Gleaming aluminum curves, disco balls, a blue Chevrolet Biscayne, a London bus, pink flamingoes, and a former clown – well, we are certainly going to fit right in here! “Here” is The Belrepayre Airstream and Retro Trailer Park – the only Airstream retro campsite in Europe and what a joy it is!
Airstreams as far as you can see
Nestled down a one-car-wide unpaved road high in the hills in the Aude region of France, about 60 kms from Carcassonne just getting there is a lovely experience to start with. A gorgeous drive through rolling, lush countryside, medieval villages and endless sunflower fields finally takes you up on to the hillside, where the park is perched, surrounded by fields, a small wood and a glorious view across the valleys and right back to the Pyrenees.
The Pyrenees in the background
Al Fresco dining
Views over the valley right from your porch
There are fifteen Airstreams, each different models, each imported from America and lovingly restored, before rediscovering their retro roots on the hill. Each is decorated in keeping with its heritage. Ours was a 1953 Airstream Silver Streak – in its own private spot, surrounded by bamboo (real – not 1950s wallpaper), fronted with a splendid Astro-turf lawn, purple sun loungers and a view over the valley.
Our Airstream garden by day
Mail box included
Our Airstream garden by night – groovy!
Inside, a metallic green interior offset the wooden floors, steel tubular heater, a cherry red enamel cooker, and our very comfortable crochet-covered bed.
daytime in the Silver Streak
Geoff sorting the sounds on the wireless
Our lovely big crochet-covered bed
An all-American classic of design, that became, and still is a cultural icon, the different Airstreams at Belrepayre bask in glorious sunshine, history and more than a little eccentricity.
Pink Flamingoes
It’s a serious business – really!
All the way from the good ol’ USofA
The park is run by Perry – a Englishman who for many years was a circus clown and clearly still likes a good laugh – and his French wife Coline – who shares his love of performing, humour and Airstreams. There is a large, lovely old manor house on the site that would be the pride and envy of many, but the couple prefers to live in their Airstream. Their son lives in an old London bus.
Perry on the decks
Coline in the kitchen
Double decker home
The Office
The general store
Of an evening, campers move down to the enormously impressive Apollo Lounge – a huge Airstream, rescued from a life more ordinary as a diner car underneath the Eiffel Tower, now appropriately housed under a “Big Top” tent.
Glamour nights
Orange and purple retro seating clamours for attention alongside the lava lamps, disco balls, purple carpet and bar stools.
The kitchen next to the Big Top and Apollo Lounge
Retro seating
While Perry spins some groovy sounds on the turntable, Coline conjures up delicious organic food in the kitchen Airstream (1946 model). People arriving in vintage cars get a discount and guests are encouraged to dress retro, but we left our hot pants and bell bottoms in Amsterdam, so lucked out there. The park is home to other vintage vehicles in various states of “vintageness”. The blue Chevrolet Biscayne had seen many better days, but it still took Geoff right back to his earliest camping days when Mum, Dad, four kids and the dog would pile into their maroon and white Biscayne (- with maroon carpet so plush wildebeest could have been hiding in it – so he says) and drive across the Nullabor desert.
You can get a double bed mattress in the boot
When I was a kid we went on holiday in this
Never too old to join the fun
Perry and Coline told us that they never really intended to make the park a big thing. They thought it would be fine to just have some visitors every now and then, mainly finding it by word of mouth. Even the trailers themselves are often tucked away almost out of sight in leafy nooks around the camp.
In their own little hideaways
If you go down to the woods..
But guys, the gig is up! Cool Camping and Trip Advisor rave about the place and rightly so. Coline told us they are also branching out into textiles and generously gave us a wonderful Airstream cushion for the car.
Coline’s cushion settles down with Charlie
We had a lovely couple of days at the Airstream park – if you can – go there, and don’t forget your bell bottoms.
Aspirational towing!
