In the Papers

FORGET soggy sarnies, endless rain and damp sleeping bags…camping holidays are classy affairs nowadays. You don’t even have to stay in a tent. We spent a blissful, sun-soaked fortnight at a luxury mobile home in the South of France.

It was the most relaxing family break imaginable and the perfect antidote to the hectic pace of everyday life.

Our three-bedroom Monaco Deluxe accommodation boasted a fully-equipped kitchen with everything from a stainless steel cooker to microwave, extractor fan and full-sized fridge-freezer.

There was a large bathroom with shower and the living room, complete with CD player, was comfortable.

Each morning, we’d sit on our deck with a bowl of delicious cherries, croissants and a pot of coffee. Then it was a short stroll to the large outdoor pool for a leisurely swim, before stretching out on a lounger and contemplating what – if anything – we wanted to do next.

We travelled with Eurocamp to Le Brasillia park, a spotless caravan and camping site near the small beach resort of Canet Plage. Beautifully kept flowers in vivid pinks, reds and purples line the camps central complex.

Self-catering is easy with a well-stocked supermarket, bakery and fruit shop. And if you don’t want to cook, there’s a restaurant and takeaway pizza place.

All the pitches feel incredibly private as they’re spread out beside leafy tracks, divided by hedges and shaded from the fierce heat by trees.

If you can coax yourself away from the sun lounger, there’s plenty to do. Tennis, a small gym, volleyball, games room and step classes keep fitness fans happy.

The closest I came to this was a rather over-ambitious 8.30am jog with the running club. I only did it once. Trailing along at the back, I was defeated by the intense heat and skulked off guiltily half way through back to those croissants.

Kids are well catered for with a club for over-fives, a children’s pool and several playgrounds. Our two-year old daughter Rebecca was particulary impressed by how friendly all the camp staff were.

They even helped cure a bed-time tantrum by appearing outside our mobile home with someone dressed up a giant blue dolphin. Rebecca was captivated and the crying stopped instantly. Off camp there’s so much to see in the pretty Languedoc-Roussillon region that your only problem will be choosing what to miss out. More modest than the flashy Cote D’Azur, its less crowded and cheaper.

Visiting the stunning coastal port of Collioure is a must. It’s not hard to see why Scots artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh chose it as the perfect place to retire to.

The atmospheric border town was fought over by the French and Spanish. Today it’s full of artists and great restaurants, whose speciality is salted anchovies. But if that’s too relaxed, you can get the adrenalin pumping with a nailbiting ride on one of Europe’s great trains.

The SNCF Train Jaune route is 39 miles long with 19 tunnels and departs several times a day in summer from the charming village of Villefranche-de-Conflent.

If you’re brave enough, sit in an opentop carriage as it climbs steeply through the stunning Pyrenees.

Back at camp there was a bar, disco and cabaret show on offer to help settle our nerves. But we chose to have a barbecue and bottle of wine on our balcony.

Watching the sun go down, we felt genuinely sad to leave. Our only consolation was flicking through the Eurocamp brochure on the plane home.

Where do we fancy next year?