We’ve had quite the time on our Tomlin Europe Trip 2024! For our summer holidays this year, we decided to pack up the ‘van and head over on the ferry to explore some of France and Spain. All in all, we had a wonderful time - even if it got over 35 at one point!
Here’s a little round-up of our adventure with the Trouvaille Classique MWB campervan:
The crossing over to Cherbourg
We left Sheffield on the 25th of July and arrived in Poole in the early evening.
We headed straight to Sandbanks Beach, where the boys played (see the below pic!).
We looked for fish and chips, but there were no restaurants open. Luckily, we had our campervan!
We made our dinner in the car park while the boys played on the beach. We ate and then headed off to the ferry port, where, luckily, you could stay for the night, and we stayed for free.
What better than staying overnight somewhere and not losing a whole night's sleep travelling because we had our campervan?!
We left the kids in the pop top and they only had to get out and wake up for the 7am check-in when we showed our passports.
Watch part 1 of our adventure on YouTube,,,
Mont Saint-Michel
We crossed from Poole to Cherbourg and decided to drive for a couple of hours.
We were going to stop in an inland city, but then I saw that Mont Saint-Michel was fairly near where we were heading. We just rolled up at a campsite without anything pre-booked!
Luckily, I speak languages as I was a Spanish and French teacher.
We arrived, and while they said they were full, they had an open camping area we could use—conveniently next to the mini farm and kids' play area. So we camped in the field, but we still had access to that heated pool.
We were able to do this because our campervan doesn’t need a hookup—it has a leisure battery and a really powerful solar panel!
We were sad to leave our campsite at Mont Saint-Michel but headed off to see the monument itself.
We parked fairly near it and packed a picnic in the MWB to take with us, as all the restaurants looked pretty expensive, as is always the case with these tourist traps!
After the picnic on the grass outside, we joined the masses going up the Mont. It was really spectacular to see, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
Camping du Lac
Afterwards, we decided we'd drive for a couple of hours and see where we'd end up.
We just put it into Google and found Camping du Lac, which has turned out to be a lovely site.
The boys played football there, with a variety of nationalities and seemed to get by fine with the language of football!
It was very sunny and warm, and we had a lovely time relaxing while hoping that we didn't get bitten by mosquitoes. With our flyscreen add-on fitted to the van for extra protection, we can successfully stop them from getting in!
Watch part 2 of our adventure on YouTube,,,
Eskualduna
We then arrived at the camping village Eskualduna in Hendaye.
It’s a busy but very pretty site with lots to keep the kids busy: kids club, Fronton, boules, ping pong, pool and slides, a nice restaurant, etc. and great surf beaches.
We haven't heard another English voice since we arrived, so it's great for immersing yourself in the language and culture.
Keeping cool in the heatwave
We had a bit of a heat wave in Spain. It's been an excess of 30 degrees. And it's just interesting to note how we've coped in the campervan!
We did bring a mini air con unit in case this happened, which we’ve put into the roof for the kids where it’s hottest.
They've been absolutely fine, and we’ve all slept really well.
We can also zip out the roof canvas, which has helped during the day in particular.
Another lifesaving feature is the fly net. We haven't particularly used it to keep flies out (other than at the lake!), but now that we're in the Basque country, we've used it to keep us cool.
To do that, we've attached a drive-away awning now that we’re staying somewhere for a longer period.
And so, with all the doors shut, we can actually keep the door open with the fly net on and let the cool breeze in all night, which is fantastic!
We also keep the back door open during the day, so we’ve been comfortable so far, even up to 35°C!
Watch part 3 of our adventure on YouTube,,,
San Sebastián
Finally, we arrived at our final destination after 8 years away - the first visit being our honeymoon 😍
It’s so lovely to return to Camping Igara de San Sebastián with the kids, located up in the hills of the Spanish Basque country.
It is a great base for visiting this amazing city, which is known as the Basque jewel.
A well-deserved name, as you can see with the beautiful Playa De La Concha.
World renowned for its tapas, we have made the most of its culinary offerings! Deliciosas!
We didn't mind splashing out on this as we have saved a whole load of money by cooking in our ‘van most evenings and making picnics too!
Playa de la Zurriola is also a well-known surf beach, and we tried out the spectacular waves.
And how lucky to be able to do all that in our very own campervan.
It gives us the facility to hide from the crowds in the hills on our campsite with this fantastic pool and then to drive into the city and park right at the beach.
We also popped into the local aquarium, where the sharks were awesome. Making memories!
Our final fling took us from our beloved San Sebastian back across the border to Hendaye and Eskualduna campsite. The kids loved it so much that they wanted a last little stay there before heading up North.
We found a gem of a restaurant called Le Spot at the foot of the hill of St Barbe, with simple but tasty food and spectacular views over the bay, Parking was tight at this popular location, but with our compact camper, we had no worries about sneaking into one of the much-sought-after spaces.
Finally, the time came to tear ourselves away from the Pays Basque, and we headed North, playing it safe and staying in Saintes again, but this time exploring the river in the kayak we carried on our roof rack.
Tinteniac
We made a yummy baguette picnic for our long journey to Tinteniac in Bretagne. We love sampling the local cuisine, but it's so nice to make your own food in your own van to avoid eating junk and overspending.
We chanced it and got a last-minute space at a nice campsite, too. The freedom your campervan gives you is incredible. You can drive along, spot somewhere and just say let's explore! It feels so good to be spontaneous.
And that's our trip in a nutshell! Fun and exhilarating. Restful and comfortable in our lovely home-from-home space. Finding new places to stay, some planned, and some totally spur of the moment... because we can!
Would we do it again? Yes, absolutely 😊
Next year, we will get the ferry to Santander and see more of 🇪🇸
Still time for a cheeky trip to the Edinburgh festival this August though, before the end of the school holidays.
And why not when the MWB offers us such a great living space for our family 🧡
Why buy from us at Orange Campers? Don't just take our word for it, hear from our happy Orange family...
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