By Helen Carroll
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Ever dreamt of eloping in a gypsy caravan and leaving the cares of the world behind? Try a holiday in the snoozy French village of Chamberet.
Home for a week for my family â€" husband, and three children - was a small, thin gypsy caravan tucked away in a national park in the Correze area. And snoozy means comatose.
The petrol station closes for August and the only supermarket for miles shut at noon. We were arrayed horseshoe-like with 45 other caravans at Les Roulottes des Monedieres.
Lazy days: The pretty Correze region had a somewhat soporific effect on Helen and family
Happily, while old-fashioned on the outside, the wooden interior was reminiscent of an up-to-date ski chalet decorated by Laura Ashley.
Our slender trailer was a squeeze for a family of five â€" the double bed was on a mezzanine level, separated by a curtain, and one of the children’s beds was a trundle.
But it was a price worth paying for affordable accommodation. And with scorching daytime temperatures, we spent most of our time outdoors, cooling off in the on-site pool or at the lake in the nearby town of Treignac, 15 minutes away.
Alll aboard: The Carroll family show their approval
Lac des Bariousses was deliciously clear â€" and warm enough for our toddler to paddle. There was a soft, sandy beach, where it was easy to while away a day.
The rest of the trip was a carousel of water play, melting Magnums â€" and pleasantly sozzled evenings.
On a trip to Le Parc du Reynou, near Limoges, we fed the animals with tubs of popcorn sold at the entrance.
The fun was paused on one day, however, with a visit to Oradour Sur Glane.
This traditional French village in the Limousin region has been perfectly preserved since the terrible day in June 1944 when Nazi soldiers rampaged through it, laying waste to everything and everyone.
It was said to be retribution for the activities of the local resistance. Charles de Gaulle decreed that the village should be preserved just as it was.
It communicated more about the horrors of war to our older two children than any history lesson.
Afterwards, at Le Big Ben cafe in t he new town of Oradour Sur Glane, we had the finest meal of the holiday â€" steak and chips, served at a plastic table.
Back at our caravan we enjoyed one last round of the card game happy families (which caused a row, naturally) before packing up our hire car, leaving behind the soporific French countryside and returning to the mayhem of our London lives.
Travel Facts
Seven nights in a Roulotte (sleeping five) at Les Roulottes des Monedieres in July costs from £510 per family (www.canvas-life.co.uk). A week’s car hire with Holiday Autos costs from £156 (0871 472 5229, www.holidayautos.co.uk). Ryanair flies to Bergerac from £46 return (www.ryanair.com).
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