Over summer, I had my first foray into the world of motorhoming. As a die-hard campervanner, I must admit that I harboured some reservations about upgrading to a bigger vehicle, not least because I would be driving our long-term test vehicle from Bailey, the Bailey Adamo 75-4l. After being pleasantly surprised by how easy and enjoyable it was to drive, I trundled carefully down the motorway towards the wonderful South Wales.
A friend and I spent three days exploring Swansea Bay, from the charming streets of historic Mumbles to the spectacular and sprawling Gower Peninsula. Although not my first touring holiday, it was my first motorhome driving experience and certainly won’t be my last, so I thought I’d share my reflections on the trip from what I’m glad I did to what I’ll remember for next time…
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Choosing a campsite
Since it was my first trip and we were only away for 3 days, I was happy to go with the flow and not overthink our site or activities. This was made easier by the fact that we stayed at Three Cliffs Bay, which sits above Three Cliffs Beach with plenty of walks and beauty spots nearby. It also had a shop and café on site which was handy, but it was a bit of a trek into town so you’d either need to drive in or get a taxi. It was a pain having to keep packing up and lugging the large motorhome into town, traversing the narrow roads and small car parks every time.
In future, I’ll consider what I want to get out of the trip before choosing from the best motorhome sites: a slow-paced escape to explore the surroundings on foot or by bike from a more rural site with good facilities; or to be able to wander into town on foot and indulge in the culture without worrying about getting back and forth from the campsite. A good compromise would be campsites with good public transport links!
Driving and planning
A helping hand from tech
Something that proved very useful was using Instagram and Google Maps to plan out outings. I will (reluctantly) admit I can be a bit of a control freak when it comes to travelling, so I liked being able to check if a car park would be big enough for the motorhome or checking what restaurants were like from people’s Instagram location tags.
I also love using Google Maps for finding beauty spots to visit since things like castles, beaches and hiking trails are clearly marked and reviewed by others. As a slightly anxious driver, it was incredibly helpful to see what the driving routes would be like. Even better, you can drop the orange man on a Google Maps route and be shown what the road looks like, especially so you can prepare for tight entrances and narrow stretches of road.
Relaxing and taking your time
Although for the most part Wales is a beautiful country to drive around, it can be hard to appreciate whilst manoeuvring seven metres of motorhome along one-lane country roads. I found the only way to combat the stress is to be familiar with your route before you set off, go slow and try not to pay attention to eye rolls from other road users. Mostly I found people were very patient and helpful though – someone even pulled us over to let me know a window was open (see ‘Improvements for next time’!).
Kit I consider essential
Phone holder
It might seem like an obvious one but I will never again embark on a long drive without a decent phone holder. It might be more relevant if, like me, you use your phone for navigation rather than a sat-nav. Something like this model is great since you can mount it on either the windscreen or dashboard. I found driving the motorhome a bit overwhelming at first, so it was useful to have the speed limits popping up for each stretch of the journey, too.
Indoor-Outdoor shoes
A good pair of indoor-outdoor slippers or slip-on shoes like Crocs are among the best campervan accessories you can have – also a durable door mat! We were constantly nipping in and out of the van, popping over to the facilities or shop so it would have been really useful to have a pair of shoes that you could wear in the van but also walk around outside in and wipe off before coming in. I absolutely love my crocs, plus they’re waterproof and really supportive so they would have been ideal!
Camping chairs
I quickly realised having one of the best camping chairs is a non-negotiable. Since I was in a test vehicle, we didn’t bring any outdoor furniture with us, but it would be top of my list in my own van. After a long journey there and nipping around in the motorhome, I started to get cabin fever so it would have been lovely to have a comfortable camping chair to relax outside in while enjoying the view. This chair from Highlander is pretty no-nonsense and affordable, plus it folds up into a carry bag.
Vacuum cleaner
I couldn’t count on two hands the instances I wish we’d had vacuum cleaner during our trip. Along with any debris we accidentally trudged in, it would have been great for crumbs, dust, dirt and spillages and made staying on top of cleaning quick and painless. So I’ll be scouring the best motorhome vacuum cleaners to accompany me on my next tour, like this one from Shark which – while a little pricey – is the perfect handheld size for taking on the go.
Improvements for next time
Keeping a setting-off checklist
After chatting to our pitch neighbour about worrying we’d forget to unplug our hook-up before driving off, she showed me her own solution. They had an adhesive whiteboard sheet on the inside of a kitchen cabinet door with a list to check before setting off. It also served as a spot for a shopping list, so they never ran out of essentials – ingenious! There’d never be an excuse for leaving your best motorhome crockery at home or committing any embarrassing motorhoming mistakes!
Not budgeting enough down time
As I said, the site we stayed on was fantastic and I wished we had more time to relax on our pitch and enjoy the site itself. I have a tendency to pack my schedule when visiting a new place, thinking that I’m “making the most” of my holiday, but not allowing for much down-time. Next time I’ll make sure to remember that relaxing in your van is part of the allure of touring! In future, I’ll allow time to put my feet up and enjoy the view (maybe accompanied by a glass of wine and a book!).
