Camping Le Caravan'Île

You might want to stay on site for much of your Noirmoutier hol, but do consider venturing out to explore sometime, for this spectacular Atlantic island is a rightly popular place for Pays de la Loire and French tourism. Spanning about 45 square kilometres of Atlantic Ocean between Brittany and south-west France, Noirmoutier has over 60 kilometres of walking paths and 80 of cycling routes, running round the coastline and through its teeny villages from the north to the south of the island. As it's a nature reserve, birds of all sorts flit around the isle too: make for the Müllembourg nature reserve or the famed island salt marshes for guaranteed sightings. The main port of the island, Noirmoutier-en-l'Île, is about 10 minutes' drive away. Have it as an early stop on your travel list (after all the cycling, ambling, beach and pool days), as it's well worth a potter for its medieval Château de Noirmoutier, museum and the Friday morning market. (Additional Noirmoutier-en-l'Île markets are on Tuesdays and Sundays in summer, part of a network of island markets where you can pick up fresh cheese, honey, fruit, veg, Noirmoutier oysters and shellfish, and cornets of tasty crevettes grises or brown shrimps.) Family days of all sorts are within minutes of the site, including the Océanile waterpark, the Parc de loisirs du Gois amusement park, Noirmoutier Aquarium and MINI-VILLE miniature village, all within five or six kilometres of your swish island base.