Author Topic: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet  (Read 4959 times)

Phil W

Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« on: 01 September, 2019, 05:48:17 pm »
Considering whether to take tent / camp next time.

For anyone who camped at Huttopia can you reply with your experience

How did you travel down?
Were pitches shared and if so how many tents / people?
The cost and for how many days
Did you take a stove / cooking stuff?
Your tent setup

Facilities at Huttopia

Anything else that added / subtracted from your enjoyment there.

Overall impressions.


Alex B

  • Headwind specialist
    • Where is there an end of it?
Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #1 on: 01 September, 2019, 06:28:14 pm »
I wonder whether PBP will have a Rambouillet start in 2023.

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #2 on: 01 September, 2019, 06:40:54 pm »
I hope so. There are a few positives resulting from the new location and several of the negatives could be eliminated for the next edition.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Phil W

Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #3 on: 01 September, 2019, 06:47:34 pm »
I thought it was a much better place to start / finish than St Quentin. As said above; the negatives can be addressed, and were mostly about aspects of the organisation / setup at the Sheepfold. Not fundamental issues of the Sheepfold grounds itself.

Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #4 on: 01 September, 2019, 09:17:33 pm »
SarahP and I camped there, cost was 214 euro for Saturday to Friday.  We booked for the weeks so that we didn't have to take the tent down while we were riding since we weren't riding together, she was in the 80hr, I was in the 90hr.  This was our first PBP and I wasn't sure when we'd finish and didn't want to have to set everything back up again when we finished the ride, especially if either of us finished in the middle of the night.  Our tent is an Easy Camp 400 in which we had a double airbed with proper bedding rather than sleeping bags.  The tent also has a separate space inside where we can set up a table and chairs.  I was glad for the space given the rain on Saturday, it was nice sitting inside in proper chairs while it poured down outside..  We had a double burner stove for meals and a jetboil for making tea.  We drove to the EuroTunnel on Friday and took the train (used Tesco Clubcard points), stayed overnight at Boulonge-Sur-Mer and then drove to Ramboullet on Saturday morning for our 1:15pm bike check.  We checked into the campsite after we finished at bike check.

The pitches were pretty nice and you are allowed to have up to 6 small tents on them.  The shower block had sinks outside for cleaning your dishes.  If I camped there again, I'd take a kettle rather than the jetboil since we had electricity in our campsite.  If I did PBP again, I'd probably look to get a group together and get one of their cabins.

The bar needed more staff on the Thursday night, when the kitchen opened there was a 30 minute queue for food and drink orders.  Other than that, everything else was great, I'd stay there again.

Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #5 on: 01 September, 2019, 09:24:04 pm »
Indeed, great place to start , few issue's to address.

1) let the locals know its happening ,(especially bars, restaurant's etc) no one seem to know it was happening.
2) bit more planning of the start/ finish area.

To be honest. Just knit picking really.

Phil W

Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #6 on: 01 September, 2019, 09:42:39 pm »
SarahP and I camped there, cost was 214 euro for Saturday to Friday.
The pitches were pretty nice and you are allowed to have up to 6 small tents on them.

Was it 214 for the entire pitch, so for 6 small single occupant tents it'd work out approach 36 euros each for the week?

Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #7 on: 01 September, 2019, 10:27:16 pm »
I hope so. There are a few positives resulting from the new location and several of the negatives could be eliminated for the next edition.

Exactly. Space was an issue in St. Quentin en Yvellines while the sheepfold has a huge amount of usable space. This place has enormous potential for PBP.

Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #8 on: 01 September, 2019, 10:29:10 pm »
SarahP and I camped there, cost was 214 euro for Saturday to Friday.
The pitches were pretty nice and you are allowed to have up to 6 small tents on them.

Was it 214 for the entire pitch, so for 6 small single occupant tents it'd work out approach 36 euros each for the week?

I reserved a pitch for 3 tents, 6 people (the official maximum per pitch) and had to pay just under 600 Euro's for 8 days, making it nearly 100 euro's per person.

I camped at the back, on a basic pitch. No one ever checked the amount of tents on your pitch so you could vary a bit next time.
But for next time I might opt for one of the large tents which are for rent.

Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #9 on: 02 September, 2019, 09:05:01 am »
Was it 214 for the entire pitch, so for 6 small single occupant tents it'd work out approach 36 euros each for the week?

I booked the pitch for two people so it looks like they charge a basic amount for the pitch with two people and then an additional amount per person.  Having a play with their booking system, for two people a Comfort Plus pitch is 28 Euro, but for 6 people it's 52 Euro.  For three people it's 35 Euro.

Phil W

Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #10 on: 02 September, 2019, 11:16:23 am »
Thanks.

It was 136 euros for three nights in a two bed hotel apartment.  So if I can get a similar or lower price for a whole week of camping next time, that'd be good.  If I cycle down again I could take my lightest camping gear on a rear rack, then remove the rack (making sure to safely store the bolts) when we got there.

Were the pitches mostly shaded or did the sun beat down on them during the day?  I can see a bar and swimming pool from what the website shows.

Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #11 on: 02 September, 2019, 11:25:37 am »
Thanks.

It was 136 euros for three nights in a two bed hotel apartment.  So if I can get a similar or lower price for a whole week of camping next time, that'd be good.  If I cycle down again I could take my lightest camping gear on a rear rack, then remove the rack (making sure to safely store the bolts) when we got there.

Were the pitches mostly shaded or did the sun beat down on them during the day?  I can see a bar and swimming pool from what the website shows.
Bar and swimming pool were great, although we overloaded bar/restaurant.

I was in a cabin and would like to do that again, it makes it easier to travel down without a car. Considering I slept on the train I was pleased not to be driving.

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Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #12 on: 02 September, 2019, 02:21:02 pm »
Thanks.

It was 136 euros for three nights in a two bed hotel apartment.  So if I can get a similar or lower price for a whole week of camping next time, that'd be good.  If I cycle down again I could take my lightest camping gear on a rear rack, then remove the rack (making sure to safely store the bolts) when we got there.

Were the pitches mostly shaded or did the sun beat down on them during the day?  I can see a bar and swimming pool from what the website shows.

The nature places are in a very nicely shaded area.

Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #13 on: 02 September, 2019, 02:32:01 pm »
Thanks.

It was 136 euros for three nights in a two bed hotel apartment.  So if I can get a similar or lower price for a whole week of camping next time, that'd be good.  If I cycle down again I could take my lightest camping gear on a rear rack, then remove the rack (making sure to safely store the bolts) when we got there.

Were the pitches mostly shaded or did the sun beat down on them during the day?  I can see a bar and swimming pool from what the website shows.

My site was pretty shaded up until I needed a nap after PBP and the sun was directly overhead.  It got pretty hot pretty quick so I had my nap on a picnic blanket on the ground outside the tent.  I bivy'd a couple hours of each night on PBP so I had been looking forward to the airbed.  :facepalm:

The downside to a little tent would be that your bike would be outside in the rain.  The cabins had a nice covered porch area.

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #14 on: 02 September, 2019, 02:56:33 pm »
I know that our porch and its picnic table was much appreciated on Saturday by the Germans tenting opposite our cabin (with permission). I’d go a cabin again - about 1200EU-ish for a week straight through, from memory.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #15 on: 02 September, 2019, 02:58:47 pm »
I know that our porch was much appreciated on Saturday by the Germans tenting opposite our cabin (with permission). I’d go a cabin again - about 1200EU-ish for a week straight through, from memory.

How many bedrooms vs beds did the cabins have? Did they have running water or was it still a trip across the way to the shower block?

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #16 on: 02 September, 2019, 03:00:17 pm »
Shower and toilet. Double bed downstairs, two singles and a double on mezzanine floor.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Redlight

  • Enjoying life in the slow lane
Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #17 on: 02 September, 2019, 03:05:05 pm »
Shower and toilet. Double bed downstairs, two singles and a double on mezzanine floor.

and VERY thin walls and ceilings  :demon:
Why should anybody steal a watch when they can steal a bicycle?

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #18 on: 02 September, 2019, 03:08:37 pm »
True that!
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #19 on: 02 September, 2019, 03:32:27 pm »
Shower and toilet. Double bed downstairs, two singles and a double on mezzanine floor.

Perfect, thanks. Much easier to convince non-camping other half to bring family in 2023 if there's all the facilities inside the hut.

Three of us were in one three-bedroomed mega-tent on a nice shady pitch, which was a laff for three lads who found it hilarious that someone (not us!) had shit in the showers, but I suspect my family would take a dimmer view of such antics. ;D

The queue for pizza on Saturday night was about 45 minutes, but WAFU all you can eat buffet was only a 2 mile ride through the forest so it's a thumbs up for Huttopia from me. :thumbsup:

Alexander Turner

  • Enough is plenty. Good enough will do.
Re: Thoughts on Hutttopia, Rambouillet
« Reply #20 on: 02 September, 2019, 05:46:17 pm »
We stayed in this cabin/tent. Me, the wife and three boys. No complaints about the facilities. Reasonable price. 900 euros for eight nights. Not sure if I'd enjoyed being in a tent on the very rainy Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning before the ride.



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