Are you playing with the idea of hiring a campervan for an upcoming holiday? But you are filled with questions and queries about where to start and how to prepare?
Well, rest assured, we were in that exact position ourselves a little while back! And, hopefully, this article will tackle all of your reservations and inquiries – all the tips for beginners hiring campervans can be found right here.
We have worked closely with Roam And Away – our favourite UK motorhome rental – to answer all of your queries and tell you all about our first-timers experience. Plus, all the campervan/motorhome travel tips you need!
(If you’re not interested in reading about our own experience hiring campervans in the UK, skip further on for a list of FAQ’s for campervan and motorhome rental for first-timers)
Our First Time Hiring A Campervan
To put you in the picture, I am not a camper! Don’t get me wrong, most childhood holidays and many early married life holidays were spent under canvas, or within the fusty confines of a caravan. But, I grew up, became accustomed to crisp white hotel sheets, and resonated more with the thought that where I stay on holiday should be nicer than my own home! I’m precious about sleep, I don’t like to think about my poo once the chain has been flushed, and I’m not that keen on sharing a shower with a dozen others.
Still, we love the outdoors, being close to nature, and having recently been coerced into a group camping trip with the kids last summer, I discovered I wasn’t quite ready to give up on the notion of outdoor living just yet. And, if you’ve followed us for a while you’ll know that we love a road trip, and getting off the beaten path to explore is totally our thing.
So that’s us, and here we were, totally clueless about what to expect from our first time renting a campervan in the UK!
What We Did…
We chose a northeast motorhome hire company, Roam And Away, because we were intent on seeing the Northern Lights. Plus thinking about where can you park overnight for free – we’d heard that it is much easier in Scotland than in England. And if I’m honest, Roam and Away’s website was just so easy to navigate and they promised they had no hidden extra fees. (I’d become so fed up with looking for campervan rental only to get to the final page and find out you had to add extras for insurance, mileage, and crockery!)
The handover was smooth, we left our car with them, they showed us the ropes and we were on our way!
The next five days were spent travelling in a motorhome around Scotland and Northumberland, settling next to loch’s and pretty harbours for the nights. I have to say, we absolutely loved our first campervan road trip!
It takes a day to get used to all of the noises of a van and how to navigate tight roads and campervan rules, but before you know it you will have settled into campervan life. In fact, we realised very quickly that we had gained immediate access to a club we never knew existed! The Campervan Club. Motorhomes and campervans start waving at you everywhere you go and all of them are keen to strike up a conversation about what you’re up to.
It’s the coolest thing having your house with you all of the time and being able to just pull over and enjoy the scenery with a cup of tea, or some cheese and biscuits. And when you need a quick wee you’re not searching everywhere for a loo!
Another thing we absolutely loved about campervan travel was the option to change our plans on a whim. Not only were we searching for the clearest skies to catch a glimpse of the elusive Northern Lights, but the UK was also being pounded with a plethora of storms. And just like that you can change direction and pick the best weather spots! Sadly we never did catch the Aurora Borealis on our campervan roadtrip. But, we did have the most incredible hike of our lives up Ben Ann in the Trossachs whilst the rest of the UK was dealing with Storm Gerrit.
It was everything we hoped it would be…the freedom, cosy nights tucked up in the van, convenient commodities and the best feeling in the world when you flip up the blind in the morning and there’s only you and a misty loch.
I am glad to tell you there’s absolutely none of the dampness of a dewy camping experience, and having space to put everything away and also swing a cat was the icing on the cake for me. In fact, no, the real fondant was when we descended the mountain near Loch Katrine and I could just hop into a warm campervan shower in the middle of a car park – I’ve never known smugness levels like it.
It’s safe to say this won’t be the last time we will hire a campervan!
So that’s a brief description of our first motorhome rental experience, but we thought it would be best to answer your FAQ’s about hiring campervans and motorhomes in a dedicated section.
Hiring Campervans – Tips For Beginners
We spoke to Roam And Away and asked them what the most frequently asked questions were for motorhome beginners. We’ve also added a few of our own motorhome tips in there too…
Do I need a special license to drive a motorhome or campervan in the UK?
If the vehicle is below 3.5 tonne you can drive a motorhome or campervan in the UK with a normal driving license. There may be age restrictions, depending on the company and insurance. Having points on your license could affect the cost due to extra insurance needed, but not neccesarily.
Can I park my motorhome anywhere overnight?
The short answer is NO. But depending on the country and the season, some places are more restrictive than others. It’s important to check local rules and restrictions. In the UK however, there are plenty of designated motorhome or camper van parking areas. Some require booking, some you can just turn up.
How can I find suitable campsites or places to park overnight?
There are various apps and websites but we liked Park4Night – a free overnight motorhome parking UK app. You can’t book spaces with them but it gives you all of the information you need regarding facilities, how busy spots get and lots of other useful information. We got by nicely with the free version.
Roam and Away are also part of the Camping and Caravan Club and offer up to 30% off some of their sites, including their Camping In The Forest Sites.
Where do I empty the waste from my motorhome?
Most campsites have facilities for emptying grey water (sinks and shower water) and black water (toilet waste). We set the external grey water tap to be open most times, after speaking to some seasoned campervanners, and made sure that we parked in places where a little wastewater wouldn’t be a nuisance. The run-off really is minimal, surprisingly so, and if you’re just using it for a shower or to clean a few dishes like us, the water is clean anyway. This may not be ‘best practices’, but it seems to be ok to do.
Many public toilets have notices discouraging toilet waste disposal but we found that if the public toilets were part of a car park that allowed overnight parking of campervans it was usually OK to use their facilities to dispose.
The Park4Night app includes this kind of information in their listings.
What safety precautions should I take when driving a motorhome or campervan?
Make sure your motorhome is loaded correctly for stability, be aware of height and weight restrictions, and take your time on the roads. It might be worthwhile practicing your reversing and maneuvering in an open space before your trip.
How much does it cost to hire a campervan?
As we mentioned earlier, some companies have a few ‘hidden extras’ when you come to checkout. Roam and Away include everything in their flat fee;
- Fully Comprehensive European Insurance.
- Unlimited mileage.
- 24 hr UK/European breakdown assistance.
- A fully kitted out Motorhome or Campervan with everything you should need for your holiday. All you need is your food and clothes!
It’s so easy to hire a campervan from Roam and Away – regardless of which van you choose from they only have one flat fee. The only variables are which season you want to hire it in and they have a minimum hire of either 3 nights or 5 depending on the season.
For their prices, click here.
What kind of MPG can you expect to get from a motorhome or campervan?
All of Ben and Sarah’s vans get about 29 mpg – not bad for all of that weight eh!
As you have probably gathered we completely fell in love with campervanning and will hopefully be taking our next road trip very soon. We are not affiliated with Roam and Away, we just loved the experience we had with them and they took all of the stresses out of hiring a campervan. They were on hand to answer any questions we had throughout our campervan holiday via text and nothing was too much trouble for them. Being a northeast motorhome hire company too, they’re in the perfect location for trips to Scotland, Northumberland, Yorkshire and the Lake District!
If you have any more questions, do get in touch and I will add them to the FAQ’s list.
