Northern France is really getting itself established as a top golfing break destination. Normandy and Brittany have an abundance of top-notch courses - and these days it's quite possible to mix your summer family holiday with a few days of superb golf. With a young family, I do find it tricky to get away and enjoy a spot of golf in perhaps sunnier, more exotic locations. But there are now a number of options that enable you to mix the two quite easily and comfortably. We usually go camping for our main summer holiday and last August was no exception. But this time I packed the golf clubs in the car too and headed for a campsite in Brittany that comes complete with its own 18-hole championship course - the Chateau des Ormes just outside Dol de Bretagne. This is probably the best campsite we've ever stayed at and has the sort of facilities you'd normally expect to find in somewhere like Center Parcs. Set in the lush grounds of the Chateau des Ormes, the Siblu-run campsite is pretty vast. We never take our own camping gear but stay in either a tent or mobile home - and the facilities at Chateau des Ormes were first-class. But you cannot help but be impressed with the imposing chateau, which is at the heart of this large leisure and pleasure parc. The chateau dates back to the 15th century and is now a private residence, which overlooks the magnificent golf course and the lakes for fishing and boating. The range of facilities and activities is extensive. Take for example sports - there are separate football and volleyball pitches and multi-sports pitch for five-a-side football or basketball, as well as two tennis courts. There's even archery. There are two main pool complexes, one with slides and a shallow children's area and another, near the golf clubhouse, that is more like a hotel pool. Apart from the golf and the pools, the highlight for us was the high ropes course set 30 feet up in the treetops with zip-wires across one of the lakes as well as a perilous rope bridge. Absolutely fantastic fun - my nine-year-old lad says it's in his top five experiences ever! High praise that. There are also resturants and bars and nightly campsite-style entertainment. There was even a big fireworks display when we were there. But, of course it was the quality of the golf course that attracted me. The thing about camping is that it's a very easy family holiday and excellent if you want to go on holiday with friends or your extended family but not all be couped up in the same cottage or villa. It also means the menfolk can slip away to the fairways almost unnoticed. Chateau des Ormes is a magnificent course, set in a truly beautiful wooded parkland with natural lakes. It is a somewhat technical course however, and certainly suitable for golfers of all abilities. The signature hole is the par 4 10th. Although not a long hole at 298m off the yellow tees, an accurate drive of reasonable distance is essential. The approach shot to the green is across 85 yards of water, down an avenue of elm trees after which the chateau is named. After retrieving your ball from the hole, take a moment to look back across the water at the chateau - stunning and uniquely French. Every hole is tree-lined and while not a hilly course it is undulating and extremely pretty. The clubhouse, once the manor farm, retains the original beams and open fireplace. It really is a top-class and quite regal set-up and to prove it, Chateau des Ormes has hosted a number of major tournaments in France. And what makes it all the better is that it is only a few miles from the coast at Mont St Michel and very handily placed for the western Channel ports. We travelled with Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth to Caen in Normandy, which is around 90 minutes from Chateau des Ormes. But you can also sail to St Malo from Portsmouth, which is only around 30 minutes from the Chateau. We quite often fly-drive if we're camping in southern France or Italy or Spain, but it really is best if you take your own car, specially if you need the golf gear too. Admittedly, it's a fair trek from the North East to the south coast, but we travelled at night when the roads are virtually empty with the kids asleep in the back; catching the 8.45am ferry. We also booked a cabin for around £25 extra, which meant I could have a sleep on the six-hour journey across the Channel while the family indulged in all sorts of delights, including the cinema. The whole journey worked beautifully and the kids are still asking when we can go on another night journey in their pyjamas. If you're in more of a hurry, Brittany Ferries also offer some high-speed services from Portsmouth to Caen and Cherbourg and Poole to Cherbourg that take just 130 minutes, which means you could be teeing off for a round before lunch on your first day. Chateau des Ormes is just one of 40 or so magnificent golf courses in Normandy and Brittany, including seaside links and forested parks. Brittany Ferries has an excellent golf breaks department who can sort out all your travel needs, including booking tee times, accommodation and, of course, ferries. There's a great range of accommodation on offer too. For instance, if you don't fancy the campsite option, you can stay in a gite or a hotel. Chateau des Ormes also has a lovely traditional French hotel on site, with some of the rooms having balconies from which you can fish in another lake. The hotel restaurant was also superb - and a great antidote from the more relaxed options at the adjoining campsite. The hotel option is around £80 a night per room while the camping costs from around £750 for a week in a tent. It might be fun though, to stay in one of the complexes tree-houses for the odd night. They're about £80 a night too. A round at the Chateau des Ormes costs around £30 in August, which is a fairly representative price fro most courses in this part of France. *********** Factfile Brittany Ferries golf desk can be reached on 0970-902-1818 or you can log on to: www.brittanyferries.com The website has details of all the golf courses in Brittany and Normandy as well as further south in the western Loire, Aquitaine and Poitou Charentes. Or you could sail to Santander and try out the golf in Spain. | 
Golfing Destinations
