La Grisse

Camping La Grisse is located in Le Givre, a small town in the south of the Vendée, in the coastal hinterland between Les Sables-d’Olonne and La Rochelle. The beaches of La Tranche-sur-Mer are about ten minutes away by car, those of La Faute-sur-Mer and L’Aiguillon-sur-Mer about twenty, and the Marais poitevin begins a few kilometres away. The campsite is run by the Martineau family, who operate a medium-sized site with no pretensions of being a holiday village.

Rated 3 stars, the site has 136 shaded pitches of 180 to 300 m² in a hedged countryside setting, with 16-amp electricity and free wifi throughout. On the rental side, there are mobile homes with 2, 3 and 4 bedrooms for 4 to 8 people, equipped with a kitchen and a terrace with garden furniture. Some of the pitches are also rented year-round to mobile home owners; that is not what is presented here.

The important point for this portal: the campsite advertises opening from 1 January to 31 December. Pitches for tents, caravans and motorhomes, as well as mobile home rentals, are offered to passing holidaymakers outside the summer, with an off-season price list that applies for pitches before 10 July and after 31 August. The site is accessible 24 hours a day and reception is open from 9am to 7pm, with a permanent answering machine.

The management stresses calm: no nightclub or karaoke, but plenty of space, a covered area at the entrance and convivial evenings only in high season.

Walks and bike rides from the campsite, beaches and Halles market in La Tranche-sur-Mer, Payré reserve in Jard-sur-Mer.

The campsite relies on simple facilities rather than a heavy entertainment programme. The washrooms are bright and spacious, accessible to people with reduced mobility (adapted shower, toilet and basin), with a baby area. A launderette offers large-capacity washing machines and dryers, and a service area allows motorhome owners to empty waste and fill up with water. Wifi is free and unlimited, and reception provides information on beaches, cycle paths and sights to visit.

At the entrance, a large covered shelter serves as a meeting place, with a table football and table tennis tables; this is where, once a week in high season, the welcome drink offered by the owner takes place, followed by a free barbecue. Bikes can be hired on site and equipment can be lent or hired subject to availability.

The mobile homes with 2 to 4 bedrooms have heated bedrooms and a heated bathroom, a living area with fitted kitchen, television and reversible air conditioning that can be used in summer and winter at no extra charge. Sheets and towels are not provided. This thermal comfort makes them usable off-season, while group activities remain seasonal.

There is no swimming pool or water park on site, and the campsite makes no secret of it: to swim, you go to the sea or to the La Tranche-sur-Mer pool, about ten minutes away, or to the O’Gliss Park water park, very close by. No restaurant or shop is mentioned on site.

On site, children have several play areas with swings, slides and a sand area, a bouncy castle, a beach volleyball court and a pétanque court. A six-hole natural golf course, free and open to all, comes with equipment loan. Table tennis and table football are set up under the covered area. Organised entertainment is limited to the summer season.

Several walking trails start directly from the campsite, including a 10 to 12 km loop through the bocage, sunken lanes and wetlands around Le Givre, of easy to moderate difficulty. The Vendée has more than 1,800 km of cycle paths, and routes reach the coast or neighbouring villages along quiet little roads.

In La Tranche-sur-Mer, there are thirteen kilometres of beaches, including the Grande Plage and the Plage du Phare, as well as the Halles market. The Payré estuary nature reserve and the Pointe du Payré, in Jard-sur-Mer, can also be visited in autumn and winter. For day trips, the Fiefs vendéens wine route, the Yon valley, the château du Givre, the Marais poitevin or the Cour d’Aron flower park are options; Les Sables-d’Olonne and La Rochelle are accessible by car.

The islands of Yeu, Noirmoutier and Ré can be visited as a day trip, about one hour, 1 hour 45 and 1 hour 30 by road respectively to reach the ferry landing or the bridge.