The Mrs has given me the ok to sort out a camping (tent) holiday for our summer hol next year, so I’m looking for some suggestions.

Has to be somewhere relatively hot, can be driven to (happy to have an overnight stop if necessary), family friendly and plenty to do for the kids. Ideally near water of some sort either Beach/River/Lake with some water based activities would be good.

We went camping near the Arde?che when I was at school and remember loving it as it was either canoeing/kayacking, climbing or swimming all day and great food in the evening.

We can go for up to 3 weeks, so if it’s a trek to get there we can easily stop off along the way/way back and would sooner go a scenic/interesting route than just burning up the motorways for hours on end.

Come on STW – give me some ideas

Peschiera del garda, it’s a town in Northern Italy.
There’s a water park very close and a large lake.

If you’ve got the “OK” rather than the Mrs being massively keen, i’d try to make camping as comfortable as possible and look at 4 or 5 star sites.

We stayed here last summer:

Bankenhof
Picture postcard German town. Walking distance to the swimming lake. Mountains for walking and cycling. Europa theme park within driving distance as is the Rothaus brewery.

other places we’ve been to include Lake Annecy (France), Foret D’orient (France), Garmish (Germany), Liptovsky Mkulas (Slovakia), Zakopane (Poland).

All were very different and had their own plus points. Kawan Villages in France tend to be good with lots of facilities.
Heading to Eastern Europe, it gets cheaper but less organised. Annecy was especially expensive.

Given the choice again, i’d head back to Eastern Europe as it feels like more of an adventure but Germany is geared up very well for tourism.

we’ll be going back here again (3rd or fourth time IIRC) for a week on our way back from Corsica.
http://www.camping-florac.com/anglais/index.html
Great spot on the river, lots of walking, MTB and roadieing from the door. Simple campsite, well run, never any bother even when busy.
Nice old town.

the missus is well up for it, just wants **** all to do with the actual organising (just like I do when she books hols in hotels etc)

I’ll give those a look. I quite fancy a stop off for a couple of days on the way to switzerland, then a drive back and a stop off in brittany or somewhere simular