Camping au Lac du Drennec

Fancy taking a break from the hum-drum and heading off to Brittany – for better weather, beautiful beaches and a spot beside a shimmering, mile-long lake? If you do, you’re in good company. Derbyshire couple Belinda and Andrew Heaney were of exactly that mind set when they quit the rat race and moved to the shores of enormous Lac du Drennec. Here, among the shady shrubs and ash trees, they run the reservoir’s excellent namesake campsite. It’s the perfect spot to soak up some continental sun.

In the north of the vast Armorica Regional Natural Park, a varied landscape that covers everything from the local Monts d'Arrée hills to the beaches and islands of Brittany’s western coast, Camping au Lac du Drennec is a family-friendly, pet-friendly campsite, set behind the lake’s watersports centre and a sweeping sandy beach. As a result, there is no swimming pool. Instead, families wander down to the waterside, where campers and locals happily bathe and picnic blankets dot the grassy shore.

The campsite itself has everything you need. There are around 50 pitches in total, half with the option of electricity, and ablutions – showers, toilets, basins and laundry facilities – are well kept. There’s a tennis court down nearer the lakeside (rackets and balls are available to borrow) and an indoor games room with books and board games you can borrow. The well-stocked shop, meanwhile, sells essential food and ice-cream, while those who are really travelling light can even book a stay in their pre-pitched and furnished bell tents, which have beds, cooking facilities and electricity.

Life beside the lake isn’t all about swimming and boating, though. There is, of course, essential holiday lazing around to be done, as well as land-based opportunities such as hiking in the surrounding forested hills or walking the seven-kilometre trail around the lake’s perimeter. With a car, there’s also the marvellous Breton beaches and the local market towns to explore. Or you could just wander a few steps to the waterside Restaurant Au lac du Drennec. A fine spot to sample the regional food and drink.