OUR SOUTH WEST UK ROAD TRIP | GLAMPERVANNING WITH QUIRKY CAMPERS

Aug 21

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What a whirlwind of a road trip! We only had 3 days to see as much of the UK's south west as we possibly could - and see as much of the UK's south west we did!

We have always wanted to rent out a glampervan and experience the English coastline, and what a more perfect time to do it than our honeymoon. The only issue is that we only had a couple of days left of our honeymoon, so time was not on our side. Sitting down with a map at the ready we worked out the route we wanted to take and set off to pick up the vehicle that we would be calling home for the next three nights.

Our Quirky Camper

Instead of hiring a standard campervan for the trip, we wanted to try something a little different . We decided to skip roughing it (it's our honeymoon after all) and opted into sleeping under the stars surrounded by nature, but still having those little home comforts like a comfy bed and hot water. This is how we came across Quirky Campers.

We were looking for a company who offer unique campervans in the UK, and Quirky Campers do just that. They have a bunch of really cool, and fun campers owned by a group of campervan lovers. They kindly provided us with their brand new van, Leon, for his very first road trip.

Now Leon isn't your typical van, he comes packed in with a large sofa, sleek kitchenette with hot and cold running water, a fridge, hot shower, toilet and even central heating: if you thought camper-vanning had to be 'rustic', think again!

Day 1: Bath + New Forest

Our first stop on our UK roadtrip was Bath, well we were hoping it was going to be. As we were travelling during school holidays and it being a lovely, summers Saturday afternoon, by the time we arrived in Bath we spent over an hour driving around looking for a place to park (a nightmare in many major British towns). Every large parking lot was full, and we could not find street parking large enough to fit Leon - so in the end we had to leave Bath behind and head to our campsite for the night.

A couple of years back when visiting family in England we spent a day in Bath and it was one of our favourite places we visited during that trip. We were dying to go back, and next time we visit England we are adding it to the top of our list! We must return!

Feeling defeated as the first stop on our road trip was a complete fail, we made our way to the next spot on the map: New Forest. The moment we turned off the main road and into the forest our moods brightened right back up. We were surrounded by idyllic glades, ancient woodland, open moors, heathland filed with wild horse and ponies - could it get anymore English?

Day 2: Durdle Door

We are happy to confirm that Leon gives a good nights sleep. In the morning we boiled some coffee, fried up some eggs and hit the road. Today's mission was to explore the English coastline, with the Jurassic Coast in our view.

This world heritage site, stretching from Devon to Dorset, is 154km long and is famous for its 185 million years of geological history. Coastal erosion has exposed an almost continuous sequence of rock formation covering the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods - something we had to see with our own two eyes. Many of you recommended we stop off at Durdle Door during the drive, and what an amazing recommendation it was!

Look how beautiful this spot is...

Day 2: Lyme Regis

After working up a bit of an appetite, we wanted to find a cute, seaside town for lunch and we had heard such good things about Lyme Regis (again, from all your incredible suggestions). Best idea ever. This was our favourite stop of the day. Full of fishing village vibes, we explored the streets and found our noses taking us into a bakery where they sold the most delicious cornish pasties we have ever eaten!

After lunch we grabbed a coffee and made our way to a pebbled beach lined with colourful beach huts. For quite a chilly day we were surprised by how many locals were down by the sea enjoying this typical English summer's day. For us Australians, we would've said it was a failed summer's day (but we can be a bit spoilt when it comes to beach day weather).

Day 2 & 3: Cornwall + Port Isaac

Our last stop for the day, and where we would be spending the night, was Cornwall. Once again, a spot that is well known for its little fishing villages we wanted to make sure we visited at least one. We drove in quite late so decided to park for the night and wake up early in the morning to visit a nearby village, Port Isaac.

It's a truly picturesque village with narrow winding streets lined with whitewashed cottages that head down to the harbour where you can spot local fishermen landing their daily catch of fish, crab and lobsters. We spent all morning exploring and taking WAY too many photos as the final hours with Leon slowly came to an end.