The glossy magazines may claim Cameron Diaz spends millions washing her hair with bottled spring water but if only the celebs knew to visit Camping Goudal in the south of France. They’d have everything they need. Burbling from a south-facing slope, natural spring water (bottled and sold nationally as ‘La Salvetat’) cascades through rocks into a series of streams bound for the River Agout. The streamside campsite is fed by the same waters – its taps, showers and washing machine all use the mineral water – while an oval lake offers guests the chance to bathe in the fresh eau naturelle. It’s the Cameron Diaz treatment at a fraction of the cost.
Set in the gentle slopes of the Parc naturel régional du Haut-Languedoc, 18-acre Camping Goudal is an established and expansive site on the estate of an old farm. The main reception and entrance buildings date back to 1839 and set the tone for the style of rustic, rural camping beyond. Grass pitches, all with the option of electricity, spread through mature trees and terraced levels gently descend to the lake, fronted by a small sandy beach.
It’s not all back-to-nature simplicity. For luxury seekers, the furthest end of the site has some ready-made glamping options. Well-equipped wooden chalets are accompanied by smaller, slightly more basic cabins, while pre-pitched tents come furnished with beds, bedding, a kitchen set, gas grill and wardrobe. And whether you pitch your own tent or pluck for one of these up-market options, all guests can treat themselves at the on-site bistro. Surrounded by grey-stone cliffs on one side and an ivy-clad old building on the other, diners lounge on a quaint, sunny terrace as they wait for pizzas from the stone-baked ovens.
Despite the lake, Camping Goudal also has a large, man-made swimming pool to accompany the trampolines and playground and run loosely organized, free activities for the kids – den building, bug hunting and the like. It all has a rather homely and homemade feel, as opposed to the commercial programme of European holiday parks. It suits the place down to the ground. Camping here is about family time and exploring the natural, wild surroundings; an atmosphere only enhanced by the ye olde stone dwellings that seem to have grown into the slopes of the site itself. Everything is well worn yet also lush, young and green... There’s obviously something special in the water.
