitch with electric, an excellent place to pitch after travelling from the uk and going further afield.

Disliked: The toilets were of low standards on the pitch and no toilet paper supplied, (but good toilet facilities at the bar and restaurant), no showers only sink areas.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great vibe, perfect stop to/from Calais.

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 6
Wifi No rating
Tim R. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric optional grass and earth pitch

Liked: Great vibes in the bar, with locals as well as guests. Lovely hosts, nice quiet pitches.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great Site, great facilities , friendly staff close to Ferry Port

Overall 10/10
Location 6
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 10
Samantha B. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric optional grass and earth pitch

Liked: Pitch was a great size, owners weren’t about on arrival so we just pulled into an empty pitch which he was fine with. The owner is lovely and super friendly and helpful. His Bar/Restaurant is really lovely such a good atmosphere amongst the local residents and great service, the food was very good and freshly made. The shower was the best we’ve used in our whole 5 weeks away, very hot power shower and no timer and very good sized cubicle with lots of space. The barrier was automatic so no problem leaving early morning. Very enjoyable stay and will definitely return.

Disliked: The EHU boxes are a little tired but they did work ok. No other dislikes and very happy with our stay

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Portable toilet

Dogs allowed

Leisure on site

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Games room Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area Pétanque TV room Take away Tennis Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available Car parking by pitch/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Gastronomic delight Peaceful

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Small (11-25 pitches)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Location

La Paillote

2219

Rue du Camp du Drap d’Or

Balinghem

Pas-de-Calais

France

62610

Directions

Timezone

Europe/Paris +0200 (GMT+02:00)

GPS

50.86254°N
1.94783°W

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

Saint Joseph Village (10 minutes’ drive) is an open-air museum/theme park where you can learn what life was like in this region at the start of the 20th century. Reconstructed buildings include a school and old-fashioned stores such a haberdasher’s and a vintage bakery. At Calais you can relax on the sandy beach while watching the ferries shuttle across the Channel; climb to the top of the lighthouse to see if you can make out the English coast; or visit the Musée des Beaux-Arts, with its collection of works by the sculptor Auguste Rodin. One of Rodin’s famed sculptures, The Burghers of Calais, sits in front of the town hall. Boulogne-sur-Mer (35 minutes) is known for Nausicaá - Centre national de la Mer, a vast aquarium housing sharks, manta rays and tropical fish, plus penguins and turtles. The aquarium sits at the western end of the sandy beach, which is flanked by a long jetty and the Phare Rouge lighthouse.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Calais Centre Plage 13.7 km Sea Good Good Good N/A
Marck La Huchette 13.9 km Sea Excellent Excellent Good Excellent
Sangatte Bleriot Plage 14.2 km Sea Good Good Good Good
Oye-Plage Les Hemmes 15.1 km Sea Good Excellent Excellent Excellent
Sangatte Centre Plage 16.2 km Sea Good Good Good Good

Data source: European Environment Agency

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Frequently asked questions

  • Does La Paillote have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is La Paillote dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near La Paillote? Saint Joseph Village (10 minutes’ drive) is an open-air museum/theme park where you can learn what life was like in this region at the start of the 20th century. Reconstructed buildings include … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of La Paillote?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  9 a.m. –  10 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at La Paillote? From R390.91 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.