During the summer vacations we were in the Belgian Ardennes for the first time with the family. This region had been high on our list for a while because of the many fun outdoor activities you can do here with the family. During our stay in the Belgian Ardennes we stayed at the Dutch campsite Domaine Du Bocq. A super child friendly campsite, where you can undertake many activities. Following our visit to the campsite, we write this extensive review!
The campsite
So on Friday evening, after dinner, we drive in the direction of the Belgian Ardennes. We live in the vicinity of Tilburg and can get to the campsite in two hours. We are in a completely different world and it takes us only two hours to get there! Absolutely great! After checking in at the reception desk, we drive up to the campsite to find the Glamping Tent we have booked for the next few days.
What strikes us immediately when we drive onto the campsite is that it is very child friendly. At the reception there is a playground, including a sandbox, a table tennis table and there is a soccer field. Further on at the campsite there is also a whole climbing course for children, where they can climb to their heart's content. There is also a river near the campsite where it is possible to play and cool off. We do that regularly during these days as it is quite hot.
Glamping Tent
We rented a Glamping Tent at the campsite for a long weekend and we have to be honest that it was the first time we slept in such a tent. Nevertheless, we enjoyed it extremely well! In the tent there are two bedrooms with beds (a double bed and a bunk bed), so our daughter and we both had a separate sleeping area. In addition, the tent also has a dining area and a kitchen.
In front of the tent there was a picnic table under the awning and a free area with a fire pit. We could park our car next to the tent and across from us was a nice family with three girls of the same age, with whom Sophie and we had a nice contact. That was great! At first we thought a tent would be very warm at night, but because it cools down quite a bit in the Ardennes, we slept very well in the tent and it was not warm at all.
The sanitary building was a two-minute walk from the tent, so we had everything close at hand. By the way, it is also possible at the campsite to come by yourself with your tent or caravan. There are quite a few beautiful spots along the river where you can camp. Very nice with children.
We loved it in the evening when Sophie was asleep, to have a drink in front of our tent with the atmospheric lights on and a lovely crackling fire from the brazier.
Activities Rocks 'n Rivers
The campsite was taken over not so long ago by the owners of Rocks 'N Rivers who already organized all kinds of activities from the campsite. They still do so, which we found to be a great added value of the campsite. The activities they organize are really activities you would expect in the Belgian Ardennes. We participated in several activities on the camping site.
Crate stacking
The first day we were at the campsite we did the crate stacking activity. This was organized on the campsite itself and we could sign up for it at the campsite reception. The principle is simple. You try to make a stack of crates as high as possible, climbing a little higher each time.
Of course, the children are attached to a rope and therefore cannot fall. In this respect, the instructors are very friendly and enthusiastic and of course they check carefully beforehand whether the children are completely secured. What we also really liked about this activity is that it is a collaboration between parent and child. At some point the pile of crates is so big that you have to start throwing the crates and the child has to catch the crates. That does make the whole thing spectacular.
We spent a total of one hour doing this activity at the campsite. The activity was done with a few more children and parents, which is also nice to meet other children and parents right away.
Climbing, Via Ferrata and Abseiling
On day two, we went to a rock wall fifteen minutes' drive from the campground. We were with a group of fifteen people (most of them families with children) and we were going to do no less than three activities here. First we were going to climb up a rock face, then we were going to follow a course of steel cables along the rock face to the top (Via Ferratta) and finally we were going to abseil down.
We started with the climbing activity and that was already fun. You notice right away that the children can often climb even higher than the parents. They are a lot lighter and have less fear. In this respect we see our daughter climbing higher and higher up the rock face until she reaches the top of the rope. Very clever!
There are three ropes hanging along each other, so you can climb on the rock in three places and they are all slightly different as well. In that respect, it is therefore fun to do them all.
After climbing for an hour, we walk a short route through the forest, taking a route along the rock face via a course of steel cables. Very spectacular because we are at a fair number of meters above the abyss. Sophie was very well assisted in this by the friendly instructors who were with us. In total there were three instructors for fifteen people, which was very pleasant.
After we had done the whole route, we moved on to the last part and that was the abseiling. Also quite spectacular to descend dozens of meters down the rock face. We were also very proud that our daughter did all the activities so easily! In total we have been busy with the activities for about three and a half hours. Very fun to do!
Archery
On day three, we go archery at the campground. Again we are with a group of children of different ages. First they explain to the children how to use the bow and then they take turns shooting. In the beginning our daughter finds it quite difficult to handle the bow, but after a few times of practice, she shoots a few arrows at the canvas!
The children have a competition among themselves to see who can get the most points. In the end we spend about an hour archery at the campsite! The advantage is that this is also on the campsite and so we are from the tent to the activity.
Other Activities
Rocks 'N Rivers still organizes a number of activities that we ourselves did not undertake. This is because in the days that we were there the activities were not offered or our daughter was still too small for it. For example, you can ride a big scooter down a mountain (this seemed very cool to us, but unfortunately it was only from the age of eight), they have camping survival and it is possible to do a climbing course on the campsite. In short, from Rocks 'N Rivers alone there are enough activities to undertake during your vacation in the Ardennes.
Food and drink
Also in terms of food and drink, there are plenty of options at the campground. At the reception of the campsite you can order bread rolls for the next day. Here you have several options and you can pick them up in the morning. We got fresh baguettes here every morning and we had brought several fillings from home. On the first day we also went to the bakery ten minutes from the campsite and got some delicious things.
At the campsite there is also a restaurant with a terrace where you can eat different dishes. We have also eaten fries with a snack. It is on the terrace of the campsite anyway a nice crowd of people who come in the evening to drink on the terrace! The rest of the evenings we ate on a terrace in the various towns around the campsite.
Conclusion
We had a great time at Domaine Du Bocq in the Belgian Ardennes. It is a very child-friendly camping site, with plenty to do for children and our daughter had a great time with the other children on the camping site! In addition, it is really an added value that there are Rocks 'N Rivers All kinds of activities are organized at the campsite, which you can sign up for.
In addition, the tent in which we slept was absolutely top notch and we have slept wonderfully in this tent. In that respect you really get away from it all and it's less than a two-hour drive from where we live! So in that respect we can really recommend it if you want to visit the Belgian Ardennes with your family.
Blog written by Reiskoe.nl : click here for the original blog.