Le Val de la Marquise - Chalet

We came as a family of four, with children aged 9 and 10 and our own tent, and had a great time. The campsite sits on a shaded hillside in the middle of the Dordogne. The forest cools things down at night after hot summer days. Rte de Saint Cyprien isn’t very busy, and a pitch higher up on the south side helps keep the road out of the way. From here you can SUP or kayak on the Vezele and Dordogne rivers, visit castles and Lascaux, and see lots of the region. Our tent, Bardani Airspace 350TC, Golf Variant and trailer all fitted comfortably on our spacious emplacement. There’s a clean pool for cooling off, though it isn’t huge, and the big rivers offer plenty of swimming too. The bar, restaurant, food and mussels evening were all very good. Facilities include a play area for little kids, petanque, basketball, open air fitness, football and a fishing pond. The children’s activity schedule is packed, and Ghislain puts so much time into making it fun. It’s free, too. The kids can earn dino-badges by doing activities, including pointing out the polar star. Finish all eight and you get the whole set. Then, in winter, Ghislain laser-cuts a big dino to hold the badges, adds magnets so it can be hung up, and sends it to your home. He designed it himself and does this for around 40 children across Europe each year. For grown-ups, there’s the all-you-can-eat mussels night, petanque competitions and a French music pub quiz that’s fun to try to follow. The owners, Delphine and Ghislain, and the rest of the staff work incredibly hard to make everyone feel at home. Their hospitality was heartwarming, and I’ve never seen campsite owners this motivated anywhere in Europe. They help adults and especially make the kids happy. Their English isn’t perfect, and neither is my French, but everyone does their best to communicate. Foreign visitors can try learning a little French, too. Merci beaucoup from the 1982 Dutch family from The Netherlands, summer 2025. This is another thank-you to Delphine, Ghislain and the staff!