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When planning our holiday in France, we wanted to be somewhere within easy reach of Disneyland, Paris and the Somme region for day trips, we wanted somewhere with plenty of room for our three active boys and we wanted it on a very tight budget. Looking at the various options just to the North of Paris, the mobile homes on site at La Croix du Vieux Pont stood out.

The site is only a couple of hours from Calais and then for our planned day trips, we could be in the middle of Paris or at the gates of Disneyland in little over an hour.

There are a few UK agents offer homes on the site and we found the best deal via Al Fresco Holidays, made even better when we used our Tesco Clubcard vouchers against the cost. By paying per car on the DFDS ferry from Dover and then per home on the campsite, it’s possible to put together a very cheap holiday for a large family (even at full cost, our break in June would’ve been less than £400 for the five of us, for ferry and accommodation).

For a post on what to think about when driving in France just click here.

On arrival at the site, check in was easy and we were shown to our home for the week. The site itself is large and very well kept.

There are two lakes, with fishing, pedallos and kayaks. There are trampolines, mini golf, bowling alley and mini go karts. These are all chargeable but very reasonable. There are indoor and outdoor football/basketball courts, at no cost. There are a few table tennis tables, again free. We counted four play areas that we found but there are probably more. We couldn’t have asked for a better place for our boys who like to be on the go all day. For my smallest one, who’s just 1, there was a lovely little room full of toys and books which he enjoyed exploring while his big brothers played football on the court next door.

 

The swimming complex has indoor and outdoor pools, slides plus a kids pool and ‘splash zone’ for younger kids. The indoor pool has a retractable roof so on sunny days that’s opened up too. The pool area is clean and there are plenty of loungers. Away from the main pool area, there’s a second area for swimming. Another small ‘lake’ with man made beaches. It’s perfect for the kids to paddle and swim on a sunny day.

 

For food and drink, there is a well-stocked shop on site, as well as a bakery. The baguettes and pains au chocolat come highly recommended! There’s also a fast food kiosk, which we found expensive for what was on offer. There’s another restaurant which we didn’t try, as well as a bar and a beach bar that offered light bites and good ice cream.

With the size of the site and the amount of facilities, it was surprising (but very welcome) to find that around the homes themselves was quiet and spacious. Our home had a small garden, decking with a seating area and a BBQ. Inside, there’s an open plan living/dining/kitchen area, the bedrooms, toilet and shower room. It wasn’t big but plenty of storage means that it was easy to keep it organised and we didn’t struggle at all in the space. It’s a perfect little bolt hole for a rainy afternoon of board games. The rest of the time, we were out enjoying the al fresco lifestyle! We did have a couple of minor issues with the home on arrival (a cupboard off hinge and a leak in the shower), but these were resolved by the Al Fresco on the same day so no complaints at all. The kitchen had plenty of crockery and utensils, so it was easy to prepare a few meals ourselves to keep the eating out costs down. As always with my family, the BBQ was well used too! There’s a small supermarket in the village, and larger stores around 10 minutes away.

Overall, the site provided everything we needed for our French break. A lovely rural location but easy to get out for day trips. Peaceful but plenty to do. We would definitely recommend it and would return.

NB: This is written by Emily who paid for her stay at La Croix du Vieux Pont