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A Camping Adventure in France

Posted by Anna.
First Published Sept 2015; updated May 2023.

Have you ever thought of taking the family camping in France? Read Anna's story for inspiration.


Anna, a GOWTK tribe member, took her family camping in France this summer. Read about their adventure..

In August 2015 me and my daughters (5 and 7) went on a camping holiday in France with our extended family. It was an amazing holiday filled with outdoor activities for children and adults alike. So at the beginning of August, we loaded up our car with the camping gear and children of course and then set off for the ferry. We chose the ferry rather than the tunnel as it meant drivers got a break and the children could walk about, look at the sea, eat and there was a small play area on board.

we stopped as often as needed as we allowed plenty of time for getting to places

The driving was a bit trying at times and yes we experienced travel sick, grumpiness and “are we there yets” at times as most families do. But overall it wasn't that bad, we stopped as often as needed as we allowed plenty of time for getting to places and this helped to break the journey up a bit. All of the toys that were packed for the holiday were placed at their footwells, so they could read, colour and play until their hearts were content, oh and then there were the car games of course. This meant that on the longest journeys my 5 and 7-year-olds were able to travel relatively hassle-free for 8 hours. And I'm still sane.... I think!

So after a bit more driving, we arrived at our first campsite, just outside Paris (this wasn't the 8-hour journey for the record). Here we played and enjoyed the campsites facilities (see the review for more info), we visited Paris and of course went to Disneyland Paris.

We all had a fantastic time, whether it was having a water fight at the campsite or screaming away on the runaway train at Disneyland Paris. It was fun-filled and action-packed, but being outdoorsy people we only stayed there a few days and then moved on to Noirmoutier for a more outdoorsy kind of fun.

Each day the children and I were outside playing and having fun together. Most of the time we just chilled out at the beach and by chilled out I mean building forts to protect our sandcastles from the invading sea, “saving the world” (a mini handmade island) from the waves, drawing in the sand, burying each other, hunting for crabs, swimming and splashing about.

Cycling the French Countryside

We went bike riding around the island another day, sampling crepes (and beer for us over 18s). We rented tag-along bikes so the kids could cycle or rest as much as they wanted which worked out really well.

Another day we rented a kayak from the campsite and paddled around the coast for an afternoon. We also walked to the local village, went horse riding, visited a water park and had many other amazing adventures along the way.

We then broke up the journey back by stopping in a motel near the ferry port for our last night in France. We could have camped for a night but to save the hassle of unloading and loading again we just got budget accommodation for the night. Then a ferry and another bit of a drive home.

It truly was an awesome outdoor adventure

It truly was an awesome outdoor adventure by the sea exploring the French outdoors and the kids absolutely loved it!

AnnaAndKidsFrance

Photo credits: Anna