Camping Le Sableau

This is a part of the world that’s well geared up for family outings: Saint Gilles Croix de Vie (15 minutes’ drive) has a splendid beach, along with sailing, surfing and sand yachting for folk who’d like a bit of seaside activity. Just up the coast (20 minutes from the site), Saint-Jean-de-Monts has a stunning seaside golf course and the wild waterslides of the Atlantic Toboggan waterpark. Turning backs on the coast, you can send the nippers up into the treetops at the Grand Défi adventure park (25 minutes) or keep them at ground level to meet the animals at Planète Sauvage zoo (45 minutes). If you’ve got a bit of time sans enfants, pack up fishing kit for an outing to Lac de Jaunay (10 minutes), or follow your nose along the scented trails of the Jardin des Olfacties garden at Coëx's Place de l’Église (20 minutes). There are more pretty gardens in Nantes (an hour), as well as a splendid château, a natural history museum, a flamboyant cathedral and a museum dedicated to local lad Jules Verne.