Converted Van Holiday 12 Days

[RachLaura93]

Looking at hiring a converted van in Scotland for around 12 days next April. We have a 7yr old and a 3yr old. We camp with them but only locally. No idea what to expect or if they're too young to do something like this yet so far from home. We're Kent based. Any experiences? Would love to hear how they went!

what do you mean by converted van? A campervan or motorhome??
I would start by doing a couple of nights closer to home first. Also factor in that the weather in April will still be cold overnight and it will go dark fairly early in the evening. Before Easter, or even the end of April you will also find that tourist attractions in rural scotland may be closed or have limited opening hours.
If you're going to do this I would wait until summer and do it when you might have half a chance of being able to sit outside in an evening once the kids are in bed in the van.
If you're travelling from Kent then factor in how you're getting to Scotland with all the stuff you'll need and car seats! It would be easier to hire from somewhere near home so you can load up outside your front door the first time you go.

Where in Scotland are you planning?
Are you wild camping or using sites?
Weather in April can be hit or miss and I agree with PP ref dark nights and a lot of attractions not being fully open

You can’t “wild camp” in a van so that option is out @MangoBlink

Yes, a camper style - think sprinter turned into a motorhome.
I think you might be right on starting somewhere closer to home. Perhaps trial a long weekend in Dorset I guess!

Thank you for the advice!

I think you’ll struggle to find a converted van to rent, there’s probably some sort of insurance issue with them not having been built for that purpose originally.
rentals tend to be proper campervans or
motorhomes.

The beauty of a van holiday is that it gives you the flexibility to change your plans if the weather isn’t playing ball. Having said that, the weather in April is generally pretty good - we were on Skye at Easter and it was lovely.

For Scotland you definitely need to pack for all seasons - full waterproofs and jumpers.
Packing cubes are a must, and bring something you can use to dry wet clothes or towels. I’ve got one of those ikea octopuses.

Warning: I hired a campervan to see if it was for me. That was great.
Spending £££ on a camper for myself...nah, that's still great.
I live in Scotland and echo a 'try closer to home for a long weekend' approach to see if you really do like it.
Also, do your research on Scotland. You wouldn't ask to hire a van somewhere in England, and Scotland is almost as big and as hugely varied. From forest to beach, mountain to island, east to west, south/borders to wild north coast.... For family friendly it's hard to see past Aviemore area with great mountain, lochs and beaches (inland!), but also lots for wet days, highland zoo etc.

If you're travelling from Kent then factor in how you're getting to Scotland with all the stuff you'll need and car seats! It would be easier to hire from somewhere near home so you can load up outside your front door the first time you go.

I would kind of advise the opposite actually.

Last September we hired a campervan to spend a few days in Scotland. We live in Cheshire, so not as far as driving from Kent but still a fair journey. The daily rate is quite expensive and we felt it would be a bit of a waste to hire one locally and then have at least two days of the hire being travel to and from Scotland. Instead we hired from a firm in Glasgow so we drove up in our own car. Once we had packed the van with our stuff there was secure parking for us to leave our car there until we got back.

I have to say we decided in the end it wasn't really for us. Admittedly the weather didn't help. We had quite a few wet days so we weren't able to sit outside the van much and after a while we really did feel the lack of space inside. However we did get to some lovely places so it certainly wasn't a complete wash out. Shan't be staying in another van though!

There is a rental company called something like Quirky campervan hire. We’ve seen they’re can in sites.

We have a van and love it. You can wild camp in a van, it just means parking somewhere rather than using campsites. I would use campsites with children though.

We camp all year round in the north of England. We have a heater, most do. We don’t use it much, but you might want to with kids.

The outdoor access code in Scotland states you should wild camp well away from a road…..you ain’t doing that in a van!!

Fair enough! We haven’t actually ever wild camped in the van. We have a firepit we like to use which isn’t very wild camp friendly.

We also didn’t have a toilet in our first campervan, so got used to campsites, albeit small basic ones.

In the campervan community though people use wild camped to mean parking up somewhere. Not specific to Scotland.

@FoxRedPuppy I'm aware they do, and they use the term incorrectly and also piss off a lot of locals by not using camp sites

Agreed, we've been camper van owners for 20 years, please use campsites. Scotland is not the vast wilderness some folk think - this spring from our 18 pitch family run campsite in the NW we could see 21 vans parked along the roadside. What were they bringing to the local economy?

That's not cool, freewheeling van life or 'wild camping' it's just bad, inconsiderate parking and no wonder locals hate them.

I did say that I’ve never wild camped in a van!

I was just clarifying for the complete new person who might see the term in van groups.

We always use campsites.

That's what you get for trying to be helpful, nothing personal! 😊

It is not wild camping. It is roadside sleeping. In a layby. Usually filthy as well.

Additionally, vehicles are exempt from the right to responsible access in Scotland. The code of behaviour for what is responsible access suggests that being away from people, roads etc is best practice. There is not Right to Roam as so many people trot out.

So, generally please use a campsite, aire or similar.

I say that as someone who lives up here, owns a campervan and does on occasion camp in un-designated places. Usually out of season. Usually arriving late and leaving early. Not crapping or leaving any trace of my stay. And getting frustrated by ill-informed, Insta-inspired crap about Right to Roam by thousands of visitors and locals....

Rant over.. ;-)

I DON’T WILD CAMP OR ROAD CAMP IN OUR VAN!

I was just explaining the terminology. We travel all over north of England, at least twice a month all year round. Always at campsites.

I understand that.
But telling lots of people on the internet you can just camp at a roadside does not help things....
"Mumsnet told me I could wild camp here".....

Ok. Well I was just clarifying the use of the term. And you can. Maybe you shouldn’t, that is a different discussion.

I wild camp in my tiny camper van frequently. It’s not so bad , just tend to do a night close to a loch, fish and chips on the beach. Paddle boarding first thing in the morning.

OP if you do make it up to Scotland that you can do wild campervanning in designated areas for a small fee and you get a permit. I tend to head to Loch Earn it was about £4 a night and you pre book your site essentially which lay-by would you like. They have bins (emptied regularly by the council) and stone circles / campfire areas.

www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/things-to-do/camping/motorhomes-campervans-national-park/

I wild camp in my tiny camper van frequently. It’s not so bad , just tend to do a night close to a loch, fish and chips on the beach. Paddle boarding first thing in the morning.

OP if you do make it up to Scotland that you can do wild campervanning in designated areas for a small fee and you get a permit. I tend to head to Loch Earn it was about £4 a night and you pre book your site essentially which lay-by would you like. They have bins (emptied regularly by the council) and stone circles / campfire areas.

www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/things-to-do/camping/motorhomes-campervans-national-park/

That’s camping in my permitted areas not “wild camping”. Ffs every man in his van thinks it’s ok just to park up wherever they fancy for the night and think they aren’t doing any harm! I don’t even live in a rural area and it’s plagued by campervanners who are seemingly willing to spend ££££ on a van but too tight to pay a few quid for a site for the night.