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As Philippa Girling strolled through the grounds of her French chateau one evening last summer, she was relieved to hear laughter.

Especially the laughter of women. This was exactly the goal that the managing director of Camp Château had set herself when she co-founded a only for women Summer camp, and on that first night the doorbell rang across the lawn.

The camp in the south-western Quercy region is now in its second year and is a great success. In the autumn, 500 happy campers will have passed through the doors of the old Château de Béduer. The waiting list for summer 2025 is 11,000 names long.

“I was excited at first, but then I actually felt sorry for the people on the waiting list who would never be able to come because it would take 20 years to get through the waiting list,” she tells Euronews Travel.

After just two years, Girling and her co-founders are now considering how to expand the camp so that even more women can get the unique relaxation they deserve.

What’s special about a women-only summer camp?

Camp Château’s purpose is refreshingly simple: to provide women with a joyful, all-inclusive summer camp experience.

After 30 successful years in banking – “a very patriarchal industry” – Girling had enough of the pressure on women and minorities to conform.

“We created Camp Château with the idea that you can come in and not have to work on yourself,” she says. “You can just relax, curate your experience and do whatever brings you joy and calm and gives you some rest.”

Each course lasts six days and participants can choose from a variety of activities such as foraging, candle making, cheese tasting, horse riding, yoga and silent disco.

You can take as many or as few of these small group electives as you like. Some women prefer to spend most of their time just lying around. the pool.

“Women are incredible when they are together,” says Girling, who grew up in the south of England, often holidayed in Quercy and now lives in California.

The 50-person camp is naturally sociable, with shared bunks in the castle or Glamping Tents for two. Dinner is taken in large numbers each evening in the Grand Hall, with aperitif hour for those who would like to drink and chat.

The emphasis, however, is on self-determination. In this French idyll, you don’t have to worry about icebreakers or organized fun.

“Camp Château is designed so that you get to know people naturally if you want to,” says Girling. But there is also room to be alone: ​​”We really try to create a lot of freedom so that you can do what you need to do, but be nice to each other while doing it.”

As soon as she arrives, Girling sees people’s shoulders sink. “It’s an immediate feeling of relief, because most women organize everything themselves on vacation,” she says.

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At Camp Château, all you have to decide is whether you want to relax or play.

Who is Camp Château suitable for?

Women from all walks of life are welcome. Not surprisingly, it’s popular with Americans drawn to the historic setting. As we speak in early August, however, the camp is home to an eclectic mix of campers from Andorra, Canada, Egypt, England and Nigeria.

The age range was from 19 years to the late 70s (with a lower limit of 21 years for guests without a supervisor).

Many arrivals are Solo travelers – some old hands, others newbies who see Camp Château as a safe environment to live out their wanderlust.

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Small groups and mothers and daughters also come – Girling is particularly fond of these duos because “each thought of the other”.

Girling’s own daughter Leah Lykins is co-founder and brings educational expertise. Completing this triptych of ‘leading ladies’ is Lynda Coleman, who has a background in event planning.

Notably, Camp Château is 100 percent owned by 140 female and/or gender diverse founding members, who receive special access with two founders-only sessions at the beginning of the summer.

For the rest of the world, the price is €2,178 for a six-day, five-night stay, which includes everything except travel shuttles from Toulouse Massages at the airport and on site. (Pick-up from the local train station in Figeac is free.)

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Of course, that’s out of reach for some campers, but Girling says they tried to make it affordable. “We didn’t want to create something exclusive that’s only accessible to high-income people,” she explains.

That’s why there are dorm rooms and camping experiences instead of a luxury spa. Given the high demand, some people have even asked why they don’t increase prices. But Girling says that won’t happen.

A quick look at Camp Château’s Instagram profile with its 250,000 followers shows how much it means to people.

“This is the first thing I’ll do when I have an income again and my loans are paid off,” Camilla comments. “I want this for my trip after cancer treatment!” Wendy writes. “Is there rosé?”

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“How can we ensure that the women who want to come can come?” asks Girling, given the huge waiting list. One option they are considering is extending the season into the fall by winterizing the drafty castle. They are also considering opening a second location.

Where is Camp Château?

In the Lot department, south of the popular Dordogne“Quercy is something of a secret part of France,” says Girling, who is mostly known only to French tourists.

From the Château de Béduer you can enjoy a green view over the valley of the River Célé (formerly called the Valley of Paradise). The market town of Figeauc is just 9 kilometers away.

A patch of sky between the Célé Valley and Rocamadour in the north is called the “black triangle” because it has the least light pollution in France. Guests can see the Milky Way from the castle terrace with Observing the stars also on the list of activities.

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Inside the 800-year-old castle there is a rich history to be discovered – some particularly fascinating chapters deal with women in the last century. In 1939, Château de Béduer was bought by Jeanne Loviton – a journalist and novelist who was also famous for her many love affairs, some of them in high places.

The German-French-Jewish film critic Lotte Eisner also spent some time here during the Second World War, archiving French films and hiding them from the Nazis. There is a memorial plaque with her name outside the castle dungeon, where she carried out this task in freezing temperatures.

Girling tells the stories of these women in a weekly history discussion during the drinks hour.

She is also impressed by the “many beautiful stories” that today’s women bring with them.

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Last year, Girling found a woman in the courtyard staring at the walls. “Are you trying to take it in?” she asked. “Yeah, I’m just trying to take it in one last time before I go so I can remember,” she replied.

Girling expressed a thought about why the Warehouse worked so well: “My theory is that all the women who are here this year are brave because they have all come to something that has not really existed before.”

But the woman disagreed: “We all hoped it was real. So we all had hope,” she said.

“It was really nice and really absolutely right,” says Girling. “Every woman who comes comes with this really positive, hopeful expectation that it’s going to be a good time. And then of course they make it a good time.”

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“And because you bring 50 women together who all come with this beautiful, positive hope… then it’s just a wonderful week.”