Tonik Camping

Tonik Camping is located in Vindry-sur-Turdine, in the Beaujolais vert, between Lyon and Roanne. The site is served by the A89 motorway, and can also be reached by train followed by a regional bus. Lyon is about 35 minutes away by car, while the tennis courts at Sarcey are five minutes away and the go-kart track at Bully ten.

It is a small campsite, rated 1 star, with 18 pitches, and presents itself as eco-conscious: solar panels, rainwater harvesting, compost, biodegradable cleaning products and locally sourced building materials. The owner renovated the vintage caravans himself and built the dormitory chalet offered for rent. You can also pitch a tent or park a motorhome, caravan or van.

The website states that the campsite is open all year round, with no closure period indicated. Pitches, caravans and the 25-bed dormitory chalet are therefore offered for booking in winter as in summer, with rates shown per night. Heating in the accommodation is not specified: it is best to ask before a stay in the cold season.

The campsite welcomes families, hikers and groups, and provides a 50 m² function room for parties or seminars.

Hikes in the Beaujolais vert, a visit to the Glay quarries (open all year round) and trips to Lyon, 35 minutes away.

Comfort is simple and suited to the size of the site. A modern washroom block offers hot showers, toilets, urinals and washbasins, and a self-service laundry provides a washing machine. Wifi is free, and every unit has access to the washroom block and the bathing area. The pitches have a water supply, with an electricity hook-up charged at 4 euros a night.

The outdoor bathing area comprises a pool, accessible to people with reduced mobility, a paddling pool for the youngest and a hot tub. The campsite describes its pool as heated, but no opening dates for the pool are published: this should be confirmed when booking, especially in the off-season.

As for accommodation, two small caravans sleeping two, a large caravan sleeping six with a coffee machine, fridge and television, and a dormitory chalet with 25 beds complete the offer. The function room can hold 40 people, with a small equipped kitchen, washrooms, a shaded terrace and the option of housing guests in the chalet.

A selection of products from local producers is available for breakfasts, meals and aperitifs. The entrance gate is closed after 11pm; vehicles then stay outside the campsite.

The campsite is aimed at those who like to be active without straying far from nature. The trails of the Beaujolais vert start all around the hamlet and suit every level, with long-distance GR paths, regional GRP paths and many waymarked walks; the Beaujolais vert tourist office helps you choose a route. Mountain biking and paragliding are among the activities mentioned in the region.

A short drive away, there is a two-court tennis facility at Sarcey (5 minutes), an open-air go-kart track at Bully (10 minutes), electric all-terrain scooters in the Pierres dorées (15 minutes), the Mining Museum at Saint-Pierre-la-Palud (20 minutes), the Courzieu wildlife park with its birds of prey, wolves and marmots (25 minutes) and the Lac des Sapins leisure area at Cublize, with water sports (25 minutes). There is also an equestrian centre in Cublize, and the Aventure Violay treetop adventure course lies among the Douglas firs, 30 minutes away.

Culture is not forgotten: the La Tourette convent, a work by Le Corbusier, and a guided tour of Old Lyon, the Presqu’île and the Croix-Rousse on request, 35 minutes away. Several restaurants and a pizzeria are a few minutes away.

In the off-season, the Glay quarries, a sensitive natural area in the Rhône département, can be visited all year round and walks remain possible.