It's been over a month now since I returned from France and enjoyed the delights of camping in the Dordogne at Domaine Le Mathevies with Glisten Camping, it's also been a week since my last post! Sorry about that there's lots going on at the mo and a small boy to entertain so forgive me if I'm a bit flakey this month, normal service will return in September I promise. I was actually in my early twenties when I first popped my camping cherry so to speak, having seemingly skipped the childhood delight of sleeping under the stars, but I've since pitched up at many a festival and campsites in the UK to make up for lost time. So I was super excited to see what camping in France had to offer and we weren't disappointed! Apart from our fab stay in the Glisten Camping domes, I was so impressed with Domaine Le Mathevies that we've already popped back this month while on our travels to say hi to the super friendly Pat and Nat duo who own and enjoy a glass of vino with them.
Following my rather dubious map reading skills and with a little help from stanav, we wound our way through the rolling hills of the Dordogne, with the tiny hamlet of Sainte Nathalene behind us and found the campsite at the end of a lane ready to welcome our stay. Immediately we were greeted with the sounds of children's laughter as they clambered on the colourful tree house and the friendly banter of adults over a game of Boules.
The site is perfectly formed with a small one way track winding down the gentle slope to beautiful views over the French countryside. Part shaded by trees and lined with lavender, the pitches house a mix of tents, caravans and camper vans, and for those wanting bit extra there are also gites, chalets and Glisten Domes available. Plus with a tennis court, playground, playroom and two swimming pools on site we found it a perfect place to relax and enjoy the great outdoors. As twilight settles the communal area outside starts to come alive as people sit to share drinks and stories of their days adventures, giving us day trip ideas while the children played and new friends and memories as the sun set. The joy of Domaine Le Mathevies is the sense of community that surrounds it rather than just a place to pitch for the night, everyone is so friendly and it feels safe for little ones to enjoy and explore, perfect for mamas like me who want to indulge in a glass of wine in the evening while their kids happily play.
We were very lucky with the weather during our stay with temperatures hovering around the 36 degrees mark and F loved being in the water, in fact it was hard to get him to leave the pool! I found having a separate kids pool made it easier for everyone to enjoy a swim, especially with soaring temperatures and it was great being able to shade it with umbrellas too keep it cool. On the days it hit 40+ degrees we spent most of our time between the pool and the clean communal showers in attempt to cool off from the heatwave that was sweeping across France.
The reception also doubles as a little shop which sells wine, beer, snacks and detergent in case you need to do a wash during your stay, and most importantly the order sheet for the morning croissant run. F loved requesting his pain au chocolat and baguette for breakfast and running up from our dome to collect the freshly delivered goods from the local bakery... and not to mention the ever changing evening dishes. On the days we hadn't managed a supermarket sweep we treated ourselves to various food stall vendors, each driving in on a different night of the week from the nearby town of Sarlat offering anything from: pizza, paella, Vietnamese dishes, burgers and more. It was great having an option for those nights we decided not to cook and instead share a meal with others on site.
F had such a fab time and hasn't stopped talking about it and I can't wait to take him back next year to play boules, kayak down the Dordogne, cycle down old railway lines, wander through majestic gardens, explore stunning villages, swim in the pool, play boules, make Friends and magical memories. We would certainly recommend Domaine Le Mathevies to anyone wishing to camp in the Dordogne, the location could not be better for exploring this picturesque countryside and historical town of Sarlat.
*We were guests of Glisten Camping at Domaine Le Mathevies. All words and opinions are my own.
