Camping in france ?

[firebreather]

Ok I'm not sure if this is in the right place.
makeitmyself and I are thinking of going to france later on in the year for about a week / ten days to camp and generally have a wander around. We would like to have a good variety of things to do and see but would like to be off the beaten track a little. Our ideal place would have mountains,lakes,wood land and a bit of civilisation thrown in.
Could any of you recommend places to stay or see. We quite like the look of the Rhone valley as it has a few hills, some pretty lakes and things to do.
I am looking for advice on campsites that are any good as we will probably be taking the car and driving down. It would be nice to stop off on the way down somewhere and treat it as a relaxing trip rather than a mad dash down to one place then veg out.
Our kit will probably combine the tipi and hammocks and we would like to use them both if possible on the trip. We have a choice of vehicles to take, Lin's mini (cheap, economical and very easy to drive for long periods) or my vitara (slower, expensive to run in comparison and not as comfy for long drives) . If there are any good but not too challenging green lanes along the way then that might be worth the extra cost in fuel.
The possibility of an open fire to cook on at least on a few days would be nice, so sites that allow that. We are not looking for a bushcrafting holiday as such but a nice camping trip with a little bushcrafting thrown in.
Am I asking too much from ten days in france ? Or is it an undiscovered wonderland ?( for me anyway )

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

Cheers Greg

 

[giancarlo]

Can't help out with a site, but I was thinking about doing a similar thing a while back.

I wanted it to be more of a kayaking tour, camp out trip than a proper camp site, but remember getting lots of info back about open fires being a big no-no in the Rhone valley.

I'll try find the info and post it on here for you.

Edit:
Here you go matey, 2 I found, like i said, not exactly what you're after but along the same lines:
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1364
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5178


Cheers
Carlo

 

[firebreather]

I didnt find them when I looked but then again i only typed in "france".
Its not looking good for the fires.Hmmmm might have to change country and try somewhere else.

Cheers Greg

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

France is heavily forrested and as such ban fires most of the time, indeeed in Provence form May-Sept you can be arrested for it.

I would suggest the Ardeche or Drome for off the beaten track campsites - 'Camping a la Ferme' is what you want as they are literally farm campsites, sometimes just a field with toliets/showers/water. Unlikely to be busy. Most sites in 'Tourist' areas will be busy.

It would be worth going to the Alps, although weather can be poor even in mid summer, especially some easy walks, cable cars if req'd, in Chamonix as there are some amazing views, glaciers, ibex etc.

Laon and Langres have small municipal sites and are both scenic walled cities.

Pyrenees is much quieter than the alps.

Nick

 

[littlebiglane]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cool-Camping-France/dp/0955203651

Pasted from Amazon site:

Synopsis
The brand new addition to the best-selling "Cool Camping" series for 2008 is "Cool Camping: France" and it's the most stunning camping guidebook yet. It features a hand-picked selection of the very best campsites and camping experiences to be found across the country, with in-depth reviews, practical info and hundreds of inspiring colour photos. Written by a team of travel writers including co-ordinating author Nicola Williams (author of Lonely Planet France), the book uncovers those hard-to-find countryside camping gems, well away from the Eurocamp crowds. Featuring spectacular mountain sites in the Alps and Pyrenees, lazy, shady riverside hang-outs in the Loire and Dordogne, smart chateau camping in Brittany and balmy outdoor treats on the Cte DAzure, this is the essential new guidebook for connoisseurs of continental camping.

Ok I'm not sure if this is in the right place.
makeitmyself and I are thinking of going to france later on in the year for about a week / ten days to camp and generally have a wander around. We would like to have a good variety of things to do and see but would like to be off the beaten track a little. Our ideal place would have mountains,lakes,wood land and a bit of civilisation thrown in.
Could any of you recommend places to stay or see. We quite like the look of the Rhone valley as it has a few hills, some pretty lakes and things to do.
I am looking for advice on campsites that are any good as we will probably be taking the car and driving down. It would be nice to stop off on the way down somewhere and treat it as a relaxing trip rather than a mad dash down to one place then veg out.
Our kit will probably combine the tipi and hammocks and we would like to use them both if possible on the trip. We have a choice of vehicles to take, Lin's mini (cheap, economical and very easy to drive for long periods) or my vitara (slower, expensive to run in comparison and not as comfy for long drives) . If there are any good but not too challenging green lanes along the way then that might be worth the extra cost in fuel.
The possibility of an open fire to cook on at least on a few days would be nice, so sites that allow that. We are not looking for a bushcrafting holiday as such but a nice camping trip with a little bushcrafting thrown in.
Am I asking too much from ten days in france ? Or is it an undiscovered wonderland ?( for me anyway )

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

Cheers Greg

 

[spamel]

My Uncle Terry, the ex-RSPCA bloke, has a place in France (Pyrenees) that does mountain trips, bird watching and the like. Would it be a shameless plug? Maybe, but go and have a look at his website and maybe contact him, he's a nice guy and if nothing else he would be able to give you information on the region.

http://www.eco-wildlife-tours-pyrenees.co.uk/Your%20Guide.htm