“Eurocamp gives me a different view of holidaying without the hotel the same way Camargue might gives me a different view of marshland”

Travel writer Yolanda Zappaterra shares her refreshing camping experience at Eurocamp Les Gorges De Provence.

Camping has never really been my thing: soggy tents, shower queues, snoring neighbours and nature’s early start every morning. But here I am at Eurocamp Les Gorges De Provence, in the heart of the Alpes de haute Provence, and I’m having a whale of a time.

In my two days here I’ve slept on a comfortable bed in a cosy cabin. I’ve played tennis, kayaked, done an outdoor gym workout, swum in the heated pool, sweated in the sauna, drunk some very good local wine from the well-stocked convenience store, and eaten some excellent pizza in the site’s lively restaurant.

And thanks to the parc’s location, on the banks of a small lake in the magnificent Verdon gorge, a wide range of water activities from paddleboarding to pedalo trips are on offer. It’s early May, and blissfully quiet, though still busy enough to practise my schoolgirl-level French on campers who tell me they come every spring and summer to enjoy not just the site but, beyond it, the extraordinary Verdon Natural Regional Park. There are a number of great Eurocamp sites to visit during the shoulder season.

From history to sightings of the majestic white horses, here’s a rundown of my trip to Camargue.

Boundless offer: Boundless members can save up to 35% on Eurocamp Holidays, with the discount increasing the more nights you stay. For example, stay between 3-10 nights and you’ll save up to 20%, topped up with our additional Boundless 5% discount. Stay for 11-20 nights and you’re looking at a total saving of up to 30%.

Gorges du Verdon offers a sprawling history on the doorstep

Getty ImagesThe river that gives the park its name is dotted with sandy white beaches and bordered by miles of hiking paths. And further afield, through fields of poppies and orderly rows of budding lavender filled with the promise of colour to come. The magnificent Gorges du Verdon and the wider area offer many more attractions.

In a short stay I manage to take in a few of them, including lunch on the banks of the spectacular Lac de Saint-Croix, a morning at the Prehistory Museum and an excursion to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, a member of The Most Beautiful Villages of France association (yes, that’s a thing).

Dhiemas Afif Febriyan via UnsplashIn the evening, when the sun turns its soaring limestone cliffs pink, it feels like it’s probably the most beautiful village in France.

High above the village, the wheeling griffon vultures emblematic of the Gorges du Verdon bring to mind a destination just a morning’s drive away that I’ve long wanted to visit. The Camargue is a natural park of wetlands on the Mediterranean, and home to another Saint Marie: Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, which is its beating heart. I decided that just as Eurocamp has given me a different view of holidaying without the hotel, the Camargue might give me a different view of marshland than the midges and mosquitoes I have in my mind’s eye.

Getty ImagesWhat I discover is a region filled with surprises, particularly in the unhurried off-peak season. I begin in the small city of Arles. Impressive Roman ruins lie at seemingly every turn: here’s a still-used 20,000-seat amphitheatre, nearly 2,000 years old; there an antique theatre and thermal baths; and a little further out, the leafy Roman/medieval burial ground of Alychamps. En route to the latter, Frank Gehry’s stunning cultural centre, Luma, featuring 11,000 hammered-steel bricks in a twisted façade, looms over the city.

Luma is inspired in part by Van Gogh’s Starry Night, and the artists’ short but turbulent time in Arles is brought to life via a self-guided walking tour that takes in the sites of some of his most famous works.

Among them, the lovely garden where he painted Hospital In Arles is genuinely moving, and little changed in the 137 years since he painted it.

The city’s vibrant museum and art scene isn’t just about Van Gogh, but also takes in the Museum of Costume and Fashion and the fine arts Musée Réattu.

The Museon Arlaten, dedicated to the social and cultural history of Provence, is also one of the sites of an international drawing festival held each spring.

It’s here on the roof I get my first glimpse of the marshlands and wetlands between the city and the sea that make up the Camargue. Spanning more than 360 square miles, its salt lagoons, reed-covered marshes and cultivated rice and grain fields are home to more than 400 bird species.

Camargue has some particularly eye-catching locals

JD Designs via UnsplashOn our way to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, once a sleepy fishing village now a small-scale resort with restaurants and souvenir shops, we stop at the Pont de Gau ornithological park. From viewpoints and hides overlooking a dozen or so lagoons and waterways, we spend a few magical hours observing one of the highlights of the Camargue: hundreds of flamingos.

Used to being observed, they carry on their daily routine unperturbed. They’re endlessly interesting, whether landing on water with a splash, diligently sifting the waterbed, or asleep on one leg.

From here we head to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer’s Gare Maritime and hop on a boat which, in 90 minutes, putters past some small but enticing beaches and into the Petite Rhône, where we get surprisingly close to the park’s famous white horses and bulls, and catch more flamingos in flight above us.

Getty ImagesLater, on a bike ride towards the Gacholle lighthouse, some eight miles away, the pink-tinged Étang de Vaccarès is flanked by keen twitchers snapping not just flamingos, but also herons, bitterns, ibis, avocets, terns and migrating waterbirds. With the lagoon to our left and the Mediterranean to our right, we stop often – to enjoy the wildlife of the former or dip our toes in the latter while watching riders on white Camargue horses powering through the surf.

With hundreds of photos on our phones we bid the Camargue a fond adieu, vowing to return soon to enjoy its many other attractions – from the medieval ramparts and pink saltpans of nearby Aigues-Mortes, to a ride on one of those horses. It’s a long list…

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