The Best of the Best Camp Site

6 August 2018 at 13:04:46
We’ve stayed at this camp site about 5 times now over the past 7 years of camping, and have yet to find fault or get bored with the camp site or region. We’ve visited with two sets of friends and family in previous years, and they all loved it. This visit in July was our first without the children,... and was mid-season.
The site
There has always been a good mix of families with young children, and older campers, so that however you are travelling you will not feel out of place. The pitches are large, well maintained (saw the grass being cut twice in a week) and grassy, with a few good riverside pitches which are approximately 10m from the river, where you can sit and watch vultures circling above while eating dinner.
The Staff
This is a family run site, and feels it, and we were lucky enough to meet the new owners this time, who are a lovely, friendly, hardworking French family. Husband appeared to be everywhere…reception, shower block at 10pm, by pool side talking to visitors, and getting them parasols.
Staff were mainly young teens who were always friendly and courteous. Loved their orange Hollister shirts / uniform.
Amenities
There is plenty to keep you occupied here. The pool area is spotlessly clean, with plenty of sun beds, although can get full in high season. Haven’t used the sauna, but my wife has and loved it. Tennis court is excellent, but you usually need to book in high season. Kids play area is huge and looks great. Shop is well stocked, and reasonable.
The shower blocks are excellent, and there’s lots of them. In fact, the best I’ve seen. They’re cleaned several times a day, and usually cleaner than most homes I’ve been into. There are large spacious cubicles with shower and sink.
The river
The river is fenced off except at two entrance points so that the site is very safe for children even if you are on a riverside pitch. There is deep water to swim and jump from cliffs into, and shallow water for children to play. The beach is stony, and spacious with some rough grass to lay towels on higher up if you prefer. The water is cool, but refreshing.
If you like foraging, look out for Crayfish under the rocks. I met a French lady catching them one year to eat for her dinner, and tried it myself this year. I found a few quite large ones, probably as it was early season, and had them with steak.
The Restaurant / Bar
Can’t recall eating here, as we usually cook, but we watched world cup games this year, and had plenty to drink. 6 Euros for half a litre of white wine, which is reasonable for camp sites.
I don’t believe there is any entertainment in the evenings, which is usually not a bad thing, and means the site is very quiet in the evenings.
Supermarkets / Market
There is a decent enough supermarket 10 minutes away in Le Rozier, although it is a little expensive, which is typical for small tourist supermarkets, or there are large supermarkets 20 minutes away in Millau. There’s a really good local market once a week (I think). The local Aliogot (cheesy mashed potato) and sausage is excellent.
Things to do / other notes
• Canoe down the Tarn, and finish back at the campsite. This is a must do, as the scenery is breath taking. You can also raft in a group if you can’t canoe, which we tried, but it’s a little tame, and less fun than canoes.
• Find a shaded spot next to the river in the gorge. Lots of places to find away from crowds. Not that you will find crowds in this region.
• Drive from Le Rozier to Meyruis and across the plateau back to the Tarn. Amazing to see the landscape change on top of the plateau. Stop at the grotto….a worthwhile visit.
• Canyoning – we have done this in two locations in the region, and both been excellent. Need to allow about 1 hour to drive from the campsite.
• The weather can change, and we have experienced a violent storm one night which blew our canopy away, and shook the caravan. It was an amazing thing to see, and pretty memorable.
Overall, this is probably our favourite campsite and region for very good reasons. Its four stars are well deserved, and we look forward to visiting again.
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