Camping Val D'or Luxembourg

It was the middle of February when we stayed at Camping Val D'or in northern Luxembourg and for three of our four nights we were the only campers. The site is open all year and so I suppose one has to expect building works to be done in the quieter season. We arrived to find the reception area gutted and covered in sawdust. A workman fetched one of the owners who greeted us warmly in English and checked us in quickly and efficiently. We'd paid in full online through Pitch Up and just had the local tourist tax to pay. We were given an electronic tag with credit for five minutes of showers each per day and, when we mentioned our intention to spend our time hiking, shown a useful map with several circular walks around and about in the hills and forests. We were advised to choose one of four hard-standing pitches as there had recently been rain. Initially we'd been dismayed to find the hard-standing pitches next to the children's play area, but as we were the only campers there were no screaming kids to contend with.

The campsite is well cared for and its facilities spotlessly clean. During our stay the taps for the dish-washing area were turned off and we had to boil a kettle and wash up in a bowl in our campervan. The hot water in the showers takes a good minute to come through - something to bear in mind when you only have five minutes per day of shower usage,

We completed all of the circular walks in two days, hiking for around five hours per day. They are situated so it's easy to incorporate more than one into a longer hike. The campsite is also well located for catching the train into Luxembourg City. It's a 20-minute walk into Wilwerwiltz where you can buy an all-day travel pass for four euros. There's a train around once an hour and it takes 50 minutes to reach the capital. In 2020 all public transport in Luxembourg will be free making it a no-brainer day trip, not that four euros for standard class and six euros for first class travel is at all expensive!

I can't talk about the trains and not mention that they pass the campsite as close as it's possible to be. There's a level crossing on the short approach road and the track skirts the perimeter of the site. There are level crossings at two ends of the campsite and you can hear the audible beeping before the gates come down, followed by the thundering trains a short time after - and this goes on day and night. If you're a light sleeper this would severely impact your night's sleep.

If there's anything else that lets down the site it's the volume of glamping units that are packed into a small space. The safari tents, for example, are less than a meter away from one another, with their front decks only a couple of meters from the largest hard-standing. Given that we were the only guests most of the time none of this mattered, but it's something you ought to bear in mind if considering camping Val D'or in peak season.