Our VW California campervan road trip to Normandy & Brittany in 2020.
Due to the Covid pandemic we didn’t travel as far in our campervan, or go for as long as previous years. It was still a great trip and felt good to get away and back on the road again after lock downs in the U.K.
This year, as it was so hot, we stayed in the north of France and travelled around Normandy and Brittany. We also took our bikes with us as we’d heard from friends that cycling in this area was very easy and safe (and flat!)
Cycling in France proved to be great fun. The French really have set up a fantastic cycle network and French drivers are very respectful towards cyclists. Our trusty Decathlon Isothermal backpack was very useful and we enjoyed many roadside picnics, away from the crowds. We’ve used this insulated rucksack on many of our road trips when out and about as it’s good to keep some cool drinks and snacks in and you can also grab a few local delicacies to take back to the campervan for dinner.
Both of our girls enjoy history lessons at school. Travelling in our campervan provides great opportunities to bring history to life.
It was a coincidence that our youngest would be studying about the D Day landings during her next school term, so we made sure that we went to the various landing beaches and places of note including Pegasus Bridge and Sainte-Mère-Église.
We also visited Bayeux and viewed the famous tapestry (no photos allowed!)
We made sure we stayed isolated from others, though it was strange not to mix and chat and meet people at campsites as we normally would have done. We soon got used to the additional measures of using masks and hand gel everywhere.
We visited the tidal island of Mont St Michel in Normandy but we decided due to social distancing, that we would only view it from the beach. There were too many people and as this was still before a Covid vaccine had been developed, we decided to enjoy the space instead. This provided an opportunity to forage for samphire, that we enjoyed cooking that evening back at the campervan.
We explored villages along the coast, enjoyed local markets and enjoyed time to ourselves away from the crowds
From Normandy we headed to Brittany for more deserted coastlines where we walked, went fishing, horse riding and challenged each other to stacking stones.
The pandemic unfortunately cut our journey short. We’d been following the news and it became clear that the border between France and England would be closed. Whilst it would have been idylic to be locked down in France in our VW camper, the realities of work and school meant we needed to make a dash back to the Eurotunnel and home.
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