Campervan

I love the month of June. It properly feels like summer is just around the corner – the trees are green, flowers are blooming and the days are longer. After a soggy start to the year, hopefully we’ll get to enjoy some sunshine and warmer temperatures, which always makes camping a lot more enjoyable. Hopefully, you managed to make the most of last month’s bank holiday extravaganza. As I write this, I’m just about to head off to our very first Campervan Campout mini festival, which I’m very much looking forward to. Keep a lookout for our report of the event and, if you made it along yourself, I’d love to hear what your highlights of the weekend were. Drop me an email and let me know. Speaking of feedback,…

A PERFECT MIX OF HISTORY, CULTURE AND NATURAL BEAUTYO Oxfordshire is a perfect mix of culture, natural beauty and history. It’s best known for its world-famous university, which is home to stunning architecture, museums, and libraries. Oxford itself offers a vibrant cultural scene, with shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Henley-on-Thames is known for its rowing regatta, while historic Abingdon is home to a beautiful market square and the stunning Abbey Gardens. Other notable attractions include Blenheim Palace and the Cotswolds. Salter’s Steamers cruise View Oxford’s dreaming spires from the Thames on a steamer boat trip with family-run firm, Salter’s. The company offers a range of popular pleasure trips along the river, including mini-cruises and longer picnic cruises. W salterssteamers.co.uk Blenheim Palace A monumental country house, UNESCO World Heritage Site and…

My husband launched his ambition to climb all 214 Wainwright fells over 20 years ago, as we ascended The Old Man of Coniston on his 40th birthday. Back then, completing 214 fells seemed daunting. Fast-forward to 2023 and the snowy summit of Froswick – a hill that had previously thwarted us – and we realised that the end was in sight. Anthony had only five Wainwrights to complete his quest, just three days of walking. So, a Lake District holiday was planned for early March and we crossed our fingers for good weather… The big central fells had been ticked off in the early years, but progress was slow with the lesser-known and more remote Wainwrights – until three things came together. Our campervan made holidays in Cumbria affordable and…

On our last trip to Scandinavia, we travelled literally from the bottom of Sweden to the top of Norway – staying beside stunning beaches, lakes, glaciers and waterfalls. The scenery was truly spectacular and, three years later, we were intrigued to see how southern Norway compared to what we’d seen much further north. The last time we visited, it was pre-Brexit, pre-Covid and precancer! Planning this trip in the summer of 2022 was different to the last one in so many ways, but familiar, too. Still in our T4 campervan, but being more limited for time, we were keen to explore the southern parts that we didn’t do back in 2019. We opted to use the Harwich to the Hook of Holland sailing and, on a fine, sunny and calm…

Red kites circled as we pulled into our campsite, leading Sue, the site’s owner, to declare, “What a welcoming committee laid on for you!” Next day we watched as the kites swirled above us before suddenly swooping down for food, one very swiftly following the other, in a balletic display of agility and grace. What a spectacle, and just one of many we encountered on our marvellous Mid Wales trip. A couple of days earlier we’d watched ospreys wheeling over Morben Isaf, near Machynlleth, and been enchanted by getting a close-up of their three chicks, still exciting despite being through binoculars and via a hidden camera in the Dyfi Wildlife Centre next door. On the same blissfully quiet campsite we’d been mesmerised by dozens of siskins, chaffinches, jays, goldfinches, woodpeckers…

HIDDEN VALLEY TOURING CARAVAN & HOLIDAY PARK West Down, Ilfracombe, Devon EX34 8NU T 01271 813837 W hiddenvalleypark.com OPEN All year Offering a more relaxed environment for holidays with children, Hidden Valley is about outdoor fun. The site runs alongside a band of woodland where you can enjoy walking trails. It’s also right next to the A361 main road, for easy access to the golden sandy beaches of Ilfracombe and Woolacombe – there’s even a bus stop at the site entrance. There’s a small stream running through the site, and two play areas for youngsters to enjoy. Pitches are grouped into different areas, with grass and hardstandings with electric hook-up. Premium pitches also have fresh and waste water points, digital TV connection, lighting and a picnic bench. A beautiful feature…