Camping Senonches

Heading off site needn’t alter the tempo: taking a carriage ride drawn by the sturdy local percheron draught horses is a local tradition and a fine way to see the countryside up close at a slower pace. Let the site team fix you up with vehicle, steed and driver… and off you trot. A 25-minute drive away, Senonches is good for stocking up, wanders round the Friday markets and tours of the château dungeon. If you like a historic building or two, the ruined château at Ferté-Vidame and the fairytale fortress of Nogent-le-Rotrou (half an hour and 50 minutes) make a cracking combo of castles. On a grander scale, the UNESCO-listed Gothic cathedral at Chartres (an hour) is an unmissable part of any Perche itinerary, with its flying buttresses, mighty spires and stained glass still intact since the 13th century. Stick about in the city to learn more about the mysterious cathedral décor at the stained glass museum, or visit the one-man monument that is La Maison Picassiette, a domestic dwelling turned over three decades into a 3D live-in mosaic by its talented owner. Finish off your Chartres forays with a boat cruise down the Eure, or if the weather’s playing up, a spot of ice skating at L’Odysée leisure complex.