Book / Check availability
  • 2+ years plus
  • Fun family activities together
  • Simple family accommodation,
  • Full board

Château family activity holiday

Stay in the grounds of your very own magical Château! Set in Château de la Baudonnière's 100-acre estate in Normandy France, this fun-packed activity holiday is suitable for families of all ages.

You won't need to put your hand in your pocket during your stay because all activities, excursions and meals are included, with beer, wine and our own cider served with dinner and into the evening. Just get yourself to Normandy, then relax knowing that the whole week is organised for you.

There's activities for the whole family to enjoy together, such as our tough-mudder assault course, 'It’s a Knockout’ competition and a guided walk across Mont Saint-Michel bay with a unique quick-sand experience. For parents who don’t want to miss the fun, there’s also a great choice of adult-only activities such as orienteering and rifle shooting.

And if that isn’t enough, in the evening, join us at the family quiz night and test your general knowledge, dress up as a superhero at our fancy dress party or make some shapes at the family disco.

Experience-seekers required for a family adventure at Château de la Baudonnière, Normandy

The château is located in Les Chambres, in an undiscovered area of Lower Normandy, about 8 miles north of the cathedral city of Avranches.

We welcome just 25 families to Château de la Baudonnière in any given adventure week meaning families really get to know one another. In the evening you can relax with new found friends over a French meal and a glass of our homebrewed Normandy cider, produced in the château's traditional cider press from apples grown in our orchard.

We offer a fun-packed week of supervised activities, most of which take place within the château's beautiful estate so you can fully relax. The château is set in 100 acres of lawns, woodland, river meadows and lake, which form a natural backdrop for our adventure facilities, assault course, archery range, climbing wall, sports courts and mini-farm. We have table tennis, sports pitches and a homeball court to keep the family fully occupied.  

See the Activities tab for more detail of what's on offer at our Family Adventure Holiday in Château de la Baudonnière and watch our short video for a flavour of what is on offer

The essence of this adventure week – natural beauty  and unique experiences for inquiring minds of all ages to enjoy!

 

During term-time, Château de la Baudonnière is a French language school, and we are able to offer this fantastic family holiday at a great price because of the basic accommodation—still, we guarantee that no compromise is made on the cleanliness.

The majority of the rooms at the château are bunk bed only. All family rooms are equipped with private bathrooms. A limited number of rooms with double beds and interconnecting rooms are available, so enquire early for the best chance of securing one for your stay.

Complimentary tea, coffee and water can be found in many of the communal areas. Linen is provided, but guests are asked to bring their own towels.


Chateau family room with double

Château

All family rooms have private shower/toilet facilities. The bedrooms themselves are basic and are made up of bunk beds and storage spaces for clothing. Some of our rooms contain double beds, please ask at the time of booking to check availability. Families either stay together in large family rooms or can pay a little extra to have two rooms.

Tea & coffee facilities can be found in many of the communal areas.

A fun-packed 6 day activity programme for the whole family

Our family programme has been tried and tested to maximise enjoyment and it offers something for every age group, from toddlers to teenagers and parents to grandparents. All activities are fully supervised with trained English-speaking instructors to create a memorable week of new experiences. All activities, admission to excursions, equipment and tuition with qualified instructors is included in the price of the holiday.

Younger children have their own specially designed programme including mini-farm and French breadmaking, as well as plenty of games and creative missions. Parental supervision is required for very young children to participate — get in touch for more details.

Older children have their own age-specific adventure programme which includes activities such as climbing, archery, kayaking, t-shirt making and aeroball. 

We've also designed activities for the whole family to enjoy together, such as our tough-mudder course, 'It's a Knockout' competition and local visits to beautiful Mont Saint-Michel with a guided walk across the bay and unique quicksand experience.

For parents who don't want to miss the fun, there's also a great choice of adult-only activities such as rifle shooting. 

And if that isn't enough, in the evening, test your general knowledge at family quiz night, dress up as a superhero at our fancy dress party or make some shapes at the family disco.

Children aged 7+ can also join French Club to improve their language skills (additional charge).

Note that some excursions require your own transport.

Click on the activity descriptions below to see some of our family favourites.

Mums kayaking at the chateau
Canoeing
Raft building at the chateau
Raft building
Breadmaking mother and daughter
Bread making
Climbing wall young girl
Climbing
family adventure Assault Course
Assault course
family adventure Orienteering
Orienteering
family adventure mini farm
Mini-farm
family adventure Aeroball
Aeroball
family adventure Treasure Hunt
Treasure hunt
zoo
Conservation at Champrépus Zoological Park
French club image
French Club
Guided bay expedition and quicksand experience
Guided bay expedition and quicksand experience
Archery at La Grand Ferme
Archery
Mums kayaking at the chateau

Canoeing

Fun-filled canoeing sessions take place on our beautiful on-site lake. Whether you're a seasoned pro or this is your first time canoeing, the forested lake is a safe and idyllic setting for this holiday highlight. Children should be confident in water, but do not need to be skilled swimmers to get involved.

Raft building at the chateau

Raft building

Put your wits—and your teamwork—to the test in this competitive challenge! You'll find out who the natural leader is in your group in no time as you work together to design and build your very own raft. Which team will build their raft the fastest, and more importantly who will stay afloat and who will sink?

Breadmaking mother and daughter

Bread making

Learn French songs and sing along while mixing, kneading and baking your prized le pain. Experience tells us it's not only the children who get covered in flour during this activity...

Climbing wall young girl

Climbing

On our own purpose-built climbing wall, you will take it in turns to climb whilst those not climbing will encourage and coach alongside our qualified instructors. The easy part of abseiling comes after you have reached the top of the tower! All ages enjoy this session and after you’ll feel a great sense of achievement. Harnesses, helmets and other necessary safety equipment are supplied by the château.

family adventure Assault Course

Assault course

The obstacle course is quickly becoming the Château’s most popular activity. In true military style you will crawl through tunnels, under nets, climb over obstacles all set beside our trickling river in beautiful forest land.

family adventure Orienteering

Orienteering

You will be taught map reading skills using orienteering games and courses in the Château grounds. Orienteering is an excellent motivational and recreational activity, which increases love of the outdoors and promotes environmental awareness.

family adventure mini farm

Mini-farm

Within the beautiful Château grounds you'll find our wonderful mini-farm which attracts young and old alike. During this session children will be able to pet and feed our pot bellied pigs, rabbits, cockerels, chickens, horse and lama. Wandering wild within the grounds you will also see rabbits and a couple of peacocks. If you visit the veranda you'll meet our resident parrot, ‘Jam’ with whom the children love to chat with!

family adventure Aeroball

Aeroball

Aeroball is another of our very popular activities, among adults and children alike – it is a totally unique trampoline-basketball-volleyball game, suitable for all ages. It is played by two teams of two, who are guided by their team members.

family adventure Treasure Hunt

Treasure hunt

Enjoyed by our Swans & Herons children’s groups and accompanied by our animateurs, the children will venture around the Château grounds, looking for clues to find the hidden treasure. Last year our animateurs were dressed in the rather appropriate theme of pirates, which the children loved.

zoo

Conservation at Champrépus Zoological Park

One of the best zoos in France is located only 5 miles approximately 15 minutes drive from the Château. The zoo is committed to conservation and is part of the European breeding program for endangered species. It has a diverse range of wild & farm animals along with a botanical garden and a delightful café. There is a covered playground with an adventure trail for children between 18 months and 3 years old and the penguins’ ball pool for 4 to 6-year-olds. There is something here to suit all ages.

French club image

French Club

Children 8 and over can join French Club, which consists of 8 x 45-minute interactive French language sessions and activities across the week. The lessons are taught by our native-speaking animateurs who gently encourage children participating to use French during their stay. There is an additional cost of £60 per child.

Guided bay expedition and quicksand experience

Guided bay expedition and quicksand experience

Gear up for an unforgettable guided barefoot trek across the stunning bay that surrounds Mont Saint-Michel. Woody, our local expert, will show you and your family how to sink (and escape!) from the quicksand in the bay.

Archery at La Grand Ferme

Archery

After the obligatory safety talk, families will learn how to shoot arrows in our purpose built archery arena. The session is finished off with a balloon shooting competition. Our qualified staff will teach you how to perfect your target skills and ensure your children will become little robin hoods.

The Château is set in beautiful wooded grounds near a small village called Les Chambres (named because it was a place for pilgrims to overnight en route to nearby Mont Saint-Michel).

Château de la Baudonnière is situated in Lower Normandy at the base of the Cherbourg peninsula about 12 km north of the Cathedral city of Avranches. Find us at Château de la Baudonnière, Les Chambres 50320, La Haye-Pesnel, Normandie, France.

Most of our families opt to self-drive via a ferry channel crossing or via Eurotunnel. You will need your own transport for some of the off-site activities.

Read our article on the top 5 cross-Channel options for your holiday.

  • Brittany Ferries - Portsmouth to Caen and Cherbourg: These crossings offer the fastest transfer times as Château de la Baudonnière is between an hour and 1.5 hours from the ferry ports of Caen and Cherbourg.
  • Eurotunnel - offers the fastest channel crossing but a longer drive as Château de la Baudonnière is a 4.5-hour drive from Calais.
  • P&O Ferries - Dover - Calais: offers great value crossings for driving to Normandy. Château de la Baudonnière is a 4.5-hour drive from Calais.

Price includes all accommodation, activities and meals

2024 prices & availability for family adventure holidays at Château de la Baudonnière

Holiday weeks commencing:

3 August / 10 August / 17 August 2024

Adult
(16+ yrs)

Child
(6-15 yrs)

Child
(3-5 yrs)

 

Family Bunk Bed Room

 £599

£499

£249

 

 

Room upgrades

Family Room with Double Bed

Total family price + £200

Family Duo (2 rooms close to each other—one with double bed)

Total family price + £300

Family interconnecting rooms (one with double bed)

Total family price + £350

This is a self-drive holiday and travel is not included in the price. Read our article on the top 5 cross-Channel options for your holiday.

Perfect for solo parents and extended families!

We know that not every family consists of two adults and two children, which is why you only pay for each adult and each child in your group on our full-board activity holidays. So if you are a parent travelling solo with children, or you have a large family, or you want to bring cousins and grandparents, you are very welcome at Château de la Baudonnière! 

How to book

Secure your holiday with just a £50 deposit per person and pay nothing until 12 weeks before you travel.

  • Seven nights accommodation in family rooms 
  • Six fantastic days of activities to suit all ages
  • All equipment and tuition with qualified instructors
  • All meals plus tea, coffee and squash provided throughout the day
  • A civilised amount of wine, beer and our own cider served with dinner and into the evening
  • Guided walk across the Mont Saint-Michel bay with a quick-sand experience
  • Visit to the local conservation zoo
  • Evening entertainment for the whole family
Optional extras
  • Seafood extravaganza evening. Sample the fruits de mer including langoustines, oysters, lobster & snails. Book upon arrival.
  • French lessons for children 8 years+. 8 x 45 minute sessions plus end of week French mission. £60 per child.
Extras to budget for

Self-drive travel to Normandy and some excursions, plus channel crossing and tolls.

Château de la Baudonnière - Holiday gallery

From

£549 pp
Per person price for full board & activities for family of 4 
Lisa sidebar widget

Book / Check availability

Leave a few details for our founder Lisa to start planning your family adventure!

Enquire now
Scroll up
Search the website