For a small membership fee it provides rates from as low as 12€ per night for certain camp sites listed in their directory during off peak times which is basically all year except July and August. After one stay they said their membership paid for itself!

You can find more information about rates and listed camp sites on the website of ASCI direct at http://www.campingcard.co.uk/gb/en/europe/

Enjoy!

We are now in a third season of bookings but in some way it feels like the first. We are pleased to have so many advanced bookings and to have returning guests from 2010 and 2011 as well as many new guests too. We are pleased to introduce Maramalade (orange westy) to the family who is replacing Sebastian (green westy) who has retired to a lovely family in Toulouse. Lady Penelope is the new project camper that will be ready during the spring for her first guests in June.

Audrey will be picking up most of you up from the airport or train station and will be busy going to lots of beautiful weddings plus working with our new responsible travel venture Belle Vie Voyage – assisting with group taylor made holidays and adventures.  Check it out.

In the meantime, we are so excited to be meeting you over the season and would love for you to share with us what your camper hire in France experience will mean to you and what your looking forward to be doing most? 

A bientôt  & gros bisous,
L’équipe Belle Vie:- Grease monkey James, La belle Rachelle, King Charlie (woof), Luna-tic (Meow), Sweet-Virginia, Felicity Shagwell, Lionel Blair, Lady Marmalade & Lady Penelope (High Top/High Class)

If your chosen tune is used we will send you 20€ worth of iTunes vouchers as a thank you.

We can’t wait to show you the groovy video soon.

In south west France there are some more unique and intimate music festivals in beautiful locations. This post will keep you updated on the music festivals that are happening this year with a few hours drive from Bordeaux.

Festival Garorock, Marmonde, SW France, 8,9,10 June, 2012

The Festival Garorock in its 16th edition, the festivel takes place on the peninsula of Filhol in Marmande, (dep 47 Lot-et-Garonne). Tickets priced at approximately 75 euros per person including camping for three days.  Legendary french start David Guertar is headlining with other acts including Festival entry, 4 night camper hire including pick ups, bedding and towels for two persons, from £279 each. Contact us to book your place.

Bilbao BBK, Northern Spain. 12 – 14 July, 2012

Excellent rock line up for a top european music festival for. 2012 includes The Cure, Radiohead, Snow Patrol, The Klaxons and loads more.

Make it part of your holiday. Fly to Bordeaux with Easyjet or British Airways, meet your camper by the beach near Bordeaux and travel down the coast via Biarritz and San Sebastian.Bilbao is roughly 3 hours, 300km from Bordeaux. Arrive in style with your own vintage vw camper van hire.

7 day classic T2 camper van hire from Bordeaux including pick up/drop offs, bedding and towel pack, 2 drivers from £370 each (based on two sharing). Contact us to book.

Fete de la Musique, 21 June, All over France

Launched in 1982 by the French Ministry for culture, the Fête de la Musique is held in more than a hundred countries in Europe and over the world. It takes place every 21st June, the day of the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. No matter where you end up in France on this day, be sure to come across some live music and spectacular fireworks.

Follow this post to find out about more festivals in sour west France and norther Spain. We are hoping Groundswell will be launching itself in Hossegor for September 2012. If you are going to a festival, organising or know of one happening then please add a comment below to let us know and we will feature it here. For more festivals happening across europe, go to Fests.eu

Join the Forum discussion on this post

The birth of the VW Type II (Type I being the Beetle) arose after World War II when the British found themselves running the VW factory in Wolfsburg, Germany. Ben Pon, a Dutch VW importer, saw the motorised trolleys built using stripped down Beetle chassis and running gear taking parts around the vast factory in 1947.

He sketched a design for a beetle-based van, which looked rather like a box on wheels, after he was inspired by these rudimentary but ingenious vehicles. Heinz Nordhoff took on this idea a year later when he took over as chief executive of Volkswagen and the first VW van was launched at the Geneva Motor Show in November 1949.

So what is a Type 1 and Type 2? What is the difference between a ‘Kombi’-'Combi’-'Camper’-'Microbus’-'T1 &T2′?

Split screen buses  were first produced in 1949 and continued on for the next 18 years. They were known unimaginably as the Type 2. The first Type 2 was called the Bulli and came in 2 models the Kombi  and Panel van. The Microbus was introduced a year later in 1950. Splitties, Type 2, or Split Screen Volkwagen buses  came in many guises; barndoor, panel van, kombi, minibus, standard, deluxe, barn door, ambulance, fire van, single cab pickup and double cab pickup, Samba, with various options due to their age such as walk-through, double door, semaphore and safari to name but a few.

The VW Bay Window Camper van, still known as a Type 2, was first produced in 1967 and continued being produced in 1979. It was much improved on the split screen bus, offering a slightly larger body so could carry larger loads, larger and more powerful engines up to a 2 litre model towards the end of production, better electrics, a more refined and comfortable ride. However for many the bay window lacks the original design of the Splittie. It is really the Bay Window bus  that really accelerated the use of these unique vans as a mobile home or camper van. These vans were converted by various firms, such as Westfalia  (also known as a Westy, Danbury, Devon, Dormobile and Viking. These firms offered different interior configurations for sleeping, cooking and storage as well as differing elevating roof types. These ranged from small staight up vertical pop top roofs to front hinged, rear hinged and side hinged roofs, sleeping between 2 to 7 people!

From the 2011 TV Advert

The Volkswagen Beetle (known unimaginatively as the Type 1 was produced as an economic and robust little car for the people. Ferdinand Porsche was instructed to build a car that was capable of transporting two adults and three children at a speed of 100 km/h. The VW Beetle started production in 1938, finishing a massive 65 years later in 2003. It was designed to be mechanically simple, economical to maintain and robust, with as little to go wrong as possible. This has probably underpins why so many Beetles are still on the road, and why it has its reputation for reliability and sturdiness. Production continued in Mexico until the New Beetle was introduced.

Karmann Ghia

The Karmann Ghia started production in 1955, the results of Volkswagen, Karmann a German coach building company and Ghia, an Italian design company. It was marketed by Volkswagen as a 2+2 coupe and convertible and was built using the running gear of the VW Beetle. Although the Karmann Ghia had the looks of a sports car, it never had the power or speed. The Karmann Ghia in both coupe and convertible forms is still a very sought after car and is very desirable. In 1961, VW introduced the Type 34 Karmann Ghia (or Razor Edge Ghia), based on its new Type 3 platform. It featured the new 1500 cc engine and the result was the fastest, most luxurious, and most expensive Volkswagen at the time.

Source: Text from our friends at Only Aircooled

The simple life of south west France…the French love this region for its long hot summers and moderate winters. With its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, there are no temperature extremes. Summers are long, lasting from May until the beginning of October with average high temperatures equal to the French Riviera – averaging more than 26 degrees C in July and August. Temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s are common throughout the holiday months of June to September and October will still have many 20 plus degree days. (Extracted from My Destination)

Surf

France is a country of contrast and home to the origins of surfing in Europe. Year round swells batter the coastline with winter being the most consistent, though surfing is often possible in the summer months as well. The northern area of the France offers a relaxed vibe and a varied but tidal dependent coastline. The water is cold and the winters are hard. Moving south the water warms and the surf becomes more consistent. The west facing coastline offers the greatest consistency, stretching from Normandy to the Dordogne. The reefs and points of Brittany and Limousin conceal many hidden gems. France’s most famous waves lie in the south west, this 200 plus km of beach contains the world class Hossegor and the famous trench which bisects the continental shelf, delivering Atlantic power straight onto the beach. Offshore winds are predominantly from the east.  (Extracted from Magic Seaweed)

James often provides a daily surf report and photos for MSW, check out the 5 day surf, winds and weather forecast -

See the Biscarrosse-Plage Surf Report and Forecast by Magic Seaweed

Look out for the ‘Show and Shine’ + ‘Swap’ meet to be hosted here at Biscarrose-plage in 2012!

Join the Facebook group for chat, useful links, funny and funky photos, videos and general updates.

Our base in Biscarrosse-plage is just 90 kilometres/ 1 hour by car from Bordeaux airport. ‘Bisca’ is a cool surfie beach town and is the perfect start to your road trip along The Côte d’Argent or, the Silver Coast. In Southwest France this is the coastline of the Aquitaine region stretching more than 200 km along the magnificent silvery sand beaches from the Gironde estuary in the north to as far south in France as Biarritz. Powerful rolling waves and miles of seascape draw families, celebrities, water lovers, surfers and wind surfers from all over the world. You’ll discover some of the best surfing beaches and surfing schools in Europe along this big sunny beach of rolling surf barrels. Don’t be put off if your a family with small children, the beaches are kept safe by life guards during the summer and there are many gentle beach pools at low tide to paddle and make fun sand castles.

Biscarrosse is a top holiday destination in it’s own right with its big lakes and coast line provides amble camping spots and plenty of reason to enjoy being outdoors. You’ll find cool beach bikes, plenty of vintage beach cars, buggy’s, motorbikes and of course motorhomes. Whether your coming for coming to start you camper van adventure, enjoying a mini surf autumn or spring break, a camping holiday, or just relaxing in one of the many boutique B&B’s, there is something for everyone to do.  The whole coastline is a kin to beaches and lifestyle of Californians and east coast Australians

The Toursit Office of Biscarrosse describe it perfectly;

well being or being well? in Bisca, you have the choice

To find out more about holidays in Biscarrosse contact us