Where To Travel This Summer

If you’re looking for a new caravan right now which will support your summer plans, then rest assured you’ll find what you want here at Wandahome. We have a fantastic stock of vehicles to choose from, including some campervan beauties from Westfalia, premium motorhomes from Fleurette plus terrific Sprite caravans (the special edition range from Swift). All of the models we mentioned are primed and ready to go, packed with comfort features as well as being built for convenience. You can find these caravans and campervans and many more by browsing our website – and once you’ve decided or compiled a shortlist, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Our team will be more than happy to help!

In this edition of our blog we’re not going to focus on the vehicles themselves but on ten great places you could take yours, and a few suggestions of things you could do once you’ve parked, pitched and got family time on your hands!

Places To Visit Up North

1. Bamburgh Castle

A beautiful part of the north east, Northumberland (sometimes referred to as Northumbria) is high amongst the UK’s loveliest spots with much to do and see. One of the picks of the region is Bamburgh Castle. This Norman fortress was saved and restored by 19th-century industrialist Lord Armstrong, and his investments of time and money have paid off to this day. Visitors will feel a sense of the area’s battle-torn past just by being amongst its ramparts and watchtowers and are able to tour the castle’s staterooms that once hosted medieval kings, queens, and some awe-inspiring dungeons and grounds. 

2. Yorkshire Sculpture Park

 One of Yorkshire’s greatest offers, this 500-acre sculpture park in Bretton, Wakefield, houses an incredible collection of modern and contemporary art dotted throughout the beautiful landscape of the Bretton Hall estate. The park was founded in 1977 and is the largest of its kind in Europe, featuring permanently sited works by well-established ‘names’ such as Henry Moore, Damien Hirst and Ai Weiwei alongside many temporary ‘exhibits’. YWP enables easy and open access for the public to art, situations and ideas, and in presenting work in this way it continually re-evaluates art’s role and relevance in society. It is, put simply, a truly wonderful way to spend a day.

3. Formby Pinewoods

A mere 40 minutes or so drive from Liverpool, this incredible National Trust area is unspoiled in its beauty and will offer your family the perfect area for a rugged but relaxing day out ‘far from the grind.’ It’s also particularly great for nature lovers and wildlife watchers. Formby Pinewoods is a coastal nature haven with picturesque views and plenty of rare species including the dune tiger beetle, natterjack toad and sand lizard (the UK’s rarest reptile). 

4. Kelham Island Museum

Sheffield is made of steel – or, rather, the city was built on the foundations provided by its steel industry. So it’s fitting that we highlight one of its great industrial attractions. The Kelham Island Museum features several galleries and attractions tracing Sheffield’s production heritage and highlighting the tool, cutlery manufacturing and silversmithing industry. Don’t panic – there’s plenty there to keep the kids amused.

5. Loch Lomond

This is what we might term ‘very north.’ So far north it’s in Scotland, in fact! Loch Lomond, not too far from Glasgow, is the largest freshwater loch in all of Scotland, and is an absolute joy to visit. You’ll find plenty of caravan-friendly parks in the region, too. Loch Lomond is not just about the views it offers, though. There are boating, kayaking, swimming, cycling, hiking and even golfing activities to be had in the area, for those who love the great outdoors on their holidays. A Sea Life aquarium offers a great way to get in touch with nature and experience some marine life.

Places To Visit Down South

1. Science Museum

It’s written into The Law Of Talking About Great Places In The UK that when you compile a list of them, one has to be in London. This is despite the capital city’s general lack of caravan parks, of course! So, our suggestion is more of a ‘holidaying on the outskirts and getting the train in for the day’ kind of a visit. 

London literally has thousands of brilliant places to take in, and the Science Museum is definitely one of the coolest. Amongst the thousands of exhibits you’ll find the poignant, inspiring and seriously impressive splashdown capsule from NASA’s Apollo 10 test mission – the one just prior to the first ever moon landing. This beauty has actually been around the moon and back! You could time your visit to see it just at the point in the holiday where the kids are kicking off about being cooped in the caravan. The almost ridiculously confined tiny capsule will give them some much needed perspective!

2. Longleat

This is a proper mash-up of a day out if ever there was one. Longleat is an imposingly beautiful country house – stately home, in fact – which was built in the Elizabethan era and sits in around 10,000 acres (including parkland, woodland and farmland). It’s also home to the first safari park to have been built outside of Africa, and amongst its animals it includes gorillas. These majestic, mighty but modest creatures will provide you with true moments to remember – particularly if you buy the Gorilla VIP Experience, allowing you to get relatively up close and personal.

3. Brighton i360

This incredible viewing attraction on the south coast is a real eye-opener. It’s a moving observation tower – essentially a pod on a pole, with the pole reaching an incredible 531 feet off ground level. Visitors will experience a 360-degree view of Brighton, the South Downs and the English Channel. Okay, so you wouldn’t spend your entire holiday on the i360, as your up-and-down experience lasts around half an hour – but it’s one of those ‘once tried never forgotten’ things and offers a great focus for some time down in this beautiful part of our country.

4. Highclere Castle

Okay, here’s one for the TV lovers amongst you. Highclere Castle in Hampshire is where the series Downton Abbey was filmed. This Victorian castle in 1,000 acres of parkland was actually the setting in mind when the show’s creator Julian Fellowes put it together. It’s open to the public during the summer – so you’ll be able to feel like you’re in an episode of the smash-hit period drama.

5. The Minack Theatre

If you’re right down in the legs of the UK – i.e. the long bit at the bottom left that sticks out – then you could visit the Minack Theatre at Porthcurno, just a few miles from Land’s End. The open-air theatre on a cliff edge first opened in 1930 so is approaching its centenary of housing entertained 750-capacity audiences in a truly unique venue. With views out to sea, who really needs expensive backdrops and high-tech stage shows? It’s all about the vibe – and the Minack has it in spades.

That’s it for this edition of our blog – and we hope that our eclectic mix of suggestions provides you with a starting point to go off and find some new favourites of your own. Remember, here at Wandahome we can provide you with just the right caravan to make some memories on your family holidays. Get in touch – we’d love to hear from you!