Camping du Pied Girard

The Vendée’s a fab area for hols if you’re looking to keep the kids entertained/wear them out so they’ll slumber soundly. Among the top picks around here are splashing down the slides at O’Gliss waterpark (15 minutes’ drive), zooming around the track at Vendée Kart Circuit (20 minutes) and swinging through the trees at Indian Forest adventure park (20 minutes). For a bit of history mashed up with a fun day out, try out caveman life at the Cairn stone age living museum (10 minutes) or hit Le Château des Aventuriers (15 minutes) for castle tours, dinosaur trails, swashbuckling pirates and all sorts of rides and games. Château de Talmont (15 minutes) may be more your style if you’re after more of a traditional grand house visit (although they’ll still throw in jousting demos and the like from time to time). Creature-spotting outings nearby include insights into underwater life at the Vendée Aquarium (20 minutes) and exotic encounters with giraffes, big cats, monkeys and penguins at Zoo des Sables d’Olonne (25 minutes).