Huttopia Lac d’ Aiguebelette Huttopia

There are numerous lakeside campsites in France but few can boast shores as renowned as those of Lac d’Aiguebelette in the heart of the Rhone-Alps region. One of the biggest natural lakes in France, no fewer than seven hot springs help bring the water to an appealing 28-degrees during summer, while the surrounding mountains and the great limestone wall of L'Epine – 'the thorn' – shelter the emerald, smooth-as-glass waters, cut through only by the occasional sailing boat or pedalo. Swimming? It’s a must. Canoeing? It’s an option. Camping nearby? We know the perfect place...

Set just a hundred metres or so from Aiguebelette’s western shore, the partially wooded campsite in the village of Le Sougey spreads across some 12 acres of space and has over 100 different pitches where you can pop your tent and make a lakeside base. Two separate washroom blocks provide modern facilities (disabled access to both), while the main reception building has all the staples of a self-respecting French campsite – fresh croissant and baguette delivery each morning, free Wi-Fi, heaps of tourist information brochures and some metal boules to borrow for a family game on the court outside.

While a playground for tots and table tennis tables add extra activities to the campsite, most of the fun here revolves, unsurprisingly, around the lake. The beach at Huttopia Lac d’ Aiguebelette has a lifeguard throughout summer and you can hire pedalos, kayaks, canoes and stand up paddle boards for a very reasonable price. The blanket ban on motorboats only adds to the tranquillity that has helped ensure Aiguebelette’s vast tracts of protected areas are rich in wildlife.

Although the A43 Chambéry-Lyon motorway has brought the pristine waters within easy reach of city day-trippers, Aiguebelette still feels like a real discovery. The upshot for campers is a speedy journey in both directions, either to vibrant Lyon for a day of city fun or an adventure further east into the thick of the mountains beyond. In the middle of it all, meanwhile, the lake remains a perfectly peaceful retreat. As Condé Nast Traveller put it, "with its beaches, its reed-beds and its neat, eco-friendly éspaces poubelles (rubbish collection points), Aiguebelette is about as far as you can get from the stress of a high-season Mediterranean beach holiday.”