Camping des Rivières

Camping des Rivières is in Daon, a village of about 540 inhabitants in the south of the Mayenne, on the border with Maine-et-Loire, beside the river Mayenne. The area carries the Plus Beaux Détours de France label, the village has a dozen châteaux, and it also borders the Natura 2000 site of the Basses Vallées Angevines.

Rated 3 stars and awarded the Home Vélo and Qualité Tourisme labels, the site covers 2 hectares and is fully fenced. It has 40 tree-shaded pitches of about 100 m², close to the river and its towpath, as well as 10 chalets of 35 m² for 4 to 6 people, each with its own private plot. Twin-axle caravans are not admitted.

As for opening, the pitches are available from April to September, while the chalets are rented all year round. They are electrically heated and equipped with a kitchenette and a covered terrace, which makes it possible to stay in Daon outside the summer season. Reception is open in April, May, June and September from 9am to 12.30pm and from 2.30pm to 6.30pm; in July and August it closes at 7.30pm.

The site presents itself as a stopover on the Vélo Francette, the route linking the Channel to the Atlantic.

Mayenne towpath on foot or by bike, fishing in the river, Vélo Francette route; the south Mayenne calendar lists local events.

Each chalet has, on the ground floor, a large living room with a kitchenette (fridge, induction hob, microwave), a sofa bed for two, a television, a bedroom with a double bed, a shower room and a toilet; upstairs, one bedroom has two single beds. Duvets and pillows are provided for six people, and sheets and towels can be rented. Free wifi covers the chalets, and dogs are accepted on presentation of the vaccination record, except category 1 and 2 dogs.

On the pitches, each one has a 10-amp electrical socket. The campsite has a laundry with shared washing machines and dryers, a shared barbecue, a games room with television, ice cream and ice pack sales, and washrooms and pitches accessible to people with reduced mobility. A room for 40 people can be hired outside July and August.

The pool is outdoors, uncovered but heated, and opens only from May to mid-September; it cannot be used in winter. There is no restaurant at the campsite. The neighbouring village has a bar-tobacconist, a grocery and a bread depot, and restaurants are nearby. In winter only the chalets stay open, and the pitches do not reopen until spring.

The campsite is on the Mayenne towpath, which lets you follow the river on foot or by bike from Laval to Angers, past locks and mills. The site recommends the stopover on the Vélo Francette, two sections of which cross the south of the Mayenne: from Laval to Château-Gontier and from Château-Gontier to Le Lion-d’Angers. A late arrival is possible on request.

Close by there is a leisure area, children’s play equipment and fishing in the Mayenne. On site, the games room and the July and August entertainment keep holidaymakers busy; this entertainment does not run the rest of the year.

The area has more to visit: the Refuge de l’Arche, the Thévalles mill, the Tatin museum and Craon castle are among the highlights listed by the campsite. In Daon itself, the châteaux of L’Escoublère and Mortreux are listed historic monuments, and the Bouts de Ficelles festival brings a large music crowd together every year on the first weekend of June. The campsite refers visitors to the south Mayenne tourist office for the events calendar, including off-season.