Days out in my campervan in March 2026

I only had one camping trip in March, a weekend in Wales.

I stopped a night in Barry ready for a parkrun and a visit to watch Barry Town play football on the saturday before heading off to Newport in the evening ahead of visiting my nephew and his family on the Sunday before heading home via visiting a friend in Monmouth.

The campsite in Barry was approximately 3 miles outside the town so on arrival on the Friday night I drove down to the beach to check out the parking for the morning and back via Jenner Park to check out street parking for the afternoon.

The campsite was on a farm.

There were two sets of toilet and shower blocks. This one for general use and a set for disabled travellers as well as washing up facilities and good wifi. It was a very peaceful site with an amazing sunset.

There was some housekeeping as usual. Peter is left handed and I'm not and between us the electricity cable is getting awfully confused.

I really hate how this door opens where the cable is stored. To put it away properly is such a fluff, either from the outside or climbing in through the side door and manoeuvring in a narrow gap. It would be so much easier if the door was detachable.

The van is 2.07m but we have a solar panel fitted so I avoid anything with a height barrier, especially when the ground is uneven. I found a good spot for parkrun.

With great views of the beach.

And now I've mastered the art of folding the roof within a minute, it's lovely to be able to lie down with a cup of tea and read my book after a run with a spectacular view of the sea.

After the football I drove onto Tredegar in Newport where I stayed at the Caravan and Motorhome Club for a night. It's in the grounds of a National Trust Site which we've explored before.

The only downside is that check out is 12pm and the showers shut at 10.15am and it's a pain when you have to rush to pack up so you can get showered before the drive home. Some sites have two blocks and alternate cleaning times.

I pack all the fridge stuff back into the cool bag so when I get home it's ready to lift straight back into the house.

A clean tea towel sits under the bowl to stop it moving around and the dirty cloths are hung up ready just to be taken into the house. And fresh cloths are put back into the van straight away. All the other items, clothes and shoes are packed into the yellow bag ready to be carried in also.

The only other trip I had out in the van in March was to Bath when I took part in an Ultra Challenge. I could have taken the car but it was a long journey both ways around 2 hours each way with a 5 hour walk, so I took the van so I could brew up after wards and have a lie down for an hour to rest before the long drive home.

Our adventures in April took us to Tenby and May I'm off on my own to Northern Ireland.

 

Days out in my campervan in January 2026

I'm aiming to camp every month of 2026 and I just about managed to fit one night in, in January with a night on my friends drive in Monmouth to save an early morning drive for the 9am start for parkrun on the Saturday.

Despite the cold weather and the rain, the van is very warm and I only put the diesel heating on for half an hour before bed and half an hour in the morning when I was getting ready. My friend gave me a lift to parkrun so the windows had cleared by the time I had to drive off, otherwise it takes an age to clear and is a bit of pain if you have to pack up and go.

I opted to pop the roof to sleep. A decision I'm slightly regretting now as it hasn't stopped raining since and I'm a bit concerned that the canvas wasn't fully dry when I folded it away. I just need an hour or two without rain when I'm at home or in work.

I didn't sleep downstairs as it's difficult to move around with the roof down and navigate the table and the bags as they're usually stored behind the bench seat which folds flat to make the bed.

If I'm only sleeping for one night, I don't bother with the window curtains on the front, I just hang a blanket for privacy. I also used my friend's house to shower and change and spend the evening so I didn't need to rotate the front seats for extra space.

The kitchen is in the back of the Ford Transit Westfalia which makes life a lot easier than a Volkswagen. It means we can access the back area without having to leave the van and if we do want to go round the back the up and over door provides additional cover from the rain and if the bed in the back is folded down it doesn't obstruct the kitchen area and we have access to to the vehicle through 2 sliding doors.

I made myself a cup of tea and a hot water bottle before bed and we have a water heater which doesn't use a lot of the battery which runs off solar panels when we're not on the mains. It also powers the diesel heater. 

I didn't fill the water tank for this trip. I just refilled a water bottle and made sure the leisure battery was fully charged before I set off.

My next trip is February half term on the ferry to Northern Ireland to sleep on my son's drive. Now they have 2 children there is no room in the house for us. Peter doesn't fancy spending the week in the van at this time of the year so he's staying at home to look after the cat and keep warm and dry.

I'll be plugging into the mains, using the house for the bathroom and showers and spending the days and evenings in the house and other than a cup of tea in the van and sleeping in it, all the cooking will be done in the house.

Our eldest grandson loves it when Granny brings the caravan and loves to help make the bed and run the little hoover round after a day out and we'll set the table up and have a picnic when we go out for the day.

Days out in the Campervan September and October 2025

September

A night in the Chilterns ahead of the Ultimate50Challenge.

The van was parked at the back of tents behind the yellow car in the middle, bit of a walk to the toilet and shower block but the weather was dry.

I didn't bother with the insulated window covers, just hung a blanket over the front seats for privacy in the back.

Soup and bread for dinner and porridge for breakfast and I made myself a packed lunch for the day.

Glorious sunrise. I sat on my chair outside with my coffee to watch the sun rise.

October

Camping at Tredegar Country Park in Newport. Arriving Friday afternoon ahead of Storm Amy. We parked away from the trees as much as we could.

Not too far from the toilet and shower block.

I sleep soundly outdoors and slept straight through the storm. Peter however was disturbed all night with pine cones dropping on the van roof. We spent two nights here. We've got packing the van up down to a fine art so we can be in and out within minutes when we go out for the day.

Phone signal was brilliant despite the storm and we were able to stream the football.

A day trip to Hanbury Hall nr Droitwich. On arrival only 40 minutes from home, we made coffee and read our books for an hour, then headed off round the grounds. Back to the van for lunch and a cup of tea, then into the house for a look round. We were able to swop walking boots and muddy trousers.

Our next trip in October was a week on a campsite in Northern Ireland, but before we went we needed to do a bit of van maintenance. We had a full service the end of September and at the same time, it was stripped of everything and given a thorough clean, but it was time to check and clean the water tanks and hot water system.

We've discovered a leak in the van. I was packing for our trip to Northern Ireland and I found the fleece, gloves and hats I keep in the cupboards in the back were damp. I just assumed that the leak occurred when we were in Newport and the roof was up and something had touched the side of the tent and water had dripped through. I repacked the van on Thursday and after our journey on Friday we discovered items were wet again when the roof was down. After a night with the roof up with a towel in the cupboard, which was dry in the morning, we think the problem is caused by the awning bracket which is breaking the seal when the roof is closed. no idea yet how we're going to sort it. 

We discovered that the damp is actually condensation and make sure we don't store anything in the cupnboards and leave the internal doors open when we're not using the van, like we did last winter.

We camped on Lough Neagh and brought the drive away awning with us, we didn't spend much time in there as it was too cold in the evenings and we were out all day, but it was a great space to store our bags, more space to get dressed in and leave the bedding during the day which makes life easier without having to keep playing Tetris packing the van away.

The drive away awning is so simple. Driving back takes about twice as long but I need both hands and can't film it.

It was at the point of being too cold, wet and windy to have camped as it was difficult to get everything dried, especially the roof as it is made of canvas and folds onto the mattress. Once we got home, we removed the mattress from the van to ensure it was fully dried and the roof has been popped for the odd hour in-between showers to make sure it is fully dry and aired.

The awning is drying under the canopy, it's been turned, zips opened to dry the inside which was full of condensation and once the carpet in the house has dried after a burst water pipe when we were away, I'll bring it inside so we can fold it back into it's bag for storage.

The ground sheet needs rinsing properly with a good downpour to remove all the mud, then drying.

Welly boots waiting to be washed.

I've a couple of overnight trips in November but I'll be sleeping on the bench seats. I've purchased a stool to sit on in the back for when I'm cooking or making hot drinks as it's difficult to do when the roof is down, but I'll have to have the tail gate open which means I'll need to park carefully to ensure the wind and rain isn't blowing in.

August 2025 - Days out in the camper van

Our camping trip to Northern Ireland continued into August with a night in Scotland on our way home. Our sailing was delayed by 2 hours so I cooked up some pasta for lunch and put the kettle on while we waited. 

We arrived around 8pm after the ferry crossing. We sat and read for the evening after we'd eaten on the ferry we just had some snacks and a couple of drinks.

The van had a full spring clean, bedding and blankets washed, cupboards emptied and cleaned and van repacked. There was quite a bit of stuff we hadn't used so it didn't go back in. There's so much storage in the van with all the bedding fitting under the back seats.

I rewarded myself with a vanilla milkshake with a dash of baileys.

The next camping trip is planned for October back to Northern Ireland. The van is due it's annual service in September and I've a night booked in the Chilterns when I take on my sponsored walk for Bowel Research in memory of Stephanie.

June 2025 - Days out in the camper van

Occasionally I take the van to work, it just depends what is parked where the night before.

I'm careful about where I park and use the staff car park at work.

I'm also cautious about where I park when I go shopping as there are numerous scratch marks on the van, I suspect from trollies and car doors. it's annoying.

We've had a couple of days pout in the van this month, with a picnic on Castlemorton common and I took our granddaughter home and visited Nags Head Nature Reserve for a cup of tea and another picnic.

I've put a stool in the back so I can sit and make hot drinks without breaking my back bending over when we don't pop the roof up if it's raining or we're not staying long.

We also went away for a weekend to Porthcawl, camping in a pub car park on the beach. The views weren't the best and the weather was awful. Back home it was 30c, less than 2 hours away, but we had rain most of the day Saturday, but that did mean it was much cooler and we were able to sleep.

We're happy with the set up we've got and we do have a drive away awning for longer trips.

We have to play Tetris with going to bed, the washing up has to be done straight away and everything put away.

We do have a portable toilet, but prefer to use the ones on the camp site. Peter will use the showers but I tend to just wash in the van and we do have running hot and cold water.

There have been a few housekeeping issues. Peter fitted a new water pump. We bought a new washing up bowl that collapses so we can empty the grey water without having to drive home with the extra weight. And we finally found the source of the rattle. Table legs, simple fix with a cloth shopping bag.

There are a few trips planned for July and August, need to get sites booked with the school holidays. We're lucky we can go off grid which gives us more options.
 

August 2024 - Days out in the Campervan

We were in Turkey for 12 days in August, then I travelled to Northern Ireland for a week to visit our grandson, so that only left us 12 days in August to get out and about.

I visited Glastonbury for the day with a friend. There was a day at a spa with colleagues from work, a hospital appointment and dog sitting for a friend over the bank holiday weekend.

We bought a drive away awning last month to give us some extra room when the weather isn't as nice and to enable us to cook more food, but we discovered our goal cooker wasn't compatible with UK gas bottles so we needed to purchase a new one. A new regulator wouldn't solve the problem, it was something to do with the pressure/bar and by the time we sourced buying an actual gas bottle and new hose and regular it was cheaper to buy a new one, which runs off gas bottles and saves space without lugging another gas canister around with us.

We managed one night away last weekend to the Forest of Dean. We visited our granddaughter on Friday and rather than drive home late we camped up for the night, we took the contents of the fridge with us for dinner and breakfast and just used the van, no need for the awning for just one night.

We've been struggling with all the bedding. It's such an inconvenience to keep putting the table up and down in the van to get the bedding in and out from the bench seat. As when the bed is raised during the day we can't clip it in place with the bedding up there. I had two S hooks in the garden and decided to give it a try. It's been a game changer. They're strong enough to hold the bed in place.

All the bedding is stored under the back seat, there's room in there for two sleeping bags, the covers for the front windows, 2 blankets, the sheets and towels.

Another tip we've found really useful is to move the back carpet over the plastic cover and to save stepping over it onto the step stool and it's made it much easier to get in and out of the van at the back.

I'm away on my friends drive this weekend, in Monmouth and I'll be using her facilities and the leisure battery and the following weekend back to Lydney for our Granddaughters birthday weekend.