The last time I was at a beach-side caravan/camping site was probably about 1983 and on the North Island of New Zealand.

There are of course golden memories of childhood, running around getting into various adventures, but also the recollection that there was the odd day (usually wet), when perhaps the charm of a campsite was less apparent.

So it was with a bit of trepidation but also, admittedly a worry about how how basic facilities would be, that the Collie family was packed up and set off for the Atlantic coast of France, in Brittany.

Our destination was Siblu’s site at Les Pierres Couchées, about 30 miles west of Nantes.

It was a lovely campsite and while that locator of Nantes is important to get your bearings, one of the real treasures was the beach about 100m to the east of one of the exits.

Most of the early afternoons for our two boys, Dylan and Alex, were spent splashing around in the safe shallows of the beach.

Les Pierres Couchées itself was a delightful site, set among mature trees with modern static caravans.

Les Pierres Couchées seems to have been pitched just right by Siblu – everything you need is there when and should you want it.

The pool and the slide, for instance, are not the largest but my young ones never tired of dragging me up the stairs.

The restaurant is good for quick, easy meals with the family if you don’t want to cook, while the bar is quite small yet has Leffe on tap and English football games live for dads to quietly let an afternoon slip by (even if you end up seeing Manchester City beat your team 5-1).

It’s not basic – that is far too harsh a term – just relaxed.

You can really set your own pace for your stay, without being hectored to join in the camp activities and it was quite a quiet site.

My two, aged seven and four respectively, were more than happy to dip into their two activity clubs, Bubbles and Pirates. Parents have to stay with their one to four-year-olds in Bubbles, but Dylan was off playing sport and making things with the Pirates quite happily.

With the beach and woodland around, you can also lose yourself for an afternoon cycling as a family.

Les Pierres Couchées is set in the small village of St-Brevin-les-Pins but is ideally positioned to explore as much or as little of Brittany as you want.

One highlight families will not want to miss is Planete Sauvage, a wildlife park about an hour’s drive away from the campsite..

There is a great 10km safari drive through the park with lions, tigers (one of whom was very grumpy and seemed to be having quite a difference of opinion with a keeper), elephants and giraffe.

However, the dolphin show eclipsed those more dangerous beasties, especially for the children.

Also near Les Pierres Couchées is the port city of Saint-Nazaire, worth a visit to learn about its shipbuilding history and its time as a major German U-boat base during the Second World War.

You can visit the submarine pens and Escal’ Atlantic, an ocean liner exhibition that finishes with the unexpected exit of clambering into a lifeboat and being lowered down to the ‘sea’ in an emergency.

All thoroughly engaging activities for the kids and, in truth, for us adults too.

Wonderful.

How to get there....

We crossed the channel with Brittany Ferries, taking a night boat from Portsmouth to Caen and getting our heads down in a cabin.

Beware though, the alarm to wake you early in the morning is a shock to the system.

The evening sailing back was far more civilised and the boys were able to participate in the onboard entertainment.

It takes about three-and-a-half hours to drive to Les Pierres Couchées from Caen.

Brittany Ferries operates the longer cross-Channel routes from Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth to Western France, saving miles of unnecessary and costly driving from the Calais area.

Travel overnight by luxury cruise-ferry in the comfort of your own cabin with en-suite facilities or be whisked across the Channel during the day in as little as three hours.

We travelled from Portsmouth to Caen and back, where summer fares start at £84.50 per person return based on a family of four travelling with their car.

Book online at the website brittanyferries.com or call 0871 244 1400.

Seven nights in a two-bedroom home with terrace cost £499. There are extra charges for things such as such as linen and towel packs.

You may be getting away from it, but Les Pierres Couchées has a very reasonable Wifi service, so if there's room in the car, take the laptop or iPad to keep up to date with what is happening back home – especially on oxfordmail.co.uk