Have you been considering a family holiday camping in France? One parent tells us about their Adventures on their Family Camping Holiday in France, in Berny Riviere:

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Campsite “La Croix du Vieux Pont” in Berny Riviere

4 adults and 4 children (two teenage boys and two 9 yr old girls) arrived in Beauvais courtesy of Ryanair for a two week break to a campsite northwest of Paris.

La Croix du Vieux Pont is the only campsite situated between two small villages and the only one in the area so the area was free of manic tourists! Best of all for the writer it is only about a 1 – 2 hr drive from the airport along A routes, therefore no long trek on a motorway.

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Accommodation and Activities at the Campsite

Accommodation includes mobile homes, chalets, pitches for tents and camper vans and tree houses. As campsites go it is well equipped and spacious with indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, table tennis, boules (bowls), restaurant & takeaways, fishing lakes, playgrounds, kids’ go cart track, pedaloes and a new one on us – archery!

The kids’ go cart track and the pedaloes cost a little extra but the archery, including a coach on site, did not. One of the girls who proved to have a cool head and steady hand took to it like a duck to water to the chagrin of some teenage boys and middle aged men!  We all had a go at it and enjoyed it. It made a change from pools and slides though they were enjoyed almost every day too.

Another big plus on the campsite was a spa. Manicures, pedicures and massages went down a treat for the hardworking stressed mothers! There was also a gym but who would want that on holiday?

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Trips Nearby

The first day of the holiday was overcast and misty, not a day for the pool so a history lesson for the teenage boys was decided. So off we went to the forest of Compiegne to the site of the signing of treaties and surrenders in World Wars. While the younger members of the group were underwhelmed, everybody else was most impressed with the replica of the train where the French surrender in World War II was signed. The photographic record of the trenches was incredible.

For a change from pools and slides there was a forest walk adventure trail in the area and an equestrian centre just outside the campsite.

Another big plus for the campsite was a bus service for day trips to Paris and to Eurodisney. So a day in Eurodisney was a bribe for a day of culture and sights.

Eating

We sampled local fare at a family friendly restaurant where the food was genuinely French and offered treats such as escargots and frogs legs much to the delight of one of the teenage boys.

We were happy to do most meals at our mobile home with great food available in local markets and most lunches and evening meals were eaten outdoors. The campsite restaurant was grand if you wanted to give food preparation a miss.

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Our Verdict

So history, culture, pool, play, sun in the right dose, quiet and peace – what more could anybody want on a holiday? The only downside of French campsite holidays is cleaning the mobiles and sorting the crockery and cutlery when two families are involved but you can’t have it all! French campsites are great family holidays but this one was particularly good.  Would definitely go back.

Have you been on a family camping holiday in France?  Tell us how you got on in the comments below.