A little information about the West coast of France from Brittany down to the French/Spanish border near St Jean de Luz, and some about the camping facilities and resources you will find en route.

So far as camping holidays are concerned the west of France starts at the coastal areas of Brittany and extends due south to the Spanish border. The whole of the west coast has protected sand dunes near to the shoreline with, mainly, small and wind blown pine trees of indeterminate ages.

The west coast is a haven for holidaymakers, particularly those who enjoy pure camping holidays or a couple of weeks in a mobile home - though please take a look at our page "Vive la difference" - which points out the differences in what you can expect when you take a hol in a British company owned mobile home to that of a French owned one. You could be surprised!

You may not be amazed to read that the western coastal areas of Brittany and the Vendee attract more Brit tourists than anywhere else in France, and there are good reasons for this; The weather is generally superb, the beaches excellent, the food differs from place to place which is great, and the whole west coast is so very accessible for cars and fly/drive holidaymakers. It is also generally a whole lot cheaper than the south of France proper (Cote d'Azur, Provence etc) when you get there.

Even so, the figures state that the Charente Maritime region which is the next region south of the Vendee, has the best of the weather and as much sunshine as the French Riviera.

Surfers of all flavours can enjoy the waves anywhere from the Vendee down to St Jean de Luz where you can easily have surf heights of between 5 and 12 metres! Scary stuff if all you want is a paddle.

Having said that, there are beaches everywhere, even where the surf is highest, which are more than adequate for the beach bum, sunbather, paddler and occasional swimmers who don't want to experience the exhilaration (and dangers) of any of the surfing/wind surfing sports.

All the way up and down the west coast there are areas of natural beauty both on the coast and inland, forests, lakes, nature reserves with an abundance of wildlife