France Trip

Again, we spent hours driving round with no luck of finding somewhere to pitch and at 7pm we finally came across one further inland. No owners in sight but the cleaner said they'd turn up at 9, and we could pay them then.

Great - the place seemed clean, had good facilities and seemed peaceful. We cooked some tuna pasta, washed up, and after a while the owner turned up. We approached him via Dan and asked if we could stay the night.

When his response was 'Why?' we had that sinking feeling. He told us and another French family that we couldn't stay - so we were royally rogered cause by now it was late and any other campsites we hadn't tried were shut by now. Rather annoyed, we drove off in the dark as we'd spent the last two hours thinking we'd be sorted.

Facing no other choice except to wild camp, we decided to take the krusty's advice and head to Guethary car park. We emptied the boards and tents out the van, set up and bed down for the night.

Facing no other choice except to wild camp, we decided to take the krusty's advice and head to Guethary car park. We emptied the boards and tents out the van, set up and bed down for the night.

Still being a little paranoid, I tried to sleep with one eye open - fearing the Gendarme would spring us, wield their batons and move us on. Another camper turned up and a fella in a Berlingo van, who looked like surfers and were staying the night too - which was reassuring as at least we weren't the only ones there if the law turned up.

As I drifted into twighlight zone I heard Eards's van door sliding open, loud talking, and worried that something was going down I clambered out the tent. A French fella said bonjour, and I thought - cool, Eards is chatting to a local...

Turns out Eards awoke to the distinct sound of his Tuflite board clipping the wall, and as he got up from his sleeping bag, his eyes met those of the chap from the Berlingo, who had his Takayama Tuflite under his arm..!

Eards slid the door open, asked him nicely what the feck he was doing - and his amazing response was 'Eye wondered wethur a longboard like thees would fit in mee van'...!

Eards walked round to find that the back of the Berlingo van had all our boards stacked neatly inside...! Knowing he'd been caught with his pants down - the French lad tried to be friendly and asked if he'd like some of his 'spleef'..!

We made him hand the boards back, and in so many words, told him to get lost. If this was back in the UK, we would've probably given the thief a few belts - but as this was foreign land, we didn't want to risk the guy bringing back some of his pals with bats, so left it at that.

Being traumatised by the other night's assault in Bayonne, by now I was freaking out and ultra-paranoid, so there was no way I was gonna sleep again that night.

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