The next two days of our courtesy Eurocamp break were very serene: sunbathing, reading, drinking, swimming and generally chilling out in the hot sun. A short drive to the little coastal town of Ault (see left) was quite surprising: magnificent chalk cliffs, a pebbly beach and a beautiful blue-green sea. Despite a good number of people on the beach there was nothing open at all -not a shop, cafe, ice cream van (do the French have ice cream vans? Probably not, a crepe stall? There wasn’t any) – a ghost town with all the shutters closed. This spell of good weather had taken them by surprise it would seem. The bad weather arrived the morning we were leaving. The rain was so heavy we had a dilemma. How to pack the car without getting absolutely drenched? Dougie had the answer. He took all his clothes off, wrapped the teeny towel round himself and gamely dashed between the chalet and the boot. Great cheers from me, embarrassed sighs from Rory and a few twitched curtains from the neighbours. Once done, he popped his dry clothes back on and then I found an umbrella to take me daintily to the car!
So was our Eurocamp holiday a success? Absolutely. The French campsites are excellent, often in quite beautiful surroundings. The Eurocamp mobile homes are spacious (well, bedrooms a bit tight, don’t know how many times I stubbed my toe on the bed), modern and clean. Amenities such as swimming pools and kids clubs are very good. There wasn’t anything specific laid on for teenagers at this time of year and at this site, but the one we have booked (and paid for) for the summer has a teenage club and plenty of sports and entertainment. They did have a tennis court but Scottish husband baulked at paying 8 euros an hour to use our own rackets so the boys had great fun playing gently on the path next to the chalet and losing the balls in the bushes.
Initially I found it hard to adjust to having a holiday where I wasn’t in some fancy gaff. M’Lady here rather likes dressing for dinner and raiding the mini-bar in 5 star hotels. But this break was just as enjoyable because it was stress-free and we laughed, a lot, even when things went wrong. I wore very little (Sorry Tim, next door) and therefore had hardly any washing to do when we got home, which was a bonus.
But I do have some tips regarding items to bring with you if you are considering a mobile home/camping holiday but are too much of a princess like me to rough it.
What to take?
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My husband. Years of camping as a child and he goes all Swiss Family Robinson in this environment. He single-handedly did all the supermarket shopping then cooked every night on the barbecue. I did go with him to the supermarket once but he found this frustrating as all I did was try to hunt out Nestle Crunch chocolate bars.
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Marigolds. As I wasn’t on cooking duties I was always at the bloody sink and I don’t like doing dishes without rubber protection.
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Unless you’re flying to the campsite, take your own bedding so you can be sure you have the right number of pillowcases per pillow. If you have space, stuff the duvet in. If you’re fussy about your pillows, stick them in too.
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Don’t bother with the £7 Welcome Pack unless you’re only staying a few nights as you’ll need to stock up on more coffee and tea sachets anyway, the matches are a bit rubbish and the washing up liquid bottle is tiny. But it is pretty good value as you do get an excellent dishcloth (!) and the bottle of wine included is very medicinal once you’ve stubbed your toe the second time.
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Bring your own beach towels. You can order them at £8 a pair but if their delivery hasn’t arrived, as in our case, you’ll spend 18 euros at the supermarket, knowing you’ve got a whole airing cupboard full of the buggers at home.
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Soap (yup we forgot), toilet roll (we may have packed the moist bum wipes but neglected to pack the dry stuff), spare bin bags, bags to take to the supermarket, pegs, ice cube bags, bathmat (ok not essential but I do hate one-legged hop-about drying)
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An attractive cotton throw for the lounge seating area. The seat cushions in our cabin were plasticky and stuck to my thighs when hot!!
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If you’re not bringing the laptop (there was WiFi but I needed a break) then playing cards and board games are handy. Rory was disdainful when Dougie found a box of Connect 4 in the Eurocamp office but then slaughtered his father on a regular basis and it became the game of the holiday (just don’t tell him I’ve said so as it’s so not cool). Think of new games too, such as who can catch a tennis ball with a pair of barbecue tongs?!
At this time of tightening our belts, ash clouds, airplane security and strikes, the idea of a camping holiday is becoming more popular. Eurocamp use the best sites available, a great range of mobile homes and their focus on children is excellent.
If possible, upgrade to the best cabin/mobile home you can afford. We booked a very small one when Rory was little, thinking we didn’t need much space with only one child, but extra space is so welcome. Go for a chalet with decking too; I didn’t realise how much better it was sitting at an outdoor table on the flat, rather than on the uneven grass. It also cuts down hugely on children bringing muck into the caravan on their shoes.
Factfile
A seven night break at Eurocamp’s Domaine de Drancourt parc, arriving 3 July 2010, staying in a 2 bed ‘Comfort’ mobile home with decking, costs just £420 for the whole family, accommodation only.
Ferry crossings, fly-drive packages or rail travel can be arranged through Eurocamp at a supplement.
For further information on Eurocamp please call 0844 406 0552 or visit http://www.eurocamp.co.uk/
Ferry crossings, fly-drive packages or rail travel can be arranged through Eurocamp at a supplement.
For further information on Eurocamp please call 0844 406 0552 or visit http://www.eurocamp.co.uk/
Sounds like you had a brilliant time – I'm thinking about camping myself this summer.
@Magic Mummy Fingers crossed for good weather for you – it makes all the difference! Great fun and very relaxing x
Excellent post, Trish. I'm definitely a princess when it comes to holidays and much prefer the 5 stars. I only ever did camping as a girl guide and hated it!! You have made this site sound wonderful; but I'll take your word for it!
CJ xx
Yes – I will just take your word for it too. No way this princess will ever go camping! x
@Crystal Jigsaw and @Diney – I think proper tenty camping would not be my thing (the thought of walking to the toilet block in the night makes me shudder) but the mobile home is surprisingly smart and it's like playing in a Wendy house.
Just testing to see if comments work as someone is having "error" message when trying to comment.
Good description… I think, on reflection, that's one of the reasons Sally like it so much. And, of course, she had a real-live doll to play with.
Like the new look!
@ The Dotterel – the new look is more luck than judgement. A tad blue perhaps so could look cold but I like the font size and wider page. I experimented with putting the Eiffel Tower or the CN Tower as a background but it looked a bit messy!
I'm a bit of a princess too when it comes to roughing it. I prefer Hotel du Vin. Years and years of caravan holidays I think did it for me. My other half is the opposite too – he goes all Bear Grylls.
This sounds quite dignified though – not roughing it too much with good facilities. Apart from the rough sort next door of course.!
@Deer Baby – there's something quite attractive about husbands going a bit Stone Age on holiday. I cam over all unnecessary when he was rampaging with his tongs!
I'm all for luxury but this was a great way for the family to really connect again.
Trish, I'd love to have seen Dougie and the bath towel Next time my GP says I need to eat healthily and take exercise….well….!
Love the piccie of your two fellas. Alike or what!
x