Huttopia Lanmary proudly claim to be “wilder than a campsite” and, peering through the leaves that surround their forest pitches, it’s hard to disagree. There’s nothing pruned or manicured about this place, nature is found much as nature should be, and the tents, dotted in clearings among the trees, sit subtly among it all like oversized bugs snoozing in the shade. It’s no surprise to discover the campsite is run in association with France’s National Forestry Commission – a location like this deserves to be preserved – but it is a surprise to find there are still some thoroughly modern campsite facilities carefully positioned around the woods. Despite their ‘wild’ credentials this is still a family-focused place.
Tents are in their element here. Pitches range from the snug and natural ‘forest spots’ described above, to the more campervan friendly ‘space spots’, out in the sunny grassland where the trees open up and electrical hook-ups can be found. There are also a range of pre-pitched glamping options that give the site its name – the huts of Huttopia. All are built to the strictest eco-friendly guidelines with untreated Douglas wood giving a fragrant woody smell and ever continuing to blend in as their surfaces begin to age. Inside, they include cooking facilities, wood-burning stoves, beds and all the linen and bedding required. The largest huts even have a master mezzanine level upstairs.
It’s almost with disbelief, then, that we tell you about the swimming pool, the bar-restaurant and the indoor living area, a place where you can lounge around on sofas or borrow board games if it rains. Where, you might well wonder, has all this ‘wilderness’ they boasted gone? The answer, however, lies in the ethos of it all. Yes, you’ll find all the usual French campsite staples: fresh bread to order every morning, a boules pitch, and children’s activities run throughout peak season, but first and foremost the place is still governed by the trees. Mornings are spent listening to the birdlife, evenings are soundtracked by the gentle rattle of branches overhead and every photograph you take is speckled by the dappled shade the leaves cast across your face. The furthest, most forest-like pitches can only be reached on foot and all the accommodation is built on stilts or wheels, so they can be moved around allowing different areas to re-grow. “Wilder than a campsite” may be a bit of a stretch, but it’s certainly wilder than most.
