Surf & Camp Adventure on the French Atlantic Coast

The setup is straightforward. You book a stay at one of the Yelloh! Village campsites listed for surf, turn up, and either bring your own board or hire one on site. The campsites are 4- and 5-star open-air resorts, which in practice means a pool, a restaurant or takeaway, a bar, and organised kids' clubs in summer. Accommodation is in mobile homes, chalets or pitches for tents and caravans. Surfing happens at the beach; some sites have a surf school operating from the beach or on site, with lessons for beginners and improvers. If you're already competent, you can just paddle out at the local break. The surf is best known in the Basque Country and the Landes, but there are also breaks near the Brittany and Vendée sites, and further south in Catalonia, the Algarve and the Costa Brava. Conditions vary by season and location: summer is smaller and more forgiving, autumn and spring often have better waves but colder water. Each campsite has its own character. For example, Camping Le Village Western in Hourtin is themed around the American West, while Camping Panorama du Pyla sits near the Dune du Pilat with views over Arcachon Bay. Most sites are within a short drive of at least one surf spot, and many are right on the coast. Lessons are typically run by external surf schools that partner with the campsite, so you book and pay for them separately or as a package through the site. The campsites are spread across Aquitaine, Brittany, Catalonia, Languedoc-Roussillon, Pays de la Loire, the Algarve, Picardy and the Centro Region of Portugal.

What's included

- Accommodation in mobile home, chalet, or pitch (varies by campsite) - Access to campsite facilities: swimming pool, playground, sports areas - On-site entertainment and kids' clubs (in summer, varies by site) - Parking for one vehicle - Water and electricity (for pitches)

What's not included

- Surf lessons (can be booked separately) - Surfboard and wetsuit hire - Meals and drinks - Travel to the campsite - Personal expenses - Tourist tax (usually payable on arrival)