2 weeks Ago By Brittany Vonow
I ROLL out of bed, take three steps and my feet are immediately in the sand. The sun is beaming down on the French beach and I spend a blissful few hours sitting here in peace, soaking up the sun’s rays. 5 The picturesque coastal town of Saint-Tropez on the Cote d'Azur Credit: Getty 5 The iconic Cannes shoreline Credit: Getty This gorgeous stretch of shoreline is just outside Cannes but I won’t be here long.
Tonight, I will sleep in the mountains and the night after that a medieval French town. It is all down to a well-prepared campervan christened “Lee”. My husband Nick and I have covered 500km in five days in this Roadsurfer motorhome and seen more of France than I thought possible.
Read More on Travel SCREEN IT Victorian English village is home to waterfalls and train used in Harry Potter FUSS FREE English hotel named the best for families in the UK that has 'milk butlers' Instead of being chained to an Ibis hotel, we have stocked up at Aldi and hit the road making our way from Nice down the coast to Cannes and St Tropez before ploughing into the Verdon region. It’s a freeing way to live. With no real plan, we are able to discover hidden gems before packing up and heading to our next destination at the drop of a hat.
One highlight was a visit to the Verdon Gorge, a river canyon close to the region of Quinson, filled with deep turquoise water. We filled up on a quick lunch from our gas stove — two minute noodles with some tinned veg mixed in — before hiking the stunning mountains bordering the water. Most read in News Travel FLIGHT DELIGHT Scots airport 'in talks' to DOUBLE daily service to popular destination HOLIDAY HELL Gutted Scots 'in limbo' as travel firm goes bust and cancels holidays FIRST PLAICE Popular seaside town dubbed the 'English Riviera' has UK's best fish & chips PARC UP Center Parcs reveals opening date for seventh UK park - it's sooner than you think Our “cooee” calls echo around the rock faces and at that moment, it feels like we are the only people left in the world.
A short drive west of here took us to Sainte Croix Verdon, home to a huge lake with waters as turquoise as the Verdon Gorge. Martin Lewis gives travel advice about checking your passport Greeted by one of the happiest Frenchmen I’ve ever met (who roared “g’day mate” as soon as I mentioned we were Australian), we felt immediately at home at the campsite, just metres from the water’s edge. And if we thought our views couldn’t get more stunning than that, a morning run the next day proved us wrong.
Making our way along the craggy paths, we caught the sun rising over the mountain tops. A side note, anyone who says the French are grumpy has never seen them in nature. On every hike, we are inundated with bonjours, waves and “vas-y”s (“go ahead” in English), as we crossed paths.
Always calling Yet campervan life is bittersweet. One of my greatest aspirations is to sit in the sun and read, eventually falling asleep. But, at the risk of sounding extremely naff, when you have a campervan, the open road is always calling.
With each turn, southern France shows off its jaw-dropping vistas, from rolling lavender fields to gorgeous gorges that make way for towering snow-capped mountains and picturesque French towns nestled in between. Having a built-in shower was a great perk in motorhome Lee, as it meant we were not saddled to anywhere in particular and could be completely self-sustainable. However, with all these amenities, it meant our campervan was quite big which made it difficult to stop in some of the tiny French towns.
And while it is nice to go where the wind takes you, it’s a good idea to have a few ideas of where to park up for the night as camping sites are always a lot nicer than sleeping on the side of the road. Luckily we had everything we could need in Lee — all the kitchen gear and bedding, along with tables and chairs to relax outside in. Just like that picture perfect van life image.
5 Happy campers Brittany, Nick and ‘Lee’ Credit: Brittany Vonow 5 The stunning turquoise waters of the Verdon gorge Credit: Getty 5 The dreamy lavender fields in Provence Credit: Getty Being in France meant even with our own mini kitchen, a quick stop at a local bakery for a cheeky croissant or two was still needed every so often. And if France isn’t for you, Roadsurfer vans can be picked up from a multitude of locations: London, Edinburgh and Manchester, to name just a few in the UK, while Austria, Belgium and Sweden in Europe mean a cheap Ryanair flight is the only thing standing between you and a campervan summer. Read more on the Scottish Sun SUPERMARKET WARS Morrisons slams rival supermarket's plans to open new store at retail park ON THE MARCH Glasgow roads to close this weekend for first Orange walk of the year I have no doubt the road will be calling my name again when summer hits.
Happy camping. GO: FRANCE GETTING THERE: Ryanair flies from Stansted to Marseille from £19.99 each way.
See ryanair.com . Roadsurfer campervans can be picked up in Aix-Marseille from €69 per night.
Other collection locations in France include: Bordeaux, Geneva-Pays de Gex, Lille, Lyon, Nantes, Nice, Paris, Strasbourg and Toulouse. Sun readers can bag ten per cent off when they book between May 15 and August 15 this year, using code RSFTHESUN. See roadsurfer.
com/uk . STAYING THERE: For a list of camping sites, see spots.roadsurfer.
com/en-gb/roadsurfer-spots . Use the same code as above to bag ten per cent off..
