Posted on Friday, 11 August 2017

They don't have running water or electricity, but Les Refuges Bordeaux, set in miles of stunning French countryside, have bucket-loads of character – and are completely free to stay in. Joshua Obaje and his family stayed in almost all of them.

The kids really wanted to stay in the ice cream. But that's the thing about Les Refuges Bordeaux – they get snapped up quickly.

The main reason for the popularity of these eccentric but basic shelters is that they are completely free. When they become available each month, they are snapped up in minutes. Each group can only stay in a shelter for one night and must vacate it by midday.

As popular as these hideaways are, we managed to book consecutive nights in all of them – except the one shaped like an ice cream, as mentioned.

Staying in these outlandish shelters wasn't our only reason for coming to Bordeaux: we planned to enjoy some serious hiking around the famous Boucle Vert, a 160km walking loop that surrounds France's sixth largest city.

After a night in a comfy Bordeaux hotel, my wife and two children were ready to 'rough it' in Les Refuges.

Le Hamac

First up was Le Hamac, shaped, as you might have guessed, like a hammock. It wasn't exactly an ice cream, but the kids were suitably impressed. Reaching this area from the city centre was a revitalising experience and we began understand why the route was called Boucle Vert – the countryside is positively bursting with greenery at this time of year.

Les Guetteurs

Rising early, we carried on our hike to the north east, towards our next night's stay. It's not far for adults, but with an eight year old in tow, there was plenty of reason to keep the legs relatively short. En route, we paused for coffee and a sweet chewy treat called Cannelés Bordelais.

By afternoon we arrived. The kids whooped with joy when they saw the two huge wooden owls that would be our abode for the night. They exhausted themselves with several more hours of playing and went to bed early, leaving my wife and I to enjoy a glass or two of ‘claret' as the long summer's day waned.

La Belle Etoile

The next day we pushed north through charming woodland to reach our next target, La Belle Etoile. This star-shaped shelter was not quite in the same league as two vast timber owls, but it was fun nevertheless. The pretty woodland locale certainly made up for the shelter's straightforward design.

Le Nuage

It was a short hike to reach our next shelter: Le Nuage, or The cloud. This cheeky little hut was situated by a tranquil lake and bettered the previous abode in one important regard: it was big enough to stand up in! The night was a little chillier than previous ones, but luckily we had extra weighty sleeping bags with us. That's one of the main draw-backs of these shelters – there's no heating. In fact, there's no electricity at all – nor any water. This necessitates numerous trips to nearby public toilets and lots of coffee shop visits in order to top up our digital devices. However, we found this off-grid setup gave us an opportunity to 'detox' from social media – to a degree!

La Nuit Americaine

Functional and bright with a large glass front, La Nuit Americaine felt a little more urban than previous shelters, but was rewarding nevertheless. It was well located for buying groceries and wine.

Le Prisme

Set by a large lake, Le Prisme was one of my personal favourites; a pyramidal wooden house with coloured glass windows and fantastic view across the water. Perfect for a late night glass of wine – as long as one has plenty of mosquito spray to hand! This shelter was the most comfortable and inviting – we could have happily stayed here for several nights.

La Vouivre

The next day we arrived in the most northerly shelter, La Vouivre. Set by a placid green lake, this proved a hit with the children due to the big green monster living outside!

Le Haut-Perché

Reaching our next abode would take much longer, partly because we couldn't book the ‘ice cream', and partly due to geography. With the help of a taxi and a bus, we were soon going in the right direction. We hiked the last stretch in order to give the kids a glimpse of the now-legendary ice cream shelter: it was as wacky as any of us had hoped. Our own shelter for the night was several miles west – at the rather more orthodox, but still a bit silly; ‘Le Haut Perche' was perched on stilts and accessed by a ladder.

Le Tronc Creux

Our final stay was at the rather bonkers Le Tronc Creux – or hollow tree trunk. Set among tall pines, this was a delightful place to spend our final night. The kids played long into the evening, as my wife and I gorged ourselves on camembert and French bread, washed down with a fruity Bordeaux.

The hollow trunk was ideally located to the airport – and home. While we missed sleeping in our own beds, staying at Les Refuges Bordeaux had been a revitalising and unique experience. We all agreed a return visit was a must – but only if we could book the ice cream!

More information: https://lesrefuges.bordeaux-metropole.fr/

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