As a family holiday destination Brittany, la Bretagne, the most westerly region of France, is simply a no-brainer.

It is easy to reach by air or sea, the climate is distinctly warmer than here and the tourist brochure blurb boasting miles and miles of magnificent, unspoilt sandy beaches, beautiful coves and homely little ports is all true.

The region is also rich in character and history, visibly demonstrated by its many medieval castles, churches, abbeys and cobbled town centre streets.

And, like just about everywhere else in France, you're never more than 12 feet away from great food, gluggable wine that's cheaper than water, and there's the local brew - the world famous Bretagne cider.

Having previously stayed in neighbouring Vendee and Normandy, we headed this time for Beg Meil in the Finistere area, south west Brittany, taking our own car over on the overnight Rosslare-Cherbourg ferry.

We stayed with Keycamp at the L'Atlantique site just a couple of miles from the harbour village of Beg Meil.

My wife and I are now old hands at this type of holiday, having stayed in French campsites three times over the last four summers, bringing with us our twins- a girl and boy now aged five, and this time, making his debut on French soil, our one-year-old son.

Like most parents, we've learned that the key to any successful family is keeping the kids happy.

When the little ones are enjoying themselves, burning up energy and feeling contented, mum and dad can get on with the serious business of relaxing.

With this in mind, the family-run L'Atlantique, which attracts families from all over Europe, proved an ideal base.

It has all the essentials of a modern family holiday - a huge waterpark including slides, waterchutes and toddler pool, children's play area, bikes for hire, a well-stocked shop (that sells freshly baked baguettes every morning), a restaurant and bar, tennis courts and other sporting facilities.

The owners M and Mme Menguy run a tight-ship. It is a large site but well organised and very much aimed at young families. One minor criticism would be that the mobile home pitches are on the small side.

But a particular attraction of L'Atlantique is that is situated on the edge of a protected nature reserve and it's a 10-minute walk through the woodlands (which of course our kids dubbed the One Hundred Acre Wood) to one of those wonderful unspoilt, Brittany beaches.

The family-friendly facilities for Keycamp customers also include staffed playgroups - Fun Stations where multi-lingual staff amaze you by keeping children from all over Europe amused.

With the twins enjoying themselves at the Fun Stations most mornings, it left mum and dad with a bit of down time to relax with a book, go for a swim or take turns exploring the local countryside on one of our hire bikes.

Our accommodation, a six-berth Keycamp mobile home, was spacious and well-equipped.

And we happily spent a couple of days just chilling out at the parc, lazing beside a barbecue in the evenings after wearing the children out with a walk through the nature reserve and a splash about in the sea.

We also spent quite a lot of time in the pretty, fishing village of Beg Meil, which is just a few minutes away by car. It consists of only a few streets but it caters well for tourists with some lovely little creperies, restaurants and bars.

Other places worth visiting include:

› Concarneau - France's third largest fishing port and a major resort.

The main attraction for us was the medieval walled town, which is built on an island and linked to the mainland by two narrow bridges. True, its narrow cobbled streets are lined with tourist shops but you still get the sense of stepping into a time warp when you enter the old town. And the kids loved the jugglers, clowns, musicians and all the other street entertainers.

› Quimper -this was probably are favourite town for shopping and dining. A very relaxed kind of place, a mixture of the modern and the ancient. The Odet - often described as the prettiest river in France - meanders through the cobbled streets of Quimper's medieval quarter, a perfect setting to dine alfresco in one of the many on-street cafes and restaurants.

There is also no shortage of things to see in the oldest Breton town, including the twin-spired Gothic Cathedral of St Corentin (begun in 1239) and the recently renovated Breton Museum.

› Benodet - a popular, modern resort town. The beach stretches for miles and is lined with cafes, creperies and restaurants and fenced-in play areas where the children can safely have fun on the likes of trampolines and bouncy castles.

One final thought.

There's a Chinese proverb which says: "One generation plants the trees, another enjoys the shade".

My wife and I love France but we were into our 30s before we began holidaying there. Our French is rubbish and each time we struggle to order in restaurants and shops I can't help envying our children. By the time they are teenagers they'll be enjoying the shade - having been to France many times.

And we'll be leaving it to them to do the ordering in the restaurants for their mum and dad.