Camping Les Rives du Lac Waterside campsite in Veynes

Set at 800 metres of altitude on the shore of the Iscles lake, Camping Les Rives du Lac occupies five hectares of wooded ground between the peaks of the Hautes-Alpes and the lavender fields of Provence. Hervé and Arnaud took the site over in 2009 after leaving industry, and turned it into a deliberately independent campsite: no chain directives, bookings followed up in person, and in-house activities ranging from beaver-dam walks to puppet workshops.

During the French school holidays the site becomes entirely car-free. Vehicles stay on the private covered car park and children move around on their own between the playground, the kids’ club and the lake beach. A dedicated area lets motorhomes come and go freely.

Rated 4 stars, the site has 56 rental units, from the standard chalet to the Exclusive cottage with private spa, alongside pitches of 80 to 150 m² wired for 10 to 16 A. In 2011 it became the first campsite in France recognised as a sanctuary by the French bird protection league LPO. Today it holds the Clef Verte label.

Your stay is organised from a mobile app, Camp’in: ordering artisan bread for the next day, baskets of fruit, vegetables and meat from local organic farms, booking activities, the activity programme and hiking routes. Reception takes over from 8am to 7pm in July and August.

The restaurant La Terrasse, opening onto the lake and set beneath the oaks, seats more than 200 guests. Nga, a French-Vietnamese chef, serves her homemade Asian specialities, Neapolitan pizzas with dough matured for 72 hours, homemade desserts and ice cream from a master artisan in 41 flavours. Wines and draught beers come mostly from organic producers in the region.

Camping Les Rives du Lac also provides a mini grocery shop, washing machines, and rental of sheets, towels, baby cots and chairs, as well as fridges for the pitches. The wellness area offers a spa and tailored massages. Kayaks, canoes and bikes are lent free of charge. Wifi is free at the restaurant and the playground, with a paid high-speed option at your pitch, and a free shuttle serves Veynes station, 3 km away.

On site, the 600 m² play area brings together six trampolines, a slide tower, a climbing wall, swings, a roundabout and an adventure course, with a separate zone for toddlers, a sandpit and a sensory trail. There is also a multi-sports court, a pétanque pitch, table tennis, mini-golf, table football and wooden games. The kids’ club takes 5 to 11-year-olds every morning in July and August; afternoons and evenings go to teenagers and adults, between open-air cinema, concerts on the terrace, fossil hunts and birdwatching.

All around, the Hautes-Alpes offer one of the densest mountain-bike networks in France, climbs well known to road cyclists, paragliding, canyoning and rafting. Arnaud shares over 250 route guides on the campsite app, which also has a bike workshop and a secure storage room. Within driving distance: Gap, the citadel of Sisteron, the Méouge gorges, Lake Serre-Ponçon, the Dévoluy massif and the Écrins national park. Fishing is possible both on the lake and on the Buëch river.