Part I

I experienced my first campervan holiday to Pembrokeshire, Wales with Anne, my sister-in-law back in August 2020, when Covid restrictions first lifted.  As I had been in the shielding category, we felt this was a safer way for me to have a holiday but still be able to restrict contact with the outside world.(Little did I know then, that we stayed only a few miles from where Out & Wild Festival first started!). Anne and my brother, Andrew were experienced campervan users and I just loved the simple way of life and that Anne, who was very organised, had a place for everything, neatly stored away. I think she was surprised I took to it, having thought I would find it too basic, with me being a bit ‘posh’ 😉.

We were really lucky with the weather that week and we enjoyed some stunning walks along the Pembrokeshire coastline. This little holiday experience sowed the seeds of maybe thinking that one day, when I retired, I might enjoy the vanning life.

I joined numerous Facebook campervan community groups and started to try and get my head round the rather overwhelming world of campervans and motorhomes…  It was also really helpful to discuss with vanning friends too. In May 2024, I decided it would be a good idea ‘to try before buy’ so for Out & Wild Festival ’24, I hired a very smart VW California from Kerb2Coast, a local family-run company in Hertfordshire http://www.kerb2coast.co.uk/ . 

Jacqui was really helpful, answering my myriad of questions.(Side note, I was a little disconcerted when as an out & proud lesbian, I asked the owner if the van had a name and was told he was called ‘Nobby’ after her late father). O&W Festival was the best place to be a novice vanner, as no sooner than I asked ‘How do I put up the awning?’ than five lesbians came running to assist me.  It was also a great opportunity to look at other campervans/set-ups at the Festival (what a chat-up line!) and think about whether I would want a purpose built van or attempt a conversion myself. (As much as I love the quirkiness of a self-build, I knew I didn’t have the patience to learn the skills to take on such a project myself). After O&W, as I had the hired van for a week, I took myself off to a campsite on the Gower, to see if I felt OK - sleeping out on my own/independently which I’m pleased to say I did.  My Dutch neighbours were very helpful, pointing out that I could borrow their little spirit level to make sure the blood didn’t rush to my head as I slept by positioning the van as level as possible.

Fast forward to July last year, and unbelievably the very same week that I exchanged and completed on a house purchase and retired from work, I found my perfect campervan! Talk about the stars aligning 😊. I had been going into my local dealership in Hitchin, Herts – Venture Caravans & Motorhomes and whilst the majority of their vehicles were way out of my budget, they just happened to have a 2012 Hyundai i800 originally converted by Wellhouse Leisure with only 50k on the clock as a part-exchange.  The sporty style and ideal size just called to me.  I have named her Willow which means Freedom and as she was originally an 8-seater people carrier, even with the pop-up roof down, the vehicle height is below 2m which is fine for entering supermarkets with height restriction barriers.

During last summer and early autumn, I did various weekends away with friends and visiting family (sleeping in Willow in their drive). I also did a pub stopover – some pubs are happy for you to park overnight in exchange for having a drink/evening meal.  I did feel a little nervous as I was the only vehicle in the car park but I took sensible precautions like reversing into the parking bay and only putting the blackout blinds on the inside of the windscreen – I needed to trust my instincts and if I felt unsafe, I could drive off quickly – or as a FB friend suggested just put my hand on the horn and hopefully anyone giving me or Willow unwanted attention would quickly scarper (plus I knew the pub landlord lived at the pub).

By chance last September, I spotted a post on Women with Campervans FB group for anyone interested in going on a van trip in search of winter sun to southern Spain. Although I was keen to go over to continental Europe, I had told myself I needed more experience first but this struck me as the perfect way to get the experience but not be travelling totally alone.  The plan was to buddy up in small groups, drive for a few hours each day and pitch up at pre-arranged point, using Google tracking so we knew where each of us were, in case of emergency, getting lost or breaking down. We had various Zoom meetings to get to know each other and a useful To Do list in preparation for a winter trip* [see below].  Initially, there were 7 or 8 women interested in such a trip then as we approached Christmas, we were down to four definites …. However, in the last week before departure, unfortunately one van broke down and another woman had passport problems [did you know that since Brexit, you are not able to travel on a passport which has more than 10 years between issue/expiry dates] so we were down to two.

Helen and I met in Portsmouth the day after Boxing Day and we took the overnight ferry crossing to Caen. It certainly was stressful disembarking at 06.30 the next morning as I hadn’t anticipated it would still be pitch black until dawn broke...

Part II

Helen and I spent 3 days travelling through France together.  Back then at the end of December the weather was very grey and misty for days on end.  We didn’t drive in convoy but met at pre-arranged stops for comfort breaks and stopping for the night.  We did a mixture of toll roads and national routes, having to weigh up the advantage of tolls costs/faster routes. Although I did find going through the tolls as a solo traveller was stressful, having to shimmy across the passenger seat to lean out of the window to grab a ticket or tap my card to pay. As I drove over the mountains at Saint Sebastian to cross into Spain, the grey mist suddenly lifted to unveil beautiful blue skies and warmer weather.  At this point, maybe a bit sooner than I expected, Helen and I decided we would go our separate ways as I wanted to meet up with Anne & Andrew who were returning from their winter van trip and Helen wanted to head to the east coast.  We continued to keep in touch and track each other but from there on I became a solo traveller.

In some ways, it was probably easier in terms of making decisions of where and when to move on and I very much learnt to be in the moment only thinking about the day ahead and possibly where I wanted to go the next day.  For someone who has always been a planner and organiser this was very much about adjusting to ‘living my life’ rather than feeling I was just on a holiday. Europe is really well set up for campervan and motorhome travel with municipal car parks or aires in most towns and villages that allow a limited number of vehicles to park up overnight with utilities provided for filling up on fresh water, emptying grey waste (sink water) & toilet waste (often free of charge) – some even provide free electric hook-up.

I was surprised how quickly I adapted to driving on the right and the simpler way of life.  We tried to ensure that we stopped by early afternoon each day which allowed for a decent stretch of the legs, some exploring and enjoying a drink.  I also got in the habit of eating early and probably settling down to sleep by 20.00. I had a little routine of writing up my Find Penguins travel blog (similar to Polar Steps) which was a lovely way to keep in touch with family and friends as they could see where I was and to keep a diary with my best photos of where I stayed. I dutifully did my beginners Duolingo Spanish lesson (my French is thankfully passable, having au paired in my late teens) and either read, did some sketching or listen to an Audible book before bed. 

With a diesel heater just to start off, hot water bottle, duvet and fleecy blanket, I was always nice and snug in my bed. It was also handy that I could reach my control panel to turn the heater back from my bed in the early morning before getting up for the new day.

Since returning, I have been asked what were my highlights and I’d say meeting so many lovely friendly people of all nationalities – some of whom I met through FB groups like Queen Women Travel, Women with Campervans in Spain and Mijas Costa Bluetits (for open water swimming) and staying with French friends whom I met in Lesbos last year as well numerous other people either pitching up next to them at a site or a chat whilst sitting in a café.

Of my favourite places, hard to choose but definitely Seville, the Old Town of Malaga and the many hillside towns with their windy cobbled streets and often a Fortress from olden days with fantastic views. 

Looking back, I think my kids were a little surprised when I told them (at aged 67) I was embarking on a two month adventure to Southern Spain – especially when I told them I had only booked a single ticket as I didn’t know exactly when I’d be back. The thought of sleeping in my van for approximately 60 days was also a bit overwhelming even to myself – would I be safe, how would a cook, where would I pitch up, would I be lonely etc etc.  After safely driving over 4,000 miles over the past two months, I have proved to myself (and to others) that anything can be achieved with a bit of planning, having the courage to take a chance and probably some gut determination to succeed – all of which I can be and am extremely proud!

Now where next ….

PS Note to self for my next big trip, you don’t need to take so much stuff/clothes which I never touched!!

PPS For any of you attending this year’s Out & Wild Festival, I’d be happy to chat with you more about my vanning adventure and experiences.

 FOOTNOTES

General Practical Tips

Best apps for finding places to stop-over:

Search for Sites (small fee)

Park4Night

For the UK, I’ve also joined Camping & Caravan Club and Caravan & Motorhome Club for pre-booking & discounts.

You can also just used Google Maps search functions for campsites

Winter Travelling in France & Spain – Practical Tips

I also downloaded the French Camping-Car-Park app to access pre-bookable paid-for aires of which they are many.

Toll Roads - It is possible to pre-buy a tag like Bip ‘n Go which you top-up and it will automatically take the toll charge as your drive through but I hadn’t been able to set this up in UK as my HSBC and Monzo IBAN numbers weren’t accepted - subsequently I’ve been recommended opening an account with Wise for this purpose.

Legal requirements (disclaimer: this is not an exhaustive list so please check for yourself too)

First aid kit

Spare set of glasses if you wear prescription specs

UK car sticker and headlight adjustment stickers.

CritAir sticker for major certain cities (similar to ULEZ emission zones]

Snow chains or approved snows ‘socks’ for winter driving in certain mountainous regions and heavy duty anti slip mats for snow/mud.

Spare set of bulbs, fuses & breathalyser test, emergency triangle and hi vis jacket for driver and each passenger.Travel insurance etc