If you’re still out there, hello! Life, work and apathy caused a bit of an umm…hiatus in the blog. But I’m printing a photobook of #IceColdinIstanbul to put in Mr G’s birthday stocking, so I’ve dug out my diary, scrolled through my photos and flexed my typing fingers -all two of them! Here’s the final few days of our van adventure:

Our penultimate stop took us right back to our very first campsite on foreign soil. On our 2021 ‘Monte Carlo or Bust’ trial road trip we started on the beach in Biarritz, and even after trying countless sites across Europe the Pavilion Royale is still right at the top of the charts when it comes to quality. Which is good because it’s also reassuringly expensive. 

The Atlantic coast of France is wild, windy and wavy. I’m a Gower girl originally and the surf and beach life feel a lot like home, just warmer, sunnier and with that French je ne sais quoi. 

Across Europe, most of the sites have been packed with big white RVs and conversions of bigger vans like the Fiat Ducato or Mercedes Sprinter- the sort of vans with the luxury of permanently erected beds, an onboard garage for all your stuff, and, most importantly, loos and showers. VW campervans were rare, and now we know why. It’s not because nobody with half a brain would spend ten weeks in such a small van with so few facilities, oh no, it’s because all the VW transporters are parked up in Biarritz filled with effortlessly cool surfers and a sprinkling of middle-aged wannabees like us. 

Our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

On the final day it was all rather more Bridlington than Biarritz. The weather gods must have decided to send in the storms to help us acclimatise to life back home. Thoughtful of them. Our very last night in the van featured dry robes, blue lips and our soggiest barbeque of the whole ten weeks. We did wonder if we’d have just turned around and thrown in the (soaking wet) towel if we’d done the trip in reverse. 

Quick campsite comment:

We stayed at Pavilion Royale in Bidart, a short hop down the coast from Biarritz. My brother and his family recommended it, and having slavishly copied his campervan purchase and his Exploria conversion, we were very happy to follow the Morrises like sheep yet again! 

The good bits: Location, location, location! Pavilion Royale is right on the beach and has all mod cons: lovely café with ridiculously cheap carafes of rose, pool, shop, excellent showers, gym and spa. There are a couple of gorgeous beach bars a 5-10 minute walk down the beach. There’s also a convenient nudist beach, but me and Mr G kept our cossies firmly on (topped with a hoodie, waterproof and woolly hat much of the time.) 

The bad bits: It’s not cheap at 47.50 per night and sometimes you need miles of cable to reach the hook up. We were close by this time, but last year we had to rely on solar power.

http://www.pavillon-royal.com