Les Fourneaux

Les Fourneaux naturist campsite covers 43 hectares in Couzon, a village of around 300 inhabitants in the Allier, in the Auvergne, about thirty kilometres from Moulins. The site has been taken over and developed since 2014 by Remco and Jolanda Knol, a Dutch couple who are themselves long-time naturist camping enthusiasts.

Fifteen hectares of the estate are laid out as 70 pitches of 400 to 1,500m², separated by hawthorn and juniper hedges and large oak and ash trees that shade the plots. The rest of the land, left undeveloped, is suited to peaceful naturist walks. The campsite has also offered a gîte for two since 2020, extendable to four with an adjoining dormitory, as well as a fully renovated caravan for rent since 2021.

The estate is organised into a family field, with a play area for children, quieter zones for those who prefer peace, and a wild camping field set up at the request of regulars. The owners, who speak Dutch and English fluently, also get by in French. The campsite ranks among the world’s top 10 naturist sites according to the Dutch naturist federation (NFN), which has also awarded it the Prettig Bloot label. Open from 1 April to 15 October.

The large, fully renovated sanitary block serves the whole site, complemented by a second, more recent block. Outdoor showers have been added, along with a sauna. The campsite also offers Wi-Fi access and electricity at 2, 4 or 6 amps depending on the pitch, in limited numbers.

Every day except Monday, fresh bread can be ordered before 5pm at reception and collected the following morning between 8.30 and 10.30am. The bar, housed in a large barn on the central square, serves coffee, tea, beer, soft drinks and wine; the evening aperitif, from 5 to 7pm, runs on an honesty system, with everyone serving themselves and settling up the next day. A fish fry is served on Wednesdays, takeaway pizza on Fridays, and a communal barbecue on Sundays, with everyone bringing their own meat.

The heated pool, 7 x 14m and 140cm deep, has been renovated along with its pump and filters; a 40cm-deep paddling pool with a wall cascade is reserved for the youngest visitors next to the main pool. Payment is by cash or bank transfer only: no card terminal is available on site.

Without a permanent entertainment team, the campsite mainly runs on the initiative of holidaymakers: canoe trips on the Allier, volleyball or pétanque tournaments are organised as people fancy, on the estate’s two pétanque courts and the volleyball court in the family field. On Tuesdays, a group gets together for lunch at a nearby inn.

The hilly region is particularly well suited to cycling, electric or otherwise, and to hiking, including nude across the whole estate. Nearby, Moulins, the county town of the Allier, offers châteaux, parks and shops, while Bourbon-l’Archambault and Apremont, ranked among the most beautiful villages in France, round out the exploration of the area. The forest of Tronçais, the largest oak forest in Europe with its three-hundred-year-old trees and lakes with sandy beaches, is not far away.

For families, several outings are within about an hour’s drive: the Le Pal amusement park, the Val de Besbre aquarium, the medieval-themed Hippogriffe park with its birds of prey and horse shows, or Acoran, an indoor play area for children.