Our First Vintage Camper Trip.. Najac

Just before Christmas last year we bought a 1989 vintage camper on a whim, first it was cheap and second it was in pretty good condition. We had a 2 hour drive to go see the little lady (yes it’s a girl). My intention was to go see it and put every obstacle in the way to not buying her (not sure if I wanted to join the happy camper’s tribe) but the minute I saw her I fell in love. So for the past few weeks DH has been tweaking, fiddling and fixing and getting her ready for our first trip.

Tada, so for our first venture we went to visit some friends who live close to Najac about a 2 hour drive from here. Najac stretches out along a single street. The village is perched on an exceptionally long rocky ridge,where an imposing mid 13th century Chateau Royal sits and watches over the river Aveyron.

curtesy 

The plan was to spend the night in the camper and then meet them for lunch, and as we have a cat we thought it would be fun to take her with us, just how wrong can you be... well in this case totally!!! First the cat sat on my lap in the front and cried like a banshee and then leapt into the back and made a sound that will haunt me for the rest of my life. She then came and finally settled onto my lap and fell asleep, or perhaps she fell into a coma with fear, I am not too sure.  We arrived in Najac mid afternoon and the place was deserted as most French villages are this time of year. Still we had 8 places to choose to park our camper in the municipal parking lot and we needed all the space we could get to practice reversing it but we did it, and right next to the electric hook up.

Ah! You need tokens for the electric but it did have a little sign telling you where you could buy the tokens.  On entering the village, it was as dead as the campsite but the bakery was open and we came out with bread and 5 electric tokens. Sorted!  By now B our cat wanted out and so we put the harness on her no problem and we attempted to take her for a short walk but, short of dragging her along the ground, we failed and had to let her off the lead.  She looked at us and then headed for the field and that’s pretty much where we spent the next 2 hours trying to coax her back into the van.

Apart from a few minor details like forgetting to take some milk, tea, butter and the gas running out,we had a fun night and a fabulous day with our friends but as for taking the cat again I think not and I am sure our cat feels the same!