Our Top 12 Campervan destinations this year

With 2022 coming to an end and the weather being particularly wet and miserable we turned our thoughts this week to the different places we have visited over the past year. It has been a particularly full on, incredible year for us after both retiring and moving house and we have still managed to have 127 nights away in Nelson! (It does help that we were living in the van for most parts of the 14 weeks we had no house)

After reminiscing about some of the amazing places we've visited we decided to come up with our top 10 favourites. Over an hour later we had narrowed it down to 15 and with much wrangling we finally got it down to 12 but we decided we couldn't get it down any lower! We had visited far too many stunning locations that we would like to share with you all.

So here it is - Jackie and Richards top 12 places we have stayed in Nelson in 2022!

12 -National Trust Eskdale campsite in the Lake District - September

After 5 nights of wild camping in the Lakes we decided we definitely needed a good wash and electricity to charge up laptops and cameras. Some of our favourite campsites in the Lakes are owned by the National Trust as they are in fab locations and have excellent facilities. The Eskdale site did not disappoint. We arrived after a very wet 24 hours and were pleased to find a drying room to put all our soggy walking kit and boots in. The toilets and showers were spotless and lovely and warm. The site is situated within walking distance of 3 pubs and had highland cows in the field behind the van. The following day the site manager kindly let us leave the van on the pitch as it was quiet while we did a 12 mile hike bagging several Wainrights. we even sneaked in a second shower before moving on!

11 - Reef beach on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides - November

We had visited Reef beach on a previous trip to the Outer Hebrides and fell in love with the miles and miles of white sand beaches with crystal clear blue seas. On that trip in June 2021, the campsite was open and was heaving so we didn't stay. This time we had the whole bay to ourselves! We were so lucky with the weather the night we stayed, the skies were clear, the sunset vivid and the moon rose high above us as we sat on the beach with our fire pit. Just a perfect evening! Following a tip off from a local that we spoke to on the beach, we walked about a mile across the peninsula to a hidden beach that had stunning views. We also spotted a cross on one of the hills behind us so we set of on a hike to find it. The walk turned out to be a little further than it looked as we had not taken into consideration the enormous boggy field in front of that we had to walk around!

10 - Chapaize in the Burgundy region of France - September

Whilst we were living in the van over the summer, we did a 3 week tour of the French Alps and then followed a tour of the Burgundy wine region for a few days on the way back to Calais. Using the Park 4 the night APP, we found an Aire in a tiny hamlet called Chapaize. WOW - it was just beautiful. At the centre of the hamlet was a 1000 year old historic church. There were 2 restaurants and a cafe, when we arrived at about 5pm we thought that everywhere was closed for the night. At 7pm, the village came to life with people travelling for miles to eat at the restaurants. We had already eaten but managed to get a table outside where we had couple of glasses of wines recommended by the owner and we just sat for a couple of hours watching the world go by. We loved the fact that the menu was just 3 dishes of the day to choose from written on a chalk board and when it was gone, it was gone! The restaurant was heaving and just full of delicious smells and laughter. The Aire was free and there were several motorhomes pitched up for the night.

9 - Buckspool Farm Campsite - Pembrokeshire - July

On our first trip in the van after retiring we explored the Gower Peninsula and Pembrokeshire. We were trying to do it as cheap as possible as we know we need to distinguish between being on holiday and retirement travelling on a budget. At £10 a night this fit the bill. It is a pop up campsite in a farmers field with a couple of rustic toilets! There is one shower which is attached to a post on the end of a barn with cold water only - Luckily for us we had our hozelock shower with us so had the luxury of hot outdoor showers behind the van after a day swimming in the sea! There is a path leading from the campsite down to the beautiful sandy Broad Haven beach, if you follow the path further round you can also wander around Stackpole warren with its Lily covered lakes and miles of forest footpaths. For those feeling more active and adventurous you can walk across to the scenic Stackpole head and Barafundle Bay. There is no way to book the campsite, you just turn up, choose a spot and the farmer comes round in the evening on his quad bike with his 3 working sheep dogs and collects his fees. He also sells huge bags of good quality logs for £5 and allows fire pits as long as they are off the ground. There was a great atmosphere on the campsite with many large families groups. The farmer also hires out private lockable portaloos which many of the big groups took advantage of.

8 - Cairngorms Loch Morlich - February

We love exploring Scotland in the van and have spent most of our winter holidays up there this year. In February half term we toured around the Cairngorms and found some incredible places to stay. One of our favourite destinations in the Cairngorms is around Glenmore and Loch Morlich, we have stayed several times in a forestry carpark that allowed overnight stays and we were devastated when we arrived there to NO OVERNIGHT PARKING signs all over! It was Richards birthday and we had tried to find somewhere open for a beer in Aviemore with no success so we were excited to be able to park up in a lay-by on the loch side with in walking distance of the Pine Martin bar. The road is very busy in the day, however after we returned from the pub, hardly any vehicles went past until about 8 in the morning. When we woke up in the morning, it had snowed and the loch was surrounded by white peaks. Just stunning.

7 - Seathwaite Farm campsite in the Lake District - May

After searching for a campsite with available pitches for May Day weekend, we stumbled across Seathwaite Farm campsite in the Borrrowdale Valley. It is based on a working farm in the head of the valley and you can turn up and pitch your van anywhere in the field. The farmer comes round in the evening to collect your fees - £6 pp and a one off fee of £6 per vehicle for the duration of your stay. There are so many amazing walks from the campsite base and as we were there in lambing season, the valley echoed with the bleating of the new borns. The toilets are very rustic and run by the National Trust and the farmer has installed a shower block at £1 a go. We enjoyed our visit that much that we returned a few weeks later for our wedding anniversary weekend! Be warned there is no phone signal and no shops or pubs for miles so take everything you need with you!

6 - Abondance Valley wild camp in the Port du Soliel area - September

This is probably one of the most memorable places we have stayed in Nelson. We had travelled from Lake Geneva and found a fab Aire down in the village but had read in the 'Wild French Alps' book about a beautiful walk to a lake up in the mountains. When we asked at tourist information about how to get there, they suggested driving up and parking near a ski lift. How glad were we that we did that as there was a small carpark area where you could park up for the night. The walk was absolutely stunning and we were treated to a superb sunset. But the most magical moment was when I could hear a jingling sound that got louder and louder until we saw a herd of cows slowly making there way up the piste, grazing away! They stopped around the van for a while before continuing on their way. With only us in Nelson and a very friendly young dutch couple in a van, it was wonderfully peaceful for the rest of the night.

5 - Towyn Farm Campsite on the Llyn Peninsula - June

This is one of our favourite campsites in Wales based near Abersoch. It is on a working sheep farm and the owner is just so lovely and friendly. The campsite is on the cliffs above Tudweiliog Bay and has a lovely farm shop that sells coffee and cakes. There are several small secluded bays within walking distance of the campsite and we took our fire pit and picnic blankets down to the beach both evenings and had the coves to ourselves even though it was May half term! It is a family friendly campsite where you can choose your pitch, there were lots of big groups enjoying the Queens Jubilee while we there and there was a great atmosphere.

4 - Camping Pelly in the Haute Giffre area of French Alps

We found this absolute gem of a campsite through the ASCI card guide book. When travelling in Europe out of season the card gives you reduced rates at campsites which include electric hook up. This site was €18 per night and was a true bargain with great facilities and a location second to none. It is at the head of the valley with tall imposing cliffs and peaks surrounding it. For those more energetic you could walk across to Switzerland as it is on the border. The reception area had a book exchange area and a box full of games to borrow - we spent a fab evening playing a version of skittles that I only know by the name of sticks. The dutch campers seemed to understand the rules better than we did! There is also a camp cat, what a character he was! Apparently the campsite had a little problem with mice over the summer as he had been fed too many treats by the campers and had neglected his duties!

3 - Fidden Farm campsite on the Island of Mull, Scotland - September

I had wanted to have this as my number one choice as it is in the most beautiful location on the far side of Mull. It is on another working sheep farm (there is definitely a theme to our choices!) and you can choose your pitch. As it was nearing the end of September it was reasonably quiet and we managed to get a spot right next to the beach. At low tide the wide expanse of white sandy beach is exposed and the sea is crystal clear. There are several tiny islands that you can walk across to but need to be careful as the tide comes in quite quickly. It is based about a mile from Fionphort which is where you catch the ferry across to Iona which is a trip we would highly recommend. The island is only a few km long and you can walk around it in a day if you were feeling energetic. We walked to the most Northern point to the beaches and had a bracing wild swim in a sheltered cove. It was unusually hot that day and we lay around sunbathing and reading for a while.

2 - Lac du Rosiere near Courchevel in the French Alps

Just WOW! We chose this spot because I had seen photo's on instagram and had set my heart on visiting. It is not a drive for the faint hearted to get there but we were well rewarded. In the Summer it is €10 to park for the night but we were out of season so the added bonus was it was free and there were toilets! The lake is actually a reservoir and swimming is not allowed which was a pity as it looked so inviting. The waters were so clear and changed colour depending on where you stood and the time of day. There is a walk way over the reservoir and a path around it with free picnic areas set up for the public to use including BBQ and Firepits. As we were out of season it was really quiet and there were only 3 vans overnight. I would imagine in the height of the season it would have been rammed! There are also several walks marked out from the carpark, we did the waterfall walk which was stunning. We watched several people negotiating the via ferrata which ran across the cliffs above the lake, perhaps one to have a go at in years to come.

1 - Huisinis on the the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides

After much deliberating, particularly over the top 3 spots, we decided to choose Huisinis as we have visited it twice now and both experiences have just been simply wonderful. It is not an easy drive, a single track 14 mile road that goes through the grounds of a castle at one point. If you are lucky, you will come across the herd of highland cows on the roadside, they graze on the moorlands across the peninsula. The community at Huisinis set up the Gateway building several years ago which has facilities for camper vans including showers, toilets, a meeting room with picnic benches in and just a little way up the road an Aire for motorhomes with EHU. We paid £10 a night to stay by the centre and the Aire is about £15 and has set pitch. There was only one other van there as we were visiting in November but we did come across several groups of photographers as it is such a stunning place, especially s if the weather is wild and stormy. We had all the weathers in our 48 hours stay, but luckily we managed to fit in 2 long walks and had 2 vibrant, colourful sunsets! There are several beautiful white sandy beaches all within walking distance, at one point, if it had not been for the cold wind, we could have believed we were on a tropical island.

After launching our YouTube channel in August, we have Vlogged our travels in some of these locations. If you would like to see more details and videos take a look on our channel earlyretirementwanderlust. If you have any must visit places of your own you would like to share with us please send them in the comments as we are always looking for new places for our travels.

Jackie and Richard