Within in the shadow of ancient standing stones in Brittany, Mike Laycock and family went camping, chuting and riding

THOUSANDS stood in strange and mysterious lines. Huge stones on end, positioned there thousands of years ago in what must have been a monumental task for the people of an ancient civilisation. And they were just across the road from our campsite on the outskirts of Carnac in north-western France. For the adults in our party, they were a historical highlight of the holiday.

But modern-day swimming pool chutes and ponies captured the imagination and attention of the youngsters.

My daughter Gabrielle adores horses and she was overjoyed when she heard beforehand that among the wide range of facilities on our large campsite, Le Grande Metairie, was a group of ponies available to hire by the half-hour at 50 francs a time (about £5).

She had two rides on Tony and Daffi, gorgeous Shetland ponies with fringes hanging over their eyes. You can lead the ponies anywhere you want on the extensive campsite - correction, anywhere the ponies want to go! Our stubborn beasts just kept wanting to stop to eat the grass.

My son Matthew and his friend and neighbour Josh love water-chutes and slides, and they were equally delighted by the new fun pool which has only recently been constructed at Le Grande Metairie and which includes some very fast slides, a bendy chute and a "lazy river". It kept the pair occupied for hours.

There was also a heated pool complex, which included a new indoor pool and jacuzzi.

The campsite had numerous other facilities, including crazy golf, children's playgrounds, a fishing lake and a small animal farm, not to mention a restaurant, take-away, supermarket and bar.

My family and our friend and neighbour Sarah and her son Josh had gone for a week's holiday in France courtesy of Eurosites.

We were staying in a 'Monet' mobile home, providing comfortable accommodation for up to seven people, with a few extras I had never come across before on such camping holidays - a CD player, a hair-drier and even a gas barbecue (although this wasn't working and a traditional charcoal one was provided instead.)

On our way down to Brittany, we had spent a night in a Eurosites tent at a site on the Normandy coast to break the long drive from Calais. Again, this had comfortable beds and was well equipped, but it's hard getting up in a tent on a chilly late August morning and on the whole, the soft option of a mobile home was preferable.

Down at Carnac, we paid a couple of visits to the wide open beach, situated just a couple of miles from the site, and also drove into nearby Vannes, an historic walled city with an enormous street market which rivalled the renowned market of Carnac itself.

The holiday ended unforgettably, particularly for the males in the party, with that incredible night when England beat Germany 5-1 in the World Cup qualifier. We watched the game on a big screen in the table tennis hall with about 250 other English campers - and one German. He might have gone unnoticed had Germany not scored first, causing him to whoop with joy. Of course, every time England scored, the poor guy could only grin weakly as he became the butt of some fairly good-humoured ribbing, culminating in the chorus, "You're not singing any more!"

I would certainly sing the praises of a camping holiday at Carnac with Eurosites.

Fact file:

How we got there

We travelled across the Channel faster than we have ever done before: it took just 45 minutes to get from Dover to Calais on one of Hoverspeed's gleaming new Superseacats. This crossing is fully included in the Eurosites bill when you travel midweek. It's a small craft compared to the huge ferries, but with all the basic facilities you need. Choppy waters were certainly noticeable but the crossing was so quick it hardly mattered.

How we broke the journey

It was almost 700 miles from York to Carnac - much too far to manage in one drive. On the way down, we stayed in a Eurosites tent. But on the way back, we enjoyed the comfort and calm of an IBIS hotel at Boulogne, 25 miles down the coast from Calais. These hotels, costing about £40 for an en suite room for a night, are an ideal way to break a long journey through France, and Boulogne was a good place to stop. The riverside hotel was close to the historic and attractive city centre and we wandered into town for a meal at a pavement cafe to stretch our legs after the tiring journey.

To book Eurosites: Tel 0870 7510000

IBIS: To book, call 0208 2834550

Hoverspeed: To book, call 0870 5240241

Updated: 09:05 Saturday, January 19, 2002