THE children have shot off round the corner.

When I next glimpse them they are climbing an imposing flight of stone steps up to the top of the city walls. I lag behind, laden down with the usual family-on-holiday detritus; knapsack, raincoats (not as though we need them, but you never know) camera and guidebook.

When I finally catch up with my eager brood they are atop the ramparts, and running excitedly across the wide grass lawns that stretch to the edge of the mighty fortifications. What a view. The calm, sun-soaked waters of the English channel stretch out ahead, a scattering of sailing boats drifting in all directions like ducks on a pond spied from a distance. I had no idea this is what would await. Yes, a sea view obviously, let's not be silly. But not the drama of this. Stunning, breathtaking, grand.

Today is day five of a week-long break in northern France, Eurocamping at the fabulous Domaine des Ormes. We are in the Breton port of St Malo. Astonishingly, the city of the French corsairs - the state-sponsored pirates who hounded the English merchants in the 17th and 18th century - is largely a reconstruction of the original that was laid to waste in the wake of the Normandy landings in 1944. Then, an invading American army division fired incendiary mortars at the besieged fort, destroying all but 180 of the 850 or so buildings within the perimeter of its city walls.

What we see now looks authentic and aged. Everything is solid, but with an elegance that only the French could infuse in a citadel of granite. Once a forgotten gem in the tourist itinerary, St Malo is now a bustling, but sophisticated, centre of restaurants, bars, shops and cafes. We spend a day walking its cobbled streets, reading inscriptions on its walls, and more importantly (for some) gorging on its delicious, artisan ice creams after a pizza meal, al fresco, and serenaded by street musicians. A highlight is a visit to the beach at the foot of the walls.

And so we return to our Eurocamp base inspired by the delights of St Malo, and in agreement that the city, with all its hidden gems, has been one of the hits of the break.

But there have been many other highlights in our quest to explore the wider delights of Brittany. For we are keen not to lose ourselves overly in the easy charms of the parc. As fun as it is staying on site, there is nothing like occasionally leaving the unadulterated thrills and spills of a Eurocamp to explore its surroundings. It broadens the mind, but more importantly puts the location of where we are staying in context of the region and cultural surroundings.

The camp staff are more than keen to get people out of the gates and on to the tourist trail. Europe's favourite family camping escape is an experience in itself. But it is madness to come all this way by car to stay in one place.

After three days of activities and acclimatising to the changed pace of family life among the pools and sites of Domaine des Ormes, we were ready to explore. And the great thing is you do not have to venture far by road to sample everything that northern Brittany has to offer.

First stop was the local market town of Dol de Bretagne which we had passed through on route to the parc just a few days before. At first experience the town seemed sleepy and without life. But now on a Saturday lunchtime, the place was a different proposition. It was market day.

Row upon row of stalls lined the streets as a throng of locals and tourists perused the offerings on show. We were keen to stock up with local delicacies: saucissons, cheeses, and tapenades. We were not disappointed. There was even a chance to taste the talents of Brittany's famous cider and calvados makers. Laden with our goods, it was time to return to Des Ormes to enjoy the fruits of our hunting and gathering.

The following day, we steered west to the nearby medieval centre of Dinan. The brochures and tour books single this citadel out for particular attention. And they do not exaggerate. Even reluctant six-year old twins, smarting at having been wrenched away from the delights of an action-packed holiday parc, are easily won over by the Potteresque charms of Dinan's gothic architecture, daunting city walls and colourful shops.

Perched on a hill top, Dinan is simply picture perfect, with its half-timbered houses and cobbled streets wending down to the bustling port on the Rance River. The town is without doubt one of the most perfectly preserved medieval towns in the region, some of its sunbaked, buckled, timber buildings dating back to the 13th century.

Sitting in an open cobbled square, drinking a cafe au lait as our children tucked into the local delicacy of Breton crepes, while watching local workmen planting out one of the many town centre's colourful flower displays, was a perfect holiday moment.

Dinan prides itself on its many narrow, cobbled streets lined with family-friendly bistros and cafes. But it is not just eating and drinking that appeals. Over the years the town has attracted artists and sculptors, trading their skills among the abundance of galleries and boutique shops. The highlight was a walk down the hill to the waterside.

That night, there was little argument at bedtime among the younger members of the family. A day spent walking Dinan's cobbled streets had taken its toll on young, exhausted, yet stimulated bodies. No doubt dreams of derring-do set amid medieval spires and historic alleyways featured.

Exploring gives a perfect foil to the excitement of the main business of Eurocamping: poolside activities, cycle hiring, and the wonderfully novel, if exhausting, pedalos.

One last act stop on the way back home was to call in at the Caen Memorial Museum, a fabulous centre for the remembrance of the battle for this region 70 years ago and the wider Second World War. Definitely worth a visit, it is palpably necessary to edit much of the horrors of the conflict out for young minds. But there is scope here to educate a new generation about what befell Europe not so long ago, in a meaningful and powerful way. Needless to say, what helps make this an attractive stop-off for young families is the excellent catering, with healthy fast-food cafes and a full-blown sit down restaurant on offer.

We left in awe of the scale of events that have left their marks all around. My children may not have taken in the momentous history of northern France, but this first experience of the region, I am sure, will live with them into adulthood, and guarantee that, like me and my wife, they return again in years to come to learn and understand more about this foreign land, not so far away from home.

Ian Marland and his family were guests of Eurocamp, staying one week at the company's Domaine des Ormes parc. The two adults and two children travelled courtesy of P&O ferries, sailing between Dover and Calais

www.eurocamp.co.uk/campsites/brittany

www.poferries.com