LES ORMES, St Étienne de Villeréal: inspired by a luxury tent hotel in Tanzania, Les Ormes has 25 African desert numbers arranged in an elm forest. It’s a bit tasty, with rattan loungers and a designer pool, but the touch that’ll have purists spitting is the comfy spring beds. With fresh linen. The nearby town of Bergerac is at the centre of a wine-making region boasting 12 appellations contrôlées (red, white and rosé). Hunt down your favourite tipple with La Route des Vins de Bergerac, a map of the picturesque vineyards, all set against backdrops of castles, paper mills and old stone-walled villages, and make sure you sample the region’s real delicacy: the sweet dessert wine made from sauvignon and semillon grapes at Château Monbazillac (00 33 5 53 63 65 00). If all that viniculture works up a bit of an appetite, there’s an eight-course banquet to be had at the Château Les Merles (www.lesmerles.com); or try Le Vieux Logis (www.vieux-logis.com), a Michelin-starred restaurant in Tremolat.

www.campinglesormes.com; £7.60/£4.60/£2.70 (ages 1-7)

DOMAINE LE POTEAU, Castlenau d’Auzan: you’ll get a real feel for agricultural France as you pass tractors chugging along the tree-lined roads on your way here. Set in the heart of the Gers’ bountiful wine- and armagnac-producing country, this Dutch-run site grows enough grapes in the backyard to produce 20,000 bottles a year. You’ll soon spot the vines behind the owner’s house, then lose sight of them again as you pitch your tent in the sprawling garden, so full of shrubbery and small trees, you’re unlikely to see your neighbours. There’s a covered communal dining area and a cute terrace bar; and, three times a week the owners prepare a four-course meal for their guests, with liberal quantities of their own white wine.

www.le-poteau.com; £12 per night for two

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WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE

LES CRIQUES DE PORTEILS, Argelès-sur-Mer: sun, sea, sand and... sangria? Well, this site on the Mediterranean, south of Perpignan, is in what used to be North Catalonia, and it retains much of its Franco-Spanish feel, with ochre-painted buildings, street signs in Catalan and frequent strains of flamenco. A spread of trees keeps the camp well hidden from the road, while its seaward edge is handsomely marked by an old stone wall that undulates along the squat cliffs. The site overlooks three pebble beaches, solely for the use of campers, onto which the Med’s quiet waters lap. If you fancy something a bit wetter and wilder, there’s an English-speaking diving school at the happening port of Argelès-sur-Mer.

www.lescriques.com; from £14.50/£4.60/£3 (under5s)

CAMPING LA VENDETTE, Île de Noirmoutier: although it’s only just south of Brittany, this island on the Atlantic coast is like a little slice of the Mediterranean, a few hundred miles north of where it should be. Back in the days when Renoir came to paint the shimmering green and purple shade of the pine trees, it was accessible only by boat or a cobbled causeway that was submerged at high tide. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can still cross the Passage du Gois, but there’s a bridge if you don’t want to get the car wet. The site is in an idyllic forest of ilex, pine and mimosa set slap bang on the beach. The town of Noirmoutier is famous for its saltpans, medieval castle and wonderful romanesque church – from a vantage point close to the camp site, you can look across a flat water meadow and a sheltered bay at the town silhouetted against the setting sun.

www.camping-indigo.com; from £9.80/£2.50/£1.20 (ages 2-7)

LE CLAPAS, Vallon Pont d’Arc: Le Clapas might sound like the kind of thing you’d do to a Ricky Martin track, but clapas is an old Occitan name for a pile of stones. In this case, the stones come from the camp site’s private beach on the Ardèche – the robust rivulet that forged the beautiful gorges of this area and gave the département its name. Canoeing and kayaking are the big draws here, and there’s something for everyone, from gentle stretches of water for beginners and drifters to feisty rapids for adrenaline fiends. The pièce de résistance, though, is the wonderful Pont d’Arc, a natural 200ft stone arch over the river, which comes with a handy beach if you’d rather just stand and stare. It’s the jewel of the Gorges de l’Ardèche, the range of limestone cliffs that make the area so spectacular.

www.camping-le-clapas.com; from £10 for two

PEACE AND GLORIOUS QUIET

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