Fancy visiting a château on your Loire Valley sojourn? Maybe two? How about… 15? Oui, the good folks at Camping Les Saules reckon they’re within striking distance of 15 or so of the area’s finest edifices, meaning enough day trips to content even the most ardent castle collector. For starters, the closest, Cheverny and Troussay, merely require a gentle ramble (half an hour and 50 minutes’ walk respectively) or you could hop in the car to reach Chambord, Blois or Beauregard within half an hour.
Your own aristo-worthy abode for the duration of your hols will be a pleasingly kingsized pitch shaded by woods five minutes’ drive from the village of Cheverny (home not only to a château but also a couple of restaurants, a crêperie and a rather fab wine shop). Two-wheeled travellers can launch themselves easily into the surrounding countryside on a cycle trail that passes just outside the gates, hiring the bikes from the site if needed.
Life here isn’t all about getting out and about; there’s plenty to do during the time you spend on site. Little princes and princesses can take their pick from two playgrounds, joining in the kids’ club activities or time spent in the games room, which is well supplied with toys and a TV. Outside, games of tables tennis and miniature golf beckon for all ages, while those feeling guilty about excessive croissant consumption can hit the fitness trail for a workout.
No such need for activity (or wanting to make the most of a snatched hour while les enfants are busy at the kids’ club)? Perhaps set up by the pond for an afternoon of fishing or haul yourself into a hammock for an extended period of examining the inside of your eyelids.
The crowning glory, though, is the smashing pool complex. There’s something for everyone here: an outdoor pool for sunny days, a covered pool for chillier times, a paddling pool for the smaller splashers, a terrace with loungers for the sun worshippers and an autonomous system to help disabled guests in and out of the water with ease.
In high season you can fuel your activity/inactivity with meals from the restaurant and refresh with drinks from the bar, ideally supped on its fab flower-filled terrace (also the place for free wifi access). An on-site shop provides all your basics in summer, including fresh bread orders; at other times and for more elaborate cheffery, it’s a mere five-minute saunter in the car to the nearest supermarket.
Other on-site amenities include a whole bank of washing-up sinks (no excuses, kids), a launderette and a spankingly clean toilet block with hot showers.