Corporate camp sites, Euro-techno discos, communal Agadoo – the list of continental camping faux pas is longer than the Channel tunnel. Yet, contrary to popular belief, France is blessed with an enviable selection of small, characterful places for pitching up: clifftop camps with cracking views, remote farms tucked away in the countryside, lazy, shady riverside hang-outs and a bunch situated right on top of some great places to eat and drink. Just don’t forget to leave room in the boot of the car for a case or two of the local wine on the way home.

Unless stated, prices are per night, for pitch/adult/child

A TENT WITH A VIEW

ROMARINS, Èze: it’s perched in the hills near Monaco; you can’t buy views like these, even if you’ve just broken the bank at Monte Carlo. Pitch your tent among the rosemary and olive trees, sit back and enjoy peering over Cap Ferrat and the Esterel, with millionaires’ yachts cruising the Med and the smell of warm money wafting along the coast. There’s no swimming pool, no kiddies’ club, no loud entertainment – just chilled refinement. If the roulette tables at the casino have been Ekind to you, take a trip to the nearby medieval hilltop village of E`ze. After a walk in the Jardin Exotique, full of cacti and other rarities, you can visit the Michelin-starred restaurant at Château Eza (www.chateaueza.com) to blow your winnings.

www.campingromarins.com; from £12.50 per night for two

LE GRAND CHAMP, Chamonix: jagged, white-tipped peaks surround this site and create an almost private valley. The beautiful terraced gardens boast neat, grassy pitches separated by a jumble of trees, bushes and hedges, all overlooked by the brooding granite spires of the Aiguille du Midi. This site isn’t so much on the doorstep of Mont Blanc as making itself comfortable on the sofa in the front room. You know all about the nearby town of Chamonix as a winter resort, but in summer, mountain-biking, rafting, rock-climbing and abseiling will goad you into activity. But you could equally well just sit and breathe in the mountain air, feasting on the views.

00 33 5 62 92 48 92; £3.30/£3.50/£1.70

LES TILLEULS, Gèdre: the valley views from Les Tilleuls, 3,000ft up in the Pyrenees, are chocolate-box stuff. Old stone houses are scattered around the deep, green gorges of Campbielh, Coumely and the Cirque de Gavarnie like faded Lego bricks. The site has four terraces to pitch on, so everyone gets a slice of the view, though you may prefer the sheltering shade of the trees when the summer sun is at its fiercest. Just be careful where you put your feet – your eyes will be permanently fixed on the view.

00 33 5 62 29 19 44; from £8 for two adults

GREAT GOURMANDISING

LA BROUQUERE, Gondrin: you can’t go wrong with a camp site in an old winery in the Gers that has only six pitches and the motto: “Arrive as a guest and leave as a friend.” With a pool-cum-hot tub, a terraced patio, a gorgeous bijou home and fields and fields of vines and sunflowers, you’ve the makings of the quintessential French site. But the real attraction for gourmands is that this is foie gras country. Well, actually, the whole of France is foie gras country, but here you can visit La Ferme du Cassou (www. fermeducassou.com), which offers a tour of its pâté-production facilities and a sampling of all things duck. From omelettes and sausages to tarts and jams – you name it, there’s duck in it. Add in a quantity of the locally produced armagnac and you’ll be in serious need of a postprandial walk. Or maybe just a waddle.

www.brouquere.com; from £3/£2.30/£1.90 (ages 6 and under)

LES ORMES, St Étienne de Villeréal: inspired by a luxury tent hotel in Tanzania, Les Ormes has 25 African desert numbers arranged in an elm forest. It’s a bit tasty, with rattan loungers and a designer pool, but the touch that’ll have purists spitting is the comfy spring beds. With fresh linen. The nearby town of Bergerac is at the centre of a wine-making region boasting 12 appellations contrôlées (red, white and rosé). Hunt down your favourite tipple with La Route des Vins de Bergerac, a map of the picturesque vineyards, all set against backdrops of castles, paper mills and old stone-walled villages, and make sure you sample the region’s real delicacy: the sweet dessert wine made from sauvignon and semillon grapes at Château Monbazillac (00 33 5 53 63 65 00). If all that viniculture works up a bit of an appetite, there’s an eight-course banquet to be had at the Château Les Merles (www.lesmerles.com); or try Le Vieux Logis (www.vieux-logis.com), a Michelin-starred restaurant in Tremolat.

www.campinglesormes.com; £7.60/£4.60/£2.70 (ages 1-7)

DOMAINE LE POTEAU, Castlenau d’Auzan: you’ll get a real feel for agricultural France as you pass tractors chugging along the tree-lined roads on your way here. Set in the heart of the Gers’ bountiful wine- and armagnac-producing country, this Dutch-run site grows enough grapes in the backyard to produce 20,000 bottles a year. You’ll soon spot the vines behind the owner’s house, then lose sight of them again as you pitch your tent in the sprawling garden, so full of shrubbery and small trees, you’re unlikely to see your neighbours. There’s a covered communal dining area and a cute terrace bar; and, three times a week the owners prepare a four-course meal for their guests, with liberal quantities of their own white wine.

www.le-poteau.com; £12 per night for two

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE

LES CRIQUES DE PORTEILS, Argelès-sur-Mer: sun, sea, sand and... sangria? Well, this site on the Mediterranean, south of Perpignan, is in what used to be North Catalonia, and it retains much of its Franco-Spanish feel, with ochre-painted buildings, street signs in Catalan and frequent strains of flamenco. A spread of trees keeps the camp well hidden from the road, while its seaward edge is handsomely marked by an old stone wall that undulates along the squat cliffs. The site overlooks three pebble beaches, solely for the use of campers, onto which the Med’s quiet waters lap. If you fancy something a bit wetter and wilder, there’s an English-speaking diving school at the happening port of Argelès-sur-Mer.

www.lescriques.com; from £14.50/£4.60/£3 (under5s)

CAMPING LA VENDETTE, Île de Noirmoutier: although it’s only just south of Brittany, this island on the Atlantic coast is like a little slice of the Mediterranean, a few hundred miles north of where it should be. Back in the days when Renoir came to paint the shimmering green and purple shade of the pine trees, it was accessible only by boat or a cobbled causeway that was submerged at high tide. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can still cross the Passage du Gois, but there’s a bridge if you don’t want to get the car wet. The site is in an idyllic forest of ilex, pine and mimosa set slap bang on the beach. The town of Noirmoutier is famous for its saltpans, medieval castle and wonderful romanesque church – from a vantage point close to the camp site, you can look across a flat water meadow and a sheltered bay at the town silhouetted against the setting sun.

www.camping-indigo.com; from £9.80/£2.50/£1.20 (ages 2-7)

LE CLAPAS, Vallon Pont d’Arc: Le Clapas might sound like the kind of thing you’d do to a Ricky Martin track, but clapas is an old Occitan name for a pile of stones. In this case, the stones come from the camp site’s private beach on the Ardèche – the robust rivulet that forged the beautiful gorges of this area and gave the département its name. Canoeing and kayaking are the big draws here, and there’s something for everyone, from gentle stretches of water for beginners and drifters to feisty rapids for adrenaline fiends. The pièce de résistance, though, is the wonderful Pont d’Arc, a natural 200ft stone arch over the river, which comes with a handy beach if you’d rather just stand and stare. It’s the jewel of the Gorges de l’Ardèche, the range of limestone cliffs that make the area so spectacular.

www.camping-le-clapas.com; from £10 for two

PEACE AND GLORIOUS QUIET

TIPIS AT FOLBEIX, Folbeix: a British couple, Nigel and Sheila Harding, have created a haven of environmentally conscious living in a coppiced wood deep in a forest in La Creuse, at the heart of France. Half a dozen snow-white tepees, each raised on a platform of Forestry Stewardship Council-certified wood, are illuminated at night by candle lanterns and solar-powered lights. Each is set in its own slice of woodland: some of the guests disappear into it at the beginning of the week and barely come out again. But it’s worth wandering up to the Hardings’ house, if only to help yourself to fresh herbs from the garden or to sample one of Sheila’s wide range of homemade jams, chutneys and brews of varying descriptions. La Creuse is a secret little place, and still off most people’s holiday radar. Make the most of it. Just don’t tell too many people.

www.vacanesdetipienfrance.com;£260 per week for a family of four

MAS DE LA FARGASSA, Amélie-les-Bains: a narrow mountain road with a precipitous drop leads to this organic fruit farm in the Languedoc hills. Not for the fainthearted, the road deters the casual visitor and ensures that the place is disturbed only by the swish of the leaves of holly and plum trees, as well as apples, gooseberries and pears, all straining at their branches and vines to get at the sun. Set in 600 acres and built around an old forge that was abandoned in the 1930s, the site has a range of accommodation options, from its own Dutch-designed tents for hire to a quiet gîte and even a converted pigsty. Or, of course, you can pitch your own canvas by the stream or on a terrace overlooking the garden. If you fancy a break from organic French fruit, the site is so close to Spain, you can pop over the border hills for a tapas lunch.

www.fargassa.com; £6.10pp per night for your own tent (not in July or August); £343 per week for a fully equipped tent

CAMPING DE L’OUYSSE, Lacave: camping à la ferme (farm camping) offers all the rural escapism you could need. At this site in the Dordogne, the dark-green River Ouysse flows past the farmhouse under a leafy tunnel of walnut and poplar trees. There’s a tightrope bridge leading to fantastic hikes through the woods, or you can follow the river to the spectacular fortified village of Rocamadour. And the great thing is, you can camp anywhere you like on the site, and strict legislation limits the number of tents to a dozen at a time. So, do you go for the cherry and plum orchard, the river, the foot of the mountain or the meadows? It’s that stressful here.

00 33 5 65 32 63 01; £3.10pp, children £1.60

STILL NOT IMPRESSED? TRY THESE

BELREPAYRE TRAILER PARK, near Mirepoix: a trailer park? Oh, yes, and what trailers they are – real-deal American Airstreams. There’s a 1972 Sovereign model, picked up from a nudist colony in Florida, a 1970s Tradewind, from New Mexico, and a 1950s Silver Streak Clipper, from Arizona. All are kitted out in retro fabrics, with knitted cushions, eight-track music systems and assorted paraphernalia picked up at flea markets. Tents are welcome, too. The site is run by Perry Balfour, younger half of a former father-and-son touring clown troupe, who also trades as DJ Bobby Lotion when he spins a bit of disco in the evening. Perry reckons that people lose 35 years when they come here, which, if true, will leave younger visitors feeling deliciously gaga.

www.airstreameurope.com; Airstreams from £57 per night, tents from £13.70 for two

LES ROULOTTES DE LA SERVE, Ouroux: roulottes (Romany caravans) are very much in vogue with campers throughout France, and these three are tucked away in an Arcadian farm setting amid the Beaujolais region’s vineyards and farms. The owners were offered the first roulotte by the operator of a local merry-go-round and, after travels through Africa and India, they ended up with two more. Choose between Des Amoureux, with a nostalgic 1950s interior that sleeps two, Des Manèges, which has more of a 1920s feel, and can sleep four, or Des Etoiles, the biggest, which is decorated with sequined cushions and natty trinkets from the Orient, and also sleeps four. All come with breakfast included, taken in the gypsy comfort of your caravan or in the owners’ fabulously rustic dining area.

www.lesroulottes.com; from £36 per night for two

KOTA CABANA, Brûlon: Jean-Claude Guillou, a retired French businessman and owner of an exquisite little guesthouse in a Second Empire chateau near Le Mans, had often wondered what to do with the two ancient sequoia trees and the Lebanese cedar in his garden. The answer? Build a treehouse. Chancing upon a Finnish designer who told him about Lapland kotas – the pine buildings used for everything from saunas to fish smokeries – Jean-Claude set about building his Kota Cabana up in the trees. Up a winding wooden staircase, and behind a hobbit-like front door, it’s a mixture of Scandinavian design and French élan, all with the glorious smell of untreated pine resin. And, with room for only two, it’s a romantic retreat, popular with honeymooners. From the platform, the view takes in Jean-Claude’s 1933 burgundy Citroën and the chateau’s extensive grounds – at the bottom of the garden, you can just make out the two cavorting llamas that he keeps as pets.

www.chateau-enclos.com; £99 per night

Travel brief

By tunnel: Eurotunnel (0870 535 3535, www.eurotunnel.com) has return Folkestone-Calais crossings from £98 for a car and passengers.

By sea: short crossings from Dover to Calais and Dunkirk are operated by P&O Ferries (0871 664 5645, www.poferries.com), SeaFrance (0871 663 2546, www.seafrance.com) and Norfolkline (0870 870 1020, www.norfolkline.com), with returns starting at about £60 for a car and passengers. There are several routes to Brittany and Normandy from the south coast: Brittany Ferries (0870 907 6103, www.brittany-ferries. com), for example, has return crossings from Portsmouth to Caen and Poole to Cherbourg, from £96 for a car and passengers. Or try Transmanche Ferries (0800 917 1201, www.transmancheferries.com) or LD Lines (0844 576 8836, www.ldlines.co.uk). Irish Ferries (0818 300400, www.irishferries.com) runs ferries from Dublin and Rosslare to Roscoff and Cherbourg; from €258 return. Or try Celtic Link Ferries (0844 576 8834, www.celticlinkferries.com).

By air: airlines serving French regional airports include British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com), Air France (0870 142 4343, www.airfrance.co.uk), EasyJet (www.easyjet.com), Jet2 (0871 226 1737, www.jet2.com), BMI Baby (0871 224 0224, www.bmibaby.co.uk) and Flybe (0871 700 2000, www.flybe.com).

Closer to home

Here are 10 UK camp sites far from the madding crowds, courtesy of the chaps at Cool Camping:

- Lundy Island, Devon Brassy Atlantic camping on this granite outcrop, managed by the Landmark Trust and limited to 40 campers at a time (www.lundyisland.co.uk).

- Orchard Camping, Suffolk Two hours from London, this simple paddock allows traditional campfires, giving that real backwoodsman feel (01728 746170).

- Turner Hall Farm, Cumbria It’s remote here – raw camping between grassy knolls, rocky outcrops, scratchy bracken and dry-stone walls (01229 716420).

- Beadnell Bay, Northumberland This flat, well-tended site on a deserted stretch of coastline lies between two castles – Bamburgh and Dunstanburgh (www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk).

- Glengoulandie, Perthshire Fringed by a deer farm, this eco-site is big on bio-sewerage and recycling (www.glengoulandie.co.uk).

- Camusdarach, Inverness-shire Landscaped by grazing sheep, with sea on one side and hills on the other, this friendly place is the perfect detox from modern life (www.camusdarach.com).

- Bladnoch Distillery, Wigtown Garden camping by the river that feeds the distillery that makes the whisky that makes this a fascinating place to stay in the neglected southwest of Scotland (www.bladnoch.co.uk).

-Mynydd Mawr, Gwynedd Enjoy sunset strolls at this rugged site on the western tip of the Llyn peninsula, sheltered from the ripping winds (www. aberdaroncaravanandcampingsite.co.uk ).

- Wern Isaf, Denbighshire A working farm overlooking the Dee Valley, Wern Isaf has the Scooby-Doo ruins of Castell Dinas Bran behind it (www.wernisaf.supanet.com ).

- Llanthony Priory, Monmouthshire There’s riding and trekking here, but, facilities-wise, just a tap and toilets. Beautiful (www.llanthony.co.uk).