Les Étangs de Mandre

The Mandre natural campsite is in Châtillon-sous-les-Côtes, in the Meuse, not far from Verdun, close to the sites of the 1916 battle. It is laid out around a large pond crossed by a causeway and spanned by a red Japanese bridge, which is its trademark. The pitches are spacious, shaded and unmarked: there is therefore no maximum size for a motorhome or caravan.

The idea is a simple, quiet site: no booking for pitches (it applies only to caravan rentals), wifi across the whole site, hot showers reserved for campers staying overnight, electricity of 4 to 6 amps, an electric vehicle charging point, a washing machine at 2 € and a barbecue. Dogs are accepted, with a supplement for large ones. Fishing is included for overnight campers.

Opening period: this is a seasonal campsite, announced from Easter to All Saints’ Day, the period during which the washrooms operate. The campsite states that a welcome remains possible off-season, but that the water is then switched off, and no winter offer or dates are published. Winter opening therefore needs to be confirmed with the campsite, reachable after 7pm on 03 29 88 34 23.

Services are deliberately limited. All packages include wifi, fishing, hot showers, electricity and waste disposal. There is also hot water for washing up, an electric vehicle charging point, picnic tables for visitors and a washing machine at 2 € per cycle. Barbecues are only allowed on the designated pitches. No restaurant, shop or pool is mentioned on site, and swimming and water sports are prohibited in the pond. The washrooms are open from Easter to All Saints’ Day; outside this period, the water is switched off. Stays of more than three days must be reported in advance, and payment for multi-day stays is collected every Saturday.

The pond is home to carp, pike, perch and roach. Fishing is free for overnight campers, with three rods per angler and two for predators; carp fishing is strictly prohibited. Visitors passing through pay 3 € per half day for coarse fish or 4 € for predators. Around the campsite, Verdun offers its underground citadel, its cathedral, a bowling alley, a municipal pool, cruises on the Meuse, horse riding and a tree-top adventure course at Sivry-sur-Meuse. Fort Douaumont, the ossuary, the Bayonet Trench and Fort Vaux are among the most visited memorial sites in the region.