La Courtine

CanoëCamping La Courtine is in Châtel-de-Neuvre, in the Allier department, at 7 rue de Saint-Laurent, near the bridge over the river. The village, perched on the left bank of the Allier between Moulins and Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, runs along departmental road 2009. The campsite lies within the Val d’Allier nature reserve, which stretches over 1,450 hectares along 21 kilometres of river.

It is a small site: the website announces 20 pitches, with no mobile homes or chalets. The owner claims a retro and eco-friendly approach: manual work rather than noisy machines, controlled waste sorting, compost shared with the campsite’s hens, and savings of water, gas and electricity. The place has been open for almost thirty years and emphasises low prices and calm.

As for opening, the campsite announces a welcome 365 days a year, every day from 7am to 10pm, from 1 January to 31 December 2026. The pitches therefore remain accessible in winter: the website publishes a summer price list (from 1 April to 1 November) and a winter one. The campsite does not advertise heating: you come here with your own equipment, in a tent, caravan, van or motorhome. A sliding rate applies from seven nights, and holders of the FFCC or CCI card get a reduced price.

The website is available in French, English and German; contact is by phone or email, and booking is done without a deposit.

Bird watching in the Val d’Allier reserve and a visit to the Romanesque church of Saint-Laurent, a listed historic monument.

The campsite deliberately stays simple. The pitch rate includes wifi, the shower, use of a shared fridge and freezer, and booking without a deposit. 6-amp electricity is offered as an extra at €3 per night, and pets are accepted free of charge.

The eco-friendly way of running things is a service in its own right for those who care about it: visitors sort their waste (paper, cardboard, plastic and metal containers, batteries), put peelings and coffee filters in the compost shared with the hens, and are given tips on protecting the climate and nature. Bulky items such as tyres, furniture, carpets or batteries are not accepted and must go straight to the recycling centre.

The website mentions no swimming pool, restaurant or grocery on site; swimming in the Allier is discouraged whenever the river level is too high, and the operator regularly publishes the day’s water height and flow, with a link to the Châtel-de-Neuvre measuring station. In periods of drought, washing vehicles and open fires are banned. Off-season, what matters most is therefore the calm, the winter rate and access to a water point, washrooms and wifi. Payment is by bank transfer, bank card, cheque, ANCV holiday vouchers or cash.

The campsite’s name refers to the canoe: the Allier river runs nearby, and canoeing and kayaking depend on its level. The owner gives the day’s level and points out that when the water height exceeds zero centimetres, swimming and canoeing are strongly discouraged, or even banned. The link to the Vigicrues measuring station is published on the website.

The Val d’Allier nature reserve is home to more than three hundred bird species, many butterflies and fish: it is an observation ground for nature lovers, which can be explored on foot along the reserve’s walking trails. The islands of the Allier serve as a refuge for ground-nesting birds, and the operator explains that the extraction of stones from the riverbed was stopped to protect them.

In Châtel-de-Neuvre you can also visit the Romanesque church of Saint-Laurent, a former Cluniac priory founded from Souvigny, listed as a historic monument in 1927. It stands on a mound overlooking the Allier valley and has a very narrow nave, one of the oldest in the department. To prepare a stay, the website refers visitors to the tourist office of the Allier department.