There’s nothing like a burst of bad weather, frosty sub-zero temperatures, and sufficient snow to shutter schools to focus hearts and minds on the need to make holiday plans. Any lingering procrastination melted as the snow looked like sticking around for a while. No more hanging about. Time to book a ferry. Embrace and snuggle under the blanket of delayed gratification, reassured that down the road there will be sunshine, wine, beaches, and balmy evenings. France awaits.

France remains the gold standard for camping, the best place to tour around in a campervan or motorhome, where campsites universally provide good services and great value and where camping is not a second-class citizen in the hospitality sector pecking order. France is geared for camping enthusiasts like nowhere else in Europe. Virtually every single town and village has a municipal or privately operated camping ground, or the more informal Aire parking facilities. Travelling by campervan in France you can’t go wrong.

First, you got to get there. Time to book a ferry.

This feature is not dwelling on ferry options but more interested in exploring campsites that might not normally pop up on your radar. Five fantastic French campsites, that you probably never heard of…

As for ferries, a brief word. The choice is better than ever out of Dublin, Rosslare and Cork where you can sail directly to France or Spain, or via the UK. Everyone has their own preference of operator, route and ship – price, timetable, route, convenience, facilities all feed into the process. Personally, I usually opt for Brittany Ferries out of Cork into Roscoff or Bilbao, depending on my planned itinerary in France or Spain.

My advice is to book as early as you possibly can commit. I have never seen prices in recent years come down as time progresses. On the contrary, as demand for motorhome camping holidays continues to grow in popularity, prices escalate throughout the summer months. Avoid France in August if at all possible. It’s bedlam with congestion and queues. Delays in booking ferries also prove costly in terms of availability and cabin choice. I have chanced travelling the French and Spanish routes without a cabin, but it’s not worth the saving, uncomfortable, unenjoyable and you’re wrecked rather than refreshed setting out on your drive after the ferry crossing.

While the quality of food on ferries has improved considerably, if you want to save money and be more independent, book as large berth window cabin as possible and bring your own provisions on board. This way you have the best of both worlds and enjoy your own refreshments whenever you prefer, without queueing or the noisy din of the self-service.

If I am heading to the south of France these days, I will take the ferry to Bilbao as it’s perfect for Biarritz, the Basque Country and onwards across to the Mediterranean region. In my view too many road trips are taken up driving instead of enjoying and engaging in the local area, so I propose less time on the road and more time on the beach, barbecue, or bazaar, rather than behind the wheel.

Therefore, for this trip I opted for Cork to Rosscoff which left me within easy striking distance of areas along both the west and northern coast, offered variety, avoided backtracking, and hugged the coastline as much as possible. Admittedly it flies in the face of the conventional wisdom that the further south you go, the better the weather, but that’s a risk you take. Brittany has always been good to me.

Roscoff for that matter is a convenient port, within walking distance of the charming town centre, plenty of options to stroll around and pass the day. After stocking up at the Red Bus on the outskirts with wine and other local produce (great selection of onions, shallots, garlic), you can safely park up at the ferry terminal and walk/cycle into the town and be back in good time for the evening sailing.

Similarly, when it comes to selecting campsites it’s very subjective and everyone has their own particular priorities. If it’s a waterpark, nightlife, entertainment, organised children’s activities and shopping you are looking for then this review is not for you!

In this case I am looking for something more sedate, secluded even, preferably close to the coast, so I strongly recommend you bring your bike for tipping around. If this sounds more like your style, read on…

Camping Baie d’Aunis, 10 Rue du Perthuis, Breton 85360, La Tranche-sur-Mer

info@camping-baiedaunis.com +33(0)251274736

Leaving you within less than an hour of La Rochelle this picture postcard seaside resort is a great base on the west coast of Brittany and 510km from Roscoff. The campsite is well managed, great facilities and helpful staff. It’s all within easy walking/cycling distance of the town centre with plenty of browse, eat and chill out. The campsite itself is right across the road from the main expansive beach which is popular with swimmers and water sports enthusiasts. There are surf lessons and hire available. Strongly advise avoid driving into the town centre with its narrow one-way streets. Far easier to walk into the town along the beachside boardwalk and promenade. A few minutes from the campsite the seasonal Coté Plage based in its beachfront marquee offers super value serving fresh local fayre – moules-frites of course, with the grilled sardines with salad and frites at €15 my own favourite, washed down with a chilled white or cold beer – what a way to while away an afternoon.

Camping la Dune des Sables-Chadotel, Bernardiére Road, La Paracou, 85100 Les Sables-d’Olonne (open April to November)

+33 2 51323121 www.chadotel.com/camping-la-dune-des-sables-les-sables-dolonne/

This family-friendly campsite with direct access to the ocean front is top notch. A 5-star rating for a family-run business in the former municipal site. They have plenty of space, welcome pets and do run animations, entertainment, and activities in the high season. It also backs onto a forest area and is 5km into the town centre via a designated safe walking/cycle track. There’s lifeguard designated swimming spots, toilets, and juice bars en route. The campsite is the sort of place you could easily chill and just stroll down to the beach for the sunsets in the evening. However, this would be to miss out on the delights of Le Sables-d’Olonne itself, which for my money is one of the best towns I have visited in France. Well maintained, it has it all from a bustle food scene, beach, promenade, café culture, art, heritage, shopping, a sporty vibe, a marina as well as a working fishing port and of course a lighthouse for which I am a sucker. Our plan had been to head for La Rochelle (which we just love!!) but on a tip, diverted to Le Sables and so glad we did.

Camping ‘La Dune de Jade’ 110 Avenue Maréchal Foch 44250, Saint Brévin-les-Pins

contact@ladunedejade.fr  +33 2 40272291 www.ladunedejade.fr

On this final stop along the west coast, I wasn’t looking for any campsite but rather a base in which I could visit and explore the Serpent d’Ocean monumental sculpture, the 130m long public art installation representing the skeleton of an imaginary sea serpent. Established in 2012 the sculpture is fascinating on several levels, as its form mimics that of rock formations embedded in the sand, as it is revealed and concealed in turn on the tide. The arching back of the Saint-Nazare bridge in the background appears to shadow the work of genius art form by the Chinese artist Huang Yong Ping. It was worth the trip, well worth the trip, even though on dull September days I didn’t get the blue-sky contrast with the sculpting that I had hoped for. The campsite doesn’t just offer direct access onto the promenade and beachfront within 2km of the sculpting but also overlooks a nature reserve across the marshland with any amount of birdlife and biodiversity living side by side with the kite flyers and windsurfers. For good measure this camping ground had the best on-site restaurant which I have ever experienced, and its set menu for €30 would put manners on many a Michelin star outfit, I kid you not. What an all-round treat.

Camping Le Petit Voilier, Saint-Briac-sur-Mer Rue du Pont Laurin, 35800 Saint-Briac-sur-Mer

+33 2 99377715 www.camping-saint-briac.com  (booking contact/enquiries via website)

This is possibly my new favourite place in all of France… or the world even! If it’s hustle and bustle you’re looking for there’s none here. This is chill out central on this north coast idyll where you go to put your feet up, repair, take a stroll, tune into the water lapping the shoreline and the breeze plays xylophone on the mast ropes of the sailing boats moored in the harbour, as if for no other purpose but for someone to take out their easel and paint the seascape. Saint-Briac-sur-Mer has seascape and escape written all over it. The campsite (which has undergone a few management and name changes) is solid and favoured for its convenient location just a short stroll into the village. The village square is like something from a 1940’s film set complete with butcher, baker, bookshop confectioner, café, wine bar, fish monger, and veg market and post office with the James Bond sports car parked outside. It’s to places like this that you are supposed to retire. That’s on my to-do list. In the meantime, treat yourself to a leisurely lunch at Le Rusty and tell me that this is not how to live and let die – www.lerusty-stbriac.com + 33 2 99400079

Le Marquis de la Guintre, Chambres d’Hotes and Farmhouse Aire, 75 Rue de Mont Saint Michel, 50220 Courtils

+33 6 60843962

I was very tempted to keep this place to myself, and probably would, had it not already been listed on Lonely Planted Recommends. There are no reservations for the camping grounds, so you just rock up on a first come, first served basis. The beauty of this spot is its organic, no fuss, no frills, this-is-how-we-do-authenticity. A family run farm guesthouse which has turned the field out the back into a motorhome aire. There are no showers, cassette, or waste disposal. There are freshwater points and limited electric hook up (EHU) points for which there’s a €6 cost. There’s no charge at all simply to park up, providing you eat at the guesthouse. That’s no imposition as the speciality of the house is their own succulent lamb and pork products from the surrounding fields. The lamb cutlets are worth the trip alone. The guesthouse is in the middle of busy working farmland with crops of carrots, artichokes, and sunflowers, side by side with the flocks of sheep. This is a homely spot with a warm welcome from these hard-working folk. You can advance order your breakfast for €9 for copious amounts of coffee (including a beaker to go), croissants, crêpes, conserves and confitures.  Try the rhubarb. As if that’s not enough the camping grounds are situated 7km from the famed Mont Saint Michel via a cross-country greenway. It’s the perfect way work up an appetite. Mont St Michel has its critics as an expensive tourist trap – I’ll have none of that. It’s one of the most amazing edifices in the world and gives me goose bumps every time I see it in the distance. It’s a sight to behold, it’s free of charge and you can get a coffee or an ice cream there for the same price as anywhere else – before cycling back to the farmhouse for your lamb cutlets and a cold beer, with zero cost for your accommodation. What more could you ask for? 

On your bike. Book your ferry. France awaits.

SEE ALSO: The best way to tackle Biarritz