Lucy Caille | Thu, Oct 6th, 2016
As we enjoy the last glimpses of summer sun I wanted to set your minds buzzing with thoughts of GlamperRV adventures next year, especially those of longer duration, perhaps extending onto the Continent which do need early planning and booking (please note, we are already fully booked with our enlarged fleet over some dates in July/August 2017).
So this month I am going to share with you excerpts from the Bates family blog who hired a GlamperRV for 4 weeks this summer to take off with their boys to explore Europe.
We met up one sunny July morning as they set off for France, unperturbed by the delays on the M20 as with a full fridge and facilities on board a game of motorway car park was not going to dampen their high spirits.
They would spend the first week meandering down through France to the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, a stunning region situated between the Alps and Mediterranean and full of dramatic scenery, gorges and lakes for our GlamperRV adventurers to enjoy some wild swimming!
France is totally geared up for motorhome adventures with ‘Aires’ in every town, a wide array of interesting, alternative places to stop for the night thanks to the innovative France Passion and more camping locations than you can imagine, many off the beaten track.
Posting from their first stop, Mr B commented: “Beautiful here, totally tranquil and so far, everything we hoped for. The van is so easy to drive. We are both really enjoying driving. Children loving the campsite, water slides and park. The Lac D’Orient is a beautiful lake we can swim in and have had fun with the inflatable tubes. All asleep by 9pm – thank goodness for air conditioning!
Heading south to their principle destination they added “We set off on our first unplanned trip today, seeing where we might stop near Lake Annecy. The drive was breathtakingly beautiful, with mountains and trees flanking the route. We found a 🏠 with a big garden, that was allowing motorhomes to park next to the lake for a few Euros. We were delighted and so proud of ourselves! We swam in the beautiful lake and went for a cycle into town.”
From the delights of rural France and wild swimming adventures in the Gorges du Verdon, the family made their way south to the coast and along the A8, crossing the border into Italy. Their destination was Venice, where they had identified the Camping Fusina, a spot from which they could take a ferry over to the city of Venice and also enjoy the many nearby beaches.
Having revelled in the majesty of Venice, had their fill of gelato and the obligatory gondola ride it was off north up to Lake Garda where they stayed at the Piantelle Camping – complete with swimming pool and access to the lake, with a jetty making the perfect diving board! In the words of Mrs B “The Glamper was yet again fab in transporting us to our next destination. The driving was fairly straight forward. I took my turn driving- which made me feel like a celebrity, as so many people point at the van and a lady driver!”
Their route then took them up through Switzerland which appears to have been one of the unexpected highlights – “If you are even slightly tempted to visit Switzerland, do. It is clean, friendly, lively and vibrant. The people are friendly and helpful, as well as stylish and reserved. They cater for families, hobbies and healthy lifestyles.”
From the mountains and lakes of Switzerland it was up into the Black Forest in Germany and time to get off the tourist trail and experience the ‘real’ Germany which meant strict rules, bratwurst and beer! Their parking spot near the pretty town of Staufen was ideal, offering various activities free of charge to tourists from trains into the nearest town to horse-riding for the children and in Mrs B’s words: “It is a very picturesque place and possible to reach easily by train for free too [there is also a 5k cycle path from campsite to town]. Not many people speak English and it certainly feels authentically German rather than a total tourist set up.”
The family slowly made their way back to our base and were fairly reluctant to get back to normal life, they seemed to enjoy living in GlamperRV and felt they could have continued . . . .
If you would like to plan a trip like the Bates family please get in touch to discuss possible dates or take a look at our availability online at www.GlamperRV.co.uk/hire-me.
