One man and his Van….

[Kernowboy]

I have an opportunity to take 10 weeks paid holiday starting in April, first time in 34 years of solid employment…..of course I have been given a long list of jobs that have been waiting far too long to get done around the house, and both the Easter and May half term school holidays sit in the period. But I have clearance to head off in the van for 3-4 weeks as well, just me as the family will be at school/college/work, maybe wrapped around half term to meet up with them for a week.

I’ve done the the NC500 previously (with kids on board) and loved it and was thinking of the Wild Atlantic Way, the Hebrides or perhaps Norway. Or ferry over to France and a few weeks around Switzerland / Italy. Or Spain. Haven’t been away in the van for that long on my lonesome before, not sure how that will go but really looking forward to it. I love hill walking and would take the mountain bike too.

As you can tell, I’m not set on a particular trip as yet and would really love to hear suggestions of where to go, recommend routes and itineraries etc. - particularly as a solo traveller. Thanks in advance.

 

[CaliforniaCylus]

I'd head to Spain. Forget the idea that it's like Benidorm because it isn't. A vast country with many different cultures, spectacular scenery, great food and a friendly people.

If you've got a month I'd take the boat to Santander / Bilbao and explore the North West. Cantabria Asturias Galicia Basque Country etc. All the way to Santiago Compostela and then south towards the Portuguese border.

We did part of this last September. Some details here...

https://www.caravanramblings.co.uk/?cat=107

 

[Camperfamily]

Perfect amount of time for Wild Atlantic Way and to properly experience the varied coast at a relaxing pace. Family could fly into Shannon airport and pick up a week from there.

You can always supplement it with time on the south coast (eg. Waterford’s Copper Coast) if you were to finish WAW and had time to spare.

 

[Camperfamily]

Switzerland is also awesome…

 

[The Tall Luthier]

Northern Spain to Portugal, rich and varied, chance of good weather, inexpensive compared to Switzerland and Norway. Plenty of cheap flights available if you miss the kids!!!!!

Oh and congratulations, 4 weeks to rediscover yourself is a real gift. I hope you have a great adventure wherever you end up.

 

[Corradobrit]

Are you planning to wild camp most of the time or use campsites? That could help with the decision. I found Switzerland, Austra and Slovenia less amenable for wildcamping. In fact its illegal in many parts. Since I like a mix of 3 days wild camping, 1 on a campsite, France or Spain and possibly Italy would be my destination. I like the idea of Spain (haven't done it yet but its on my to do list, like the Amalfi Coast) and having the chance to take the ferry direct to Spain from the UK would be appealing. I'd be tempted to drive down one way along the Atlantic coast and take the ferry back. Just remember France is huge so if you generally share driving responsibilities, driving by yourself can get a little tedious.

 

[SpuffingtonMe]

Congratulations, I’ve not had that long before but have been gifted a week at a time from Mrs Spuff to do some solo travelling - I’ve mainly done the NC500 & Skye (I’m a sucker for NW Scotland). But as you say, you’ve done it before and you also have more time on your hands.

Personally I would save Wild Atlantic Way for another time as it’s relatively close. In your shoes I’d be doing a truly epic roadtrip to somewhere which normally would be unattainable. I’m looking at a sabatical or similar (unpaid) next year to spend 4-5wks with the wife & kids in Norway in our motorhome so that would be my personal starting point.

But frankly anything will be super and a real voyage of self discovery. Try and limit time on the mobile and stick to outdoors exercise, reading and your thoughts. Scary at first but so enriching and relaxing. Do keep us updated with what you end up deciding upon and doing.

 

[nickb77]

I have an opportunity to take 10 weeks paid holiday starting in April, first time in 34 years of solid employment…..of course I have been given a long list of jobs that have been waiting far too long to get done around the house, and both the Easter and May half term school holidays sit in the period. But I have clearance to head off in the van for 3-4 weeks as well, just me as the family will be at school/college/work, maybe wrapped around half term to meet up with them for a week.

I’ve done the the NC500 previously (with kids on board) and loved it and was thinking of the Wild Atlantic Way, the Hebrides or perhaps Norway. Or ferry over to France and a few weeks around Switzerland / Italy. Or Spain. Haven’t been away in the van for that long on my lonesome before, not sure how that will go but really looking forward to it. I love hill walking and would take the mountain bike too.

As you can tell, I’m not set on a particular trip as yet and would really love to hear suggestions of where to go, recommend routes and itineraries etc. - particularly as a solo traveller. Thanks in advance.

I did the Wild Atlantic Way solo last April/May and would highly recommend it. Did the whole thing clockwise after crossing to Rosslare, returning via Belfast. Happy to give you any info if it would help.

 

[DGB99]

I did the Wild Atlantic Way solo last April/May and would highly recommend it. Did the whole thing clockwise after crossing to Rosslare, returning via Belfast. Happy to give you any info if it would help.

Hi - just had my first California for 2 weeks and thinking of doing Wild Atlantic Way in next couple of months solo as my first big trip. I know West Coast of Scotland / Hebrides well so thought so thought this could be next big adventure. Also looking at clockwise over 3/4 weeks. How much free camping v campsites did you do? Anywhere not to miss?

 

[SpuffingtonMe]

I'm planning a trip there in our "big white" for April school hols. I've picked up a copy of the Highlands to Hammocks book (I love their Scottish Guides and found the Skye one particularly good when I went there for a week). I haven't quite digested it but will give you a few pointers once I've had a few more evenings with it:

Destination Atlantic Way Guide Book - The Ultimate Wild Atlantic Way Road Trip Book - highlands2hammocks

Presenting the most in-depth, relatable, and picturesque guidebook to the Wild Atlantic Way on the market, this is Destination Atlantic Way.

highlands2hammocks.co.uk

I've also looked on Britstops and there appear to be a fair few pubs & "Aires" dotted around which could facilitate some offgrid nights. We've got 10days allocated so we'll likely just pick a small area and focus on that rather than beast ourselves with the full circuit. I understand there's plenty to head back for time and time again.

 

[RedWhiteMonkey]

With that amount of time I'd drive up to the North Cape in Norway.

 

[BenCar]

What a golden opportunity. You lucky boy.
I've always wanted to properly do the Dolomites in a van but as I'm tied to school holidays all the places I want to see will be packed. Majestic cliffs, stunning park ups, crystal clear blue lakes and no one around!

 

[nickb77]

Hi - just had my first California for 2 weeks and thinking of doing Wild Atlantic Way in next couple of months solo as my first big trip. I know West Coast of Scotland / Hebrides well so thought so thought this could be next big adventure. Also looking at clockwise over 3/4 weeks. How much free camping v campsites did you do? Anywhere not to miss?

Three to four weeks would give you plenty of time to do the full length of the WAW if that's what you want to do. From Rosslare to Belfast took me 16 nights. I think if you're travelling solo you're likely to move quicker than if you had someone else with you.

I probably did about 1/4 wild camping but with hindsight would have pre-booked fewer campsites as there are so many places to park up for the night. Pre-booking too many campsites meant I felt compelled to keep moving each day and sometimes that meant getting to the next campsite early afternoon because perhaps there wasn't anything particularly special to stop for en-route when actually I could have travelled further that day and then spent more time somewhere else.

Two good apps for campsites and park-ups are Park4Night and SearchForSites. I found some great spots at pubs and next to beaches. The only place I'd avoid is the overnight parking in Donegal main car park - boy racers and drunks roaming around all night.

My favourite stops with What3Words locations were:

Ballydehob, quiet road next to a river and old railway bridge ///gracefully.amends.overlooking

Allihies Camping - basically a field next to a stunning beach. Can't pre-book - just phone ahead or turn up on the day. Think it was 10 Euro for the night ///outpost.circuit.inferences

Kilrush Marina - car park at the marina with really clean private toilets and showers (need to pre-book online). Short walk into town ///choppy.hunches.victory

Clifden Eco Beach Camping - next to a private beach available to campers. Need to pre-book ///mastering.attune.trapdoor

Lough Acorrymore Dam - quiet park-up next to a reservoir up in the hills https://w3w.co/reinforces.compliant.owns

Before I went, I was a bit nervous about whether I'd be able to get fuel away from the main towns but seems that pretty much every little town/village has a petrol station of some sort so absolutely no issues.

The WAW is well signposted, just make sure you keep following the 'North' directions if you're heading clockwise. Lots of well signposted places of interest off the main route so I just basically picked some at random to break the journey and wasn't disappointed.

I used the Robbie Roams guide book which I found very good https://amzn.eu/d/igY1oFY

The only part of the WAW I intentionally missed out (and now regret) was the Connor Pass in County Kerry. By all accounts it's a stunning drive, but 'officially' any vehicle over 2 tonnes is prohibited because of the narrow, steep winding road. However - plenty of people seem to have done it in campervans, although I have seen YouTube videos of people getting stuck and struggling to get grip in two wheel drive vans.

Whatever you choose to do, have a great trip!

 

[DGB99]

Thanks so much for this - very useful. Ideally I would like to do 2/3 nights wild camping followed by a campsite for power / showers etc. Do you think that is feasible?

 

[SpuffingtonMe]

Thanks so much for this - very useful. Ideally I would like to do 2/3 nights wild camping followed by a campsite for power / showers etc. Do you think that is feasible?

So last time I did my solo trip (in the T6 Cali) up to Skye, I pretty much wilded the entire 8days (think I had a campsite right on the last day but that was more because I love the place rather than necessity). Each to their own though.

I used to have strip washes using the sink daily and then stopped at leisure centres/swimming pools to use showers every couple of days. Worked pretty well. Given you're on the road for far longer, then yes, I can imagine a campsite every 3-5 days is probably worthwhile.

As ever, the toilet was the biggest issue. But there are elsan points popping up around the place and you can find them on apps like Park4Night.

I then used cemeteries for topping up with water if I couldn't find water at garages.

 

[nickb77]

Thanks so much for this - very useful. Ideally I would like to do 2/3 nights wild camping followed by a campsite for power / showers etc. Do you think that is feasible?

Absolutely feasible. I keep a few packs of 'bedbath' wipes in the van for the days I can't get to a shower.

 

[calibusje]

Hello @Kernowboy, that sounds great!
You're sure to have fun wherever you go. I've already read some great ideas both in the UK and abroad: France, Italy, (Northern) Spain, Switzerland, Norway,...
France: I'll try to recommend some places and trips but will fall short because there are so many: route D940 and further down, yes also Mont-Saint-Michel. Ardèche, Le Mans Circuit, Circuit de Gueux (I really like to go there and walk around and relax). Also: the region around the Puy-de-Dôme, the Pyrenees: we once drove around there for a week and it was beautiful. Following the Tour de France - or at least some of the stages - is also a great experience. The Champagne region, the Alps, Gorges de Verdon, Camarque and the Azur Coast: all great to drive through or past. Alsace and Vosges (where we leave tomorrow in search of some snow).
I would also definitely recommend Northern Spain, also Switzerland (with beautiful places to stay that aren't even expensive but with facilities, also free ones that can be found via Park4Night). We have visited Italy several times and it has beautiful cities and regions, but I don't really like driving around there as much as in some other countries; although I must say that I have not yet been lower than Livorno. As mentioned, it certainly has beautiful regions, including South Tyrol and the Dolomites, which I enjoyed very much.
Nord Cape Norway is also on my list, but we may visit it in a different way (Hurtigruten or Havila cruise ship).
If I may, to get ideas or just as reading material:

Some information if you visit Northern Spain; an impression.

Sometimes a question is asked about travelling in Northern Spain: quite rightly, because it is a very attractive region Hence some info about what we did two summers ago in July 2023 when the four of us visited northern Spain for about three weeks. We used the Park4Night app and just looked...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

The Grand Tour of Switzerland: a travelogue.

Dear cali and travel enthusiasts, In the summer of 2024 we spent about 16 days in Switzerland and this country made a very great impression on us, hence this travel report. It can serve to warm you up to visit this beautiful, fascinating country or you can use it as tips for your next visit. Our...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

Anyway: have fun planning!