From high culture to high trampolining, a Eurocamp holiday in Brittany provided something for everyone in MIKE LAYCOCK'S family

MY DAUGHTER beamed as she rode through the narrow and picturesque streets of historic Quimper on the back of a rather scruffy but suitably placid Shetland Pony. The ride cost 20 francs and was worth every centime as far as Gabrielle was concerned.

Ten minutes later, I was equally as excited as we visited the city's art gallery and saw an exhibition of paintings of Brittany by Impressionists including Renoir, Monet and Gaugin.

We were on holiday in Southern Brittany, staying for a week in a Eurocamp caravan at the Raguennes Plage site near Concarneau in Brittany. And our visit to Quimper, with its pony ride and art gallery, was typical of the whole week: this was a holiday which everyone, young and old, could enjoy.

On our way down to Brittany from Le Havre, we had taken a short detour to call in at Bayeux, to see the town's tapestry depicting the Battle of Hastings. This was a history lesson in itself for our son, who has since had a head-start when studying the battle during school history lessons.

Brittany is a treasure trove of historic and attractive towns waiting to be explored, not least the old walled city of Concarneau, situated on a rocky island in the bay and packed with craft shops, bars and creperies. We also drove to Carnac to see the 3,000-year-old Standing Stones and enjoyed a visit to Pont Aven, an art-lover's paradise where Gaugin came to paint in the 1880s and where there are now dozens of artists' studios and galleries to visit.

We stayed in a luxuriously furnished mobile home, with its own shower and bathroom with instant hot water, roomy eating area, comfy sofas, a separate bedroom with bunks for the children and a kitchen area with plenty of space to cook.

The child-friendly site was just a five-minute walk across a cornfield from a beach, although with variable weather we tended to use the site's own heated pool. The outdoor tennis tables became the venue for a daily match against my son and a selection of play areas across the site required the same daily visit with my daughter. But the highlight for both children, which they probably remember better than anything else from the holiday, was bouncing at every opportunity on the campsite trampoline. This, as far as they were concerned, was the High Life.

GOING BY BOAT

If you're travelling down to Brittany, my advice is simple: forget the Channel Tunnel and take the ferry across the Channel instead from Portsmouth. It's easier to get to than Kent, avoiding the horrible M25, and you've got a shorter journey across France when you reach the other side. We made an overnight crossing to Le Havre on

P & O's very large and modern ship The Pride of Portsmouth. Portsmouth is a great port to sail from on an evening, with excellent views from the deck of the naval ships and dockyards.

The ferry had restaurants, bars, a big shop, cinema, and there was even a small swimming pool on one of the lower decks.

We had a good night's sleep in a comfortable four-berth cabin with a window view, and its own shower in which to freshen up when woken at 6am the next day. A great start to the holiday.

Fact file

Accommodation ****

Food ***

Value ***

Things to do ****

For further information: call Eurocamp, on 01606 787878. Special rates for ferry crossing available by booking as part of Eurocamp package. A fortnight in mobile home at Raguennes-Plage, including a crossing from Portsmouth to Le Havre, can cost as little as £700 off-season, eg September, rising to £1,600 for peak period (late July, early August). Tents cost considerably less.

PICTURE:The old walled city of Concarneau in Brittany