France has numerous fascinating areas to explore if you have a touring caravan or motorhome and there are absolutely thousands of campsites that welcome touring holidaymakers with their own caravan, motorhome or tent. And because the climate is slightly better than in some other countries such as the UK, you will find people go touring as early as April right through to October, which is when most camp and touring sites are open in France.
Although if you are thinking or touring in the summer holidays you may have to pre-book to get a pitch at some of the more popular caravan sites, especially in places like Brittany, which is one of the most popular camping and touring holiday areas in France, but there are many to choose from and you can often just pull up and arrange an overnight stay, or if you want to see the sights in a specific area, then you could always book a whole weeks holiday, or two, on a particular caravan site.
Most touring sites will offer pitches with an electric hook-up and some also include water, some others will even have pitches that cater for sewage disposal for the black tanks that you get within a motorhome and if not, they have on-site facilities at set points for your waste water and emptying out your cassette toilet or porta-loo. In fact, last time we were in France, we noticed that a lot of the larger service stations also have points that you can empty out your waste tanks, which is great for when you are travelling through France.
But getting back to the touring sites; the amount of facilities available on lots of caravan and camping sites in France (not including the basics), means that you may find you just wish to stay put and enjoy what is on offer, such as swimming, tennis, fishing, the bar and restaurant, clubs with entertainment, children's playgrounds and much, much more, which are normally free to use bar certain activities that you may have to pay a fee for, such as a fishing permit, playing pool, hiring cycles or using the gym.
And overall, these types of camping sites are of excellent quality and make an ideal family holiday where the children are very well catered for but these can range in price quite dramatically, for example, if you want to be situated near the Cote D'Azur and the French Riviera, the cost for a pitch can be anything up to four times that of a touring site in Normandy! Also, they do vary in cost according to the time of year and the amount of different facilities on offer plus some charge extra if you just turn up rather than pre-booking, so it is always a good idea to check out a few sites in different areas before you go on your holiday and we always ensure we have the different sites and their details on hand whilst we are touring.
However, if you would rather have peace and tranquillity whilst on holiday in your caravan or motor home, then there are also numerous sites which offer the more mature family, and you can find some beautiful settings that range from lakeside views to being situated in a forest where you can watch the wildlife roaming, or why not meet up with some other like-minded people whilst staying in the grounds of a French Chateau. The choice is immense and on some of the sites you could even get to experience activities such as horse riding, artery and clay pigeon shooting.
Mind you, if you are towing a large caravan or have a large motorhome like a Winnebago, then it is also a very wise idea to check the terrain of your desired destination, as some of the campsites may not be accessible. One particular place we went had such a narrow track running up to the site that it would have been impossible to get a 36 plus foot motorhome round the bend and into the gate at the entrance and as for reversing, we wouldn't have liked to try that with a caravan!
Yet even if you do not own your own caravan or motor home, although it will add to the cost of your holiday, you can still enjoy a touring holiday in France with freedom by hiring one for a week or two, which is also a good idea to see if you will end up enjoying the whole experience, before investing your hard earned money on the purchase of a caravan or motorhome.
Whether you fancy white water rafting, horse riding, mountain biking or hiking, these are just some of the adventure holidays on offer in France, and with so many different activities on offer your holiday can range from the extreme sports to the more sedate, through to adult only adventures, what ever you decide this sort of holiday is never going to be boring, plus all the family can be involved together, which can also make for a great learning experience.
Complete package holidays are a good way of getting the holiday you want without the hassle and these can be catered specifically for your needs, yet you can also choose to book specific activities for a day here and there whilst on your holiday. And when booking your adventure holiday, you would normally be in a reasonably small, informal group of around three to five families, or a social group of around 15 to 30, which would be headed by a trained tour leader and representative. You will also find that this can be a great way to meet other like minded families and individuals, whilst enjoying yourselves and, of course, testing yourselves to the limits along the way.
There are some people that would think of white water rafting or sky diving as extreme adventure sport, whilst others would think of cycling to one place, then going on horse back to another as a great adventure. But the truth is, there is an adventure holiday available to suit all tastes and some are more strenuous than others, so please do always check the itinerary thoroughly and make sure it is going to be suitable everyone.
You can also choose from activities such as canoeing and rafting in the Ardeche, canyoning, tubing and mountaineering in the Alps, horse riding in Brittany, paragliding and climbing in the Pyrenees, or why not go to Chamonix which is a real mountain town, full of history and is popular for skiing holidays, but also provides amazing summer mountaineering and with the diverse terrain it is mostly suited to the experienced for some of the worlds best winter riding.
Why not visit the Gorge d'Ardeche is also known as the Grand Canyon of Europe and as the river winds its way past steep canyon walls and towering cliffs, this creates the ideal location for canoeing, climbing and walking both for the experienced and the novice alike.
The Alps Maritime is like discovering the true France and even though the Roya Valley is only around one hours drive from the Riviera, it is still very unspoilt, and the valley itself is renowned for its many canyons and with the fast flowing river and mountain scenery, this could be the perfect location for an exhilarating family adventure holiday with lots of different activities to choose from, so you could never become bored, just possibly exhausted!
Also, France has lots of lakes and miles of coastal water suitable for water skiing and other water sports, although the areas in the South of France are far warmer, which gives it an added advantage.
Also this country has some of the finest terrain for mountain biking, which is probably why France has been able to produce some the best mountain bikers in the World, but there are also lots of other adventures that might take your fancy, which could include pony trekking, kayaking, scuba diving, wind surfing, hiking, rope courses, caving, abseiling, thrilling jumps into pools, quad biking and much, much more.
Just make sure that whatever type of adventure holiday you are looking for, you think of everyone that is in your party, as some activities are not available for children under certain ages, so you do need to consider what will be appropriate, after all if you like cycling but have a heart condition, then mountain biking is not going to be beneficial!
There are some trips that will cater for the experienced, such as rafting down rapids or ice climbing for the experienced rock climber, whereas a novice or for instance someone that has never even been in a canoe or on a horse before, would need to look at having some tuition incorporated within their holiday before they could attempt some of the activities on offer.
Also, do confirm the equipment, if any, that you will need to take with you along with any specific clothing requirements, such as hiking boots or your own life jacket, just as we had to get a life jacket for our daughter due to her age, as there were not any available in very small sizes and the last thing you want is to get to your destination and realise you cannot participate in the activities you were so looking forward to.
So for anyone who is interested in outdoor adventure travel then this type of holiday can really show you the real France by taking you off the normal beaten track and into the heart of this remarkable country.
Martyn Davis has sinced written about articles on various topics from Food And Drink, French Vacation and French Vacation. Martyn Davis European Traveller, Author, Photographer and Business Development Manager, For all your French holiday needs and travel guide. Martyn Davis's top article generates over 8100 views. to your Favourites.