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We’ve succumbed to a more modern camper. Our T2 is going and being replaced with a T5.1.
Bijouspud is learning German at school, we like to make our way out towards the Romantic road.
Tips for ferries, routes across Europe, sources of info all welcome!
My initial thought was Harwich -> Hook of Holland, but it's a boring ferry and The Netherlands and south is flat and boring. FastCat to Cherborg I remember being fun and you get the Normandy coast, Brittany and then central France, which is abit nicer.
North sea ferries save a lot of driving if you live in tbe north. My preferred driving route thru france is to go east of Paris.
I think the fast catamaran to Cherbourg stopped during COVID.
Irish Ferries...nice relaxed crossing and a good bit cheaper than the tunnel. I'd skirt east France, go into Belgium and go via Luxembourg (lovely small country) and then down thru Germany to Wurzburg.
You're not allowed to say you've bought a campervan without posting a photo. I don’t make the rules...
Here we go! Mollie the tangerine.
It'll never all fit at once, you know. Europe's quite a big place.
We’ll zoom in a bit
We’ve succumbed to a more modern camper. Our T2 is going and being replaced with a T5.1.
Bijouspud is learning German at school, we like to make our way out towards the Romantic road.Tips for ferries, routes across Europe, sources of info all welcome!
where are you starting from? Dundee or Didcot makes a difference for ferries
what do you want to do ? MTB, road bike, gravel/hybrid bike, hike, climbing, swim in lakes, sight see etc. etc.
do you have any countries/places/national parks you want to visit?
food and booze preferences?
travelling light or carrying everything?
We've done trips from 1-6 weeks in Europe and spent a lot of time in Bavaria and Austria in the last 10 years. There's lots to do but you need to narrow it down a bit.
Starting from the lakes, family adventures. Possibility of taking bikes with. Looking to experience different countries and places. Swimming SUP a bonus
Have a look on the map and see where you want to end up and make a plan from there.
Last year we ended up in Lofar, Austria, not far from Zell am See, Leogang and Saalbach. Plenty of paddle boarding and biking.
Stopped off on the way for a night or two in Luxembourg and Strasbourg. Came back through Germany (the Rhine) and a stop in Dunkirk before the ferry.
Off to Lake Como via Morzine / Chatel this year. Main sites booked now looking at where to stop on the way. Will generally drive a max of 4 hours.
I really like les landes. The strip of land between Bordeaux and the sea. The lakes are lovely for water sports and swimming. The whole place is a sandy forest with a 100km beach. Lots of traffic free cycling
It could easily combined with the Dordogne or, driving further, the pyrenees. Ideally you’d cross to a Port in the West like le Harve
i can’t say it’s better than the rest of Europe. But it’s popular and almost Brit’ free. So i mention it as it assume it’s not that well known here
If you're starting in the Lakes the Hull Rotterdam ferry is a no brainer. We're in West Yorkshire and it's only 75 miles from here. South coast ports are ~200 miles more.
There are plenty of lakes for summer family swimming in Bavaria, the locals use them a lot. Austrian area off Carinthia is another family friendly place with lakes to swim in.
I know the forum isn't fully working but there have been a lot of these types of threads in recent years and lots of great ideas in them. Do a Google search for it
How old are the kids?
For a holiday length trip of 2-3 weeks we also pick 2-3 sites and book them around now because the best sites get full up in peak time. Then for stop overs in between you are not so bothered and can be flexible.
For sites we had a lot of luck with cool camping before it got bought out. It's crap now but if you can still get hold of a copy of their books it's a good starting point. We still pick sites from there eg one in Croatia from cool camping Europe last year that was great. Just need to do a bit of homework to make sure they are still OK.
As stated, Hull to Europort-Rotterdam is definitely the ferry you should catch.
Up until 2023 we've opted for the much cheaper, quicker day route of Harwich to Hook of Holland (also Rotterdam and practically opposite Europort). Yet the drive back from Harwich, usually starting at 2100 after delays through passport control is hard too stomach. So although the Hull ferry is overnight and more expensive it's significantly easier and worth taking the financial hit for.
Your sized camper can be booked on as a mid-sized car. the earlier you book the cheaper it is. I think there's a deal on at present until the end of March?
We've got a VW Cali. It's now 9 years old. Our daughter was 2.5y when we got it. Our son not even born. Apart from a couple of missed staycation years (2017 & 2020) we're generally in Europe. We've predominately arrived in Holland and ventured out from there with other trips departing from Portsmouth-Santander and either stayed in Spain or arrived in Spain and ventured our way back through France.
Last year we did the full six weeks (the kids are 11 and 8). As it might be the last opportunity to do so for a while with secondary school looming.
In essence, last year, we did a big loop, which included Germany. As for recommendations, we entered Germany from Austria into Southern Bavaria and the Allgau. We then went via Konstance to the Black Forest, followed the French and Luxembourg borders North - NW to the Mosel area and exited at Aachen. Outbound we'd been in Luxembourg (Ardenne) and France (Vosege/Jura).
Second year on the trot we've spent time in Germany and really impressed with it (and the people). A few stand outs. We were really impressed with the Black Forest. Particularly the southern part. The German outdoor swimming pools are quite frankly, amazing. The water quality, cleanliness, facilities. Brilliant.
Also leverage the wohnmobilparks while transferring between places and doing long journey legs. These are mainly for motorhomes yet some provide toilet and shower facilities. It's basically a cheap pitch for the night <15Euros. We also used farm stays this year in Switzerland, Germany and Holland for alternatives to campsites. We stayed at an excellent Cherry Farm in Holland.
DM me if you want more info.
@lesgrandepotato some older threads to get you started
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/off-topic/austria-summer-ideas/
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/off-topic/europe-family-trip-recommendations-please/
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/off-topic/suggestions-for-touring-caravanning-holiday-in-europe/
I started one of the threads linked above, don’t think I ever updated it after the trip!
We had 4 weeks off, travelling in a VW cali, kids were 14 and 12. Ferry from Harwich to Hook, lovely relaxed way to start the holiday (apart from nearly getting locked in a car park in Manningtree where we stopped for dinner before departure) though we do live in Suffolk so only a short drive. We then did stops in:
holland - huttopia meinweg. Nice site, lots of places to explore, but 3 nights was plenty. Holland super easy to get around but a bit too Northern Europe for my tastes.
Germany - stopped for a night in Munich, Hilton near the English Garden. Great stop, kids loved it.
slovenia - soca valley. Kamp Koren. Stunning place, amazing wild swimming and walking. Site was a bit meh.
croatia - camp odmoree, nr Zadar. Awesome little site right on the beach. Meltingly hot though.
Slovenia - lake bled - camping sobec. Probably our favourite stop, loved Slovenia and great mix of outdoorsy stuff, culture and food. Site was massive but had a great vibe. Expensive though.
Austria - lofer - park grubhof. Only place we didn’t really gel with and cut short. Site was very well run with great facilities but a bit sterile. Scenery undeniably beautiful.
France - camping lac d’dorient - we’ve stayed before, chilled out finish to the trip with great swimming in the lake, plus an amazing burger van.
total trip was 2800 miles, very little traffic, had one day of rain the whole trip. Booked all sites in advance and would probably do so again - less flexible but removes the stress of finding the next place in peak season. Did two big days in the van (crossing Germany each way) but otherwise tried to keep it under 4 hours drive per move day. Can’t think of many things we’d do differently - maybe take better fan / aircon for the southern bit, both Slovenia and Croatia were seriously hot. Would probably also spend more time in Germany for a more balanced trip, but had been there in previous years.
When traveling in some parts of Germany and Austria it's important to reach your campsite before dark as many roads aren't lit and the signs are often hard to read. The local councils sometimes enforce that signs are all the same, so the little yellow signpost can point to campsite, cafe, recycling, car parks etc.
If you are heading for The Romantic Road there is a good campsite in Laudenbach - Camping Schwabenmuhle.
You can do a circular cycle route to Rothenburg and back on quiet roads and cycle paths. You can also use the train to visit some of the nearby towns.
If you are anywherenear Laudenbach go to the Zur Traube and have one of the Schnitzels.
For SUP'ing and access to the water Campingplatz Schloss Kirchberg outside of Meersburg on Lake Constance is good
Some fab advice on here thankyou. Bijouspud is 12 yrs old and me and mum significantly older 🙂
If you get over to Lienz in Osttirol, the Lienz Dolomites are stunning. Less busy and less developed than The Dolomites across the border in Italy but well worth visiting.
There's also a climbing, via ferrata and go ape centre just outside town that's great for kids old and young !! You can hire bikes in Lienz and ride the old railway into Italy for lunch.