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Camping Sous Les Étoiles Normandie

100%

· Souleuvre En Bocage, Normandy

15 acres hosted by Steve D.

7 RV/tent sites · 2 tent sites

Steve is a Star Host

Star Hosts are highly rated, responsive, and committed to providing incredible experiences.

Creature comforts

Enjoy the comforts of home—including flush toilets, showers, and a kitchen.

Private sites

100% of recent Hipcampers say the sites felt private.

A charming dog-friendly campsite with an on-site bar and grill in Normandy

An appropriate way for campsite owner Steve Davis to practice his growing French language skills might be to sing that most French of ballads: “Non, je ne regrette rien”. The song, made famous by singer Edith Piaf, neatly summarises Steve and wife Dawn’s feelings about leaving the UK behind to run a campsite in Normandy. They have no regrets and, we’ll hazard a guess, nor will you should you choose to pitch up in one of their super-spacious pitches.

Sous Etoiles Normandie offers 50 pitches ranging from quite large (for campers with tents) to very large (big enough to accommodate twin-axle motorhomes), all spread across 14 green and leafy acres. Mature trees and hedges ensure there’s plenty of privacy, though even if that’s what you’re after, chances are you’ll soon be drawn to the festoon-lit communal areas of this site on a former farm. Le Cowshed Bar & Grill serves up a menu of international favourites from 6 pm to 9 pm each night and, in the summer months, Le Snug is the place for a refreshing pression (draft beer) or Normandy cider. These renovated former farm buildings are the rustic but lovely heart of the campsite run by a couple with an eye for what looks good and works well.

Steve says it was TV programmes extolling the virtues of a life in the country that inspired the move to France after his early retirement from movie post-production. He and hospitality expert Dawn made the move in 2019 and, after a lot of work, have transformed an existing mediocre campsite to one that gets glowing reviews.

Situated 40 minutes inland from the port of Caen (from where ferries ply the route to and from Portsmouth), Sous Les Etoiles Normandie is both an excellent place to pitch up for a night and a holiday destination in its own right. If you’re staying for more than the night, you’ll have time to discover the D-Day landing beaches and nearby village museum, to visit medieval Bayeux and Mont Saint Michel and to explore the Normandy countryside. And, if you're planning on using the place as a stopover, be warned that plenty of campers who book in for a night end up staying a week. You might be tempted too, once you’ve experienced the campsite’s “La Vie en Rose”. If you’re not yet fluent in Edith Piaf that’s: “life in happy hues”.

Activities

Biking

Hiking

Wildlife watching

Natural features

Field

Farm

100%

18 ratings · 10 reviews

David M.recommends

September 20, 2024

E1 to E6 - Grass touring pitch 2

Great little campsite

A very warm welcome awaits you at this great little campsite. Pristine facilities, games room, table tennis and pool. Friendly bar and good food served in season. Pretty, private pitches some with open countryside views. Convenient for Normandy beaches, Caen and Cherbourg. Close to village with great boulangerie and Boucher/chacuterie.

Gareth F.recommends

August 2, 2023

B1 to B10 - Large grass pitch 2

Beautiful facilities, lovely bar. Although we didn’t use the restaurant on our one night onsite, it looked and smelled great.

Karrie M.recommends

April 18, 2023

Zone A Grass tent pitch no cars

We enjoyed our experience even with the horrible evening/night weather! We had quite a bit of rain and while the ground was saturated it was nice not to have mud everywhere. The owners have taken great care to ensure the pitches are in good condition (no matter the weather). Shower block was clean and showers were warm. Good wifi throughout site. Enjoyed our stay-good jumping off point for siteseeing in Normandy. Rural location so helpful to do any food shopping before you get to the site.

Chris B.recommends

September 6, 2022

Zone A Grass tent pitch no cars

Lovely site, very peaceful and the night sky lived up to the name of the site great bar/restaurant area for evenings superb shower block

Mary N.recommends

August 24, 2022

Extra large grass pitches Zone C

Friendly helpful owners. Peaceful and attractive site. Clean and excellent quality washrooms.

Jack C.recommends

August 9, 2022

Individual grass pitches Zone B

Lovely stay among the trees

What a lovely spot nestled among the trees. We stayed in a pitch in ‘B’ zone, which was the perfect size for our campervan, and had a decent amount of privacy. The cowshed restaurant was a great place to relax of an evening, and had good beers, wine and food, although if you’re eating here nightly the menu might become a little limited. Although there wasn’t much to do in the local area, there is a village in walking distance with a useful small supermarket, and a decent butcher and patisserie. Facilities at the site were lovely, and the staff were super friendly. There are lots of games for slightly older kids and adults, although for little ones facilities are limited to a set of swings. Overall a great campsite, and one which we hope to return to.

Location

Souleuvre En Bocage, Normandy, FranceTo respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking

Hosted by Steve D.

Joined in February 2020

From the host

Camping Sous Les Étoiles Normandie, "Under The Stars", is a family run campsite in the village of Saint-Martin-des-Besaces, Calvados, offering camping and caravanning. Perfectly situated for exploring the undulating picturesque countryside, tasting renowned cheeses, sampling sparkling cider and of course, the famous Calvados. Steve and Dawn offer all visitors a warm, friendly welcome and endeavour to make your visit to Normandy as enjoyable and memorable as possible.

Nearby attractions

It's less than one kilometre to Musee la Percee du Bocage, dedicated to the liberation of the region at the end of the Second World War. The more adventurous may want to head 12km away to the Viaduc de la Souleuvre (+33 (0)2 31 66 31 66) a partially demolished railway viaduct over the Souleuvre River for bungee jumping and zip lines. Bayeux, with its medieval centre of cobbled streets and half-timbered houses, is a half-hour drive north of the site (36km) and home, of course, to the Bayeux Tapestry, which you can see in the Bayeux Museum (+ 33 (0)2 31 51 25 50), and the Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame. Beyond the town (about 40km and a 45-minute drive from site) are the D-Day Landing Beaches. About the same distance east is Clécy, known as Suisse Normand (little Switzerland), because of its dramatic landscapes and setting on the River Orne. It's a centre for outdoor activity and also home to one of Europe's biggest miniature railways, Chemin de Fer Miniature de Clécy (+ 33 (0)2 31 69 07 13). An hour's drive south (63km) is the sixth-century village of Domfront within Normandie's Regional Natural Park a protected area of forest and countryside. And must-visit Mont Saint-Michel is about an hour's drive (80km) west from site.

Food and drink

There's little need to head off-site for food as fresh bread and pastries are delivered to the site every morning and the on-site Le Cowshed Bar & Grill serves evening meals. There's also Le Snug Bar (opened in busier times) which serves beer, wine and Normandie cider. Le Snug also acts as a small campsite shop selling essentials and local produce.

Video

https://www.youtube.com/embed/sLAap9S_M6M

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