France is, and always has been, one of my favourite places to tour, but I’d never been to the mid-west coast before. But when I was offered the chance of taking Practical Motorhome’s new long-term-test Carthago Liner-for-Two it was the first destination that sprang to mind – it was August, the sun was shining – just right for a road trip!

I’ve always had a great interest in World War 2 history, so on the way we stopped for a quick look at the Normandy beaches, including Omaha Beach. It wasn’t long after the commemorations marking the 75th anniversary of the historic events, and flags and wreaths were still very much in evidence. 

But our destination was the beautiful town of Royan, on the west coast. We took a leisurely couple of days to drive there, stopping at aires overnight, before arriving at our campsite – Camping Nauzan Plage. 

It’s part of the Flower Camping network of sites, and is well facilitated with a swimming pool, restaurant/bar and more. Its main attraction is its proximity to a safe, sandy beach – each day we were there, families flooded there in their droves, and for good reason. It’s clean and the shore doesn’t dip away too quickly, so it’s great for swimming.

There are a series of beaches along this stretch of coast, and I think we tried all of them during our stay. Royan also has a fascinating World War 2 history, and an informative museum (if you can tear yourself way from the beautiful beaches). Its also great for cyclists (handy if you’re driving an eight-metre motorhome that you’d rather leave on a campsite) with plenty of cycle lanes. 

The architecture is particularly interesting – the town suffered badly from bombing during the war, and has been rebuilt in a modernist style. 

How did we get on in our fantastic, £120k motorhome? You can find out by reading the full story of my tour, which features in the next issue (225) of Practical Motorhome, on sale 19 September!