I am a big fan of campervan holidays, especially if they have been well planned and the weather is kind. Having already enjoyed a couple of trips before, I was happy to accept the offer of two nights in a VW campervan with Rockinvans, based in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire.
Ellen’s boys “help” to pack their campervan
This was to be an end of the Easter holiday treat for my daughter, Little Miss Outdoors, and her pal Lucie. We were accompanied in our campervan convey (of two!) by friend and fellow blogger Ellen and her three boys.
Top planning tips for campervanning
Having learned from pervious trips that a campervan adventure can be easily enjoyed just a short drive from the pick-up point (why waste money on petrol when you can spend it on other things?), we decided that the neighbouring region of Dumfries and Galloway would be a perfect place for a short break.
Another top tip is that while campervans are perfect for wild-style adventures, parking up in remote places and enjoying a bit of solitude, if you have energetic kids and/or teenage girls with you, the facilities of a campsite make the campervanning holiday a great deal more relaxing and enjoyable.
Dining in the campervan (thanks to Ellen for this pic)
We booked, on recommendation, the Loch Len Campsite, near Castle Douglas. Very welcoming staff, easy and spacious parking, electric hook up, stunningly clean and modern showers and toilets, drinking water taps, washing up facilities and rubbish bins, as well as two children’s playgrounds and an “awesome” rope swing meant that our campervanning break was very easy going.
In other words, while us mums drank chilled wine (there is a fridge in each campervan) and chatted, the kids could amuse themselves by playing, washing up (they actually enjoyed this!) and taking long showers before drying their hair with modern hairdryers (my two passengers are teenage girls!).
Van hire is important and you should think about your location as well as price and flexibility. Check out Transport Executive as well as doing a campervan hire search on Google.
Lots to do in Dumfries and Galloway
Based near Castle Douglas, we discovered there is a surprising range of family things to do. D&G is often said to be a secret tourism gem and we spent quite some time deciding what attractions to visit during the daytime. A TripAdvisor app pointed us towards Creetown Gem Rock Museum and the award-winning Cream of Galloway visitor centre.
Setting up camp
Both lived up to the positive reviews on TripAdvisor and our kids, ranging in ages from three to 14, greatly enjoyed the outings. However, one of the best activities of the short break was stopping at the roadside or in carparks to enjoy campervan made lunches.
While lunch is usually a fairly boring and routine sandwich at home or school canteen food or, worse still for us mums, an over-priced café stop, it was great fun (and very budget friendly) to be able to park up and make and eat lunch in our campervans.
The need for organisation while campervanning
Anyone who knows me will laugh out loud at this next part of the blog. To get along happily on a campervan holiday it is vital that all unused items are stored away neatly. When driving, loose items will fly around the van so every item needs its place.
And because space is limited in the compact VW T4 campervans, making full use of cupboards and every nook and cranny for the amazing amount of clothing, bedding and bits and pieces that mums and children can bring on holiday, is utterly vital to keep you sane.
I’ll drive!
On occasions, Ellen managed to pack things away so fastidiously that she forgot where she’d put vital items such as matches and tomato ketch-up and we agreed that if we owned a campervan we would have all cupboards, drawers and containers neatly labelled.
The VW vans do hold an amazing amount of kit. All spare space under beds, inside cupboards etc is well utilised. You still need patience, however. Every morning the bed needed to be packed away so that space could be reclaimed for a dining table and living space. The up-top bed also had to be packed up so the roof could be lifted to allow for decent headroom when living in the campervan.
There were a few excellent campervan assets including a passenger chair that swivels round to face backwards and offers an extra seat while the van is parked up. The dining table was fitted so that it could neatly moved forwards and backwards along a rod and across the length of the living area. We didn’t find, until the end of the trip, the extra length of wood that fitted into the upstairs bed to give an extra foot of sleeping space but if we had the up-top bed would have been much more comfortable.
Campervanning is a good step up from camping
If you like your hotel creature comforts, campervanning is not for you. But if you love being outdoors and you enjoy camping, campervanning would suit you perfectly. In fact, I suggest that you take a tent for extra living and sleeping space on a campervan trip. When the weather isn’t so smart, the campervan is a great place to sit and relax (or play electronic games or watch films – Wi-Fi at the Loch Ken campsite gave us excellent on-line access).
Family run Rockinvans are a friendly campervan hire company and their rates are comparable with many others. The VW vans are the real McCoy, which many people love. Having holidayed in both Toyota and VW vans I can list the advantages and disadvantages of both. But I have loved all campervanning trips so, for me, the campervan hire company chosen would be based on hire price and location according to your holiday.
A successful campervan trip?
Campervan playtime!
Most successful holidays are dictated by the happiness of the kids. Havana said: “I love campervanning because I like being on a campsite but in the warm and dry of a van. The rope swing at Loch ken was awesome, too.”
Lucie said: “It was a proper adventure holiday and it was great to be cook and sleep in the van. I really enjoyed the barbecues and the rope swing.”
They both loved Cream of Galloway where they ran about wild on an outdoor and indoor adventure playground, had a go in go-karts and ate delicious ice cream.
I enjoyed the trip because I liked being outdoors, sleeping in a warm van, being able to cook and make a cup of tea wherever and whenever we wanted and exploring an area of Scotland than I have rarely visited before. I greatly enjoyed spending time with Ellen, her kids and my teenie passengers.