La Sittelle

La Sittelle is on Place Hector Vincent, in the centre of Loué in the Sarthe, beside the Vègre. This 3-star campsite is small: ten chalets to rent and fourteen pitches, all with an electric hook-up, for tents, caravans and motorhomes. The pitches are separated by hedges, and one chalet is designed for guests with reduced mobility.

The setting is that of a small town: the local market is held on Tuesday mornings, the Prés Marais park faces the campsite across a small bridge, and the town’s water park adjoins the site. This pool belongs to the inter-municipal authority and is not run by the campsite, something the website takes care to point out.

On opening, the message is unambiguous: the website says the campsite is open every day and all year round, pitches and chalets alike. The published rates even include a low season running from 1 January to 31 March and from 5 October to 20 December. The chalets have adjustable electric heating, which makes a stay in the depths of winter possible. No annual closure period is announced.

Guests rate the campsite 4.69 out of 5 on the website, and the site also welcomes groups on request.

Tuesday morning market in Loué, 16 km circuit along the Vègre, river fishing, visits in Le Mans and the Sarthe.

Reception is open every day from 9am to 12.30pm and from 3.30pm to 6.30pm, and the campsite answers the phone every day from 9am to 8pm. Arrivals at the chalets take place between 3.30pm and 7pm. A bar operates next to reception with long hours: from 9am to 1pm and from 3.30pm to 10pm from Sunday to Thursday, until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Wifi is free near reception, and an electric vehicle charging point is installed in the car park next door.

The 32 m² chalets sleep four to six people. They have two bedrooms, a living room with a sofa bed and television, an open-plan kitchen (fridge with freezer compartment, hob, oven, microwave, coffee maker, toaster, crockery), a bathroom with a heated towel rail, a separate toilet and a covered terrace with garden furniture and a barbecue. The adapted chalet sleeps four. Bed linen and towels can be hired for an extra charge, and a high chair, a baby bath or a travel cot can be requested two days in advance. Pets are accepted.

For pitches, access to the washrooms is free, with toilets, basins, showers, a washing-up area and a waste disposal point for caravans and motorhomes. For swimming, the water park next door has a large pool, a fun pool, a paddling pool, a water mushroom and a slide, with swimming lessons and aquagym; it is open only from May to September and is paid for separately, but a wristband provided by the campsite gives one free child for each paying adult.

People come here for nature and walking. The campsite runs alongside the Vègre, a river in the Sarthe known for its tranquillity, and a fishing course of 16,000 m² has been laid out along the river and in the Pré du Marais park, opposite the site. The 16 km Vègre circuit starts from the water park, crosses the footbridge and follows the Prés Marais botanical trail, combining biodiversity and heritage.

Children can cross the small bridge at the entrance to reach the park’s play area (slide, swing). The water park also has an outdoor fitness course, and Loué has boules pitches, tennis courts and athletics facilities that can be used during a stay.

For days out, the website recommends La Flèche zoo, Papéa Parc 35 minutes away, the 24 Hours of Le Mans museum, Pescheray zoo and the characterful villages of Asnières-sur-Vègre and Parcé-sur-Sarthe, not forgetting the gardens and caves of Saulges, Solesmes abbey or Bercé forest for cycling and mountain biking. Le Mans has its Saint-Julien cathedral, its Musée de Tessé and its old town. Off-season, the Tuesday morning market, the walk along the Vègre, fishing and these heritage visits remain the main outings, as the water facilities close after September.