WESTERN EUROPE - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 48

E 5 for adults and E 2 for children. For more info
see W www.kufstein.net; T [phone].
For prices and reservations at Ferienwohnung
Steinbacher T [phone].

Need to know Take the train from Toulouse to
Auterive (27min), from where it's 15km to the gîte.
For prices and reservations see W www.chaumarty.
com (French only); T [phone].

063 chaumarty, the French
pyrenees
Dragonflies hover overhead as the sun-warmed
water laps against the pool's plant-lined rim.
Beyond the rolling green hills, mountain
peaks shimmer in the heat of the day. Here
at Chaumarty, a three-room eco-gîte south of
Toulouse in the approach to the Pyrenees, the
bassin de baignade (natural pool) is exquisite:
irises and papyrus surround it, plus there's a
diving board and a smaller pool for children.
Adjacent to the pools is a large terrace where
you can admire the mountain panorama.
Organic vegetables come from the kitchen
garden, solar panels heat the water, and all
the waste is separated, reduced and recycled
religiously. Au naturelle.

064 le camp, France
Well what else would you call it? It is a campsite,
after all, though expect more than just sleeping
bags and roll mats. Hand-made beds, solar
lighting and lazy chairs all come as part of the
package at this luxury, five-yurt camp in oak
woodland overlooking the green Aveyron Valley,
about an hour northeast of Toulouse. Pride of
place, though, is the 20m-long natural swimming
pool, with a gently sloping beach that's a perfect
distraction for kids - once they've grown tired of
playing in the big sand pit, helping to feed the
chickens and patting the resident pig.

Need to know Take the train from Toulouse
to Lexos, where the owners can collect (by
arrangement). W www.lecamp.co.uk; T +33 (0)
563 654 834.

Making a splash at Le Camp