Nowhere special...

Where are you going?" asked a bright-eyed Nicolas behind the car-rental counter at Lyon Airport.

"Good question," I answered, as I dug out the map of France from my handbag, along with my French phrasebook and dictionary. However, I wasn't sure how far my high-school French was going to get me this weekend.

"Here," I said, after I'd managed to open the map and find the triangle that represented our destination. His eyebrows rose – not a good sign. "In French, we call this 'dans le trou du monde...' "It's not very polite, but..."

I'd lost him at 'du monde' but my travelling companion picked up the French quicker than I did – we had just been told we were heading to the middle of nowhere.

We are from New Zealand – known to many as Middle Earth – and you can't get much further away than that. However, now we were faced with driving on the wrong side of the road as well as having to decipher French road signs – all in the name of a holiday.

Did I really want to be in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in the French countryside? Was this what I'd signed up to when I agreed to take a green weekend break?

It was too late to back out now, so in typical Kiwi fashion, we set off from Lyon with our destination broadly agreed as the middle of nowhere. As navigator, armed with pages of Google Maps, I directed my partner to drive west for three hours, bypassing an industrial metropolis at both Saint Etienne and Clermont Ferrand, before following instructions to take a "slight right after 0.4km, turn left after 0.7km, and turn right after 0.2km".

We went down a French country road with cow paddocks on one side and a field filled with vibrant yellow sunflowers on the other – no road names or villages in sight. As we continued towards the middle of nowhere, stone houses came into view, overflowing flower baskets dazzling with colour hung from windowsills and there in front of us – nearly 200 miles from Lyon Airport – was a field of roulottes – better known in English as gipsy-style caravans. We had arrived.

"Bonjour" roared the voice of our host from behind his desk. A tall Frenchman with a twinkle in his eye, handed over the key, linen for our bed and two pages of instructions. His English was much better than our French but we needed stick-figure drawings to communicate.

"Jehanne," he said, pointing to a rough sketch of the paddock, "is blue." Jehanne was nestled next to Isabeau and just down the path from Guinevere – all of which were beautifully painted, wooden gipsy wagons. Jehanne was beautifully presented inside and out, and her wooden walls and floors gave us an "up close and personal with nature" feeling.

Better equipped than our London flat, Jehanne offered impressive cooking facilities (compact stove top, microwave, toaster, kettle, pots and pans, fridge/freezer), five-star hotel bathroom facilities and even a flush toilet – almost unheard of in the camping world. Shuttered windows and portholes opened out to the greenery beyond – providing country surroundings in which to bask in glorious sunshine.

Deep in the middle of nowhere, it was peaceful, tranquil and idyllic. Although roulottes are equipped with bedding, washing and cooking facilities, you still need to be prepared. Our nearest village was nine miles away, squashing any romantic dreams I had of walking down the country lane to buy warm croissants for breakfast. Perhaps an entrepreneurial local will start biking around in the mornings with a basket filled with French pastries, but until that happens, stock up.

Besides a plentiful supply of breakfast cereals, bread and milk, you'll need some entertainment – particularly for the children. The complex has a children's playground complete with flying fox, petanque court, table tennis and swimming pool.

There are walks to explore and a stream nearby for a spot of fishing, but some board games, craft books and a football or Frisbee to throw around is needed.

For a day out, there is the eco-friendly Vulcania theme park in the Parc Naturel Regional des Volcans d'Auvergne (Regional Nature Park of the Volcanoes of Auvergne). Within 10 miles of Clermont-Ferrand, L'Aventure De La Terre offers interactive educational rides and activities such as the Grand Geyser, Planet Observer, the Magical Odyssey and the Earth's Rage.

As a young couple, free of responsibility, we left Blackberries and laptops at home and took only books and newspapers to read between lie-ins and afternoon naps. With a hire car for the weekend, we explored the town of Montlucon on the banks of the River Cher with its 14th-century Notre Dame church and castle. In Moulins – on the banks of the Allier River – picturesque views of the town's cathedral are offered. Saint-Pourcain-sur-Sioule, with its selection of boulangeries and patisseries, was also lovely.

Further afield, within day-trip distance, was the Val de Sioule with its deep gorges, rolling hills, medieval villages and array of spectacular hillside castles, not to mention gastronomic delights.

Our days were spent relaxing, sipping French wine, gorging smelly cheese and sampling the bohemian lifestyle.

Will I ever return to a true camping holiday? For now, I'm definitely a convert for camping without canvas.

Camping with a difference

Anne Graham was a guest of Canvas Holidays, which offers seven nights' self-catering from June 1 in a roulotte de campagne (sleeping five) from 465, including midweek Dover-Calais ferry crossings for car and passengers. Peak-season prices in August start at 932. There's a deduction of 50 from the package price of those who book accommodation-only breaks. Budget flights arranged from regional airports. The caravans are in Correze, in the Limousin; Vienne, in Poitou-Charentes; Gers, in the Midi Pyrenees, and Allier, in Auvergne. Canvas Holidays: 0845 268 0827 and www.canvasholidays.co.uk

YP MAG 15/5/10