Motorhome Camping in France – Gone fishing in La Brenne

July 29, 2020

Spending time in France in a motorhome gives you the freedom to just sometimes put a pin in a map and take off for the weekend. France is so hospitable to campers that you’ll never be far away from a campsite or aire de services to just get away for the weekend.

La Brenne National Park. Perfect for wildlife, birdwatching and carp fishing

I recently did exactly that and ended up in the Indre department 36, right in the middle of the country and found yet even more beautiful scenery, chateaux and market towns.

Rosnay campsite

Rosnay Municipal Campsite (book here)
Camping municipal les millots, Route de St-Michel-en-Brenne, 36300, Rosnay.
2 nights for a campervan with electrics €18 (July 2020)

Lake at Rosnay campsite

I have to admit, it took a while to find the campsite, my best advice is to find the centre of the village of Rosnay. You’ll see the church and the bar/restaurant called ‘Le Cendrille’. You’ll then see signs to the campsite to the left of the restaurant and the campsite is found less than 1/4 of a mile down the road on the left. Look our for tiny little campsite signs so drive slowly or you’ll shoot passed it.

The campsite is run by the Marie. You can arrive at the campsite, and set up in a space that’s not reserved. The Marie lady comes round twice a day to take payment, book you in, have a chat and give you loads of information about the area. It’s all very civilised and calm, things get done at their own pace. You really can’t rush it.

There’s a beautiful fishing lake in the centre of the campsite and you can buy a fishing licence from Marie lady at the same time. You’ll be in good company.

A stroll back up to the village centre and everything happens in Le Cendrille. The restaurant hasn’t been open long and it’s run by M. Christophe. It’s the depot de pain so you can order and collect your croissants and pain au chocolates in the mornings. (Personally, I’d recommend the pain aux raisins as they’re enormous and delicious!).

Its also a great place to eat, I tried the steak and chips which was perfectly cooked for me – ‘bien cuire’ is ‘well done’ and its a good place to sit and watch the world go by with a nice cold beer on the terrace.

Town of Le Blanc

On Saturdays, there’s a market in a town not too far away at Le Blanc. Typically French, it was lovely to sit in the market place listening to the accordion music playing and watching people passing by.

Le Blanc

A little old lady in one of the apartments overlooking the square spent her time leaning out of the window and calling out and waving ‘bonjour’ to her friends as they passed by below. Every basket contained at least one baguette along with fresh produce from the stalls. A great place to buy items for a BBQ which you are permitted on this campsite.

Chateau de Bouchet

Another outing worth going to is Chateau de Bouchet which is only a 15-minute cycle ride away. There is a cafe and facilities nearby so you can stop and rest and have a picnic if you like. The views from the top of the chateau are quite outstanding, and you can appreciate this truly is the land of a thousand lakes.

Chateau de Bouchet

Apparently, the lakes are all fishing lakes as this was the region that supplied the country with its fresh fish.

In summary, La Brenne is a very quiet and peaceful area, the lakes are popular for birdwatchers, hikers and fishing. The campsite is friendly, clean and quiet: perfect for a relaxing couple of days break.