Off to France for three weeks at the end of July with wife and three kids under 10. All that's booked at present is the Eurotunnel. Fancied a bit of beach, perhaps some mountains and any site with access to good cycling trails would be fantastic. Have any of you come across a gem? We were considering touring down to the South.

camping du la, la trinite sur mer, nr carnac.

heaven 8)

Gorge du tarn area? We camped there. Can't remember the name of the town but there was an MTB shop that gave us route maps and rafting / canoeing on the river.

St Matteau (sp) du lac IIRC – near Limoge. Nice campsite by the lake and a nice local family friendly offroad mtb route posted up on a noticeboard in the town square

Taninges near Chamonix. Cheapest municipal campsite 9€ per night for a family of 4. Just up the road is Les Gets. Kids and Wife loved the blue and green trails. Kids 8 and 10 on islabikes

Last year also did the Tarn as TJ. Campsite Les bordes du Tarn for 2 weeks tent pitched right on the bank. Then a days drive to the alps. Ace. Oh and on the way down camp in 100km stages at all the cheap riverside municipal sites and cycle down:-)
Twas a great 5 weeks topped off with the Tour of MontBlanc with MBMB
lucky boy

Does it have to be camping? You could use les gites de France a bit cheaper but a lot nicer. If I were you I'll stay away from the south during the summer it's a nightmare.

We love the Vendee (West Coast).
Pancake flat but, depending on your route down South, will give you the beach bit of your masterplan.

There is some decent riding in the Vendee – we've stayed near Lac du Jaunay, and there are some fun trails around the lake.

Cheers. Yes we'll definitely camp. Invested in a trailer tent plus good to be outdoors for a change. Have done Ile de Noirmoutier a couple of years ago; its in the Vendee – flat with a good cycle network – would like to explore somewhere different this time. I was a bit concerned that the South would be heaving but a week at the beach will be compulsory, could be Brittany though. Keep the suggestions coming and I'll check them all out and try and come up with a good itinerary.