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This brand-new Eriba camper van is based on a Volkswagen Crafter 5.99 m long. Its exterior colours (white-red, white-blue or white-grey metallic) are reminiscent of those of the Eriba Touring caravans. The interior is just as elegant, with felt lining on the walls, nautical parquet flooring and modern furniture with coloured surfaces. All with lighting that combines direct and indirect light. All with a choice of three upholstery trims.

The interior layout is fairly compact. In terms of bedding, this camper van has a transverse bed measuring 200 cm x 136 cm on a plate base at the rear of the vehicle. In the lounge area you’ll find a two-seater bench and an extensible table. The side kitchen, complete with fridge, has been well thought out so that it can be used both inside and out. The bathroom is compact and functional. There’s plenty of storage space, with cupboards on the sides of the vehicle and under the bed.

A connected camper van

The Eriba Car is a connected camper van. Thanks to the Eriba Connect application, you can control the lighting, air conditioning and heating from your smartphone.

An over-equipped vehicle

The Eriba Car 600 starts at €77,990. Available with two engines (177 bhp or 140 bhp), it is particularly well equipped in its First Edition version (177 bhp engine, reversing camera, automatic gearbox). The First Edition pack, however, pushes the price up to €86,560.

Vehicle size :
Length 5.99 m
Width 2.07 m
Height 2.67 m

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Our campsites with pitches in the Netherlands

Cities of Art and History

A first visit to the Netherlands usually begins with a stroll along the canals of Amsterdam. The Dutch capital has a lot to offer, starting with its canals lined with narrow gabled houses. The city boasts 75 kilometres of canals spanned by more than 1,000 bridges. Art lovers will love Amsterdam. The city is home to some of the finest museums in Europe, including the Rijksmuseum, which houses paintings by the great Flemish masters, including Rembrandt’s famous Night Watch.

In a different style, Rotterdam is an open-air museum of contemporary architecture. Completely razed during the Second World War, the city was rebuilt in the second half of the 20th century. As a result, the city boasts some original buildings, such as its impressive covered market. As night falls, photographers will be delighted to snap a few shots of the skyline that stretches around the Erasmus Bridge, a sight not to be envied in Manhattan.

The seat of Parliament, The Hague is often referred to as the political capital of the Netherlands. This seaside resort with its old-fashioned charm is dotted with Art Nouveau buildings that bear witness to its opulence in the early 20th century. The Scheveningen district is undoubtedly the most elegant on the seafront, with its luxurious hotels. When visiting The Hague, be sure to visit the Mauritshuis. This museum houses one of the finest collections of Dutch painters.

While art is usually experienced in the cities, one of the country’s most important museums is located in the heart of the 5,400-hectare De Hoge Veluwe National Park. The Kröller-Müller Museum houses collections spanning the 19th and 20th centuries. Among other things, it has a large number of paintings by Van Gogh, making it a must-see for admirers of the painter with the severed ear during a camping holiday in the Netherlands.

As well as the big cities of the West, the Netherlands has a plethora of pretty little towns, less famous than Amsterdam but still full of charm, such as Maastricht. Nestling among the rolling hills of Limburg, Maastricht has a rich heritage dating back to the Romans.

Camping in the Nature in the Netherlands

The Netherlands is famous for its vast fields of tulips, which stretch as far as the eye can see during the spring flowering season. The Keukenhof gardens, near the town of Lisse, offer one of the world’s largest floral displays, with millions of tulips, hyacinths and daffodils in bloom, creating a dazzling show of colour that will delight photographers. But this is just one aspect of the Netherlands’ natural riches. The north-east of the country boasts superb landscapes of lakes and canals that criss-cross the lush green countryside. Elegant traditional sailing boats, the Skutsje, sail on these lakes, and you can also hire boats without a licence to explore these vast stretches of water and discover the North of the Netherlands from a different angle.

The Netherlands is also home to some stunning coastal landscapes, most notably the Wadden Sea National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This unique park is famous for its expanses of mudflats, dunes and diverse wildlife, offering visitors the chance to explore unspoilt coastal ecosystems and discover a variety of migratory birds. In the north of the Netherlands lies a string of islands known as the Wadden Islands, some of which can be visited and are ideal for long walks on fine sandy beaches. The island of Texel, the largest, can be reached by ferry.

De Hoge Veluwe National Park, with its 5,400 hectares inland, is an oasis of unspoilt nature. Located in the Veluwe woodlands, the park is renowned for its vast expanses of forest, moorland and dunes. Visitors can explore the park by bike (1,800 bikes are available free of charge to take advantage of the 40 km of cycle paths that criss-cross the park), following the many signposted trails, or set out to discover the local wildlife, including deer, wild boar and foxes. De Hoge Veluwe is the perfect destination for a camping holiday in the Netherlands, surrounded by nature.

cheese country

Let’s be honest, you don’t go to the Netherlands for the food. The country does, however, have a few surprises in store for food lovers. Cheeses such as Gouda and Edam are high on the list of Dutch gourmet specialities. If you get the chance, visit one of Holland’s folkloric cheese markets (Kaasmarkt). The one in Alkmaar is a must!

Don’t forget the mills

Les moulins font définitivement partie des clichés qui circulent le plus sur les Pays-Bas. Avec plus de 250 moulins, essentiellement répartis dans l’Ouest du pays, serait dommage de ne pas en admirer quelques-uns lors de vos vacances en camping en Hollande. C’est à Kinderdijk que vous trouverez le plus beau paysage de moulin des Pays-Bas. Ces 19 moulins destinés à assécher les polders sont classés au patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO composent un des grands classiques des paysages hollandais. Nul doute que vous ferez une des plus belles photos de vos vacances en camping aux Pays-Bas.

Our campsites in the Netherlands

A selection of the best campsites in the Netherlands for holidays in a caravan, tent or motorhome.

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A paradise for walkers and sports enthusiasts

With 1,250 kilometres of Grande Randonnée (GR) trails and 5,300 kilometres of Promenades et Randonnées (walks and hikes), Aveyron is a paradise for hiking enthusiasts. Ask at your campsite reception. They’ll be able to tell you which are the most beautiful walks around you. The region is also a delight for lovers of white-water sports and the great outdoors. The hiking trails are ideal for mountain biking, while the Dourbie, Tarn and Lot rivers are ideal for canoeing. The cliffs and rocky outcrops of the region are also renowned among rock-climbing enthusiasts. At the confluence of the Tarn and Dourbie rivers, Millau is famous for paragliding. In the evening, as the sun sets, it’s not unusual to see dozens of sails colouring the blue skies of southern Aveyron.

Camping le Muret, between the Viaur and Aveyron gorges

Camping Le Muret is a small campsite with 44 places, including 34 camping pitches, in the heart of the Ségala countryside. This is authentic countryside, nicknamed the land of 100 valleys because of its location between the Aveyron and Viaur valleys. The small lake at the heart of the campsite adds to the charm of the place, especially at the end of the day when the rays of the setting sun are reflected on its surface. The campsite restaurant serves local produce to remind you that Aveyron is also a land of good food.

Camping le Val de Saures between Lot and Truyère rivers

Situated at the confluence of the Lot and Truyère rivers, Val de Saures campsite awaits you in the village of Entraygues in Aveyron, a delightful medieval town. It offers 103 places on 96 pitches spread over 2.6 hectares of shady grounds. Close to the shops, it’s the ideal destination for motorhome users, who won’t need to move their vehicle to get to the village.

Campsite Via Natura les Cerisiers near Millau

At the entrance to the Gorges du Tarn, Les Cerisiers is a delightful campsite on a human scale with 80 places, including 70 camping pitches. A member of the Via Natura association, this campsite nestles in an exceptional natural setting at the entrance to the Gorges du Tarn. It is set in 2.5 hectares of wooded grounds. There are some 300 trees of around fifty different species. The Tarn, which borders the campsite, offers a pleasant swimming beach for all the family.

Campsite in Aveyron with heated swimming pool: Les Prades in the Gorges du Tarn

Camping Les Prades enjoys an idyllic location in the spectacular Gorges du Tarn. It has two private beaches where you can go swimming or children can play in the river. Although it has a unique natural environment, this 4-star campsite also has all the comforts you could wish for, with a heated swimming pool, spa, bar and restaurant.

Camping le Roc qui Parle in the Dourbie valley

Le Roc qui Parle campsite nestles in an exceptional setting in the heart of the unspoilt Dourbie valley. The campsite slopes down to the river Dourbie, where campers can enjoy a refreshing swim. Two kilometres away, the village of Nant offers shops and restaurants in the shadow of its medieval covered market. The campsite offers 70 spacious, green pitches.

Campsite with swimming pool in the dourbie valley: les 2 Vallées at the gates of the village of Nant

Just outside the village of Nant, in the Dourbie valley, you’ll find Les 2 Vallées campsite. This campsite has a heated swimming pool and access to the Durzon river which runs alongside. The village of Nant is within walking distance of the campsite. It is a charming medieval village with shops (butcher’s, baker’s, supermarket, etc.) and several restaurants around the medieval covered market in the centre of the village. It will be particularly attractive to motorhome owners, who won’t have to move their vehicle during their stay in Aveyron.

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Derived from the SpaceTourer, the exterior of Citroën’s new van takes on the silhouette and colour of the legendary Type H, thanks to the work of Italian coachbuilder Caselani, while retaining the comfort and technology of today’s vehicles. For the interior, Citroën turned to Slovenian interior designer Bravia. The Type Holidays has a pop-up roof that allows you to stand upright in the vehicle, and offers sleeping accommodation for two, a bench that opens to form a bed, two side doors, a kitchenette and a folding table.

A diesel-powered van

While Stellantis, Citroën’s parent company, has already announced the discontinuation of certain vehicles such as the Berlingo and SpaceTourer in petrol or diesel mode, the Type Holidays will be offered in two diesel versions (a 145 bhp 2.0 BlueHDi in manual mode, and a 180 bhp 2.0 BlueHDi in automatic mode).

With its blend of retro design and modern technology, the all-new Type H is sure to win over its audience. There is one small downside, however: its price. We’ll have to wait until it goes on sale in early 2024 to find out the final price, but initial rumours suggest a figure of around €90,000. A relatively high price compared with the competition. Will the vintage charm be enough to take the plunge? The answer will be in the first half of 2024. Citroën hopes to deliver the first models before the summer of 2024. So we should be seeing a few of them on French campsites.

Type Holidays on the Citroën website.

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Every year, in May and even more so in June, our Belgian neighbours take to our roads to head for the sun and enjoy the amenities of France. Nearly ¼ of Belgians say they go camping, and it’s fair to say that we often see them out and about with some fine equipment.

A few semantic details about French-speaking Belgians, however, which can also be referred to as belgicisms: while many appreciate the motor-home, or camping-car for the French; more and more appreciate the residential caravan that we call the mobil-home; others have opted for the camping car, which across the Channel means an extendable folding canvas caravan… But there are also die-hard caravanners, and there, the word is the same.

The summer period is therefore the best time of the year to see our ancestors on the road again, in what we French would call retro caravans… In short, all this to say that in the 50s, 60s and 70s, the flat country saw a number of manufacturers who built inventively, looking for lightness or emphasising comfort, sometimes all 3 at the same time. We’re going to introduce you to five of these brands in this article.

Let’s start with the charming Wa-wa au, the brainchild of Louis Dombard. Most of them had a roof that could be lowered for journeys, an isorel body that was therefore very light, and twin wheels with a rubber ring suspension system. The first of these were called 160, 180 or 200, depending on the width of the body. Very popular in the retro world, they are nevertheless rare on our roads, but keep your eyes peeled…

More common and more widespread are the Constructams, which appeared around 1959 in East Flanders. They can be recognised by their half-height polyester body and rounded windows at the front. Very bright, with rounded wooden furniture, they are also very pleasant to tow, as their centre of gravity is low. They are called Condor, Coral or Comet, depending on their size.

Another brand that enjoyed some popularity was De Reu caravans, which appeared in Bellem between Ghent and Bruges. The wooden fittings were just as well designed and similar to those of the Constructam, but they were quite distinct externally. The first shape was characterised by a straight front with a line descending towards the rear, then in the mid-1960s they adopted a more classic line with rounded corners and a pop-up roof. In different ways, their names evoke small dwellings, the Cahute, the Casbah or the Casa Blanca. They were built until the mid-1980s.

Another technical solution that allows a very particular shape are the Bourgeois, born in Ostend in 1960. Two brothers chose pressed aluminium to build a caravan with a rounded shape. They also have very effective hydraulic brakes. This time, the names don’t evoke escapism, but simply size: B36 for the 3m60, B43, B50.

Let’s finish with the Belgian grail, the Notin of the flat country, with the astonishing La Tortue, built in Ypres from 1950. They are immediately recognisable by their parallelogram shape, which gives them a look that “causes a sensation”, as the advertisements say. The brand called this line “Mercury”. Designed to improve their penetration of the air, they offered numerous solutions to improve comfort: a two-piece polyester roof to provide natural air conditioning, metal shutters on the inside of the windows, a large boot at the rear to store the caravanners’ ‘brol’ (the familiar Belgian version of ‘barda’), and an integrated footboard. They were fairly heavy, however, as comfort was essential, but their island names – Micorca, Corsica, Mallorca, Capri, Capri MK II for the brand’s flagship, a twin-axle vehicle 6.85 metres long and 2.20 metres wide – were an invitation to long-distance travel and exoticism.

Now that you’ve read this article, and with a bit of luck, I’m sure you’ll soon be seeing some of these beautiful Belgian ‘ancestors’ on our roads.

To write this article, we found informations in

–Le camping a évolué, le campeur aussi – La Libre , article du 6/02/2015

– http://www.rccf.net/

-Sylvie et Franck Méneret, Caravanes de France et d’ailleurs (1920-1960), ETAI 2010

–Digue dingue Dong

– https://www.bocc.be/

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In 1960, the Société Sud-Aviation produced mainly the Caravelle series of planes, the Alouette series of helicopters and participated in the study and production of ballistic missiles. It is a national state-owned company that employs 23,000 workers in the south-east and west of France.  Sales of the Caravelle are slowing down and it is a question of keeping all these employees employed by the French state busy. The company therefore sought to diversify and produced Frigéavia refrigerators, Téléavia television sets, etc.

The caravan market was buoyant in the early 1960s and, with the agreement of the State, this new activity was created in the St Nazaire factory where engineers were working on what was then called “camping trailers”. The beginnings were small-scale. Initially, about twenty caravans in parts were imported from the United States and built under a Terry licence. The first models actually built by Caravelair had an undeniable American caravan feel. 

In September 1961, the new manufacturer presented to the national press the two models called “la Corsaire” and “la Goélette” which would become the future Bretagne (3m30) and Armagnac (4m20) when they arrived on the market a few months later. They are of classic design with an electrically welded profiled steel frame, independent wheels and torsion bar suspension. The interior is lined with laminated wood panels. Later on, different printed wood species will be possible, such as sycamore. 

From this time onwards, Caravelairs were distributed by Trigano in other regions of France. This brand, like Digue and Sterckeman, quickly underwent a process of industrialisation of its production. Trigano, a specialist in the world of leisure, gradually acquired shares in the company and the production site was extended to Trignac, 7 km away. Other models were quickly proposed, all of which were named after regions of France, except for the small “Alouette”, with its 2.90m long access through a large double door at the rear. It is possible to choose a colour for the central strip: turquoise blue, jade green or chamois beige. Many remember the Caravelair caravans produced by Dinky toys 1/43 that were part of our childhood games. The brand is also visible on all the roads of France thanks to its after-sales service and its Estafette stamped Caravelair. 

In the 1970s, SEMM Caravelair was bought by Trigano. Shortly after this takeover, the production of Caravelair caravans moved to Tournon sur Rhône in the Ardèche, where they are still produced.  From 1972 onwards, new, very square shapes were adopted and the models were also named after French or even foreign towns (Hossegor, Lugano, etc.). In 1974, the group was in difficulty and it was the Crédit Lyonnais that took control before returning to the Trigano VDL group to which it still belongs.

Caravelair and Sterckeman caravans are still produced in Tournon sur Rhône in the Ardèche. It is possible to visit the site by booking in advance. 

References :
– Digue Dingue Dong
– Sylvie et Franck Méneret, Les caravanes de France et d’ailleurs, ETAI
– Page Facebook RCCF – Bruno Crotta
– Trigano (entreprise) — Wikipédia (wikipedia.org) 
– Trigano VDL (visite du site actuel)
– Bruno Crotta for the aerial photos of the production site. 
– Caravaning, n°75, octobre 1961

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A selection of campsites with less than 100 places and a swimming pool

We offer you a selection of small campsites in France and Europe with a swimming pool. You will find these campsites in all regions of France, from Brittany to the Côte d’Azur, via the Dordogne or the Ardèche, as well as in Italy or the Netherlands.

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The festival is open to visitors for one day, but you can also camp on site if you wish and take part in the various activities by entering your Combi in the parade, for example.

Camping places or entrance tickets can be booked on the VW Bus Festival website for €29 for the 3-day festival. Additional people will have to pay 15€ (for over 18s) or 7€ for 6-17s (free for under 6s). Visitors will be charged €5 for the day.

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