I am not an enthusiastic camper. Even luxurious tree cabins, Mongolian yurts and glamping safari lodges fail to enthral. But in the depths of my childhood memories there lurks a happy summer holiday in a then rather glamorous "all mod cons" caravan in Devon. So when I heard about a French campsite specialising in retro caravans, I couldn't resist its 1934 Winchester, made in England, and described, at the time, as the Rolls-Royce of caravans.
The Domaine du Roc campsite is in rural Brittany, on the bank of the pretty Nantes-Brest canal. From outside, it looks like a typical campsite – log cabin office, grim concrete shower and toilet block. But the bubbly, friendly owners, Laurent and Myriam Rousseau, immediately make their guests feel at home. While the property extends to tents, mobile homes, tree cabins and strange-looking baricanes (giant wooden barrels from Estonia that look like Hobbit homes), their pride and joy is their collection of retro caravans.
Every guest gets a tour of the caravans, beginning, of course, with our Winchester, which dates from a time when most of the population couldn't even afford a car, let alone a luxurious caravan to tow around. Next door is another English oddity, a 1956 Willerby Vogue, which reminds me of a Dinky toy. Heading into the 1960s, the shape and design of the caravans becomes more sleek and fashionable, with French and Belgian models La Sologne, La Tortue and Le Notin – and the strangley shaped Fleurette is 1970s psychedelic.
The interiors are perfectly preserved in every detail, and furnished with objects that correspond to the era: travelling alarm clocks, transistor radios, Bakelite lamps, plus a faded magazine or newspaper from the era – Daily Telegraph for the Winchester, Paris Match for the Solange.
The Winchester lives up to my expectations: in its incredible hand-crafted wooden interior, every inch is used for inventive ideas. The draining board tilts upwards so the water runs away, the crockery drawer has a large spring so nothing breaks when the caravan drives over a bump, and the wardrobe door folds out to close off half the caravan, creating an intimate bedroom. The dining table folds away, and if you pull a metal ring, the floor lifts up to reveal an enamel bathtub. Well, not really a tub, more a basin where you can squat while your partner pours water from billy cans – not something we tested.
The only letdown is that none of the vans has electricity or running water because, Laurent tells me, complying with modern health and safety regulations would have cost a fortune. But there is a tent nearby with fridge and cooker, you can borrow a barbecue, and the toilets and showers are clean, if spartan.
Laurent and Myriam are clearly people on a mission, intent on recreating, in their words "the unique atmosphere of Les Trente Glorieuses", the three decades – 1950s, 1960s and 1970s – that were an age of innocence for summer holidays, when people were revelling in the right to a vacation, and camping and caravanning was the fun choice.
They deliberately keep the campsite to two-star level, so there is no shop, restaurant or bar. Laurent believes in supporting the village, and expects campers to use its baker, butcher and bistro. Kids are expected to play ping-pong instead of PlayStation, a brilliant adventure park stretching across the treetops is as much fun for four-year-olds as unfit fortysomethings, and at a weekly free apéritif, guests gather in the woods to hear storytellers and actors tell haunting Breton myths.
In the morning, we set up our folding table outside as Myriam comes round with breakfast – croissants and homemade jam on a laminate tray, tea and coffee in vintage thermos flasks.
And to complete the retro scene, a classic 1966 Citroen DS Convertible cruises into the site, and parks right opposite us. A Breton family piles out for a stay in the Willerby, which they exclaim is "Ooh, très British!".
• A night for two with breakfast in a vintage caravan at Camping Domaine du Roc (+33 2 9774 9107, domaine-du-roc.com) costs from €55. Flybe (flybe.com) flies to Nantes from 11 British airports from £90 return. Car hire at Nantes airport from £60 a day through carrentals.co.uk. More information from Morbihan Tourist Office (morbihan.com)
• This article was amended on 24 April 2012. A reference to Formica, which is a trademark, has been changed to laminate.
