Could A Motorhome Make Your Ski Trip More Affordable?

Could A Motorhome Make Your Ski Trip More Affordable?

We’re moving towards the ski and snowboarding season. It’s a great time of year if you love hitting the slopes, gliding down powdery, white snow. But it’s not usually so brilliant for your bank balance.

By the time you’ve factored in lift passes, flights, accommodation, food and equipment hire (or excess baggage if you’re taking your own) the price of a ski holiday can quickly mount up.

So could a motorhome holiday to the mountains make life more affordable? According to a recent article for Ski Club the answer is yes.

The news provider even noted that in France, there are places where you can park up and stay overnight, which are just metres away from the lifts. You can be first on the slopes in the morning and know you won’t have far to travel once you finish your day of skiing or boarding.

The other option is to stay in Ski Aires, these typically cost around £10 per night and give you access to amenities including a water supply, waste water and toilet emptying facilities and, in some cases, an electric hook up.

Another great reason to consider this approach to a ski holiday is that you’re not restricted to a single resort. While you won’t want to spend too much time driving from place to place, it’s good to know that if the slopes aren’t what you’d hoped, you can just move on and try somewhere different.

Of course, if you’re heading to the mountains in the winter, you need to ensure you’ve got all the necessary motorhome supplies in Kent before you set off on your adventure.

A recent article for Caravan Times recently pointed out that you don’t have to hit the Alps for a great winter getaway in your motorhome – there are plenty of great places to explore in the UK, and with sites offering hot showers and electric hook-ups, you can have all the creature comforts you need to get warm once you’ve spent time outdoors.

Where To Go Camping In Kent

Where To Go Camping In Kent

While we wouldn’t necessarily recommend a camping trip over the next few days, with Storm Ali battering our coastlines and very heavy gusts of wind pushing us all around, it can still be great fun to head off for a weekend in the countryside at this time of year, hitting the open road in your motorhome or stuffing the tent into your car to really get away from it all.

But where to go? We’re blessed with some amazing countryside here in the UK and you really are spoiled for choice – which can make destination decisions very difficult indeed. But we’re quite partial to Kent, when looking for the perfect county to camp in… and there are lots of excellent places to go. Here are just a few of our very favourites.

Canterbury Camping and Caravanning Club

This is just a few miles to the south of Canterbury and in fact is well within walking and cycling distance, so you could easily pop off for a lovely day out, walking through some truly beautiful countryside before having fun in the city and making your way home once again. It’s open all year as well, so you don’t have to worry about not being able to get your autumnal camping fix.

Dunn Street Farm

Looking for something a little different? What about staying on a working farm in the middle of the stunning Kent countryside. Dunn Street Farm can be found just above the village of Westwell, nestled among rolling hills and woodland. The farm itself is home to chickens, goats, cattle, horses and sheep!

Folkestone Camping and Caravanning Club

Those of you after a beachside location should book a space at this campsite in Folkestone. There are 60 pitches here (although no touring caravans are allowed), but the site overlooks the beach and has some incredible views of the sea so it would certainly be worth leaving your caravan behind for the weekend.

Hop Farm Camping and Touring Park

This award-winning site is right in the heart of Kent’s rolling countryside and is home to a very popular family park, as well as the biggest oast house collection in the world! Dogs are welcome but must be kept on the lead, but remember that they’re not allowed into the family park. The site’s open until September 30th so you still have time if you want to get away for the weekend this month.

Sandwich Lakes

Open all year, this camp site is small and quiet, tucked away in the grounds of a coarse fishery just one short mile from the centre of Sandwich. If you love your fishing, this is the place to go, since there are six lakes stocked with bream, tench, perch, rudd and roach, and you can also fish for mirror and common carp. Tent camping, as well as motorhomes and caravans are permitted here, so this could well be the campsite for you.

Looking for new motorhome supplies in Kent? Check out our website today.

Have You Checked Your Car Out Ahead Of The Bank Holiday?

Have You Checked Your Car Out Ahead Of The Bank Holiday?

With the August Bank Holiday fast approaching (a mere two short days away, in fact!), you’d better make sure that you know your car is roadworthy and won’t fail you if you’re planning a lovely little trip away. There’s no worse start to a holiday than having to sit at the side of the motorway waiting for roadside recovery, after all!

New research from Green Flag suggests that ten cars will fail to reach their final destination every minute, with the top reasons for breaking down include tyre-related issues (nine per cent) and battery faults (15 per cent).

So do at the very least make sure that your tyres are inflated to the correct pressure, that the tread depth is still legal and that there are no severe signs of wear and tear – otherwise you could find your trip stalls before you even get anywhere.

Green Flag recommends that you walk around your car to look for signs of possible trouble, particularly with your tyres and lights. Check the tyre pressure, including the spare if you have one, check all fluid levels and top up where required, and make sure you have breakdown cover in place.

While GPS and smartphones are excellent tools to have at a moment’s notice, don’t forget that batteries can run out and phone signal can disappear. So always keep an actual road map in your car so you can let people know where you are if you do run into trouble on the road.

And always keep some blankets, water and snacks in the car just in case you do find yourself stranded for a prolonged period of time.

Where to go on a UK staycation

The Lake District

If you’re keen for an active break and need a blast of fresh air, the Lake District is the perfect destination. All sorts of activities can be found here, but boating is surely the best way to spend a few days in the Lakes – as long as the weather holds out, of course.

Lytham St Anne’s

You’re just a stone’s throw away from Blackpool here so you can have a night out at the Pleasure Beach if you so desire, but don’t forget that Lytham St Anne’s is an attraction in its own right, with a fun pier, the seaside, Fairhaven Lake, Lytham Hall, Penny Farm and lots more on its doorstep.

Edinburgh

For a city break, you could do an awful lot worse than Edinburgh as a destination. And you’ll be just in time to have a ride on the Edinburgh Festival Wheel, which will be in situ until September 2nd. To stretch your legs, head up to Arthur’s Seat, an ancient volcano, which will give you some incredible views of the city.

Looking for new motorhome supplies in Kent? Check out our website today.

Plans To Build New Motorhome Site In Kent

Plans To Build New Motorhome Site In Kent

You might know that feeling of how difficult it can be to pick out the next place you want to arrange for the family holiday. It’s no easy decision, but you will know how important it is to make sure you have the essential supplies for the motorhome. Kent, however, could prove to be an even more popular choice for many people to visit on a holiday.

Kent Live reports that planning permission has been made for a new caravan site in Capel. It will be located south of New Dover Road and east of Winehouse Lane. Of course, it might be early days for the site, but it does show that the area is still a hotspot for caravan trips.

In fact, if the latest project is approved – and many will hope that it is – then it won’t be that far away from other sites in the area, including Little Satmar Campsite & Holiday Park, White Cliffs Park, Capel Court Caravan Park and Varne Ridge Holiday Park.

The planning statement said: “The proposed holiday lodges would fill a gap in the local holiday accommodation provision, which has been identified for high-quality holiday lodge caravans and would generate local employment both directly at the site.”

What would the Capel site have? Well, there are plans for a wildlife pond, which will be perfect for the kids to spend their time around. Considering how close it is to other camper sites, it could allow two families to plan a trip away together and still be within proximity of one another.

Now might be the perfect time to restock the family campervan – presumably after a busy summer – and put down Capel as one of your holiday destinations in the foreseeable future.

How To Kit Out Your Caravan This Summer

How To Kit Out Your Caravan This Summer

Caravanning offers holidaymakers the opportunity to enjoy fantastic holidays, be at one with nature and embark on adventures in the UK and beyond. To make your experience even more enjoyable, it is worth investing in some top-quality motorhome supplies in Kent.

Here are just a few essentials to kit out your caravan with.

  • Bike Carriers

One of the most appealing reasons to go on a motorhome holiday is to spend more time outdoors, so don’t forget to bring your bicycles along with you. To avoid your wheels taking up too much space inside the motor, get your hands on bike carriers that attach to the back of the van.

Holding several bikes at once, these enable the whole family to enjoy a fun active holiday away without compromising on comfort within the motorhome itself.

 

  • Portable BBQs

Summer is all about enjoying the long warm evenings, and what better way to do this than with BBQ dinners outside?

Even if your motorhome is extremely well-equipped with cooking facilities, having a BBQ is lots of fun, and an easy way to do this without lugging your gas stove around is to buy a briefcase BBQ. These space-saving devices are inexpensive and avoid damaging the pitch like disposable ones do.

 

  • Wireless speakers

Ditch the TV on your getaway and listen to some music as a family instead. Going on holiday is a great opportunity to enjoy a sing-along while travelling or play music while you eat outside, so why not buy yourself some wireless speakers that connect to Bluetooth-enabled devices?

Top Beaches To Visit On A Motorhome Holiday

Top Beaches To Visit On A Motorhome Holiday

One of the joys of a motorhome holiday is having the chance to explore somewhere new – and with so much stunning coastline in the UK you’re spoilt for choice if you’re looking for a seaside escape.

But with so many options it can be hard to narrow it down, which is why this handy list from the Guardian might help. They have picked out the best beaches from around the UK and Europe based on reader tips.

If you don’t mind visiting beaches in slightly cooler weather, travelling to Achmelvich in Scotland could be a great option. The coastline is dotted with pristine white stands and the sea is a clear turquoise blue.

It’s a bit out of the way, but is a striking place to explore on foot, or on the water if you have a kayak or paddleboard in your camper van.

Head to the other end of the country and you could choose to take the 20-minute walk to get to Lansallos beach in Cornwall, which is just a short distance from well-known Polperro. According to Amanda Barton, it’s not very well known which means you may get this strip of sand all to yourself.

If you’re planning a trip to the Channel Islands, meanwhile, it’s worth taking the boat to Herm Island for the white sands and turquoise waters. Belvoir Bay was picked out as a particularly beautiful spot to visit.

For a range of stunning beaches, you could do worse than plan a break to Dorset – no fewer than three of the top ten beaches in the UK according to TripAdvisor are located in the county. Bournemouth beach took the number one spot, but Weymouth beach came in at number five on the list, while Hengistbury Head beach was in at number seven.

Make sure you’ve got all the motorhome supplies in Kent you need for your summer holidays, take a look at our range of gear.

Tips For Spending Christmas In Your Camper Van

Tips For Spending Christmas In Your Camper Van

If you’re hoping to escape from the usual rigmarole of a house full of people for Christmas dinner this year, your motorhome could be the perfect choice.

Heading off for a few days of peace and quiet later in December is a wonderful way to spend 25 December slightly differently. Flux Magazine recently shared some tips on how to prepare for a festive break, as well as offering some ideas of where to go.

Advice centred around driving – and being prepared for adverse conditions. Sticking to well-used roads, planning your route well in advance and keeping an eye on the weather once you’re on the road are all top tips.

Making sure your camper van is ready for the journey is important too, so top up things like screenwash and oil before you set off, as well as checking tyre pressures, heating and lighting.

Of course, these points apply at any time of the year, but it’s especially important if you’re going to be staying in your camper van in colder weather. Earlier this year we offered a number of safety tips for motorhomes, including regularly testing your smoke alarm and making sure you always turn your gas bottle off when you’re on the move.

If you’re planning a trip for a few days or even a week, you should also make sure you pick up plenty of motorhome supplies in Kent – maybe even grab a few extra bits just in case you do get stuck somewhere.

In terms of where to go, top spots for a festive camper van holiday include the Lake District, York and the Cotswolds.