I love a road trip, they are synonymous with adventure, and what could be better than a road trip round the quiet, undiscovered south west of Scotland in an iconic Herdy Campervan?
610 miles of absolute smiles!
Our route
We used the South West Coastal 300 (SWC300) as a rough basis for our route through the scenic south west region of Scotland. The SWC300 is a fairly new circular touring route extending some 300 miles through Dumfries and Galloway and south Ayrshire.
We actually drove 610 miles in total, over 6 days; having picked up the van near Kendal we followed the coastline of the Solway Firth from Gretna Green through Dumfries and Galloway to Stranraer in the east, then headed up the Ayrshire coast before returning through the Galloway Forest Park and back to Gretna.
You can read more about our detailed SWC300 itinerary here (coming soon).
This beautiful corner of south west Scotland is often overlooked, but it is a true hidden gem. It really does feel like the secret corner of Scotland!
The Campervan
We started off our adventure at Herdy Campervans, near Kendal, where we picked up our wheels for the week – a super cool, eye-catching, Herdy branded VW Campervan. A brief but thorough lesson in how to operate him from friendly owner Martyn and we were off, whizzing north up the M6 towards the Scottish border.
We are experienced tent campers but total campervan novices so, most importantly, we found the VW Transporter T6 2.0 TDI van was easy to drive and operate (we had a manual version). It came with power steering, sat nav and rear parking sensors and was easy to manoeuvre. We had no issues, despite ‘Addy being more used to an automatic and us driving on some pretty narrow, winding single track roads.
The van was immaculate, high spec and very cleverly designed. All the on-board facilities were really easy to use, even for us campervan novices. Each van can be powered either by electric hook-up (if it’s available on the site you’re visiting), or from the heavy duty self-charging leisure battery which is continuously topped up by a roof solar panel. The van has electric lights, two 240 amp sockets and 3 USB charging points. A heating system, which runs efficiently from the van’s fuel supply, will keep you cosy, although we didn’t need it at the beginning of June.
The bespoke interiors with cute Herdy detailing and exterior Herdy paintwork make the vans unique and extra fun. I loved the mural on the ceiling and the groovy Herdy curtains.
Inside is a sleek built-in unit which houses a fully equipped kitchenette with double gas hob, sink with running water, fridge with compact freezer and storage cupboards and drawers. It is all really practical and works well. Neatly hidden in the van’s door, there’s a folding table for use inside or out, with 2 chairs tucked away in the tail gate storage bag. The vans have a Thule wind out awning and a rear bike rack. There is also a versatile Cadac gas bbq available, if required.
The vans really have been thoughtfully kitted out with everything you should need to enjoy your holiday – everything is provided from a tea towel and cleaning products to a kettle, cute Herdy mugs, plates, bowls, glasses, cutlery and a set of pans. I would advise to travel light, you literally just need bring your own bedding (unless you chose to hire some), clothes and food. There is ample storage in the back of the van for your stuff, although we did try to pack lighter than we usually do if we are going away with the car!
The vans have a pop top roof with panoramic canvas (windows that zip open) which is a super simple to operate – literally just push it up/ pull it down and secure the straps. The main double bed converts easily in 2 moves from the back seats, with the second Reimo bed being housed in the elevating roof. The kids loved the remote control colour change LED lights in the roof bed. Both beds were a good size and very comfortable, we just took our sleeping bags and pillows and were perfectly snug and comfy.
If I am honest the T6 was quite compact for the 4 of us, especially with the main bed out – it was probably best described as cosy. We benefited from generally good wether so ate and sat outside as much as possible, which helped. A strong element of tidiness and organisation is also required.
It was a bit of a chore packing away 4 beds and getting the van “day ready” every morning before you could do anything. However, without the need to pitch a tent at every campsite you can easily cover more ground and fully explore an area in style. What you do get with these vans is undoubtedly miles of smiles – loads of fun, flexibility and the perfect, ‘go anywhere’ road trip experience.
Herdy worked hard and provided fun yet reliable, comfortable and safe transport and accommodation with absolutely everything we needed for 6 nights away.
We were really surprised at the brilliant fuel economy of the van – we managed 610 miles on less than a tank and a quarter of diesel.
The pick up location just off the M6 near Kendal is easy to find and very convenient for The Lake District, Forest of Bowland, Ribble Valley, Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland or Scotland.
So here are some great places we discovered to park up Herdy overnight en-route.
The campsites
The Braids, Gretna Green
This was a perfectly serviceable stop just off the motorway in Gretna Green. We couldn’t pick up the van until 3pm so didn’t want to have to travel too far on our first evening and this made a convenient stop off point. It is a caravan/ motorhome only site with good facilities, we had a nice flat EHU hardstanding with a patch of grass and it did the trick for our first night. It was quiet, very well maintained and in a convenient and easily accessible location.
It was decent value at £24/ night.
The Braids, Annan Road, Gretna DG16 5DQ Scotland
Solway View Caravan & Camping Site
This is a lovely quiet, family friendly campsite in a beautiful rural location near Kirkubright. We stayed here for 2 nights and could happily have stayed much longer. The site is very well maintained with 2 clean, modern facilities blocks and felt very covid safe (contactless check-in, sanitizer points outside buildings, masks and limits on numbers in the facilities). There were also a couple of useful cooking cabins with gas burners, dining tables and washing up sinks. We had a hardstanding EHU pitch with a large grassed area, plus a picnic bench and fire pit. The site felt very spacious, pitches were generous and level and the site had lovely views, some over the Solway Firth. I liked how our hardstanding pitch was within one of the two camping fields, beside the tents. There was a nice kids play area with wooden climbing frame and a tyre swing in the tree, where all the kids congregated and played together, and lots of open grass for them to run around. Solway View pretty much constitutes our prefect family campsite. We loved it and will definitely be back with our tent sometime soon for a longer stay.
I felt this site was brilliant value at £24/ night.
Solway View Holidays Balmangan Farm, Borgue, Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway, DG6 4TR
North Rhinns Camping
This is such a beautiful, rustic little campsite in a very quiet, scenic area just outside Stranraer. We only stayed one night but wished we had stayed longer; although basic, there was a real back-to-nature vibe and it was very enchanting and characterful. We had a hardstanding EHU pitch for our van by the entrance which was lovely, but the tent pitches hidden away in separate areas of the partly wooded site were really private and special. The site is alive with birdsong and we saw the most amazing sun set on an evening walk round the site. Fires are welcomed in the fire pits provided and a huge bag of logs and kindling only cost £6. The modern facilities block housed 2 unisex toilets, a spacious shower room and a couple of washing up sinks, they were lovely and clean and the site is well maintained. The owners are very friendly and helpful, walking round the site chatting to campers on an evening. This is a little gem of a site with a lovely relaxed atmosphere and again we’ll definitely return with our tent.
At £34/ night this was the most expensive campsite we stayed at – the pricing structure is a bit complicated (you pay per person, plus various extras, not per pitch) – but it was also the cutest and quirkiest site.
North Rhinns Camping Glengyre Cottage, Leswalt, Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway, DG9 0RG
“Wild” camping, Loch Doon
Given my propensity for planning I cannot say that I am entirely comfortable with the wild camping concept. I like to know where I am going and where I will be spending the night and the uncertainty of not knowing is a little daunting for me. I like the flexibility and freedom that comes with road tripping in a campervan, but am not so keen on the unpredictability – what if the location I have picked is full, not suitable, or we can’t find it? However I resisted temptation and left a couple of nights with no site booked. I did however do considerable research into possible “wild” camping locations. Unlike England and Wales, wild camping is generally permissible in Scotland and there are many places where it is acceptable to park up for the night.
A couple of websites were particularly useful in identifying possible places – park4night.com and searchforsites.co.uk. Both have searchable maps with listings and useful up to date comments.
We headed in land to Loch Doon at the gateway to the Galloway Forest. It is a popular spot for “wild camping” and there were several other units around on a busy Friday night, including a rowdy group of young lads in tents, but we picked a suitable location in a lay-by near to the Roundhouse cafe and felt fairly safe. There was some road noise and the location is probably a bit too accessible to be quiet or feel genuinely remote. However the views were beautiful and we enjoyed a lovely walk after tea along Ness Glen – below the Loch Doon dam the River Doon has carved a route through a beautiful wooded gorge and a spectacular path runs through it right down alongside the river. In the morning we had breakfast at the cafe (great value breakfast sandwiches with tattie scones and Iron Bru). There are ospreys nesting at the Loch and video footage of the nest and chicks is shown on the screen in the cafe, unfortunately it wasn’t turned on the morning we visited.
Not the wildest of wild camping, but a successful first foray.
Tebay Services
I wouldn’t normally chose to stay overnight at a service station, but Tebay isn’t a normal service station and actually the caravan park made for a perfect overnight stop. Located just a minute off the M6 motorway yet secluded behind mature trees, you would not realise you were parked by a motorway. This sheltered site is enclosed by an ancient stand of Scots pines and maturing woodlands of birch, alder and evergreens. Red squirrels are regular visitors, along with great spotted woodpeckers, goldcrests and goldfinches amid the rich variety of birdlife.
This is an unmanned site and no advance booking is required. On arrival at the Caravan Park, simply choose an empty hardstanding pitch (there are 45 in total), then buy your overnight ticket at the Petrol Filling Station and display it in your vehicle. Easy. There were only about 15 vehicles on site whilst we were there and it was very quiet, as a bonus it has easy access to the fantastic food at the services. We had steak & ale pie, Cumberland sausage, chips and Mac ‘n’ cheese from The Kitchen, which we enjoyed on the outside tables with gorgeous views.
The caravan site is located on Tebay Services Northbound, but is also accessible from the southbound side (just exit the motorway and follow the signs for the hotel, over the service road that crosses the motorway via a bridge).
Toilets and showers are open 24 hours and cleaned regularly, they were well maintained very practical and clean. There is also EHU to all pitches, fresh water, waste water disposal and chemical disposal, so everything you need for a comfortable overnight stop. It was perfectly located for us, given that we had to return our van back to Kirby Lonsdale by 10am on Sunday morning. They claim to be unique in being the only UK caravan park with immediate access to a motorway; when done well it is a genius concept and I am left wondering why it is not more common in this country.
A hard-standing pitch cost £22 per night and this included all facilities plus a £3 voucher for the fab Tebay Farmshop & Kitchen.
We had such great fun on this trip, you can read more about our itinerary and what we did here (coming soon). The kids absolutely loved Herdy and did not want to return him, I am sure we will be hiring again! We would definitely recommend a campervan road trip if you love exploring and a bit of adventure.
The secret South West of Scotland is a fantastic area, full of interest and without the hoards of tourists (and midges) you get in some areas.
You can discover more about Herdy Campervans on their website or Facebook Page.
Herdy Campervans Limited, Townend Cottage, Farleton, Carnforth, Cumbria, LA6 1PB
