Cosy Escapes in Your Campervan Conversion
Many campervan owners wouldn’t consider a winter adventure unless they had the time to drive town through France to warmer climes. But are they missing out? We’d argue yes, they are – and we have a good case to make.
The key to a good campervan winter adventure is to think cosy and comfortable. Escape Campers’ campervans are all designed with effective modern heating systems, so even if snow’s settling around your campervan wherever you’ve parked up, you’ll still wake up in a snug campervan.
For some, the joy of being out and about in their campervan in winter is getting to take in beautiful tourist spots when they’re less filled with tourists, and when the roads are quiet and car parks are peaceful. Others specifically want to see these beauty spots in their winter coats, with crisp air and frost or snow fresh fallen on the ground. So what makes for a memorable campervan winter adventure? How can you make your experience better?
Planning Your Winter Campervan Trip
The most important parts of any campervan trip are the vehicle you’re using and the people in it. As we’ve already mentioned, every Escape Campers campervan is built with a state-of-the-art heating system.
Just as importantly, we take cooking seriously and your vehicle will have great inbuilt kitchen facilities – important when some areas may not have as many options for food as they do in the summer months. We’re particularly proud of the kitchen in our Ford converted campervan.
Booking Campsites and Planning Your Route
One of the best indications that a winter adventure is a viable option for a campervan is that even the National Trust has a page on great places for winter camping. While these may not be your preferred options, there are plenty of places that will offer a good winter site for your campervan, in some of the biggest beauty spots the UK has to offer.
In the Cairngorms national park, they even have a 90-mile SnowRoads route which is perfect for a trip like this and has plenty to do at every stop. Other great routes include the three Wales Ways and the Yorkshire 600.
On any of these routes you’ll find a lot to do at each of the stops along the way. This means you can make a weekender out of it or enjoy a week or more’s travel with lots more breaks to get close to nature.
Dealing with Cold Weather Challenges
We won’t pretend that there are no challenges presented by a road trip in cold weather. You’ll probably want to invest in thermal covers for your windows to retain a little extra heat, for example. We would also recommend that you have your tyres checked before you set out, and outfit the campervan with winter tyres if you expect to be travelling along roads that haven’t been properly gritted.
Most winter challenges are amplifications of challenges you face anyway; you should already be carrying enough food to fend for yourself, even if the plan calls for a pub dinner that night, and some power banks will always be a good idea for emergency charge on your devices.
It’s also important to know your vehicle’s capability; we build our campervans out of vehicles with strong engines, but when planning your route, make sure you’re confident you’ll be able to climb every hill even if it’s icy. The key here isn’t necessarily height – it’s steepness of climb.
Don’t Forget to Enjoy Yourself
Campervan winter adventures in the UK have a unique charm and can be delightful experiences done right. They also give campervan owners more opportunities to enjoy your vehicle and to live your life on the road.
We build sturdy, top-quality converted campervans and we love knowing they’re on the road, helping our customers make very special memories. Whatever you do, don’t miss out on these opportunities.
