It’s testament to how many times this land has changed hands over the centuries that the names around the Alsace region have decidedly mixed origins. Some sound French, others Germanic and there’s even a touch of Italian in places. If you can master the pronunciation of Hartmannswillerkopf – the rocky pyramid of a mountain that rises behind the village of Wattwiller – then you’re doing better than most. The 956-metre-high peak formed the boundary between French and German lines during the First World War and today hosts a museum and national monument. Its wooded hillsides eventually flatten out to where Wattwiller’s newly developed campsite can be found below, hidden among tall trees. A few yards further the forest ends and the view begins, fronted by the stripes of Alsace’s famous vineyards.
Home to more than 100 camping pitches – some occupied by pre-pitched safari tents and wooden chalets – and stacked with new facilities built in 2017, Huttopia Wattwiller isn’t exactly a tiny local campsite. It has tennis courts, a pizzeria, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, plus a central reception building with a shop, library and Wi-Fi. However, the wooded setting breaks up the space to create a deceptively smaller feel. The natural camping pitches show that, despite all the bells and whistles, Huttopia Wattwiller is still a campsite and not a holiday park.
If you don’t fancy walking up Hartmannswillerkopf there are plenty of other peaks to enjoy. The campsite sits on the edge of the Ballons des Vosges Regional Park and the highest mountain in the area, Le Grand Ballon, is less than 20 kilometres away. To the south, meanwhile, the départment’s largest town, Mulhouse, nods to its industrial past with a series of excellent museums; the electricity museum, the textiles museum and the largest train and automobile museums in the world. While, 25 minutes north, pretty Colmar is the place to go for a magical evening meal, making the most of one of the half-timbered restaurants along the old canal-side. For most though, a visit to this part of France isn’t complete without a tour of a local vineyard and a bottle of plonk to take back to the tent. Take a leaf through the tourist information brochures in reception and you’ll find there are ample vineyards happy to welcome you.
