Who? Silke
Travel partners? Partner Thijs
Camper? Bürstner Delfin
At the top of the bucket list? Autumn in the Rocky Mountains
Since our first experience with a few days of 'van life' last year, we have been longing to get out and about again. We pick up the campervan at Vanomobil, load the luggage and surfboards and are ready to go: a surf trip through France without a real plan, looking for waves, sun, freedom and good pastries.
From church towers to coastal waves
After a first quiet night under a church tower in Dry, with owls as night watchmen and coffee among the locals on the village square, we can immediately approve our bed. Never expected a campervan bed to be so comfortable! We continue our journey towards the waves, with stops in charming villages such as Meung-sur-Loire, where we score our first fresh croissants.
Carcans welcomes us with a typical French campsite under the pine trees. There is a thunderstorm in the air, but we can't help but feel the temperature of the ocean. Surfing in the rain has something special. The next day the sun is out, although the waves are a bit lacking. Surfing is and remains a sport where you depend on nature, but that makes it so beautiful. Fortunately, there is much more to do in Carcans: we put on our trail shoes and make a nice tour through the beautiful forests to Lake Hourtin.
Snicker ice-cream and Molky duels
Then it's time to head a little further south: Cap de l'Homy. We enjoy really deciding day by day where to go and take full advantage of the freedom that the campervan gives us! We end up spending three nights at a lovely camping municipal, of course again under the pine trees. Surrounded by only a few other campervans and within walking distance of the waves: that's all we need! It will be three days of blissful enjoyment of surfing, running, cooking outside, and reading in the sun. We invariably ended our evenings with a snicker ice cream (hooray for the freezer compartment in our camper!) and a Mölky duel - in which I unfortunately lost every time.
Chasing the sun
Our plan for the last few days was to move south, but the weather forecast makes us doubt: Saint-Jean-de-Luz seems cold, wet and without waves. But thanks to the freedom of the camper, we can spontaneously change our plans and chase the sun! After a few hours northwards, we arrive in a sun-drenched Saint-Porchaire. We find a quiet Park4night under the church tower and decide to continue our ride the next day. Fantastic how you have free motorhome spots on the village square in so many villages in France!
Les Conches: pure summer feeling
The next day we drive a little further north towards Les Conches and that turns out to be the best decision of the whole trip. A quiet campsite within walking distance of the sea, small but blissful waves and the cleanest sunset surf session I have ever done. My longest wave ever, soft light on the water, no wind... Pure surf magic and a wonderful farewell to the ocean.
Slow travel with Champagne
We end our trip between the vines in Chançay and Châtillon-sur-Marne. Thanks to Park4night we find a fantastic place to spend the night at wineries twice: in the middle of nowhere as the only campervan between the vines, sa-lig. Aperitif in the sun in the evening, walking along the vines during the day, tasting champagne at a family business — slow travel pur sang. We can't imagine a better way to end this journey.
Surfing with a campervan: we never want it any other way!
On our previous surf trips, we always stayed in one place where we rented boards. Because we could now easily take our own planks in the van, we had so much more freedom! We could choose where the trip went every day, and still had the luxury of a good bed, a kitchenette and even a shower and toilet. Bad weather? No waves? No problem: pack up and head for the sun and waves! We really enjoyed the freedom, the sun and being on the road.
Follow their adventures on Instagram @silsadventure
