Le Trèfle à 4 Feuilles

Le Trèfle à 4 Feuilles is a small countryside campsite on Chemin de la Jouère in Commequiers, in north-west Vendée. Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, with its beaches and harbour, is about 17 kilometres away, the Apremont leisure area 5 km, and the village has a 15th-century castle, rail bikes and local shops. The site is hilly, with a climb to reach the pool, the mini farm and the snack bar.

Aurélie and Ludo took over the business at the end of 2019. The site has 2- and 3-bedroom mobile homes, from 28 to 37 m² and of various generations (from 2001 to 2023), some with reversible air conditioning, a lodge tent for up to five people and spacious, shaded pitches. The plots are neither rented nor sold to mobile home owners: the campsite lives solely off passing guests.

On opening, the website is explicit: the accommodation is open all year, the pitches are not, and they close in winter without the exact dates being published. In low season, the mobile homes can also be rented by the month, a formula designed for long stays. Telephone reception is then available Monday to Saturday, from 9am to 12:30pm and from 3pm to 7pm.

The campsite’s function room, with about 80 seats, can be hired in April, May, June and September for family or association events.

Walk to Commequiers castle and in its park, market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie beaches 17 km away.

Reception brings together the practical services: a small convenience shop, sheet kits to buy for one or two beds, hire of a fridge, gas plancha, baby cot, high chair and sun lounger, iron and hairdryer on request, a safe and the loan of board games. A laundry room with washing machine and dryer is available, as well as a changing mat in the washroom block. A vacuum cleaner is lent on the day of departure, and wifi is chargeable in the mobile homes and on some pitches.

In July and August, bread and pastries are available every day. The snack bar serves drinks, ice cream and chips during high season, roughly from early July to mid-September. Outside that period, you need to rely on the shops of Commequiers, which include restaurants, bars, bakeries, a butcher, a supermarket, a petrol station and a market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Water is found in an indoor heated pool, open from 10am to 8pm from early April to the end of September; swim shorts are banned, only swimsuits and swim boxers being allowed. It is therefore not available in winter. The washrooms have facilities for guests with reduced mobility, but the campsite states that access remains limited by the layout of the site and asks guests to phone before booking.

On site, the mini farm is the children’s favourite attraction: goats and other animals can be visited freely, provided you climb the slope. The pétanque courts and the play area are near the function room, in a quiet, wooded setting. The campsite also sells fishing permits.

In Commequiers, the castle, built in the 15th and 16th centuries on an octagonal plan with eight towers, is now owned by the commune. Its park can be walked through, with a play area, and a 45-minute treasure hunt is offered to children aged 8 to 13. The rail bikes follow the former railway line between Commequiers and Coëx, over 14 km there and back, in 1 hour 45, with five departures a day in July and August, by reservation.

The beaches of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie are about 17 km away, and the Apremont leisure area 5 km. Off-season, walks around the castle, the market on Wednesdays and Saturdays and outings to the coast are the simplest options; the indoor pool reopens as early as early April, which suits the spring holidays. The site reports no organised entertainment outside summer.