In the Papers

Lightening flashed, storms raged, but as Paul Hartley found, when the sun shines you can't beat Eurocamping in France.

Rarely has the sun been greeted with such euphoria by the Hartley household.

The first five days of our holiday coincided with the most spectacular storms we had seen. Flashing rapiers of lightning followed by booming thunderclaps had left us open-mouthed in amazement.

It was nature at its awesome best but enough was enough – we were on holiday and we wanted the sun to come out. When it arrived we headed straight for the beach and I'm glad to say that for the rest of our two weeks it was beach weather all the way.

Whatever the weather, we love our French camping holidays. When the sun shines they're unbeatable.

Within an hour or so drive of our parc were the millionaire playgrounds of Nice, Cannes, Monaco and Monte Carlo. Drive inland and you soon enter the beautiful Provence countryside with its rolling, tree-lined hills and impossibly quaint villages.

This was the second time we had been to France with Eurocamp. We enjoyed the sense of freedom and fresh air so much we are already planning a return trip to the Loire in July.

It's a wonderful feeling to be able to get up in the morning, throw on your shorts and T-shirt and relax.

Every day began with a stroll to the local shop for croissants and baguettes. Then we go sight-seeing or for a promenade and lunch before returning to the pool for fun and games with the children.

In the evening we simply ate, drank, played games and enjoyed each other's company.

Ironically, this year we decided to go to the south of France because we thought it would guarantee sunshine in September.

Rather than face a solid two-day drive we let the plane take the strain. The flight from Leeds/Bradford to Nice took just over two hours. Our parc was less than an hour's drive away near the swanky resort of St Raphael.

We were staying ay campsite L'Etoile D'Argens – a five minute drive from Frejus. The facilities were excellent and the children, Lara, two, and Ruby, 12 months, simply adored the superb pool complex.

The parc boast plenty of shade and modern toilet and shower facilities while our mobile home had all the mod cons.

Everywhere you go in France there seems to be a teeming market, with a fantastic choice of meat, fruit, vegetables and cheeses.

Frejus is no exception and it also boast the remains of a roman amphitheatre, which still stages concerts in the summer.

Another must is the Gorges du Verdon – one of the most amazing natural wonders in Europe. It took us about 90 minutes to get there but it's worth it for the spectacular views.

We rounded off our trip with lunch in the hilltop village of Tourtour, which perches on a hill 635 metres above sea level and is officially France's prettiest village.

The best lunch we had was a delightful bar packed with locals in a village near the perfume capital Grasse.   We only had steak and chips and pear tart but wow was it good.

In fact the whole holiday left a really pleasant taste. I can't wait for the next time I say “bonjour, deux baguettes et trios pain au chocolat s'il vous plait”.