Le Fromentel

Camping Le Fromentel is at 1558 route de Bavay in Gommegnies, a village in the south of the Nord department, on the edge of the Forêt de Mormal. Le Quesnoy and its ramparts are about 5 km away, Bavay 7 km. The name recalls the original purpose of the place: a former corn mill, converted into a campsite in 1995.

Rated 2 stars, the site covers almost one hectare and has 48 pitches. The business revolves around mobile homes with 1 to 3 bedrooms, from 16 to 40 m², available to rent, and the sale of second-hand models delivered and installed on site. Free wifi, a laundry room, a play area and access for visitors with reduced mobility complete the picture, in a tree-lined, peaceful setting.

The campsite says it is open all year round. The mobile homes can be booked by the week, the month or the year, which allows a winter stay, a stopover of several weeks or a long-term pied-à-terre. Rents are listed by the month, from €320 for one bedroom to €550 for three bedrooms, excluding charges. The campsite does not announce an annual closure; reception is open Monday to Saturday and closed on Sunday.

2 km away, the village centre has a supermarket, a bakery, a pharmacy and a café, which matters a great deal outside the summer.

Walks in the Forêt de Mormal, visits to the ramparts of Le Quesnoy 5 km away and to the castle of Gommegnies; the campsite announces no entertainment.

The range of services is simple and designed for longer stays. Each mobile home comes with crockery, a microwave oven, pillows and blankets, and can receive digital terrestrial television. Wifi is free throughout the campsite. A laundry room has washing machines and tumble dryers: €7.50 for the full cycle, €5 for washing only.

For winter, the 40 m² two-bedroom mobile homes are fitted with heat pumps; for the smaller models (16 to 25 m²), the website does not mention heating, so it is best to ask before booking. Gas (13 kg bottle at €40), water (€6 per m³) and electricity (€0.44 per kWh) are charged by consumption on top of the rent. The tourist tax is €0.22 per night per person, free for under-18s.

The website shows no restaurant, bar or swimming pool: you come here for quiet accommodation rather than a holiday village. A fitted-out washroom and wheelchair access are announced. For everything else, the village of Gommegnies, 2 km away, provides the essentials with its supermarket, bakery, pharmacy, a hairdresser, a garage, a petrol station and a café. To swim, you have to go to a neighbouring village.

On site, leisure options remain modest: a children’s play area, a table tennis table and green space to relax. A pond where you can fish for trout is nearby, in the village, which appeals to lovers of quiet fishing.

The Forêt de Mormal, the largest forest massif in the department at about 9,000 hectares, begins south of the village. Oaks, beeches, hornbeams and ash trees shelter deer, roe deer and wild boar, and many paths make it possible to explore it on foot or by bike. In Gommegnies itself, the gatehouse of the counts’ castle, decorated with a unicorn, and the 16th-century church can be visited within a few minutes’ walk.

Le Quesnoy, about ten minutes by car, has kept its Vauban fortifications, listed as a historic monument, while Bavay is 7 km away. Golfers will find an 18-hole course less than five minutes from the campsite. In the off-season, these outings boil down mostly to forest walks and visits to local heritage sites; the campsite announces no organised entertainment.