# lake destinations in france please!



## Sloany (May 15, 2010)

Hi, im taking my children ( Aged 8 & 5) to france on the 30th of june. We are lookng for any ideas/recomendations for lakes to visit and lakeside campsites. We are crossing via the eurotunnel and would like to find somewhere within 3-4 hours drive if possible ( to prevent dad suffering from "are we there yet syndrome"). Regarding the crossing i was going to book it a few days before we set off, is this ok or will i struggle to get on & will i be ok to book one way so im not commited to a return date. We have been to france before without children and always done beach holidays so just fancy a change.

Thanks Guys
Dave


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## inkey-2008 (May 24, 2008)

What about Mamers about 250miles from Calais easy drive, nice town. Lake to swim in campsite right beside the lake. Swimming pool across the road play ground, fishing lake. 2 large supermarkets on the edge of town. 

Not near the close to Le mans so if it is race week then it could be crowded.

Andy


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

No Lakeside campsites Dave, but if you are a dedicated Lakeophile have a look at the Brenne National Park.

It's quite unique and little known - though I have no idea why it's not more popular. May not be what you want, but there's plenty of info on Google.

Dave.


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## emjaiuk (Jun 3, 2005)

We've always made use of the large scale Michelin atlas, and we used to find that if you could see a smal lake (reservoir) near to a village, it was odds on that there would be municipal campsite there.

It's a few years since we travelled that way, but when we used to travel through France to Spain with our kids we've found some wonderfull overnight stops.

Malcolm

ps if you can go 3/4 hours without 'are we there yet' you're doing well. My daughter used to start before we'd reached the end of our lane :lol:


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Found loads in the south of France as I do a bit of rowing when away in the van. This year we are heading south east towards Alsace and stoping first near St Dizier at Lake Der-Chantecoq http://goo.gl/maps/Bx1Q

Not been before but there are three Aires around the lake so going to give it a go


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## adonisito (Nov 6, 2009)

Camping Lac des Varennes at Marcon just south of Le Mans. Huge lake with beach but no pool. Its a 3* site so don't expect bars, restaurants etc. However you can park on grassy spots on the lake, but take a very long EHU cable. Have a look on the web, it suits us because the fishing and swimming is so good.


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## MrWez (Sep 25, 2011)

We used this one a few years ago (2007):

http://www.campinglacdesaintcyr.com/

It's probably a bit further south than you want to go in one go but if you fancy taking in a few sites it's worth a punt!

Our kids loved it, there were slides going straight into the lake at that time and there were some nice walks/cycle rides around the lake.

Make sure you've got your provisions in before you get there but the on-site snack bar was reasonable - don't know what it's like now.

Our first pitch was a bit tight for a large MH (Swift Sundance 630L at the time), but we found another one nearby which was much bigger, switching was no problem.

The site is near the rather quirky Futuroscope (http://en.futuroscope.com/) which my kids remember fondly. There's a large car park and aire there too.

MrWez


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## fastanlite (May 5, 2006)

A really nice lake side place to take kids is
Lac du Der.
near Giffaumont Champaubert
This is a large man made lake which has water sports,yacht marinas,pedalos for hire,and fairground rides for kids, a small shopping Mall, plenty of restaurants, there are cycles for hire to ride around the lake or if you want something a little less strenuous you can take a little train ride round the lake.
There are a couple of small beaches and plenty of nice walks.

There is an official Aire just by the Mall which has basic services water and waste dump, which costs a few Euros per night, tokens from the tourist info office in the Mall, or you can park up in any of the many carparks/ grassed areas around the site for free.
Just watch where the French park.
We have only been there out of the French holiday season , so would think that it is very busy in July and August.
You can Google Earth it and view the area, to get some idea of the size of the place.


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## Sloany (May 15, 2010)

Malcolm

ps if you can go 3/4 hours without 'are we there yet' you're doing well. My daughter used to start before we'd reached the end of our lane :lol:[/quote]

Thanks for all the great ideas, i just need to get the map out and see where they all are. Malcom that did make me laugh, my two climb in the van then demand to know where were going an how long will it take even after 2-3 weeks of telling them and getting ready for the trip.

Dave


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## Sideways86 (Feb 25, 2009)

Try the Kawan resorts at Lac de Liez, we stayed there last year for a few nights, very good


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## ralph-dot (May 10, 2005)

La Croix Du Vieux Pont


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https://flic.kr/p/2927477330


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## blongs (Jan 12, 2009)

We did Lac du der Chantecoq last year as mentioned by someone else

Aire - free










The lake










And we also stayed at Kawan Lac D'Orient, (Nr Troyes) pricey site but really good and pools/slides etc. There is an aire as well.










Ben


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## blongs (Jan 12, 2009)

I have also stayed here lac-cormoranche near Macon about 4 years ago.

Ben


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