Minimal Camper

From France onwards to Italy – as a stopover I had booked a place in Finale Ligure, though a bit outside of town up in the mountains. Luckily Fred took over the mountain road – steep, curvy, that is nothing for my nerves. I had read that the parking was a short walk from the accommodation, but the photos on booking.com had instantly convinced me. Once we arrived at the top, we walked off in the wrong direction with all our bags. We ended up in a small, picturesque village. We thought we had found the key safe of our accommodation and were puzzled that the code did not seem to work. Then the courtyard slowly filled with people dressed up for a celebration, and we had wandered right into a wedding venue. At the latest when the bride and groom appeared, it became clear that something was not quite right. After Fred took over the navigation, we finally found the place. It was a simple room with a bathroom, but the view from the window delivered exactly what the photos had promised.

In the late afternoon we set off to explore the surroundings a bit. Down to the next little town there was a trail through terraced plantations on the hillside – a half-hour walk, the path lined with huge aloe vera plants. After a short stroll we turned back and went looking for a restaurant. A bit further up from our accommodation we found the restaurant of our dreams: atmospheric lighting and a breathtaking view over a sea of city lights along the coast below. The only seats left were on the backup "here you only get pizza" bench. Exactly our style. The pizza and the wine were delicious. A really lovely evening.

The next morning, once back down at the coast, we jumped into the sea one last time, then headed home. We made one final stop at Lake Garda (but the hotel was rather disappointing, so there is no text about that).

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We actually only drove to the Presqu'île de Giens because the peninsula looked so cool on the map – and because Fred knew the conditions for kitesurfing were good there. We arrived in the evening at a tiny campsite that we did not really like. So the next day we moved and ended up at Camping Presque-Ile-de-Giens. And that was a hit: the pitches were arranged in terraces on a small slope, with lots of shady and fragrant trees. The big pitches for motorhomes were already all taken, but for our little Caddy there was still plenty of choice. We grabbed a double pitch – one plateau for the car, one for hanging out. Pine trees everywhere, the scent of resin and dry grass, and the chirping of crickets. It was just incredibly pleasant.

Then something crazy happened: We were sitting at our spot when two adults with two children came walking down the slope – right past us. They were university friends of Fred. Even though the campsite was quite large, we had randomly ended up at the same spot at the same time. So we arranged to meet at the beach: Fred and his friend went kitesurfing, and I spent a lovely time with his partner and the kids in the beach shelter. In the evening we visited them in their bungalow and got to stay for dinner. Delicious pasta with loooads of garlic from the weekly market around the corner.

We really liked the campsite, only the logistics were a bit adventurous. When you sleep in the car and everything is converted, you cannot just quickly drive off with the kite gear. So Fred cycled to the spot with the bike plus kite equipment. The peninsula itself is quite narrow: lots of roads, few pavements, and even for cycling you basically have to ride on the road. There was not much beach directly on the peninsula, more cliffs. But on the strip of land connecting the peninsula to the mainland there were long stretched-out beaches.

We also visited a weekly market on the peninsula, but that was not really our thing. Overall it felt a bit too crowded for our taste outside of the campsite. And after the weeks on the Atlantic we did notice that we prefer the ocean there over the Mediterranean. Still, they were really lovely days and the chance encounter is something we will always remember.

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We like to travel completely free – without committing to anything beforehand, and usually Fred only starts looking for the next campsite the day before we leave. So far this has worked out really well for us (and we have always found a spot).

That is how we spontaneously decided to head to Camping Panorama de la Dune du Pilat. Our pitch neighbour at Cap de L'Homy had raved about it. And she had not promised too much. It started with the great service. After we arrived, Fred was driven around the site by a nice guy in a golf cart so he could get a first impression of the available pitches.

He came back with three options, and we decided quickly: A pitch right at the edge, on the slope facing the sea, shady under old pine trees. It was not really a proper pitch anymore, more like the forgotten corner spot – too small for bigger cars, which is why it was still free. But for us it was the coolest campsite spot we have ever had.

That the pitch was quite steep, we only noticed when setting up. We did not have levelling wedges back then – we did not even know you need something like that. So we gathered every stone we could find. We stacked and fiddled and somehow drove the wheels on top. It was pretty wild, but it worked. And then we just sat there in our chairs, about 200 metres above the sea, and simply looked. When the thermals were right, paragliders glided silently past us and circled right in front of our noses. Very atmospheric and calming at the same time.

The campsite itself was lively, and yet we had our peace and quiet. There were nice new sanitary facilities, not too far away, a supermarket within walking distance and a restaurant – which we ended up not going to. Getting pizza and eating at our pitch felt cosier 😊. All over the site there were hidden, lovely pitches under the big pine trees. It was pleasantly cool and smelled wonderful. Everything was just right here.

Also: the largest sand dune in Europe is right next to the campsite. One day we got up at four in the morning to watch the sunrise from the dune. Getting up was not exactly easy and then it was also colder than expected at first. But when we finally arrived at the top, it was simply unforgettable: barefoot in the sand, the sea on one side, the pine forest on the other. And in between this quiet vastness. We had never experienced anything like it before.

To get to the sea you go down a steep staircase – which is quite exhausting, but in return we had the amazing view from our pitch. The beach below is sheltered by a sandbar, so there were hardly any waves. The beach is narrow, but there was plenty of space. Once we cycled around the area with our bikes. We can recommend the cycle paths too; it is just a bit hilly and on that hot day we worked up quite a sweat.

We really wanted to come back the following year (2022). But then we heard that a terrible wildfire raged and destroyed a large part of the old pine trees around the campsite. The site has since reopened, but we do not know what it looks like today. The atmosphere of those old trees was beyond words. We prefer to keep this place in good memory just as it was.

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After a couple of days staying at cap de l'homy, we decided to do a short trip to a nearby lake and try some wild camping. To be honest, we did not enjoy the camping in Cap de L'Homy that much so we needed to break out for one night. Susi found this "secret" car parking spot via Park4Nite that was close to the lake. Just amazing. And very quiet—despite the proximity to a mega-large touristic camp site. So there we were, having a quick bath in the lake, then cooking dinner with our Ququq box while enjoying the view. And, finally, yummy dinner with a minimalistic setup of blanket, red wine, pasta and sunset.

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On our trip to France, we set up our first camp at Camping Municipal de Cap de l'Homy, a long-time favorite of our dear friends Linda and Fabian. This was also the first—and one of the last—times we tested our brand-new Vango tailgate tent. After the holidays, we decided to let it go, as it didn't fit our small VW Caddy as well as we'd hoped. No matter how much we adjusted or squeezed, we couldn't eliminate the persistent flapping noises during windy nights. (We go into more detail about the issues in our Vango Tailgate review.) We also brought along our roof box—a decision we quickly regretted. The added height meant we had to stop and turn away from most of the height-restricted parking sites near the beaches. Next time: no roof box (we thought). Let's keep it minimal (we won't). As it turned out, Cap de l'Homy did not become our favorite spot. It was quite crowded and noisy, and so we missed the tranquility we were hoping for.

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We spent a few peaceful days at Lake Attersee in Austria, our first trip with our little yellow Caddy minimalistic camper. We'd just fitted it out with the basics—a simple trunk box from Ququq that holds a small kitchen and provides a place to sleep. No luxuries, just what we needed. The lake was calm and clear, deep enough to swim in close from the shore, with the mountains reflected on its surface. We loved how easy it was to step out of the van and straight into the water, or to sit quietly by the shore and enjoy the view. The campsite was small and modest, nothing fancy, but that suited us just fine. The only inconvenience was having to walk along the main road to leave, since there wasn't a path by the lake. It wasn't a grand adventure, just a small and quiet one. We left feeling lighter, already looking forward to the next time.

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