Camping La Venise de l'Ouest

A medieval town with cobbled streets and half-timbered houses, La Ferté-Bernard spreads around the Eglise Notre Dame des Marais, a Gothic building with buttresses topped by elegantly decorated spires. Explore the town on foot or on the miniature train that runs in the summer months. Another splendid Gothic structure is the Cathedral of Saint Julian in Le Mans (45 minutes’ drive). Not far from the cathedral, the Musée de Tessé has collections of Egyptian artefacts and Renaissance art, while the Museum of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, on the outskirts of the city, explores the history of this renowned endurance car race next to the track where it happens. The Perche Regional Natural Park (50 minutes) is punctuated by pretty villages, castles and abbeys, as well as spectacular natural landscapes like the oak woods at Bellême forest (home to the 350-year-old Chêne de l’École oak tree), the peaceful Étang de la Benette pond, or the Tourbière de Commeauche peat bog, known for its wild orchids.