Camping de Bilos

Camping Le Bilos is in Salles, in the Eyre valley in the Gironde, in the heart of the Landes de Gascogne regional nature park. Bordeaux is about 40 to 50 km away, the Arcachon basin about forty kilometres, the ocean beaches 45 km and the large lakes of Sanguinet and Cazaux about 15 km. Exit 21 of the A63 is 10 km away, which also makes it a stopover on the road to Spain or Portugal.

Created in 1972 by the grandparents of the current owner on about one hectare, the site now covers 2 hectares. The family took it over in 2010 and stands for a traditional, unpretentious campsite: 85 grassy, stabilised pitches of about 100 m², in the shade of oaks and pines or sunnier, with no mobile homes, no organised entertainment and no pool. It belongs to the nature park’s Imaginaterres network, devoted to ecotourism.

For the opening period, the website simply states ‘open all year round’. It offers a low-season rate and a high-season rate, reserved for July and August, and allows bookings from one night to one month, on any opening day. Only pitches for tents, caravans, vans or motorhomes are available; the washroom block is heated in winter. Reception is open from 9am to 12pm and from 2pm to 7pm.

Cycling on the Salles-Sanguinet path, forest walks, stargazing; Arcachon basin and Pilat dune about 40 km away.

The facilities are deliberately simple. The pitches are marked out, flat or shaded, with electric posts to European standard for a 6-amp plug. The washroom block is heated in winter and accessible to people with reduced mobility. A washing machine and a tumble dryer are available to campers, which matters for stays of several weeks.

There is no pool, restaurant or entertainment on site: the campsite embraces this choice of quiet. Shops, restaurants and the weekly market are in Salles, about 4 km away. The campsite also welcomes motorhomes and vans, and an ice supply point is mentioned by the tourist office, which also mentions canoe hire.

Children have a small play area, a volleyball court and table tennis tables. The forest is accessible directly from the site, and there is also a small arboretum. Pets are accepted free of charge, up to two per pitch. Charging electric or hybrid cars is prohibited. The site rules and general terms of sale can be downloaded from the website, and payment is by cheque, holiday vouchers, cash or bank transfer.

Right next to the site starts the Salles-Sanguinet cycle path, which leads to the Vélodyssée. The Mios-Bazas greenway, 5 km away, is part of the Tour de Gironde by bike. The Landes de Gascogne forest can be explored on foot from the entrance to the site, and the campsite is in the process of being certified for stargazing.

Water is never far: the Leyre, nicknamed the little Amazon, can be paddled by canoe or kayak all the way to the Arcachon basin, and the lakes of Sanguinet and Cazaux, about 15 km away, complete the region’s watery landscape. The Arcachon basin and the Pilat dune can be visited in a day, as can the Teich ornithological park. The Domaine de Certes et Graveyron, in Audenge, shows another face of the basin, between land and sea.

For heritage, in Salles you can see the Romanesque church of Saint-Pierre, from the 12th century, and the Faluns, traces of an ancient sea, then the church of Saint-Michel du Vieux Lugo, from the 11th century, decorated with 16th-century murals. The ocean beaches, good for surfing, are 45 km away.

Off-season, cycling, forest walks and stargazing remain the main pastimes.