VanVentures

11/09/2026

Owning a campervan gradually teaches you a few things.

Usually by first doing them the expensive, inconvenient or unnecessarily complicated way.

Five things we don’t really do anymore:

1. Chase the “perfect” park-up.
Legal, reasonably level and not next to a bin lorry at 5am will do nicely.

2. Buy every bit of vanlife kit somebody calls “essential”.
If it doesn’t earn its cupboard space, it’s basically travelling rent-free.

3. Assume a bigger van is automatically better.
More room is lovely. So is fitting through a village.

4. Ignore a new noise and hope it develops some manners.
We have tried the “turn the radio up” diagnostic method. Results were mixed.

5. Plan every mile before leaving home.
Some of the best stops are the ones that weren’t pinned three weeks earlier.

What’s one thing you stopped doing once you’d owned a van for a while?

11/09/2026

£16 for a night in a forest car park.

Fair price — or too much?

Forestry England’s campervan stopover trial ends on Monday.

At most locations, £16 gets you a designated overnight spot in the forest for up to two nights.

No hook-up. No waste disposal. Just a legal place to stop, with toilets available.

So what should a basic UK campervan stopover actually cost?

£5? £10? £15? £20?

What would you happily pay?

29/07/2026

The Bradfield Plough made a welcoming stop after a walk around Low Bradfield. Expect a relaxed country-pub setting, generous portions, outdoor seating and a children’s play area.

22/07/2026

A solid little pub stop if you are heading out to Spurn Point.

We called into the Crown & Anchor in Kilnsea after a walk on the East Yorkshire coast, and it did exactly what you want a post-walk pub to do: decent food, fair prices, friendly service and a quiet beer garden looking out towards the Humber.

It is not a flashy place, but that was part of the appeal. The sort of stop that works well when you are building a day out around a walk, a drive, or a van trip along the coast.

Do you usually plan your food stop before a walk, or just see where you end up afterwards?

08/07/2026

A quiet river, a cup of tea, the van doors open for a bit of air, and then the horse flies arrive.

They are one of those small summer annoyances that can change the mood of a stop very quickly, especially near water, woodland edges or fields with livestock.

I’ve pulled together a practical guide to why they bite, where they tend to turn up, and the small things that seem to help when you are walking, camping or parked up for a while.

Where have horse flies been worst for you: rivers, woodland, fields, or campsites?

20/05/2026

Some of the best travel photos happen when the plan changes.

Flat skies, rain moving in, evening light arriving sooner than expected, or a quick stop at a viewpoint can all change what is realistic with a camera. When you are travelling by van or campervan, photography is rarely just about settings. It is also about space, power, weather, parking and knowing when to wait or move on.

I’ve written a practical guide to outdoor photography on the road, covering kit, light, composition, camera settings, editing and responsible stopping.

19/05/2026

Small BBQ, useful setup.

The Campingaz Party Grill 400 R is the sort of camping kit that makes sense when space matters, whether you’re packing a car boot, campervan cupboard or van storage box.

I’ve looked at how it does for portability, setup, cooking options, cleaning and general camp cooking.

14/05/2026

The North Coast 500 is easy to rush, but this trip reminded me why it works better at a slower pace.

Beaches, short walks, viewpoints, ruins and time to stop properly all made the route feel more worthwhile.

A reflective NC500 road trip from the post-lockdown period, with a few useful reminders for planning your own.

A reflective North Coast 500 road trip through quiet beaches, short walks, historic ruins and dolphin spotting after lockdown eased, with practical pacing notes.

14/05/2026

Bigger is not always easier.

A larger campervan can be more comfortable, but parking, narrow roads, height barriers and turning space all start to matter more.

This guide looks at the real trade-offs before choosing a van for summer.

Choose a campervan that suits your route, parking plans and travel style, with practical advice on size, layout, facilities and summer touring.

13/05/2026

Snake Woodland is easy to miss from the A57.

It sits just off the Snake Pass, with pine trees, the River Ashop and a short stretch of woodland that works well as a quiet break from the road.

Useful if you’re passing through and want somewhere simple to pause for a bit.

A quiet woodland beside the River Ashop, just off the A57 Snake Pass, with a short walk, places to pause and practical notes for road-trippers.