Camping des Forges

Camping des Forges is in Ychoux, a forest village in the east of the Landes, on the road to Parentis. It borders Lac des Forges and has 47 pitches: 7 bare pitches, 4 spaces for motorhomes, 5 bungalows and 31 mobile homes. Rated two stars, it is a human-scale site whose pitches have 10-amp electricity hook-ups and which describes itself as accessible to visitors with reduced mobility.

The location is practical for a stopover: the A63 motorway is about 7 minutes from exit 17 and 15 minutes from exit 18, Ychoux station is 2 km away and basic shops are 1 km away, by road or by the cycle path. Lake Parentis and its beaches are 8 minutes away, Lake Biscarrosse 20 minutes, the ocean 25 minutes, at Biscarrosse and Mimizan, and Spain about 1 hr 30 by motorway.

As for the calendar, the home page announces opening from 1 January to 31 December. Pitches and the motorhome area have an off-season rate card that runs from 1 January to 12 July, then from 25 August to 31 December. Mobile homes can also be rented in winter, with weekly prices published for the period from 28 September to 10 May; only the bungalows are listed as closed on those dates. Long-term rentals are negotiated by email or phone.

The campsite holds the Home Vélo label, which makes it first of all a stop for cyclists on the Vélodyssée, but also for anglers, passing motorhomers and families looking for quiet.

Fishing at Lac des Forges, bike rides on the cycle paths and a walk in the Ychoux arboretum, on two waymarked trails.

Facilities remain modest, in keeping with a site of fewer than fifty pitches. Off-season, the website highlights the cyclist welcome, the tent and caravan pitches, the motorhome spaces and the rental of mobile homes and bungalows. Reception is open from 8am to 12pm and from 3pm to 7pm, then from 2pm to 8pm in July and August. The site is closed at night by a remote-controlled barrier, with surveillance, and an overnight car park is available.

For cyclists, the pitches have covered wooden tables, sometimes in stone, a self-service summer kitchen and a drinking water point in the middle of the plots. A letterbox, a TV area, Wi-Fi access and coin-operated washing machines and tumble dryers complete the picture; the website also lists car rental among its services. Each pitch has access to 10-amp electricity, charged as an extra.

The two- or four-person mobile homes have a kitchenette with a hob, fridge, microwave and coffee maker, a bathroom, a television with a satellite receiver and, for the four-person model, a covered terrace with garden furniture. The two- to four-person bungalows have no running water inside and are close to the washroom block.

A small above-ground pool of 10 m by 5 m with a paddling pool, a games room with pool table and table football and a children’s play area are announced as summer facilities; nothing is stated about heating for the washrooms.

The main activity on site is fishing: Lac des Forges runs alongside the site and attracts anglers. The campsite has a petanque court, a play area and a games room with pool table and table football; it also states that a tennis court can be rented in the commune of Ychoux.

The cycle path passes at the campsite entrance. It leads to Ychoux and to Parentis-en-Born, about 7 km away, and the more sporty can reach the ocean at Biscarrosse-Plage via the network of paths; between Ychoux and Parentis, the flat, shaded route of about 11 km takes 45 minutes by bike. The station 2 km away makes it possible to start or end a cycling trip on the Vélodyssée.

On foot, the Ychoux arboretum, laid out in the pine forest with two waymarked discovery trails run with the ONF, is suitable for a family walk, and the Étang des Forges is enjoyed for walking as much as for fishing. The village also has the church of Notre-Dame and its chapel overlooking three so-called miraculous springs, as well as a clay pigeon shooting club that hosts national and international competitions; festivities take place on 15 August.

For swimming, Lake Parentis is 8 minutes by car, Lake Biscarrosse 20 minutes and the ocean beaches 25 minutes. Off-season, this setting is better suited to bike rides, fishing and trips to the Bassin d’Arcachon, about 40 minutes away.