memory maker

[memorymaker]

Hi all, after months of research (including on this forum, for which thanks everyone for your very helpful guidance and posts), we tool the plunge yesterday and ordered a new T6 beach, our first camper van. We opted for the beach as we have 3 boys (8, 6 and 2) and so need more space/sleeping area, and the van also needs to act as a 5-7 people carrier most weekends.

Take delivery in mid April, hopefully just in time for our first trip away on the May bank holiday weekend.

Any suggestions for good campsites on/within walking distance to the beach/coast and a town/village in Kent, Suffolk or East/West Sussex (we live in Bromley) which is good for kids, for our first camper van trip?

Cannot wait for our camper van adventures to start. Kids are super excited about lots of overnight stays in the outdoors under the stars, and we are hopeful that the van is going to help us have a more outdoors lifestyle and create some great family memories for us.

 

[Hotel California]

Hi and welcome ,
Seems like a lot Beach orders on the T6 , think a new range of people discovering the benefits of this type verhicle , sure having a big family makes it a good option having a daily driver and a lesure vehicle in one.
As for me beeing just two of us and a dog very happy with my 2012 SE only for hollidays and short trips.

You will get plenty off tips for your maiden voyage from fellow forummembers...

 

[WelshGas]

I think the Beach is gaining favour because the mainstream vehicle manufacturers are no longer making the large 5+ seater people carriers with respective luggage space. e.g.: The Original Renault Espace was much larger than the modern equivalent.
Anyway. Welcome to the Forum.

I don't live in your area of the country - but this site might help. http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/index.asp

You can filter by requirements and read the reviews.

 

[GrannyJen]

Off the top of my head:

Caravan Club Fairlight wood, near Hastings and Daleacres near Romney are full facility sites (useful to have washrooms, showers and washing up facilities on a first trip with children) and are excellent. Fairlight is good for Hastings and Daleacres, one of my favourite CC sites, is in the middle of nowhere a few miles from Dungeness, New Romney and the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway.

Going further west there is the CC site at Worthing, if you like Worthing which I do. Worthing has a nice pier and if it's a grey miserable day the Dome Cinema, one of the oldest working cinema's in the country (opened 1910) and really charming, with the main pedestrianised shopping area behind it and a Harry Ramsden's almost next door.

Also their is the out of the way CC site at Littlehampton. Littlehampton, with it's wide shingle (sand at low tide) beach is pretty deserted this time of year, large beachfront carpark, nice parade of shops at Rustington and if you carry a portable oven then the pies from Turners in Rustington are unbeatable. Another highly dubious advantage is if you want to know anything about a Cali then a meddling old bat of a Cali owner is just down the road.

Of course if you want minimal facilities and just a muddy field then there are CL's dotted all over the place, especially at the witterings where you have the empty miles of shingle beach.

I am not a fan of Brighton Racecourse campsite, but then I'm not a fan of Brighton. Horrendously expensive to park, limited parking anyway, and the best part of the Brighton half-Marathon is the run out of the place towards Hove.

 

[RedCali]

I can't help with campsites in your area, but l agree with GJ - would recommend caravan club sites for an easy first few trips, they always have spotless facilities and often family bathrooms and little play areas too. Some people don't like the 'caravan ' aspect and feel the sites are a bit regimented, but they are always well run and very clean.