Preparing for a trip to Wales and Cornwall

Hello fellow travelers 😎, I’m taking advantage of VoyageForum’s comeback 😉even better😉 to post my request for help. Thanks for reopening this essential forum. My wife and I are planning a trip to Scotland in April-May 2025, in a camper van (L 8.70 x H 3.00). I’m mentioning this just to avoid roads that won’t work for us. However, we also enjoy parking and exploring by bike. We’ve already prepared the first part of this trip well. To combine business with pleasure, we’d like to continue on to Wales and Cornwall. This extension will last about 20 days. The second part of our trip will start in Chester and end in Dover. We’d love to hear from "seasoned travelers" who’ve already done these routes—tips on must-see places and landmarks, possible stops at campsites, motorhome areas, or "wild" camping spots without issues or restrictions. And of course, the culinary stops! All of this with respect for the places and people. I’m sure I’m forgetting some things, but I’ll build our itinerary as I gather information. A big THANK YOU to everyone who shares their experiences and recommendations. Gérard 😉

We’ve taken two trips to Scotland in a camper van. Your questions aren’t about that part of your itinerary, so I’ll just chime in about the cycling—be VERY careful. Scots drive *very* fast, there’s rarely any shoulder, and the roads are narrow. We didn’t bring our bikes and didn’t regret leaving them at home. I don’t know Wales. In Cornwall, there are lots of sunken lanes with no shoulders, just bushes and brambles....

Hi there, 😉 A big thank you for your recommendations—I’ll add them to my notes right away. Keep up the good work! Best regards,😏 Gérard

Hi,

We’ve taken three trips to Scotland, and it seems impractical to travel there with an 8.70 m vehicle—unless you stick only to major roads and miss out on what makes Scotland special, including its must-see spots (the same goes for Ireland). Biking isn’t really the best option in these parts either, where it rains often and roads are narrow and risky. That said, Edinburgh and Cardiff are still doable, and there’s plenty to explore there. Cheers,

Marie Paule

Hello, Thanks for your feedback. Best regards, Gérard

For some great stops with almost no restrictions, I suggest BritStops, the UK equivalent of France-Passion, which you can find at www.britstops.com. The app is paid, but the stops themselves are usually free. Have a great trip!

Hi Alol, Thank you for this great tip—I’ll definitely use it. If it’s as interesting as France Passion, which I’m a member of, it’ll help me connect even better with the locals in this beautiful country. Thanks again. Gérard

Thanks. I’ve already been to Scotland in a motorhome a few years ago, and this time we’re planning to go in May, I think, to southern England, Cornwall, and Wales. I’m also counting on BritStops to meet people and discover some great pubs with live music... I was a member of France-Passion for several years in a row, and in 2019, I spent 3 months traveling all over France, staying with hosts for bivouacs—an amazing experience!!! Safe travels to you...

Hi Gérard, We did a motorhome road trip in Scotland back in 2015. It’s a region that’s really well-suited for this kind of travel because it’s so nice to park far from civilization in the middle of a valley....

However, with the size of yours, there are *a lot* of roads that seem inaccessible—or at least complicated: narrow lanes, passing places, small parking spots, etc. (If you’d like, we posted a travel journal from our trip. You can find the link here. At the time, our motorhome was 5.99m long, and we barely squeezed through Crinnan Harbour; thankfully, I didn’t have to maneuver. I actually regret that motorhome size—it’s impossible to find now.)

But if you stick to the "classic Scotland" route—Edinburgh-Glasgow-Glencoe-Skye-Stirling-Edinburgh—you’ll be fine. And you’ll still see some amazing sights!!! Also, the east coast seems more motorhome-friendly than the west.

Lastly, I’m not sure if you’re planning to use campsites: in 2015, we’d stop every 2-3 days mainly to dump waste... Not all campsites were well-equipped back then... By 2025, maybe things will have improved. 😏

Happy planning! !