AS we pedalled through the forest, with sunlight breaking through the trees to dapple the cycle track, we could have been on a pleasant bike ride through the English countryside –perhaps Dalby Forest, but without the hills.

Then something came into view which established we were quite definitely in France...Chateau de Chambord, the largest of the 1,000 chateaux which dominate the Loire Valley, with no fewer than 440 rooms and 84 staircases.

One of the finest Renaissance buildings in France, it was created by King Francois 1 as a hunting lodge with the aim of being near his mistress, who lived nearby.

Various monarchs, including the Sun King himself, Louis X1V, understandably liked to stay there. The highlight of an extraordinary building is probably a double spiral staircase, two separate but interlinking spiral staircases, which allow one person to go up while the other goes down, without ever passing each other.

We had cycled to the chateau along a network of cycle paths from our campsite, Le Chateau des Marais, where we were staying in a three-bedroomed mobile home courtesy of Eurocamp.

The “Comfort” home featured a studio-style central living area, fully-equipped kitchen and shower, with a decked dining area to the front.

Situated in the grounds of a chateau that was in reality more of a lovely old manor house, the site was beautifully laid out with plenty of trees and shrubs and a good pool complex featuring a lazy river and slides. One of the pools had a retractable roof, which proved useful during a holiday blighted on some days by rainfall.

Bicycles were available for hire, although we had brought our own bikes with us on the back of the car. There was also a small shop, takeaway, bar and restaurant. In the adjacent village, which stood close to the River Loire, were a handful of typical French village shops where we wandered each day to buy in supplies of baguette, vin and other essentials.

The gently rolling countryside of the Loire Valley is, of course, a veritable treasure-trove of magnificent country houses and castles. We visited a couple of them, including my favourite, Chenonceau.

Built across the River Cher, it seems to float magically on water. Built in 1513, it was owned by Henri II’s mistress, Diane de Poitiers, and has a stunning 200ft-long gallery over the river.

We also saw Fontevraud Abbey, one of the largest monastic complexes in Europe, established in 1099, which had both a nunnery and a monastery. Both French and English monarchs are buried here: Henry 11 and Richard the Lionheart.

The abbey was dissolved during the French Revolution and became a prison until the 1960s, since when it has undergone a major restoration.

• We drove the 300 miles to the Loire Valley in a day from Zeebrugge, having sailed there overnight from Hull with P & O. The ferry, just an hour’s drive from York, provides a superb way to start a driving holiday on the Continent, avoiding the need to traipse some 300 miles across traffic-jammed England. We had a relaxed night each way in our four-berth cabin, after having dined in the restaurant.

Fact file

A seven-night break (arriving 9 May 2009) family, staying in a two-bedroom ‘Comfort’ mobile home (sleeps a maximum of seven) at Eurocamp’s Le Château des Marais parc, near Chambord, along the Loire Valley, France, starts from £305, accommodation only, but for bookings made before March 31 the price is £163.

A seven-night break in peak summer season (arriving 27 August 2009) will cost £822 for the whole family, staying in a three-bedroomed ‘Comfort’ mobile home (sleeps a maximum of eight), accommodation only. For bookings made before March 31, the price is £684.

Ferry crossings, fly-drive packages or rail travel can be arranged through Eurocamp at a supplement. For further information on Eurocamp please call 0844 406 0552 or visit www.eurocamp.co.uk A ferry crossing with P & 0 from Hull to Zeebrugge (car and four passengers), staying in a four-berth cabin, costs from £122 each way. To book, call 08716 646464.