There’s a turning point beyond the entrance of Flower Camping Les Genêts that seems to divide two different pages in this campsite’s story. Turn right and you can follow the tarmac through regimented rows of static mobilhomes that range just over 50 in number. Turn left, however, and the tarmac gives way to grass and white-grit pathways, small, cobbled flowerbeds and a mass of large, traditional tent pitches, bordered by low hedges and mature trees. The result is a campsite that offers the best of both worlds. You can pitch your tent quietly at one end of the campsite, within easy range of a wash-block, but leave the kids to romp off in the opposite direction, where the campsite’s more ‘holiday park’ facilities include swimming pools, water-slides, volleyball, table tennis and a whole lot more.
As if to offer a soft transition between these two campsite personalities – statics on one side, camping pitches on the other – there is also a collection of ‘Free Flower’ tents in the middle. These pre-pitched safari tents offer a camping alternative for those travelling light, each divided into two bedrooms (suited to a family of four) with a kitchen and dining area to the front and wooden decking with outdoor furniture. In hot weather you can roll up parts of the canvas walls too, allowing the breeze to flow refreshingly through.
Of course, the real appeal of the campsite is not its wide choice of sunny or shady pitches, laid-back ambience or well-kept wash-blocks – all amiable attributes in their own right – but its handy proximity to the coast. Hire bikes and you can pedal to the nearest beach in less than 10 minutes. That’s the most important factor, right? The long, white crescent of sand there bends around to its end at the old harbour town of Guilvinec, still a working commercial harbour for small boats and the town to pedal on to for the freshest sea-food. In the opposite direction, meanwhile, the beaches of Pointe de la Torche are also within range – a magnet for watersports enthusiasts.
Brittany is famed for its heritage and the local villages are littered with ancient churches – 15th, 16th and 17th century – and old town squares. Particularly picturesque local ports include Kerity, St Guénolé and Le Guilvinec (where, each weekday at 5pm, the fishing boats bring in their catch), while the lighthouse at Phare d’Eckmühl (+33 6 07 21 37 34) is a good spot to start, 5km from the campsite. There's a big carpark alongside where you can leave your car to go for a wander along the headland. Follow the GR34 signs – the long distance footpaths runs the entire length of the Brittany coast – or bring bikes to join the cycle trail that runs the full 50km north to Pointe de Raz. It's 6km to the beaches around Pointe de la Torche, where water-sports options are endless: Surf, windsurf, sea kayak, stand-up-paddle-board, scuba dive or simply sun yourself on the beach.
There's a snack bar and chippie open daily, selling ice, ice-creams, cold drinks, bread, pastries, confectionary and newspapers. There's an Intermarché and Lidl at the roundabout in Pendreff, just less than mile away, and a Carrefour supermarket in Penmarch. For simple seafood try An Atoll (+33 2 98 58 18 73) down on the waterfront in Guilvinec or sit on the deck outside Le Poisson d'Avril (+33 2 98 58 23 83), a popular spot and slightly more fancy.