Camping des Berges du Gers

Camping des Berges du Gers covers seven hectares in Masseube, in the Gers, between the river and the centre of this Gascon bastide town founded in 1274. It is rated 3 stars, holds the Camping Qualité label and lies in a municipality classed as a Station Verte, in an area its managers describe as the “green balcony of the Pyrenees”.

The site has 83 shaded pitches of 80 m², with water and electricity, three of which (numbers 12, 13 and 14) are adapted for guests with reduced mobility. As for rentals, there are 19 air-conditioned chalets (sixteen of 25 m² for 4 people, two of 50 m² for 8 people and one chalet adapted for guests with reduced mobility), 17 mobile homes of 32 m² for 4 or 6 people and 15 canvas lodges of 22 m², for up to 5 people.

On opening dates, the website distinguishes two arrangements: rentals can be booked all year round, while pitches take tents, caravans and motorhomes from 1 April to 31 October. The automatic barrier is accessible from 7am to 11pm. The website gives no details on heating in the rentals or on winter rates: these should be requested directly at reception.

The bastide town of Masseube, with its arcaded market hall and its Tuesday and Saturday markets, is right nearby, and Auch is one of the department’s major cultural stops.

Masseube markets on Tuesday and Saturday, waymarked trails from the campsite, visits to the bastide town, Auch and the abbeys of the Gers.

The washroom block is described as new: central island, separate cubicles, two areas dedicated to babies, and a shower and WC accessible to guests with reduced mobility. A laundry offers machines, a hairdryer, an iron and an ironing board, and baby equipment (high chair, bath, cot) can be borrowed free of charge on request. Wi-Fi covers the whole site, as well as an air-conditioned entertainment room with a television.

Communal barbecues and picnic tables are dotted around the park. Each canvas lodge has an 11 m² covered terrace with sun loungers, Wi-Fi access and duvets (bring your own sheets); pets are accepted.

The water area is the heart of the campsite in summer and is free for guests: a large leisure pool, a slide, a mushroom fountain, swimming supervised by a lifeguard in season, a bar and a shaded play area nearby. Aqua aerobics and swimming lessons are offered for a fee. The website does not give the pool’s opening dates: it is a summer facility, to be confirmed before an off-season stay.

Off-season, you can count on the rentals, open all year round, and on the shops and markets of Masseube.

On site, the campsite has pétanque courts, a tennis court, beach tennis, Basque pelota, table tennis tables, a volleyball and badminton area and a children’s play area. In season, the entertainment includes pétanque competitions, aqua aerobics, swimming lessons, farm meals, bingo and belote tournaments.

The Île d’Ager leisure area can be reached on foot from the campsite: children’s games, picnic areas, a nature trail, a fitness circuit and free fishing for under-15s. Waymarked trails also start from the site.

The Gers offers plenty of choice around the campsite: canoeing on the Gers at Mirande, golf at Massylva, horse riding 2 km away, treetop adventure courses, quad biking or skydiving. Festivals punctuate the summer (Jazz in Marciac, Country in Mirande, Tempo Latino in Vic-Fezensac, astronomy in Fleurance). For heritage, you can visit Auch cathedral, the abbeys of Boulaur and Flaran, the painted churches of Simorre and Mont d’Astarac, the Gallo-Roman villa of Montmaurin or Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges. Off-season, Gascon cuisine (foie gras, magret, Armagnac, Floc de Gascogne) and the Masseube markets can be enjoyed all year round.