We were delighted that our new friends Simon & Silvi returned in 2011 for a second camper adventure with us. They were one of our first guests when we started the vw campers venture in 2010. When they returned happy and relaxed after from two weeks in Virginia   it made us feel confident that we were doing the right thing and other travellers would enjoy campervan holidays in sw France as much as we do. When they booked a second trip in September 2011, it was confirmed as there is no better compliment then repeat guests. So you can imagine our delight when we discovered Simon had popped the question at their favourite campsite by the beach in Les Vieux Port, Cote Landes.

camping in the vintage volkswagen westfalia at camping les vieux port

Simon is a pro photographer and surfer – so why would she say no! They were kind enough to share their travel blog post from their second France surfing trip along the atlantic coast. It details their three week adventure ‘Bordeaux to Gras’ and contains great photography and writing.

“From Bordeaux we picked up our rental van (aka Sebastian), a 1975 bay window VW from our friends James and Rachel founders of Belle Vie Holiday Campers. We had such a great time last year in the split screen that we hired that we decided to do it again this time with a slightly newer roomier model. So off we went to our favourite camp site in vieux boucau, home of red squirrels, bats at twilight, fragrant pines and good surf….True to form the atlantic coast gave us a couple of days of sublime surf. On the third day it got BIG and nasty and as such we were forced to enjoy some hammock time with cheap french beer and a book. ….Using a combination of raging surf and a sunset to full effect I proposed to Silvi on the sand dunes at dusk …she said yes.”  read more

Camping Les Vieux Port is a 5 star camping park situated right behind the dunes in the pine trees of the spectacular Landes coast line. Like so many of the large camping parks along the coast they tend to feel smaller because you are dwarfed by the large pine trees. This often means that they are less man-made and feel more natural due to restrictions on creating ugly tarmac paths and roads in these beautiful spots.   Perhaps the lesson is to ‘not judge a book by it’s cover’ and be put off by the big camping parks. As Simon and Silvi discovered, you can find a quite private spot nestled behind the dunes under the trees, park the vw camper, set up the hammock, picnic watch the sunset and the rolling barrels and the scene is set for an unforgettable moment of happiness.

TIP: Many of these sites are pre-booked year after year by repeated customers so it is advised to book during the peak season of mid July to end of August. However, we have found when turning up last minute to let the receptionist glimpse the sweet vw camper and they will rarely turn you away.

TIP 2: Bike hire is useful at camp sites like these if only for cycling to the beach or shops. It can often be a hassle taking the camper for just a short drive and often to far to walk with heavy bags. All our bikes have front baskets and rear loading racks.

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