Camping du Petit Bois

The hamlet of La Borne (10 minutes’ drive or one hour on foot, less if you go through the woods) has a centuries-long history as a ceramics hub. In addition to the Contemporary Ceramics Center, which runs workshops for all ages, there are dozens of pottery studios in the village, where you can meet the artists and purchase their creations. Wine lovers make a beeline for the hilltop village of Sancerre (half an hour), in the Loire Valley, which is surrounded by vineyards as far as the eye can see. After tasting the local Sauvignon Blanc at wine bars, restaurants or at the chateaus where it’s produced, soak up the local atmosphere with a stroll through the pretty medieval streets. On the banks of the Auron river, the city of Bourges (35 minutes) is renowned for the splendid Gothic architecture of its 12th-century cathedral. There are also museums covering subjects as varied as natural history, trains and the resistance during World War II, not to mention plenty of green areas such as the Prés Fichaux Garden.