Parc résidentiel de loisirs "Les Routelles"
87 hectare naturist residential park in Provençal Drôme, at 900 m altitude. Chalets, mobile homes, marked trails and a stream at the heart of the estate.
- 87 hectares in Provençal Drôme
- Altitude of 900 meters
- La Méouge stream on the estate
- Stable naturist community
- Marked trails through nature
- Address
- Chemin de Pâle 2355
26560 Séderon, Drôme - Phone
- +33 (0)7 85 16 05 74
- Website
- lesroutelles.fr
A campsite turned village
Les Routelles used to run like a classic naturist campsite, before turning into a residential leisure park. In practical terms, this means people no longer come for a week's holiday but rather to settle in for the long haul: the estate sells chalets to be built or shares in an SCI, and also welcomes mobile homes, mobile chalets, caravans and campervans on plots connected to water, electricity and sewage.
This change of status explains a good part of the place's atmosphere, we'll come back to that.
A setting at 900 meters of altitude
The estate spreads over 87 hectares perched at 900 meters, between Sisteron and Mont Ventoux, in that part of Provençal Drôme where the hills are still covered in forests. The Méouge, a stream, runs through the grounds and gives the place a bucolic side that's fairly rare for a naturist site.
Marked trails let you wander naked through this mountainous, green environment, far from noise and busy roads. The site's isolation, often mentioned by those who live there, is also what gives it its value.
A community more than a stopover
Unlike an ordinary naturist campsite, Les Routelles now works as a place of residence. The clientele is stable, made up of regular naturists who come back season after season or who own their chalet on site.
Over time, this stability has created a genuine naturist community, something several regulars point to. There's less of the festive vibe of a holiday campsite, and more of a neighborly bond between people who share the same way of life.
What changed with the conversion
The downside of this shift, noted by some visitors, is the gradual disappearance of the organized recreational activities that existed back in the traditional campsite days. The place has refocused on housing and accommodation rather than entertainment.
That fits a specific way of life: for anyone looking above all for peace and quiet, nature and an established naturist community, Les Routelles has plenty to offer. For anyone after a lively campsite with a full activity program, this place will suit less well.
Source: OpenStreetMap and its contributors (ODbL licence). See on OpenStreetMap.