News: Let's stay in touch!
If you would like to stay up-to-date about campinglife during the season or in winter, we invite you to visit this newspage on a regular basis.
News from the region, a bit of history, some thoughts on the surroundings.
What's close to our hearts: to always share the heritage and the traditions of the Cevennes with the same enthusiasm.
To celebrate our 60th anniversary, we are offering a new well-being experience... Extremely relaxing, it will also be rejuvenating!
We are hosting Marie, a qualified beautician from the Cevennes: "My years of experience and true passion for massage make it possible to offer you my quality care"
Marie works with organic, local cosmetic products (produced in Alès), offering facials and body-scrubs. You might also be tempted by a manicure or pedicure (nails filed and polished, cuticles cleaned, hands or feet scrubbed and massaged, finish with or without nail polish).
She also offers hair removal treatments to look your best if you decide to go swimming or sunbathing by the river!
With her care, your skin will be better prepared for the sun, for a glowing, long-lasting tan.
And if you really want to show off, try one of the temporary tattoos in sparkling colours or black. Lasting for up to seven days, you can choose from a selection of tribal and imaginative jewel-like designs, for adults and kids alike.
Follow the interactive droving trail !
The Causses and the Cevennes are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and contain many remarkable sites, such as the Grands Causses Regional Nature Park and Cévennes National Park which has been recognized by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve in the “organically evolved, continuing landscape” category and more recently as an "International Dark Sky Reserve".
This universal heritage reflects humankind’s evolution - the protohistoric period with its megalithic heritage (dolmens and menhirs), the Middle Ages with its Romanesque chapels, the abbeys of the great religious orders (Templars, Hospitaller), and then pre-mechanised agriculture (dry stone shelters, ovens, bell-gables, wash houses). Today, this heritage is carefully preserved thanks to ambassadors (tourism and agriculture professionals), and through eco-museums, themed trails etc.
This protected natural environment presents exceptional biodiversity linked to the mixed farming which combines herds of livestock and the production of fodder. These herds (sheep, cattle and goats), that may have a fixed location or be moved seasonally, play a crucial role in the maintenance of open mountainous spaces and are particularly appreciated by hikers. In parallel with the livestock, crops are planted in the spring and harvested in the summer; there is haymaking, berry and mushroom picking in the summer and autumn, cheese making, leather tanning, and beekeeping in log-hives. These traditional hives are formed from the hollow trunk of a chestnut tree and then covered with a flat piece of schist. They are home to colonies of Cévennes black bees… Some can be found under the chalets, but don’t worry, they are uninhabited!
The Cevennes' brand new rail-bike
The Cevennes rail-bike service was launched on Saturday 9 February 2019 - A new tourist activity available all year round on the train tracks of the Steam Train of the Cevennes.
Built by Vélorail du Larzac, the rail-bikes are stored in special shelters painted by Sock, an artist from Avignon. The bikes have two sets of pedals in the front (one is enough to move forward) and three seats in the back for children (or lazy people!). Some can be fitted with baby seats.
The rail-bike starting point is at Thoiras station, renamed "entre-deux-gares” (“between two stations”) because it is midway between St Jean du Gard and Anduze. A new restaurant will be managed by the former owner of the "Aux petits chefs de Gare” restaurant, picnic tables are also planned.
During the low season two departures are scheduled, and there will be 4 or 5 in the summer season. The departure times are fixed so as to be exactly between two Steam Train trips. For the train and the rail-bike, there is one golden rule: "Never get off while it is moving!”
Far away from road traffic, the 6 km round trip between the stations of Thoiras and Générargues is charming. Over the course of the journey you will go over the level crossing at Corbès, through two tunnels and over three viaducts, one of which you might recognize…
Every year for the past 60 years, we have been doing everything we can to make the Cévennes Provence Campsite the ideal place for your holidays. And we must be getting it right since we received 126 very positive reviews on Zoover in 2018, with an average of 9/10! Thanks to you, the Cévennes Provence Campsite won a Zoover Gold Award! This places it among the ranks of the best campsites in the country.
Only 77 campsites received this award in the whole of Europe, with 15 in France and one in Languedoc Roussillon: us! And among the 15 French campsites, we were ranked third!
A big thank you to all our customers for their support; this award gives us even more motivation to continue making your holidays a special, relaxing time for all the family, full of good memories!
"We are delighted with these results that reflect our customers’ satisfaction. Every day, we take great care to provide the best possible service, upholding the family spirit created 60 years ago by our grandmother Rachel and our father Jeannot Marais. We are proud to receive the Zoover Gold Award in recognition of all this work," declares Nathalie Marais.
|Zoover even chose a photo of the Cévennes Provence Campsite to illustrate their newsletter on the 20 best French campsites!|
In 2018 we have started two partnerships:
- With "Natura 2000 Vallée du Gardon de Mialet": Goal is to survey the biodiversity on the camping grounds and to try to enhance it. Every 5 years the survey is repeated.
- With the"SMAGE des Gardons": Checking the quality of the water, working on the trees and bushes on the camping. Surveying all practices that could use enhancement.
Here you will find some measure we've already taken in favour of the environment and for sustainable development:
Environmental politics: information and awareness
Guests and employees are made aware to use energy and water sparsely. Twice every summer, a representative of the section "Cleanliness and waste separation" of the Alès municipality hosts an information night at the camping.
Energy management: we're are carefully watching our use of energy and water, in order to save it the best we can.
Water management - resource protection
- To save water, we use spring- and rain water for watering the green areas. Our drip irrigation system is only active in the mornings and just after sundown. This system is placed under de pozzolan earth to keep the water from dampening too much and to guarantee a longer period of moistness.
- The showers in the sanitary facilities are on a high level to get the same results with less water.
- The faucets in the sanitary facilities are equipped with a timer and a "Stop" button is attached to the showers.
- Buy a floor cleaner. It's more efficient with water than cleaning by hand.
- We have bought 4 new washing machines that only use 36 litres of water per cycle instead of 120.
- Water meters are situated in all sectors to spot leakage.
- Use of energy-saving light bulbs.
- Lights in sanitary facilities and waste deposit section operated by movement sensors.
Stimulate ecological awareness in our guests - nature activities
- Information material about the landscape, animals and plants can be found at the reception desk.
- With our partner "Sentiers Vagabonds" we offer numerous activities with the theme 'Nature around us'.
- Waste separation: we have been separating waste for many years now in containers for glass, plastic, paper, but also batteries, large waste and dry bread for the animals.
- Leftover food, mowed grass and plant residu is turned into fertilizer to maintain the green areas.
- Maintenance of grease collection dishes.
Waste prevention - Reduce of paper usage
- Doublesided printing on concept paper: used for instance for guest documents (Booking forms, arrival forms, bill forms). Over a year, nearly 5100 leaves op paper can be re-used in this way, saving almost 10 packets of paper!
- In 2018 we offer our guests the option of electronic billing.
- We prefer electronic correspondence so we only have to send paper brochures when it's absolutely necessary.
- In 2018 we ask all guests to return brochures and other documents at the end of their stay, so we can redistribute them.
Responsible purchases: Camping store
- A shop on the camping saves you the trouble of taking your car.
- Every family receives a re-usable bag, so disposable bags are unneccesary.
- In the store we sell numerous local and biological products: wine, honey, marmalade, vegetables, fresh milk, pâté and meat…
Quality of life, green areas and the outdoors
- We don't use any chemical pesticide (insecticide, herbicide) nor chemical fertilizer.
- We plant local plants that are fit for a warm climate, so they don't need a lot of water.
- A big herb garden is at your disposal.
- All barriers are built with wood from the property.
- 65% of the camping site consists of green and/or natural areas!
- No distracting mobile homes on the camping, just 16 chalets blending in the natural surroundings.
- The number of families per acre (16,1) is far less than on other campings.
- All buildings pay respectto the local Cévennes architecture.
- The 15 acres of campinggrounds are part of a 30 acre property
- All personnel moves around by bike or silent electric vehicle: a Kangoo ZE, 3 electric cars and one e-bike.
- All guests can recharge their electric vehicles at the camping's recharge location.
No swimming pool, natural bathing in the river
Our camping is one of the rare locations in the vicinity with no need for a swimming pool. This particularity is a plus. To us and our environment-conscious guests a swimming pool is ecologically not acceptable. (water waste, use of chemicals…) Also, a swimming pool is often a source of noise- and horizon pollution. Bathing in a natural source allows more people to enjoy the water, beach and games.