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Hi

 looking at camping les cascades, Ceze, for a reasonably priced site with pool anyone been there?

Thanks Ceri

Fabulous area, nicely situated campsite, one review here.     It's not an easy site to find, so make sure you get proper directions, and don't end up on the single track no exit route to the Cascades themselves!  The campsite is off the D166 - and this in turn is off the D980, Route de Barjac.  It's very easy to miss the correct road. 

Les Cascades takes Camping Cheques between 19/04/2013 to 06/07/2013 and again from 24/08/2013 to 12/10/2013 and does 7 nights for 6, or 14 nights for 11 with Camping Cheques.

We love canoeing on the Ceze, which has become one of our favourite areas recently.  You're also handily situated for crossing the Rhone and doing some of the nicer bits of Provence, too, and Avignon and the likes are within excursion distance.

Thats really useful thankyou. Have read the review  - a bit worried about the amount of visitors' mentioned. Am restricted to holidays last week of july and first few weeks of August so used to some busy sites but just how busy does the site/area get? Any idea how child friendly it is for 8 and 9 year olds who spend most of time in pool/water -

Advice really appreciated

The one warning I would give, with such young children,  is that although the waterfalls appear 'innnocent' enough on the website, they aren't always like that. We've been in the area when there has been a huge amount of water flowing over - and they can be very scary indeed at times like that!  There were notices about the dangers, and this is something to think about especially after summer storms.  We've seen youngsters being very foolhardy and jumping from rock to rock across very deep and fast flowing crevasses.  Maybe I've got more cautious as I've got older, because years ago we took our sons there and they played quite happily under some of the smaller waterfalls!  Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

I think in late July/early August any site will be busy.  I don't know about the site itself, but the area of the 'Cascades' will be too busy.   There were more visitors in late August this year than I've ever seen.  The waterfalls themselves will draw visitors even out of peak season, but there are plenty of quieter places up or down river to get away from the madding crowds.  I don't know about the pool area - I would imagine that many of the older and braver children will be attracted to the waterfalls themselves.  La Roque sur Ceze is only a small village, alongside a large car park where visitors park for the cascades, and you'd need to go elsewhere for shopping etc. 

There are two other sites in the area - Les Genets d'Or, and La Vallee Verte - which you might want to look at.  They're both perhaps in a bit quieter area - not immediately adjacent to the cascades themselves, but with riverside access.

A similar riverside site, not too expensive, is Domaine de Gaujac, near Anduze.

That's great advice just what we're looking for  - think I will investigate quieter site just a little further away - torn between being as adventerous as we were years ago without kids, finding some fatanstic sites along the way mixing in with the not so good - and now having the responsibility of safety and enjoyment of little ones but still wanting them to appreciate the fantastic sites we found along the way.

many thanks

Ceri

Exessex mum - have you thought about emailing to see if they will allow a pup tent on the pitch!  We did that some years ago - had a mobile, and then son and friend slept outside!

Another site, very French, and three stars, is Camping Universal at Rochegude, nearer to Barjac but again with riverside access in a 'wilder' part of the Ceze.   Definitely not a 'maicured' site, but does advertise mbile homes sleeping 5/6.

Quote: Originally posted by OliverDay on 30/1/2013

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The biggest danger from water for children however is on the first or last day of a holiday when the parents aren't paying attention to their children due to unpacking or packing. At this time even a swimming pool can be dangerous.

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I'll agree with that - when I took my two boys on my own, I thought they were helping me unpack, but they'd sneaked into the swimming pool at Domaine de Bagard, which was just behind my tent.  The little one (who was OK with armbands) fell in and luckily for us all was rescued by Gerard the site chef, who was having a well earned break near the pool!!  He was lovely, and kept a close eye on them, (and me - I think) for the rest of the holiday!

It put my son off swimming for several years, and it wasn't until we were at Lake Garda probably four years later that he wanted to swim again!  This time he learned with the aid of a buoyancy jacket, as worn in a canoe, and then perfected his swimming at Les Hirondelles, near Ramatuelle, and by the end of the holiday was a confident swimmer again!

Quote: Originally posted by Val A on 31/1/2013

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Exessex mum - have you thought about emailing to see if they will allow a pup tent on the pitch!  We did that some years ago - had a mobile, and then son and friend slept outside!

Another site, very French, and three stars, is Camping Universal at Rochegude, nearer to Barjac but again with riverside access in a 'wilder' part of the Ceze.   Definitely not a 'maicured' site, but does advertise mbile homes sleeping 5/6.

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I think it's probably easier when you have 'macho' boys - my sons slept outside in pup tents when the youngest was about nine!  Still that was a long time ago and things have changed since then.

We now have a bedroom full of their old tents - both have been having a clear out at the same time, so I may be doing some freecycling soon!