Camping du Mouchet

Camping du Mouchet is in Chapelle-Viviers, a small farming village in the Vienne with a little over 550 inhabitants. Chauvigny is about 12 km away, Montmorillon 16 km and Lussac-les-Châteaux 10 km; the Futuroscope is some forty kilometres away. The site aims to be family-friendly and peaceful, in open countryside, right next to the Étang du Mouchet.

Rated 3 stars, it has 40 pitches and a fleet of mobile homes in several sizes: two bedrooms for 4 to 6 people, three bedrooms for 6 to 8 people and a large model for 7 to 9 people with a covered terrace. One mobile home and its washroom facilities have been fitted out for visitors with reduced mobility. The site is secured by a remote-controlled barrier and video surveillance, and pets are no longer accepted.

On opening, the official website simply states that the campsite is open all year and gives reception hours for low and mid season, with no closing dates or seasonal rates. The details by type of accommodation, such as heating in the rentals, are not specified, so dates should be confirmed before booking. The campsite also caters to posted workers on short or long assignments, with specific rates and conditions to be requested directly.

The website gallery also shows photos of the winter of 2017-2018, with the first snow since the campsite was taken over and the pond starting to freeze.

Walks on the trails along the banks of the Vienne, fishing around the Étang du Mouchet, visits to Chauvigny, Civaux and Saint-Savin.

The facilities are those of a small, well-kept site. The washroom block has individual washbasins, showers and toilets, supplemented by a block adapted for visitors with reduced mobility; basins allow dishes and laundry to be washed by hand, and there is an iron and ironing board, a vacuum cleaner, a high chair and a changing mat. Wi-Fi is free, a computer is available for free use at reception and a small library is open to campers.

Several services are paid: a washing machine and tumble dryer, a shop with basic essentials, and bedding and hygiene kits sold at reception, handy if you forget your sheets, since neither sheets nor towels are provided in the rentals. Shared barbecues are available.

The website mentions no swimming pool, restaurant or bar on site: for a swim, the Abyssea water complex at Civaux is about 6 km away. Reception is open from 9am to 12pm and from 2pm to 7pm in low and mid season, until 7:30pm in summer. The website does not say which services run in winter.

On site, the backdrop is the Étang du Mouchet, well known to carp anglers: you can fish or simply walk around it, and the campsite lends fishing rods. Children have a wooden play area for ages 3 to 6, with a swing and a rocking toy; adults have a petanque court, a table tennis table, a badminton set and board or outdoor games.

The nature trails along the banks of the Vienne can be walked on foot. Around the campsite, the website cites Civaux at 6 km, with its Merovingian necropolis, its archaeological museum and the Abyssea water complex (spa pools, bowling), Chauvigny at 12 km with its rail bikes, Saint-Savin at 16 km with its UNESCO-listed abbey, and then Montmorillon and its city of the written word.

A little further afield are the Futuroscope at 40 km, the Roc-aux-Sorciers at Angles-sur-l’Anglin at 35 km, the Val de Vienne circuit at Le Vigeant at 35 km, the Pinail nature reserve at Vouneuil-sur-Vienne at 34 km, the Vallée des singes at Romagne at 45 km and the region’s leisure parks. Opening hours should be checked with each site.