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So hoping ot go to france last two weeks of august. we have done annecy and other parts of the alps a few times pre covid.
Hoping ot channel tunnel but looking for recommendations of areas to stay on the atlantic coast for a few days on the way down and back for beach stuff.
Then recommendations for places in the french pyrenees.
Family of 4 - 12 year old daughter loves the beach and swimming pools, 15 yo son loves running on trail and in mountains, a bit of road or gravel biking would be good as well.
Ideally looking for campsites with accommodation that can be booked especially for the pyrenees, and or airbnb's or campsites for the coast.
many thanks
Ile de Ré or Ile d'Oleron for the sandy beaches and clear Atlantic Ocean. I can 't recommend La Rochelle, the town beach is imported sand that switches to mud underfoot when you wade out.
Bagneres de Luchon and surrounding area is nice, but maybe a bit too central Pyrenees if you're on the Atlantic coast beforehand.
I was in the worst traffic jam of my life around Perpignan in 45° ish heat in a car with no air con so avoid that!
Its a good combo. We've done it many times (particularly when I surfed as much as I mountain biked).
We usually did ferry to Spain (Santander / Bilbao) or just hit the drive in a day from the tunnel, so cant really comment on places on the way down. We'd then do a week in the mountains and a week at the beach.
In the Pyrenees we often stayed in Cauterets which was a good base. https://camping-cabaliros.com/ was good.
For the French Atlantic coast we always stayed around the Hossegor area (or anywhere on the 100 miles straight beach north of Biarritz, just because of good surf. Campsites often tended to be more holiday parky than i'd have liked, but there are loads and its basically just flat pine forest and massive beaches (with some of the best surf in europe).
For beaches - you want the Vendee. I did a summer season out there, but 20 years ago so knowledge will be outdated. The whole area is hundreds of km of amazing beaches with quite a lot of forest trails set just off the beach. Campsite wise, there were many, many to choose from.
Heh, thanks @duncancallum well summoned!
@karnali, I just happened to know of some self-catering gites in Fuilla, near Prades in the eastern Pyrenees. It's a quiet village (with cafe!) just at the start of the 'proper' mountains, with trail riding and running out the door. Lots of ace road, MTB and gravel (the climb out the door goes up to 1760m...) and it's 45 minutes from the Med. There are public pools and lakes with fun stuff going on closer too.
https://www.tourisme-canigou.com/blog/top-15-des-activites-a-faire-en-famille
There's a campsite in Fuilla too. It's pretty nice 🙂
//Edit// From personal experience, cycle touring in the Pyrenees, it seemed easy to just rock up to campsites throughout the mountains in July, but the second it ticked over to August, everything was full (even if it obviously wasn't...)
St jean de luz is a nice little place south of the hub bub of Biarritz.
Tjen a week in Ageles bazsost or surrounding for some of the best Pyrenees climbing
We went through a phase of camping on Atlantic coast islands, Oleron was our fave by far, fantastic long sandy beaches on the west coast, with pine woods inland - Re we thought a bit stark by comparison (lots of salt flats outside of town), Noirmoutier was lovely but maybe not far enough south for you, all have great cycling infrastructure. Look for municipal campsites, the facilities will be good and most of your fellow campers will be French, which we liked. Did a season in St Palais in '99, lovely long beach between there and Palmyre, campsite owner was a real dick but dead now.
I went to Ill de Rey in 2016 with the kids and it is a sublime place. Beaches are amazing and there are cycle tracks around the whole island. It’s quite a magical place to spend a holiday but accommodation can be expensive. There are lots of camping options though.
We have done a version of this nearly every year for the past ten years. Usually via the long boat to Santander or Bilboa, but we always take at least three weeks. In the mountains we usually stay in either Luchon at Camping Pradelongue (this is a quiet campsite) or the Trois Valleys in Argeles Gazost which expensive and busier but has the best facilities and a water park. Cauterets is great but its a little remote. This year we did white water rafting and there's a really good tree top adventure place just outside town from Argeles plus the mountain luge at the top of Huatcam. I would say theres more for teenage kids to do in Argeles. Both Luchon and Argeles give access to great gravel riding and some of the road riding anywhere as well as MTB. If you do go give me a shout we were there for 10 days last summer.
We also go to the Vendee every Whit half term i'd say the beaches are better there and the sea is less choppy than further south (there's a reason why there some much surfing down there) but we've had good beach holidays in Bayonne, St John de Mots (really nice) and Noya in Spain.
We love Contis Plage on the Atlantic coast. Good for surfing and body boarding, some nice bars and restaurants and great for families. Loads of cycle paths along the coast too if you're taking bikes.
Would recommend the Yelloh Village campsite as a place to stay.
Not sure where you are in the uk but it’s easier, but more expensive, to cross the channel further west.
I love the pine forest, lakes and beach west of Bordeaux. Surf in the sea, traffic free cycling in the woods. The lakes have Sandy beaches and warm water. Great for swimming and water sports.
It’s to long ago to recommend a campsite. But there are many
Ile de Re is good. Hourtin has a nice site right on the beach. Messange is great for kids' activities. If you like wine, drop by Moulis Medoc.
Vendee is smashing. We stayed at the Yelloh village south of Les Sables d'Olonne a couple of times when the children were smaller and it's right on the Atlantic cycle route. It is midway between Les Sables and Plage d'Veillon, which is a cracking beach, and you can cycle to both very easily. We did it one year with a bike trailer and one with all four of us riding. It's not hilly, but it is beautiful. Oh, and another vote for Ile de Re - that should definitely be on the list, too.
My only advice is wash the car if going from beach to mountains. The big horned cattle like to lick salt off body panels and those horns are much tougher a than flimsy metal.
Only downer for the Vendee is the coast path is rammed with cyclists in the warmer months all the way down to Bordeaux. Getting to the beach can be an interesting experience.
The big horned cattle like to lick salt
That sounds like it's something that you had to explain to the rental rental company 🙂
We did a week in Châtelaillon-Plage, just south of La Rochelle, camping in Les Boucholeurs. Enormous beach, nice relaxed roady-riding around the area (out and back to Fouras is nice), easy to get the train to La Rochelle for a day out there (which is recommended, it's a lovely city)