Glamping
Posted by Admin 19.07.2010 | 0 Comments
As a child, I adored camping. Every summer I would spend a week in a field with the Girl Guides and it was the highlight of my year. Nothing phased me; smelly latrine pits, cold water showers and fried bread every other meal were par for the course. Sleeping in a drafty tent with only a rubber groundsheet and a cheap nylon sleeping bag between me and the rock-hard ground was huge fun.
I found that as an adult with children of my own, the novelty of camping quickly wore off. While my husband James and sons Henry (aged three) and Barnaby (seven) were thrilled at the thought of nights under canvas, I just shuddered. We tried it once, en famille, and it was simply dreadful. But then we discovered glamping.
A friend told us about a French camp site called Mille Étoiles, where everything was provided, and all the hard work done for you. This was ‘glamping’ – or camping for softies. The website was encouraging. Camping had obviously moved on a bit since my Ging gang goolly goolly wotcha days. Au revoir soggy sleeping bags, hello Mongolian yurts with king-size beds, fine cotton sheets and fluffy towels. The site promised ‘stylish, individually furnished tents’ and ‘luxury camping’. This was more like it. A couple of mouse clicks and we were booked in for a week.
Carefree camping
A fortnight before our departure, I began to flap. Would we need the gas stove, kettle, pots, pans and paraphernalia that we’d lugged along on our previous camping trip? Would the car be groaning under the weight of our luggage? Nope. The website confirmed that everything would be provided for a truly carefree stay. All we had to bring was our personal belongings. Hurrah!
The Mille Étoiles site is hidden away in the Ardèche gorges, in France’s southeasterly Rhône-Alpes region. You can drive there (it takes around nine hours from Calais and costs about €150 in tolls and petrol), but not having to take full camping kit makes fly-drive feasible too. We motor along a bumpy forest track lined with ancient oaks and olive trees and are greeted by genial 30-something Luds van den Belt, who runs this haven of barefoot luxury with his partner Ruth. He leads us through the woods to our lodgings and we follow him in trepidation.
Fourteen large Mongolian yurts sit among shady oaks on a high plateau. They are well-spaced (a couple of honeymoon tents are tucked further away in the forest), and set on pine platforms. Each has a stylish dining table and chairs made of recycled wood, and a hammock for alfresco siestas. Inside is chunky wooden furniture, ethnic wall hangings, Moroccan candle lanterns, smart bed linen and Habitat canvas wardrobes. Complimentary toiletries are on the bedside table. Our yurt is considerably bigger than your average hotel bedroom, and just as comfortable. I heave a huge sigh of relief. This is camping, but not as I know it. We drop our bags and follow Luds. He shows us the dining area and kitchen tents (one per three yurts), complete with fridges, stove and cooking equipment, and gives us a wicker picnic basket containing brightly coloured plastic plates, cups, crockery, and the allimportant cork screw. My heart sinks at the thought of having to rustle up a family meal, but I’m saved – table d’hôte dinner is available several nights a week (a boon for anyone arriving, departing, or just too lazy to cook).
Over at the reception area is a stylish bar and large terrace decked with wroughtiron chairs and tables. Pretty, Indian-style parasols shelter us from the sun while we sip a chilled glass of white wine and gather our wits. The children make a beeline for the play area with its swings, climbing frame and sand pit. A couple of guests recline on the huge wooden sofa beds dotted around the reception, while others quietly busy themselves at the communal barbecue pit. It seems too good to be true.
The rest of the day passes by in a haze. We unpack, wander round the neardeserted site (most guests head off to explore the surroundings during the daytime), and simply relax. After a delicious supper we walk the children through the forest to the wash block and perform our ablutions in a family-sized bathroom with top-quality fittings, power showers and yet more free toiletries. Bliss.
Dusk brings out the beasties – this is the great outdoors, after all – but we observe them by the light of our solarpowered lantern, issued to all guests at nightfall. These bugs are unlikely to be sharing our accommodation, as beds are draped with practical (rather romantic) mosquito nets. We spend a peaceful ten minutes on our deck observing the inky-black sky (with no electricity on site, nights are ideal for star-gazing) before retiring to our mega-tent with its distinctive fragrance of wood and linseed oil. Sleeping in a yurt is a wonderful experience. The curvy oak and ash frame covered in creamy canvas creates a calm, cocoon-like space that stays surprisingly snug. OK, so the door has a tendency to flap in the wind and on a stormy night you are as exposed to the elements as any other camper, although sheltered by a structure that is far more solid than your standard tent, and raised up on a three-foot platform. The children love the novelty, the feeling of space is liberating, and a yurt easily sleeps a family of four (two camp beds are provided; baby cots and child safety gates are also available).
Meal times are a breeze. Yes, you still have to shop, prepare your food and wash up, but with solid work surfaces, decent kit and proper facilities, everything is that much easier. A generous continental breakfast is included in the price, so each day starts gently. The fact that Mille Étoiles has only 14 yurts spread over an area of four hectares, means that numbers and noise are kept to a minimum – and there’s never a queue for the showers. Leisure facilities on site are deliberately limited: there is no swimming pool, games room or organised activities, which keeps the atmosphere remarkably civilised. There is a large paddling pool for little ones, but otherwise the fun consists of chasing grasshoppers, climbing trees and playing with other kids – all of which prove surprisingly popular with Barnaby and Henry.
Turquoise waters
Lurking through the trees at the far end of the site is a wonderful surprise: Mille Étoiles is perched high above a mighty canyon. An energetic 20-minute scramble down a steep track brings you to the turquoise waters of the Ardèche river, where you can paddle, swim or canoe (our boys spent hours trying to catch elusive baby trout). We make a couple of forays to the markets at Barjac and Uzès, and the ‘beach’ at Pont d’Arc, plus regular trips to the farm shop in neighbouring Labastide de Virac, where we have a memorable meal at the Petite Auberge, but we are all loath to leave the tranquillity of this unique spot, where guests are encouraged to unwind and appreciate the natural beauty of their surroundings.
For me, though, the real beauty of our Ardèche trip is the fun of living under canvas without sacrificing comfort or style. I am one happy camper.