CAMPING AU BOIS JOLI, IN THE HEART OF THE YONNE IN BURGUNDY

The beautiful story of our campsite.

Philippe and Pascale bought Camping Au Bois Joli in September 2022.
They fell in love with it because it was exactly what they were looking for: a family-sized campsite with around 100 pitches, set in bucolic surroundings, in an area with a rich and authentic tourist, cultural and gastronomic heritage.

What’s more, this campsite has a real history, as Mr and Mrs BOER opened it in the 1980s. Mr Claude BOER, originally from ANDRYES, was retraining for a new career and decided to develop one of these plots to create a campsite with pitches and a toilet block. A small reception chalet and a very nice restaurant complete the site (you can sometimes bump into Claude BOER at an event…). To add real value, he added a swimming pool, and the campsite was named “Le Bois Joli”.

As the years went by, Claude BOER decided to take a well-earned retirement.

He sold the campsite in 2004 to Dutch couple Robert and Henriette DE VRIES.

Respectful of the environment, they developed a family campsite that respects nature. They set up accommodation, mobile homes, canvas mobile homes, tents and chalets. They created services and a restaurant. The campsite was awarded a 4-star rating and their investments were rewarded with a number of labels: LPO, Clé Verte, Accueil Vélos. The campsite was renamed Au Bois Joli.

They are part of the Sites et Paysages network, which represents the values of a “Glamping” campsite.

For several years now, Dutch holidaymakers have been looking for quiet family campsites with large pitches.

MME and MR DE VRIES’ family live in the Netherlands, so in 2021 they have decided to put the campsite up for sale to specialist companies, in order to join their family and allow Robert to retire.

But who are Pascale and Philippe CAMONIN, the new owners?

After a busy professional life, it was by chance that they visited the “Au Bois joli” campsite.

We’ll take a few lines to summarise the background of each of them.

Philippe trained as an agricultural mechanic, works for a construction company and is passionate about motor sport (specifically a small buggy called Cross Car).

As he wanted to drive, he created his own vehicle and took to the circuits. At the same time, a friend of his was developing “Trikes” (3-wheeled motorbikes). He left the building trade to work as a service provider on the mechanical side of building Trikes. You can still see these vehicles at the campsite.

This adventure soon came to an end. But this experience motivated Philippe to set up his own company and create his own brand of Cross Car “CAMOTOS”.

This new adventure lasted more than 20 years. He divided his professional life between his workshop, where he built vehicles, and competition circuits in France, Europe and on the Thophée Andros. He won more than 50 manufacturer titles, diversified into autocross and even created two-seater vehicles.

But in the years 2020-2021, after more than 20 years of investment in this discipline, he became tired of travelling and his motivation waned. He was fond of saying “I’ve won almost everything and sometimes under a lot of stress, so I think it’s time to hand over the reins and move on to other projects”.

He sold his business.

And what had Pascale been doing all these years?

She accompanies him on all the circuits, and even drives the vehicles in some years, but she also has a busy professional life.

After her A-levels, Pascale went into the field of entertainment and special education.

Director of holiday centres, trainer, she spent fifteen years as director of cultural social centres. With a desire for new projects, she took up a post as Head of Early Childhood Services in a local authority to set up a multi-care centre, followed by a spell as Director General of Services in a small CODECOM and, with the creation of an agglomeration community, her activity led her to a new post as Director of Economic Development, Tourism and Assistance to Local Authorities.

In 2015, she began to wonder about her future within the local authority and went to university to take a Masters in Business Management/Organisation, which she passed with flying colours.

As the months went by, her desire to be independent and to work with the public and in the field caught up with her. Attracted by the tourism industry, she applied for a number of positions and landed a job as campsite manager for a private owner of several campsites and residential parks.

Motivated in her new role, she plans to take over a campsite as an independent operator in 2021.

Philippe wants to sell his company.

Their professional paths crossed at a time when they were both considering a professional or even personal change.

During this very active period, I made my appearance and introduced myself, Fiona, their daughter. In 2022, I’ll pass my baccalaureate and I’m planning to continue my higher education in a sandwich course at the IUT Commercialisation Technique.

They drew up a set of specifications and looked for a campsite to buy through specialist agencies. Their search criteria were precise: a family campsite in the heart of nature with decent accommodation, around a hundred pitches, a swimming pool, services and a campsite restaurant. After a few fruitless visits, they arrived at Camping Au Bois Joli by chance.

Pascale fell in love with it straight away, while Philippe was more concerned about technical constraints and remained cautious.

Their decision was made, they bought. I came to join them and asked them to give me a work-linked contract at the campsite.

A new family and professional adventure began. We spent part of the 2022 season with the previous owners and in 2023, we began our first season continuing the work we had started.

With our new team, we successfully completed all the audits, renewed our labels and joined the Sites et Paysages network (a member via the previous owners).

Attentive to our brand and our objectives for success, we consulted specialist magazines, attended open-air hotel trade fairs for professionals and met a new network: USHUAIA Villages at the end of 2023.

We quickly identified with their values, and after consultation, study and a fresh look from me, we made a commitment to join this ambitious network from the 2024 season:

Together, we’re going to give new impetus to holidays in France. At Ushuaïa Villages, we want them to be more respectful of the environment… to make it easier for families and friends to spend time together in the heart of nature, and to give our holidaymakers, young and old, a new taste for creativity!

Now that our new adventure is underway, we look forward to meeting you and sharing some unique moments together at the campsite.

Fiona