Cool Camping France, a review by Tamsin Xerxes

A comprehensive guide complete with its enticing glossy pictures depicting the exceptional, great, french outdoors. Written with humour and honesty with objective views on each campsite, this book is ideal for the more adventurous happy campers and those looking to get that extra bit more from camping.

Handy extras include options and details on travelling to France and useful tips, advice and french phrases to get you started. The 'Top 5' listed special campsites is particularly convenient for the impatient and indecisive travellers and the inclusion of an 'at a glance' section enables you to focus on the campsites relevant to your holiday requirements.

Each description also looks outside the immediate campsite to note the surrounding facilities and focal points. The campsite locator page acts as a good overview and visual identification however the reference numbers on the map do not refer to each campsite page which makes using the book as a quick reference rather more tricky. The photographs are artistic, quirky and informative; a reference to the images would be useful to provide some authenticity relating to the description. The 'useful info' section at the back is definitely worth a read and the emergency numbers are appreciated, although the lack of camping and general travel safety advice is disappointing and at least some tips on country customs and how to avoid incidents would have been appreciated.

A good size book with plenty of options to choose from. The inspiring pictures alone is enough to get you packing the tent up once again and heading across the pond.

GTC says "This is a lovely book to read while sitting in your chair with a cup of tea. Beautiful pictures really give you a feel for the sites and make you want to wander off the beaten track, away from all those big Eurocamp-type sites in search of something a little more special! Have a look at the Cool Camping website, it has a campsite of the month, as well as brilliant recipes for the outdoors and handy checklists. "