Bay of Biscay - An Atlantic Coast Road Trip
For many, a camping and caravanning holiday is not a holiday unless a beach is involved. And none more so than a French camping holiday.
The archetypal beach holiday in France includes the obvious sun, sea and sand for most; for others, it’s dramatic, blustery seascapes and clattering pebble beaches, perhaps with a few secluded little coves for good measure.
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Here is the Alan Rogers suggested itinerary down the Atlantic coast, with campsite recommendations and ideas for stop-off places of interest. We start in Finistère in western Brittany and head south.
Brittany
Famed for its seafood and Celtic traditions, some parts of Brittany remain resolutely untouched and wonderfully old fashioned, especially on the beautiful southern coast. This stretch of Brittany coastline is gentler than the rugged cliffs and jagged inlets of the north: here you’ll discover long sandy beaches and winding estuaries. As you run along the coast roads, explore the little fishing villages with their harbours and jaunty fishing boats.
The Huttopia group is renowned for its ‘natural’ campsites. Huttopia Douarnenez has an attractive forest setting just 400 m. from the superb Plage des Sables...
Concarneau
An ancient walled port with great restaurants, surrounded by wonderful safe sandy beaches. Bénodet and Beg Meil are popular with beach lovers and sailing types too.
Fun Fact: Concarneau is the birthplace of Michel Desjoyeaux, the only sailor to win the Vendée Globe race twice, first in 2000/01 and again in 2008/09.
Included in our guides:
2020
This site is unusual in that it is located in the heart of a village, yet is only 250 metres from a sandy cove. The...
Carnac
The timeless standing stones of Carnac are incredible, especially as the sun turns golden and gently sets over the alignments. A drive down the sub-tropical Quibéron peninsula is lovely – all white sails and blue sea.
Fun Fact: Three fields of standing stones – Ménec, Kermario and Kerlescan – contain around 3,000 megaliths, which are around 6000 years old.
Included in our guides:
2020
Camping la Ferme de Lann-Hoëdic is an attractively landscaped site with many flowering shrubs and trees. The 108 touring pitches, all with 10A electricity, are...
Included in our guides:
2023, 2019, 2018
Sunêlia Le Fief is in a wonderful setting just 900 metres from a vast sandy beach and the gently shelving waters of southern Brittany's Jade...
Vendee and Charente
From south of Nantes, down to the Gironde, runs a flat, sparsely populated region that attracts more holidaymakers than anywhere else on the west coast of France. The fine sandy beaches explain why the Vendée and Charentes are such holiday hotspots. Picturesque little fishing ports, historic towns and sleepy white-washed villages all make up a fantastic holiday experience. With a sunshine record that’s on a par with the French Riviera, it’s not hard to understand why holidaymakers have long flocked here for their hols.
The traditional bucket and spade is the must-have accessory for every youngster here – and with good reason. From St Jean-de-Monts to Royan the coast is virtually unbroken with fragrant pine forests leading down to gently shelving sandy beaches.
Included in our guides:
2020
Les Sirènes is a large campsite located in the forest behind the popular resort of Saint Jean-de-Monts. The nearest beach, just 700 m. away, is...
Les Sables d’Olonne
Les Sables d’Olonne was once a whaling port but today offers all kinds of watersports and superb beaches. Seafood fans stop here for oysters, mussels and succulent lobster, and the salt marsh lamb from the Marais is a local delicacy.
Fun Fact: The town is the starting point and finish line for the Vendée Globe yacht race, which takes place every four years.
Le Petit Rocher has a seaside location (150 m. from the beach) set in a pine forest, with an air of peace and tranquillity. Although...
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is an ancient port dating from the 13th century. The harbour quayside buzzes, the locals browse the market and restaurants vie for customers along the bustling walkways. It’s a gorgeous setting, with an atmospheric ambience drawn from centuries of slowly weathering stone buildings.
If you can find time to visit the Ile de Ré don’t miss it – cross the bridge north of La Rochelle and discover white-sand beaches, oyster beds and little villages with traditional houses, hollyhocks and cycle paths.
Aquitaine
This southern stretch of the Atlantic coast is vast. It’s an epic sweep of endless sandy beach, backed by huge shady pine forests, running 110 km down all the way from the Gironde to the Pyrenees and the chic resort of Biarritz.
Wherever you get the chance take bikes and explore the network of forest paths and trails running through the Landes forest. This is where many Parisians go for their holidays, and with huge lakes, delicious oysters and sensational beaches, it’s easy to see why.
Included in our guides:
2023, 2022, 2021, 2020
Camping de la Côte d’Argent is a large, well-equipped site set back a short walk from the sandy beach, part of a long ribbon of...
Dune du Pyla
Near Arcachon stop off for sunset views at the Dune du Pyla – the highest sand dune in Europe.
Clamber to the top and watch the sunset over the Atlantic ocean while behind you the sprawling Landes forest stretches into infinity. It’s all very other-worldly.
Yelloh! Camping Maguide is in an exceptional natural setting in the heart of the Landes forest, only 4km from the ocean. Choose from water sports...
Included in our guides:
2023, 2022, 2021, 2020
Camping Club International Eurosol is an attractive, friendly and well-maintained site deep in the Landes pine forests of Aquitaine. The fabulous golden sandy beach is...
Included in our guides:
2023, 2022
Yelloh! Village le Sylvamar is just a kilometre from the endless sandy beach, just north of Bayonne on the southern edge of the Landes. There...
Biarritz
The fashionable resort of Biarritz sprang up in the Victorian era, attracting monarchs, stars and aristocrats.
Today it is something of a 'grande dame' who still cuts the mustard, with the elegant seafront and pounding waves a perennial attraction for surfers from around the world.
Camping Larrouleta is an all year site located at the heart of the Basque country. The site has been developed around a 2.5 hectare lake...
If making a decision on which stretch of coastline in France to head to, why not be radical and try a selection? The vast sweep of the Bay of Biscay - the Atlantic coast of France – will give a taste of everything.