SIMON ORPHAN (2008-11-24): La Motte is such a nice site I am really reluctant to write this up as the peace and quiet were fantastic and we (selfishly) would like to keep it to ourselves! Chris is a great host - opportunities to socialize at the BBQ or just keep to yourselves and he respects your privacy. Could not be more helpful - we borrowed his washing machine (twice!), an electric hook up for our whole stay and nothing was too much trouble. Bread and croissants order delivered daily - and Chris even let me do the run one morning as I was missing the joys of a French bakery.
The site itself is great, safe for kids and is being worked on very hard; not 4 star with disco music coming out of your ears (thank goodness, and not overrun with drunken Brits either) but clean, tidy and with everything you could want for a great relaxing holiday in a beautiful part of glorious rural France.
We'll be back!
Derek Mann (2008-09-11): We came , we saw, we stayed! having arrived at the beginning of May for a short stay with our 34 foot RV we have been so impressed by this site that we are still here on the 11th September. It has been a terrific base for our house searching activities and the only reason we will leave in a couple of weeks is because we found our permanent place in the sun. There's good dog walking in the local area, fun things to do in Montguyon and Chris the owner couldn't have been more helpful. It is peaceful, secure with very reasonable facilities even extending to a vidange for emptying the RV tanks. We'll be sorry to leave.
The Family Howes (2008-08-24): Agree with everything that has been said so far. Chris (the owner) has a beautiful site here, and he really works hard to make it a pleasurable experience for all of his guests. Nothing is too much trouble. We stayed in a pre-erected tent, which was a god-send, being novice long distance drivers, unsure of how long it would take us to drive down from Calais, with thee boys and the various toilet stops one has to allow for!
Everything is provided in the tent, airbeds, lights, washing up bowl, pots and pans, cutllery, in fact we only needed our bedding and personal items. There is even a large cooking tent with two double gas burners and a fridge, preparation tables and a picnic table in case the weather is showery. Chris has a weekly barbecue for his guests, and it is a very enjoyable evening, lovely food too!
The host is also a great source of information on the local area, and will be able to point you in the direction of activites to suit all ages and interests, including a vineyard of course!
We had a lovely stay both on the way to Spain and on our return, and we have no doubts in recommending La Motte to you, if you are looking for a beautiful, peaceful and relaxing site, with a host who will go out of his way to make you feel as comfortable and relaxed as possible, with outstanding cleanliness of facilities, (even loo roll and shower gel is supplied) with a general feel good factor, then look no more.
Great time, great place, great host!
Cheers Chris!
Kalle&Soraya (2008-08-12): La Motte Camping is a nicely planned and very well kept natural camping site with all the necessities available at a very good price. The greatest enjoyment of all was however the hospitality of Chris, the owner, who right away managed to make us feel as his personal guest rather then some anonymous Swedish campers.
This is by far the best camping site we have visited and we will for sure be back!
paula lutosa (2008-08-11): We had a great time at this site.It is brilliant for campers, the owner provides a large tent for cooking and eating in (free gas cookers and fridge) which was a god send for us. The owner was great and helped us find activities for each day we were there.I would recommend this site to all campers(the loo's were excellent)
Mark Walsham (2008-06-11): Excellent campsite, great location and facilities and a very helpful and friendly owner. Highly recommended.
Hazel Hayward (2008-06-06): Very friendly. Welcomed us as if we were friends. Just had to ask if we wanted to know anything. Pitches are a nice distance apart. quiet and peaceful atmosphere. Washing facilities spotless.
Shona Carr (2008-05-30): This is an excellent site, not far from the N10 so an ideal stopover if traveling further south. It's also a good base for day trips to the Atlantic coast, and towns such as Bordeaux, Blaye, Bergerac and Libourne (the list is endless)...plus the vineyards of St Emilion and Pomerol are also nearby!
It is surrounded by beautiful countryside - vineyards and farms - and the quiet roads are ideal for cycling or walking.
A few minutes drive takes you into the small town of Montguyon, with banks, bars and a couple of supermarkets, one of which is a brand new (but a bit expensive) Intermarche, the other a Netto.
The site itself is lovely and peaceful in a natural and charmingly rustic setting of pine and deciduous trees and shrubs. It is well laid out with non-regimented pitches of various shapes and sizes, some offering shade from the glorious Charante sun, and others more open. It is nestled in a slight valley so seems well sheltered from any winds.
Our pitch was about 60x20 feet, so plenty of space to spread out!
There are plenty of water points throughout the site, and electrics are reverse polarity.
There is a separate dog walk at the top of the site with lots of room for the dogs to run around - and there is a free and plentiful supply of "poo-bags"
The toilets and showers (lots of hot water) are excellent and spotless too. I especially liked the homely touch of complimentary shower gel in the showers and loo paper in all the toilets!
The owner, Chris, is extremely helpful, friendly and enthusiastic, and can offer loads of advice on places to visit, market days, and whats on etc.
We stayed there for 7 days and had a wonderful time - it really is the ideal site to just relax and totally chill out.
I can still hear the birdsong, and the sound of the cigales,the cuckoos and the woodpeckers....oh! and the frogs in the pond at night!
Highly recommended
lesley clarke (2008-03-24): We stayed at la motte for two nights on our way to spain last week. The site is open all year except December.It rained heavy while we were there ,but the owner chris made us more than welcome and helped us dry out with mugs of tea and loads of advise for our onward journey.
Would reccomend this site to all that are travelling down the N10/A10, great stop off and really helpfull. Thanks Chris, see you in the summer. Lesley and John.x
Tracey Vincent (2008-03-13): The site owner Chris is the most helpful and obliging guy I have ever come across, nothing is too much trouble. The facilities are first class, shower block spotlessly clean, etc. This superb site is nestled in the gorgeous French countryside and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to chill out and relax.
t hilton (2007-10-11): Hadn't been to Southern France before and traveled across most of France via PARIS!!! courtesy of my daft tom tom satnav.....I think chris (owners)was wondering if we would ever get there as we should have arrived about dinnertime but got there about 6.30 ish... ...
If you are looking to recharge your batteries in the heart of the Southern French Countryside in a friendly relaxed atmosphere,then look no further....
La motte is nestled in between pretty villages and ancient hamlets and woodlands, fields of sunflowers and lots of carefully tended farms with endless Grapevines.The site itself is just minutes from the pretty town of Montguyon with its good mixture of eateries,bars,banks(cash machines) and also 2 supermarkets(1 netto-great )Its easily accessible from the N10 road and only 10 mins from the dordogne area).
The site is lovely and quiet and is safe and secure for children to play (has sandpit and playarea/swings)as there is a security barrier and no through road,which I found very reassuring,especially if you have little ones...a sentiment echoed by many of the families staying there...The pitches are a very good size compared to English sites and French ones as well, with most being shaded by mature trees, perfect for all those hot summer days(no steaming hot van!)
The shower block/toilets/wash area are modern and immaculate, also has a laundry room with new washing machines and ironing facilities.Big bonus with messy kids on their hols!(yes Ive got 2 of those and theyre about as messy as you can get).
Youngest (11) spent some of her time fishing on the lake at la motte, plus bike rides (bike hire available) feeding the shetland horses (duke and Fantasia)there and the ducks(maisey and daisy) and pygmy goats (april and amy)(all very cute and loveable) Lake Beauvallon is minutes round the corner and has lovely sandy beaches good food and pedalo/boat hire, with wooden playhouses for the smaller children and plenty shaded areas .Also a number of other swimming lakes within minimal travelling distance with varying facilities..Fantastic weekly local markets (day and night) were you can eat drink be merry and buy the gorgeously fresh local produce...god we love french cakes...just the best..not fancying the snails though
Lots of places close by to visit (either free or very little cost) including local museum, Roman ruins, Castle, horseriding (just across from the site and another a few minutes around the corner), many swimming lakes (some with jet skiing and quad bikes, amongst other activities)some cheap clothes / shoes / fancy goods larger stores on a retail park a short car ride away near jonzac for a bit of retail therapy if needed....yes we did that a few times..and couldnt believe how cheap it was...
a big multinational annual music festival on in July at Montguyon....plus fairs and other festivals as well in the area throughout the summer months.... We really didnt want to leave to go home (and we had been there for the whole summer holidays!!!)we felt so relaxed there, a general opinion shared by other campers who we spoke to as most were already repeat customers or intended going back again for some more peace and chill out.Great to see chris working in support of and in harmony with nature in developing the site plans .
Cant wait to visit again and de-stress!(and hopefully leave our caravan there)
A few weeks out of our lives that have had such a positive influence in many different ways.....
Many new friends lots of laughs and great experiences better French language skills (even if it is with a Wigan accent) and memories to last a lifetime.....
Like the song...we really did have the time of our lives....
