Château Le  Brevedent, Pont L'Eveque

Description of the Campsite 

Château Le Brevedent at Pont L'Eveque is a very popular campsite set inland in the Normandy Countryside. 

Chateau Le Brevedent  is a Castels Camping site. 

Nestling in 6 hectare wooded orchards, surrounding a lake and overlooked by an elegant 16th century hunting lodge, this is an ideal venue for an enjoyable holiday as well as being a superb base for exploring northern France.

The site is most likely to suit those looking for a peaceful and relaxing holiday and families with young children.

The site has excellent facilities.

The campsite offers the following :

• an outside heated swimming pool as well as a paddling pool. Please note that the pool does not have water slides etc.
• a play area and free games and activities in high season for children
• there is a campsite kids club in high season
• nature activities for children, including observing birds and trees and in the right season, the chance to make apple juice from the apples in the orchard
• a games room in the lodge, open all day
• 3 play areas, for 3 years+, 4-12 years and 7-14 years
• lots to do including fishing in the lake, volleyball, badminton, football, mini golf and a boules pitch,
• a well stocked grocery,
• children's clubs will be run by the campsite during July and August
• washing facilities including washing machines and shower blocks. One of the shower blocks has not yet been updated but if you want a very up to date one then the one nearer the chateau is recommended.
• a quality restaurant with a different menu everyday
• in July and August there is a cafe where you can sit on the terrace and watch your children play in a play area. There is also free WiFi access here !
• a take away service,
• there is a bar in the manor to welcome you in the evenings. The surroundings reflect the fact that there has been a family living here for more than 200 years.
• Do not miss Madame Gurrey's talk on Sunday evenings, where she describes the history of the property, her family and the surrounding area in the manor's stylish drawing room
• the campsite is the starting point for many cycle and walking trails
• there are excursions arranged to Cider and Calvados farms and there are also weekly bus trips to Paris (please check exact details with the campsite)
• in High Season there are Friday evening Concerts
• Other activities include for the 14th of July (Bastille Day), there is a big barbecue in the evening followed by a live concert in front of the lodge and fireworks over the lake. On the 15th August, to mark the end of the French holiday period, there is a big barbecue then a procession from the local village church arrives in the campsite and, to close the evening, fireworks over the lake.  And finally on the last weekend of the season, the campsite and the association L'Art S'en Sort celebrate by organising a music festival in front of the château.
• activities which you have to pay for include : canoeing on the lake, bike rental, horse riding at 3 km, golf at 12 km and tree-climbing activities at 15 km
• there are four camping areas, which you can choose from if renting your own pitch.  These are the Swimming Pool, the Orchard, the Orangery and The Lake. Some camping plots are on the small side so if you have a large tent you might want to find out more about this.

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Booking Your Holiday at Château Le Brevedent Campsite

Book your holiday at Château Le Brevedent with Eurocamp

This link will take you to the Eurocamp website where you can find out more about the holiday, get a quotation and go ahead and book your ideal holiday !


An alternative Normandy campsite is the La Côte de Nacre campsite at Ouistreham. This campsite has an excellent swimming complex and the usual facilities such as kids clubs, a shop and some children's play parks. It is only a short 400m walk from the Ouistreham waterfront so nice for an evening stroll. However we found it to be quite a big, busy campsite which may not suit everyone. It is however an excellent stopover campsite as it is very handy for the Caen ferries, which are a few kilometres drive away along some quietish seafront roads.
Click here to link to Camping La Côte de Nacre with Keycamp

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Getting There

Hover your mouse over the map for some more information about the various ports and airports. This information is kept as up to date as possible but please only use it as a guide and check details of all flights and crossings with airlines, tour operators and ferry operators.

Ports

There are sailings by ferry with Brittany Ferries and other operators to some of the following ports which are the nearest ones to Le Brevedent Campsite at Pont L'Eveque  :

• St Malo: 224 km
• Roscoff: 393 km
• Caen: 56 km
• Cherbourg: 176 km
• Le Havre: 55 km

Airports

There are flights by a variety of airlines from the UK and Ireland to the following regional airports. Hover over the map to discover some airlines which fly to each airport (please note that this information was up to date at time of writing but you will need to check details of flights with your tour operator or airline) :

• Rennes airport : 250 kms
• Dinard airport: 224 kms
• Beauvais: 168 kms
• Paris Charles De Gaulle: 210 kms
• Paris Orly: 210 kms
• Deauville airport: 12 km - this is a small airport used mainly for French holiday charter flights

Public Transport

• Local Railway: There seems to be a SNCF station in Pont L'Eveque which may be served from Paris St Lazare. For more information click here to reach a Pont L'Eveque tourist information site !  However it would probably be best to contact the campsite for further information about public transport.

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Things to do in the Area

There is plenty to see and do in this area of Normandy.

Bayeaux

The town of Bayeaux is of course famous for its tapestry which depicts the Battle of Hastings.

The Bayeaux  Tapestry is over 900 years old and is now on permanent public display in the city of Bayeaux in Normandy.  It tells the story of the Norman Conquest; why William felt he had to invade, the preparations made for the crossing and the battle itself with William victorious over Harold, who ended up being shot by an arrow in his eye as can be seen on the tapestry. The tapestry itself is made out of linen (eight bands sewn together) and is 270 feet long and about 20 inches wide. The tapestry contains about 50 different scenes and one researcher has counted 632 human figures in it, 202 horses, 55 dogs and 505 other creatures (some clearly mythical beasts). The tapestry was kept in a bomb shelter during the second world war. Bayeux itself remained relatively unscathed after the second world war even though it was fairly close to the Normandy landing beaches.

Here is an excellent animated version of the Bayeaux Tapestry :

The cathedral in the town is stunning inside as well as out. It is very clean and well perserved.

• the famous Pegasus Bridge,
• Arromanches, with its Mulberry Harbours, which were constructed to aid the Allies in getting supplies ashore,
• the Normandy Landing Beaches
• numerous museums and memorials all along the coast

Pegasus Bridge

Gun Battery - there are four of these gun batteries at Longues Sur Mer. They formed part of the German Atlantic Wall coastal fortifications. On the night before the D-Day landings of 6 June 1944, the battery was subject to heavy bombing from allied air forces. The bombing was followed on the morning of the landings by bombardment from the French cruiser Georges Leygues as well as the U.S. battleship Arkansas. The battery itself then opened fire, forcing the headquarters ship HMS Bulolo to retreat to safer water. Three of the four guns were eventually disabled by British cruisers Ajax and Argonaut, though a single gun continued to operate intermittently until 1900hrs that evening. The site was captured by the 231st Infantry Brigade the following day.

American Jeep

A tank

A plane


A memorial to 602 Squadron - City of Glasgow as well as Squadron 132 - City of Bombay, Squadron 452 RAAF and Squadron 441 RCAF, who had all used an Aerodrome at Longues Sur Mer.

Ouistreham
The name Ouistreham derives from ouistre - 'oyster' and Saxon ham= 'village'. It has been a trading port since the Middle Ages. The harbour is now a part of "Port de Caen-Ouistreham". Ouistreham is pronounced Wee-ss-tram. There are many historic houses to be seen along the seafront, dating from Victorian times.
 




Above is a photograph of the beach at Ouistreham. Ouistreham is the town on the north-west coast of France where the canal from Caen comes in to the sea, so during the War, it must have been regarded by the authorities as a vital part of the overall invasion strategy that it be captured intact if at all possible. If it were, the canal could be used for taking vital supplies inland.
On 6 June 1944, No. 4 Commando landed at Ouistreham (Sword Beach) and fought their way to Pegasus Bridge, with the 177 Free French of the No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando given the honour of spearheading the advance. The assault on Ouistreham was featured in the movie The Longest Day, although the film location for Ouistreham was actually at Port-en-Bessin, which is further along the Normandy Coast.  For an interesting memory click here.

For more information about some World War 2 sites and memories, click here.


Honfleur
You might like to visit the picturesque 16th century port of Honfleur with its slate fronted houses crowded round the little harbour.

Other places you may want to visit include :

• Caen - Caen is known for its historical buildings built during the reign of William the Conqueror, who was buried here, and for the Battle for Caen. Heavy fighting that took place in and around Caen during the Battle of Normandy in 1944, destroying much of the town.
• Aquarium Vivarium de Trouville with over 70 tanks representing sea life from around the world. Also animals and insects from the rainforests around the world.
• Festyland - a Leisure park for all ages. There are rides for smaller children and families. A Viking battle is held every day in July and August.
• Zoo Cerza. This zoo has the animals in their natural environment. Over 50 hectares of enclosures. Great observation points allow the visitor to observe the lions and other large cats. A mini-train is available to take you on a tour of the zoo.
• Zoo Jurques. This zoo has many species of animals and you can watch as the animals are fed.
• Château de Henry Fontaine - A 13th Century Château which has been preserved as a family home. Architectural styles are Gothic, Renaissance and Neoclassical. A magnificent collection of Renaissance paintings, porcelain and furniture are on display.
• Musée de Normandie - This museum opened to the public in 1963 and focuses its collections on the following: the History of Normandy, archeology and ethnography.
• Château de Creully - during WWII, this chateau was captured by Montgomery. The château can be visited by private arrangements. Close by is Creully castle which is another fascinating place to visit.
• Naturospace - Opened in 1999, this is the largest tropical butterfly house in France, with 800m² of tropical paradise to visit. The temperature is controlled at 28 degrees and the visitor can stroll the 200 metres of paths whilst admiring the tropical plants. There are over 50 species of butterflies in Naturoscope.
• Calvados Père Magloire - Guided visits of the calvados museum with tastings available. Discover all there is to know about this apple brandy (calvados), which Normandy is famous for.
• Musee du Debarquement - The museum has a mission to tell younger generations about the events of 6th June 1944. The museum was created in 1953 and is built on the site of the artificial harbour. Guided tours are available in English and German. A visit lasts 1 hour and 15 minutes. Souvenir gift shop at the museum.
• Musee Malraux in Le Havre has one of the best collections of Impressionist paintings outside Paris.
• Le Mémorial de Caen - The Caen Memorial was born out of an idea to create a place reflecting on world wars. The museum places the emphasis on emotions of war. There is a park where you can stroll around. Interactive data terminals. Video and book shop. Restaurant, bar and giftshop.
• Musée de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale - a small museum dedicated to the second world war. Displays of military weapons and uniforms.
• Fromagerie at Graindorge where there is an amazing FREE tour.
• Beaches at Deauville
• Calvados distillery visits
• There is a Chateau with medieaval jousting set up as it would have been in the year 1492.
• The nearby Pont L'Eveque lake has boating and a ropes course for children as well as an aerial slide accross to an island for adults and older children.
• The nearby village of Blangy-le-Chateau is a beautiful picture postcard type village!  The road here may be a bit narrow if you have a wide vehicle.

For some other ideas of events that are going on in Normandy have a look at the Guide2Normandy site.

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All Content of website ©2008 Jennifer Wilson - Best French Campsites

Disclaimer: The reviews published on the site are intended solely for the purpose of providing general information and comment and are purely our opinions. We cannot guarantee that reviews of descriptions on this site are accurate, up to date or free from error.

We have found that the campsites described are very good but we find that it is difficult to find a campsite which has 100% of what you are looking for.  Also one person may love a busy campsite with lots of activities while someone else may love a quiet campsite with a small swimming pool. Actually we tend to be the latter ! So what we have done is highlight the good points of the sites and maybe point out a few of what we have found as slightly negative points. However we strongly recommend that you make full use of as many internet sources as possible before deciding about your holiday, including other review sites and Google maps etc.