You may come to the Dordogne full of good intentions – the
caves you wanted to visit, the vineyard tours you had planned, the museums you
fancied nosing around in – but in the thinly spread little village of Lestaubière
most plans begin to unravel. Camping here is like stepping into a time vortex
where somehow, no matter how hard you try, the outing you had organised is lost
to a day of swimming, sunning and simply hanging around the campsite. Not that
it’s a bad thing. Finding a campsite as relaxed and social as this is exactly what
most families are after. Just make sure you book a stay long enough to take it
all in. There’s plenty here to do!
The campsite itself is probably larger than the rest of the
village put together – and, with 100 pitches centred around a swimming lake,
that’s testament more to the tiny size of the village than the enormity of the
campsite. In fact, it has a deceptively intimate feel, with the camping divided
into two separate fields and the terrain broken up by trees and shrubs. When you
enter, you can turn right, heading off to one camping area, or left, leading you
around to the second, along with the central reception building where there’s
an indoor games room and library for rain days.
Rainy days are rare though (that’s why you came to sunny
France, remember?) so it’s not the library that’s soaking up your time. Instead
it’s the inviting looking swimming pool, circled by a deck chair dotted terrace
and overlooked by a small café-bar where you can enjoy a drink as you supervise
the children. For something a little wilder, the oval-shaped swimming lake is
the real treat. Long reeds cover much of the edge, while a short stretch of sandy
beach is the perfect entry point from which you can swim out to a wooden
platform, ideal for jumping in. There’s also a beach volleyball court, a
boules pitch and an excellent little playground for children. By the time
you’ve done all that and dried off it’s easy to see how the day has
disappeared.
If you do manage to make it further than the campsite gates, the rewards of the surroundings are still well worth it. Empty country
roads seem designed for summer cycling, while a 25-minute drive south to Bergerac presents
you with one of the most idyllic little towns in the region, plus the
opportunity to hop in a canoe and paddle down the river. There’s life beyond
the campsite vortex and it’s very pleasant indeed!