At the end of the day, we decided to keep this corner of the French coast for another time… The area we ended up driving through is classic French countryside. Small villages, rolling hills, church spires peeking out over the hedgerows and small, winding, (semi) deserted roads. A bit of history in the old buildings, a bit of green on the horizon.
And even an automated pizza dispenser! Five minutes and a credit card gives you a warmed-through, thin pastry, semi-delicious ham-and-cheese for two! The world is definitely getting smaller.
We crossed the Loire river at Saint Nazaire, marvelling at some large cruise ships being built/serviced. Our destination was not far away, a campsite on a spit of land jutting out into the Bay of Biscay.
Camping de la Pree
Camping de la Pree is a small campsite, within a hundred yards of the beach in the shade of Saint Nazaire with a very good restaurant nearby: Le Panoramique de la Prée, right on the seashore.
There are a number of permanent pitches and mobile homes with a couple of dozen pitches available for a wandering traveller. We scored one with some nice green grass although situated next to the road (which wasn’t very busy, to be honest). In fact, the tent pitches (no car) are facing onto the bay just a hundred yards away.
The pitches are small, but comfortable enough, with a hedge giving the boundary. The ablutions were equally small(er) with just two showers and a pair of loos for men and ladies.
Seafront seafood
Nearby within two minute’s walk is the very good restaurant: Le Panoramique de la Prée, right on the seashore. From here you get a great view of the sunset and the people venturing far into the receding tide. They are gathering mussels as you have a glass of wine to accompany your dinner. The restaurant is a good value proposition for the view and a bit of Atlantic ambience.
It has to be said that the best part of the campsite is the owner/manager Mickael who has a unique (or practiced) ability to be present when needed and with an enthousiasm that is refreshing. I found that he struck the perfect balance in that regard.
If you are looking for a swimming pool, water slides and entertainment then this may not be for you. However, there is a games room for the kids and an area for petanque.
The draw here is the proximity to the water’s edge (although no real beach), a relaxed vibe, intimate surroundings and the charm of the coast with the golden sunsets. So it gets – as Vic shows us above – two thumbs up!