Le Château de Leychoisier

We stayed here as a stop over site in our motorhome on route from Spain as a family of 4. The site was booked via the Caravan and Motorhome club at over £55 per night. It was disappointing to see this site be so run down site from what was once clearly a 5 star castles endorsed location. The access from the local town is good and when you turn in from the main road it’s like stepping back in time…. ( not sure I liked it) The toilet block is tidy but like something from 1964. The pitches are a good size and located under big trees so expect lots of tree sap and mud splashes if it rains. The bar and restaurant area is all closed off and so this is simply just a pitch and go site. I simply cannot see how this site is 4 star site and for me would be 2 star or 3 star at best.. (need to put more stickers over those stars as used to be 5 star). The staff were friendly and happy to help but the site really needs some major investment to make it a workable 4 star location. Very disappointed that the Caravan club list this as a registered 4 star location as I would not recommend it unless you paid a 2 star price. The biggest of my concerns was being advised the 6ft wrought iron gates coming into the site would be locked at 8pm and not opened again until 8:30am the next day. I looked for a pedestrian access point but could not find one. Well I have never had the pleasure of being locked up….. but guess I know what that feels like…. also not sure how what this is needed 🤔. In summary if you are looking for a stop and go site in the shade under trees paying 4 star money for a 2 star sites it’s your perfect location

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Only use this site as a stopover if desperate! Gates are locked at 7 in the evening until 9am. There is no restaurant or bar. The pool has limited opening times. The pitches are soggy as the trees haven’t been cut back so no sunlight cant filter through. The serviced pitches arent, simply blocks of taps and waste and not all are turned on so check before you pitch up. No English spoken. Probably good years ago but certainly not now. I thought Castels sites were supposed to be a good standard.

Comment from the Club

Thank you for your review and your comments. This site (with its basic facilities) has a wonderful setting, and is great for a short stopover. The restaurant and bar are not open for the 2024 season. The pitches are large and grassy located under mature trees, great when it's hot but can get a little muddy in bad weather. The hook up and water points are a little old fashioned, as are the sanitary facilities, but these are kept clean.

As we say in our description this site is an overnight destination with limited facilities but a charming location and we are sorry that you did not enjoy your stay.

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Although set in beautiful chateau surroundings this is actually an appalling site.Just "NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE". Dark sloping pitches which are unusable when it rains. Seriously, how can you be a campsite that is unusable when it rains???? Only booked as a one night stopover but as it was raining we had to pitch on the road or risk getting bogged in as several earlier visiters clearly had. Electric hook up is a mile away and like the water connection was filthy, overgrown and barely above ground level. Facilities are ok (at least there was hot water) but dated. Be aware, the toilets are usable providing you stand or have no legs! I have never not been able to shut the toilet door when sat down before and I am only 5' 11" It was so bad that we decided to move to a nearby motorway Aire but by the time we came.to our senses and made this decision we realised that the site gates had been shut and "padlocked", the site owners had gone (post edited), we could not get out and there was no phone number to contact said site owners? Being "locked in" like a prison is bloody unacceptable.... What would anyone do if they had a medical emergency?? I stand by my conclusion that this is NOT "fit for purpose" and I do not think the club should be recommending this to its members!

Comment from the Club

Thank you for your review and your comments. We take the health and safety of our members very seriously and we have been reassured by the campsite that the number of the owner is written on a blackboard outside reception and also inside along with the local emergency services numbers. The owner lives at the Chateau on site and can be contacted by phone or by ringing the bell at the door in case of an emergency.

The weather has been awful in France during June and July and the pitches were very waterlogged onsite for which the owner apologises.

The restaurant and bar are not open for the 2024 season.

As we say in our description this site is an overnight destination with limited facilities but a charming location and we are sorry that you did not enjoy your stay.

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Firstly, let me say I can understand some of the negative reviews for this site. I take a different view. We have been using this site every year for the past 5 years (excepts covid years) and it always lives up to our expectations. We use it as a stopover for 2 0r 3 nights on our way to the Dordogne and as it is close to the A20 autoroute it is ideally placed if you want a site near Limoges. The Chateau is beutiful and the pitches are in a wooded area on a gentle slope. Yes the water and electric points can be a challenge but we have never had a problem in early July. You may need 2 hook up leads for e lectric and fill your aquaroll using the side inlet or hose but its all easily doable. If this is an issue walk around the site and select a pitch near the hook up points. The owner is always friendly to us and even moves his car off the pitch he knows we like. The bar closes at 7am but the restaurant was open during our visit and served good food. You can sit in the garden or inside if wet and chat to fellow campers on adjacent tables. The restaurant also serves drinls only when the bar is closed. The toilet block is old and cramped but clean and functional .Yes it may not suit everyone but we love it for a short stopover.

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We stayed here for 2 nights late June 2022. There was no greeting, or welcome just a grumpy Monsieur at reception desk! We were looking forward to a drink in the bar and meal in the restaurant after a long journey but was curtly told that both bar and restaurant were closed…why ? I enquired…and grumpily told not enough customers on site!…. There seemed to be quite a few caravans and mobile homes to me! No shop and pool also closed… really disappointing for late June but as it had been raining understand pool closure. The pitches were awful….. sloping several ways and very very muddy…. Difficult to access as mature trees on either edges and narrow access lanes. Due to rain all were super muddy….motor movers wouldn’t work due to wet muddy wheels so had to try and push/pull caravan manually … and car got stuck in mud. In fact the trees on site are so thick and dense I doubt the pitches ever dry out….. The taps were in a concrete block of 6 , so low you couldn’t even put watering can under to fill…ridiculous! Dreadful shower block and toilet block, not fit for purpose. Would have left after first night had our next site been able to accommodate us early but had to endure a second night. Don’t visit! I can’t believe this is a Castels site…we have been visiting Castels sites for 25 years plus and no way does this site live up to the Castels good name. Really disappointed!

Comment from the Club:

Many thanks for taking the time to leave a review and we are sorry that you were disappointed with your stay. Our contractor has been in touch to advise Leychoisier campsite is set in the grounds of a magnificent medieval chateau. It is a fabulous setting for a one or two night stay as you can walk around the beautiful grounds and see the deer in their enclosure.The pitches are large and grassy located under mature trees, great when it's hot but can get a little muddy in bad weather. The hook up and water points are a little old fashioned, as are the sanitary facilities, but these are kept clean. The restaurant is in the same traditional stone buildings as the sanitary facilities at the front of the site by reception and bar, next to the small swimming pool. They last visited this campsite in May 2023 and feel that this site (with its basic facilities) has a wonderful setting, and is great for a short stopover (please note - not all are available in low season).

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Firstly I would like to praise the beautiful surroundings of the chateau absolutely stunning… However, Secondly after just returning from the Chateau h ow disappointed I was especially with the toilet facilities. Why would you have the chemical waste disposal within the same room as the male and female toilets totally unacceptable the smell as you could imagine was horrid. The toilet and shower facilities where not hygienic or clean and are totally unacceptable especially in covid times. Understand that the block cannot be updated or upgraded but this must be highlighted when advertising the chateau especially if you are a young family. The restaurant is also situated next door to the toilet block!

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We (my wife and I) had been looking forward to this holiday for so long. We approached the site along a narrow single track drive up to a small reception area opposite the toilet block and were greeted by we now now as a helpful English lady and we now know as the Château and site owner, we were told where our pitch was. We paid for a “super pitch with electricity “ perhaps we were expecting too much as the pitch size was about the same size as our uk club sites ie car caravan and awning side by side.the pitch was a dry mud bowl with no grass due to the extreme heat and no evidence of watering anywhere, in fact our “ tap “ was a row of about 6 taps mounted in a row about 10” from the floor ! No doubt fitted by the seven dwarfs. One of the taps was being used by our next door neighbour as his was blocked up and covered by cherry stones etc. The site is nice enough in one respect rows of short tree lined avenues to help shield you from the blistering heat ( even at the end of the season in September.) The toilets were two rows of cubicles gents opposite the ladies with the wash basins around the corner opposite the showers ? The showers whilst hot and on demand for as long as you want were sadly dated as the whole site seemed to be with no apparent regular maintenance yet the owner seems to float around in case you needed him ? It reminded me of the scenario of Carry on Camping as if I was stuck in a time warp ? The final crunch came with the internet !! 3 euros for 1 hour ? Or 6 euros for 24 hours ??? But due to them not having any more 24 hr cards left we were forced to buy a couple of those or go without! Would we go back ? Never ! It’s probably ok as a one night stopover because there did seem a lot of ins and outs. I suppose as a short term base it is ok but get your act together Castles , it has a nice pool area for children but that is about it or an old children’s area that probably constructed in the 60’s. I don’t like to moan but if anybody has ever stopped at the club site in Ludlow wow ! That is 5 star luxury , I can’t wait to go back ! Just do you research and find another site , but not in this group if this is anything to go by Ps as I was typing this the helpful British lady that “ runs “ the site gave me a code to put in for the wi fi thank you Tracy There was a guy that checked out today that was a travel writer whose article will be published in January, I wish I could read that ?

Reply from the Site: 

The SP site with the Club is a special pitch which means it has drainage and water and the pitches are all 150-200 m2 on the site. We had a drought last summer and there was a water ban so we do apologise for the dusty pitches but it was out of our hands. The wifi problem was due to our supplier and we did issue free codes, and the maintenance problems are sorted when we are made aware of them.
We are not a modern site and the toilet/shower block is in a classified building that we are not allowed to destroy or build a new one.

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Stayed here for the fourth time for one night only in our motorhome. Great to be able to choose the pitch. A very friendly welcome from the lady on reception as usual. The site is very clean, well kept gardens and, lovely pool area. Showers are adequate to use. The only fly in the ointment is the restaurant. The last two years the food has been so disappointing and not worth the costs charged. We will definitely cater for ourselves in the future. The wine is also overpriced in the restaurant. What a shame as the previous people that ran the restaurant could be highly recommended.

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This is a nice site however the facilities are clean but very dated. The restaurant serves good food but expensive. Pitches are fine although they do slope but not a problem. Staff speak perfect English and are very helpful. I would stay again.

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We were there from the 1st July for 3 nights so just before the busy time. It was very quiet. We had a serviced pitch but that did mean that everyone came onto our pitch to get their water!! The pool area was nice and although the shop was very basic, mostly wine, the people running the site were helpful and friendly. Given we have only very little French they persevered with us. The site was well placed for Limoge, which was a nice day trip and we really enjoyed the porcelain museum. The only issue with the site was the restaurant, the prices were quite high for what was very basic food. The presentation was very 1970’s with lots of iceberg lettuce as the garnish with everything. Disappointing restaurant but on the plus side the bread order in the mornings was terrific, best pain au raisin I have ever had. Overall a lovely site, charming people and very easy to find from the motorway so a great stop off on our trip south.

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