Travel Geeks

The experts’ travel manual

Q // I want to explore the UK coast in a campervan. What tips do you have, and is there a van-friendly region you’d suggest?

Offering unrivalled freedom, UK campervan trips are booming. Established hire companies have lately been joined by a number of boutique operators offering revamped retro rides and vansharing websites with a choice of privately owned vehicles. Rentals run the gamut of all-mod-cons, family-size motorhomes to rustic 1960s VWs via companies like Barrell of Monkeys, Bunk Campers, Yescapa and Quirky Campers and van sharing communities such as Camplify and Camptoo. barrellofmonkeys.com bunkcampers.com yescapa. co.uk quirkycampers.com camplify.co.uk camptoo.co.uk

You can’t park up and camp just anywhere, so book pitches in advance through organisations like The Camping and Caravanning Club, or Pitchup. thecampingandcaravanningclub.co.uk pitchup.com

“Estimate the route you want to take, and book campsites in advance to be safe,” says Indie Campers, one of Europe’s largest campervan rental companies. “Nevertheless, don’t forget to leave room for impromptu activities, and enjoy each moment as it comes.” It recommends a tour of the Fife coast, Scotland’s sunniest spot and home of its longest continuous coastal path, a 117-mile opportunity to stretch your legs between drives. The Scottish village of Culross, the castle at Aberdour and the beaches at St Andrews West Sands and Kinghorn all come highly recommended. indiecampers.co.uk

Founded in the USA in the 1950s and specialising in European VW camper rental, AutoEurope now offers rentals worldwide through its website, which allows you to compare the prices, models and equipment offered by a number of different rental companies. Its suggested route offers ‘the best of the South West’ starting from the beach town of Bournemouth, driving west along the coast through Dorset, Devon and into Cornwall if time allows, or head north into Somerset, perhaps followed by a couple of nights in the Cotswolds. It also recommends using Brit Stops to book pitches: “Several enterprises seek to bring UK campervan users and landowners together, and Brit Stops provides innovative info for no-frills campervan parking services, offering travellers the chance to stay at farms and pubs free of charge. autoeurope.co.uk britstops.com

Also, read Take the Slow Road by Martin Dorey, which lists dozens of inspirational and lesser-known itineraries around the UK by campervan.