In search of sleeping beauties

Published in the WOW! supplement of the Evening Echo

Camping is one of those things that seems a lot more fun when you’re planning it than when you’re actually doing it. We were heading to France for my sister-in-law’s wedding, and as we’d be away anyway, we decided to turn it into a family holiday. A few days at a high-spec French camp site (NB. High spec campsite – not a high-spec website) seemed like an ideal way to start the trip.

And so it proved: the days were great… plenty to see and do, and loads of things to keep the kids occupied. It was the nights that were the problem. We have one of those big family dome-tent contraptions – one bedroom for the kids, one for Mum and Dad and a central “living” space. Again, great on paper, but more challenging in practice.

Trying to get the three children into their sleeping bags, settled and off to sleep on the first night was little short of torture. The initial excited chatter soon descended into heated debate about territory, and things went steadily downhill from there. You must have been able to hear them on the other side of the camp site… a fact made worse by the fact we were surrounded by older couples in camper vans who were keen to get an early night. It was gone midnight when, at our wits end, we finally got them settled.

The second night was better – we figured that exhausting them by cramming the day with activities, then letting them stay up really late was probably the best policy. So after a fun-filled day we enjoyed a late meal at the camp site restaurant, and then sipped a good local wine as the kids ran riot on a big green area nearby. It was a much better night all-round. By the time they got to bed they were so tired they crawled into their sleeping bags and drifted off without much bother.

We were staying at a camp site on the banks of the river Loire, just outside the town of Saumur. This is one of France’s most productive wine regions, and there are “Caves” (wineries) everywhere. Of course we were happy to sample the local produce… well, it would be almost rude not to.

The region is also home to the country’s most famous châteaux: full of fairytale castles replete with towers, turrets and moats. Inside, these magnificent buildings are crammed to the rafters with extravagant opulence, offering a glimpse of how the other half lived in the France of yester-year. Wandering around these beautiful buildings it’s easy to imagine grand carriages rolling up the poplar-lined driveways, depositing nobles, princesses, kings and queens at the grand entrance halls.

One château in particular appealed to the children. The Château d’Ussé, in Rigny-Ussé, dates back to an original fortified stronghold erected by the Norman lord of Ussé in the 11^th century. Legend has it that this is the castle that inspired Charles Perrault’s classic fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty”, and taking in a vista of the grand turrets few could doubt it. It is also said to be one of the châteaux that inspired Disney’s world-famous fictional castles.

The girls were so excited about going to the “real” sleeping beauty’s castle – we were equally excited by the fact that children under eight were admitted free of charge. Once inside you get to climb one of the turreted stone towers, and peer in at various displays depicting scenes from the sleeping beauty story: the princess, the king and queen, the evil fairy and of course Prince Charming coming to the Princess’s rescue.

For the children it was spellbinding, and that night in the tent they drifted off to sleep almost without a fuss… their heads no doubt full of fairy-tale dreams.