Huttopia Baie du Mont Saint Michel Huttopia

Despite its grand stature, the cathedral of Dol-de-Bretagne is an oddity. Where two towers should clearly stand there is just one, with the second abruptly ending in a perfect diagonal line. It’s as if the top has been neatly sliced off with an over-sized kitchen knife and consumed by a Brittany giant. Or perhaps the local builders learnt about the abbey at Mont-Saint-Michel, half an hour away, and decided there was simply no point in finishing. After all, it’s tough to compete with what is, undeniably, one of France's most famous seaside monuments.

Just outside the pretty medieval town, Dol’s local campsite is far from unfinished however. Spread across a vast, grassy area, complete with a pair of lakes at either end and a scattering of wooden chalets, Huttopia Baie du Mont Saint Michel is a campsite with facilities at the fore. While almost every camper here will be taking the 30-minute trip to Mont-Saint-Michel and scampering across the sands of Brittany's most famous bay, the campsite has still ensured there’s enough on-site fun to occupy you for hours. There are two swimming pools, a spa area with a hot tub, water-slides, a pizzeria, a playground and three different wash-rooms, each with family-friendly facilities and disabled access. With over 100 different pitches, too, it’s certainly a campsite at the larger end of the scale.

Yet, despite the commercial size of Huttopia Baie du Mont Saint Michel, it remains an undeniably beautiful place to stay. The proximity to Brittany’s best attractions, the handy location within range of Saint Malo’s ferry port and the setting itself, broken up by trees and foliage to give a deceptively smaller feel, give it a thoroughly enchanting appeal. For families in particular it is a boon. You can bring bikes on the back of the car and pedal the charming old streets of Dol-de-Bretagne before cooling off at a nearby beach or you can head to the historic sites of the D-day landings and the museums in the ancient centre of Saint Malo city. For many, meanwhile, the campsite works well as a temporary stopping point en route to or from destinations further south. A place where kids can let off that last bit of steam before heading sullenly back home from their holidays.