In the Papers

If you want to really get away from it all, watch birds of prey amidst beautiful scenery and get up close to lizards and rare orchids the Cevennes national Park is the place to be. Richard Bryson and family make camp in a forgotten part of southern France.

The seductive charms of France are well known. Its food and wine, stunning architecture, wide-ranging countryside – from lush farmland to beautiful valleys – traditional villages and chic boulevards (not forgetting the great coastlines) draw tourists back year after year.

But bird watching, rare orchid spotting and walking tend to be overlooked attractions in the grand Gallic scheme of things, which is rather a pity.

I speak as someone won over by a recent camping holiday on one of the more remote parts of the Massif Central, complete with circling birds of prey and multi-coloured lizards flitting under our feet.

We are not big on ornithology, but rather like family walks in the countryside observing nature, so the chance to spend 10 days at a lofty rugged location the Tarn Gorges and Cevennes National Park, had its appeal.

Because of its size it's easy to get off the beaten track in France but at Cantobre you are in a real hillside hideaway. Much to the amusement of my wife I couldn't find a British newspaper for the duration of our stay.

The again the remoteness is exactly what makes this campsite so special. Open terraced pitches add to the feeling of space, giving every holidaymaker stunning views.

From our well-equipped Eurocamp mobile home, complete with wooden veranda perforce for sunbathing or alfresco breakfasts and lat evening meals, we could look across to the tiny settlement of Cantobre clinging to a rock face. Below us medieval farm buildings containing a restaurant, bar and pizzeria could be glimpsed through he trees.

We went in late May and enjoyed almost unbroken sunshine so were able to mix sight-seeing and some walking with hours by the pool or reading books on our veranda. One day we took part in a woodland walk looking for rare orchids but found ourselves more interested in the orchid-spotters. Armed with magnifying glasses, reference books and cameras they scuttled away into the undergrowth, crying out whenever they identified a new variety.

On another occasion we travelled along cliff top roads to observe griffon vultures in their natural habitat. Cameras placed close to nests gave us a fascinating insight into their sometimes bizarre behaviour, including leaving their prey to be stolen by a passing fox or collapsing in a heap after landing!

Wherever you go in France there is likely to be a place or region with gastronomic traditions nearby. About an hour from our camp was the town of Roquefort, home to the famous blue-veined cheese. Today some 750,000 Lacaune ewes are dedicated to the production of mile for this cheese and the constant humidity and temperature in ripening cellars help foster the all-important growth of pencillum roqueforti.  After a fascinating tour of Roquefort  headquarters we naturally had to take some away with us.

In the village of Nant, a few kilometres from our base, we found a lovely family-run restaurant overlooking a square. That said we were also well served on the Parc by the aforementioned, good value pizzeria and a rustic barn restaurant for fine dining.

To burn off the inevitable excess calories we played table tennis and football before cooling off with a swim. Most outdoor pools in France are “heated” by the sun so in early season a little courage is required before jumping in.

This was one of the most peaceful, friendly site we have visited, the only hint of rowdiness (and that was understandable) was when we stayed up to watch Liverpool's remarkable Champions League victory. The match attracted an audience of British, Dutch and French sports fans with the latter becoming especially animated when Djibril Cisse came on at the end of the game.

Two days later we were reminded that it's still a small world. A family moving into the home next to us came from Great Barton, a village just a few miles from our home village of Culford!

We had broken up our journey to Cantobre with a one-night stay at a Campanile hotel in Orleans. On the way back, which included a breathtaking detour over the Bridge In The Clouds near Millau, we decided to stop off at another Eurocamp site a Pierrefitte sur Sauldre.

It's strange to think we felt a little disappointed when we entered this lively camp. Perhaps we had grown accustomed to the tranquillity of Cantobre.

But we changed our minds over our four days there. The sun came out and our children loved the pool complex with its variety of waterslides. We hired bikes and pedalos, tried the crazy golf, but – due to lack of time – not the well kept nine hole course beyond a lake.

Although keen to sample some local restaurants we were put off by the high prices and the more obvious problem of them being closed on midweek nights. Luckily this ensured we try the camp's own restaurant and we were delighted with what we found; very good food in pleasant surroundings with speedy, attentive service.

This camp was also exceptionally clean and tidy with lawns and hanging baskets regularly watered. As with Cantobre our accommodation – another Siena home with three bedrooms and a studio style living/dining area – ideally suited our needs.

Anything to grumble about? The plus points and the great memories of these summer breaks are many, though, I suppose there could be a bit more space around the beds, and the mattresses a little more comfortable. But, hey, if the latter were just like at home you wouldn't really be on a proper camping holiday would you?