Le Pays de Galles en Camping-Car : advice, areas, routes

Are you planning to visit the United Kingdom? Here is our mini-guide advice to visit Wales in camping-car!

Want to visit Wales in camping-car ? The road-trip in camping-car or in fitted van is an increasingly popular way of travel. Circulating with desires, such as a snail bearing his home on his back, is no longer the pleasure of hippies.

Sleeping in her vehicle also seduces barouders of all ages, even lovers of comfort. Who would refuse to enjoy freedom of movement without building a hotel? With its islands, lakes, mountains, 1,200 kilometers of coastline, Cardiff At national parks, the country promises great surprises. Here is our advice guide to visit Wales in camping-car or in furnished van.

Ideas of itineraries in Wales by camping-car

How to reach Wales?

Visiting Wales in camping-car implies preparing a minimum your trip. To enter Wales, you can first cross England from England France (by Calais or Cherbourg). Or you can rent a vehicle on site, when you arrive at Cardiff Airport, for example.

Then you will need to develop a route and a program of steps according to the duration of your road trip. Your routes will logically depend on the duration of the trip. South Wales is more urbanized than the north of the country. And then it’s like visiting the southwest of France, almost from Royan to Biarritz : an area of 20,000 km2 requires at least two or three weeks to have a good view of it.

The different routes

The country of dragons offers three main routes : through the mountains (The Cambrian Way), along the west coast (The Coastal Way) and the north with its castles (The North Wales Way).Here are some ideas of possible routes to visit Wales in camping-car or van.

• South Wales in a week: Newport and the Roman site of Caerleon, Cardiff, Swansea, Gower Peninsula, Brecon Beacons National Park, Pembrokeshire Coast,
• North Wales in seven days: the same route, plus the coast of Ceredigion, Aberystwyth and the valley of Rheidol, Elan Valley, the Snowdonia National Park, the Llyn Peninsula (fals and sandy beaches), Llanbedrog, Porthdinllaen, Nefyn, the bay of Porth Neigwl, Abersoch, the island of Bardsey, the island of Angles
• Wales in one month: same steps by staying longer, Chester, Liverpool, Birmingham (England) BristolQueen, Dean’s Forest, Castles and Abbeys of Welsh Villages (Caerphilly, Tintern Abbey), The Mumbles, Three Cliffs Bay Bay Bay Bay, Brandy Cove, Tenby, Skomer and Skokholm Islands, Marloes, West Coast by St. David’s, Fishguard, Aberporth and New Quai,

These are only indicative steps. You will have to adapt your itineraries according to what you want to see. If you come for little time, restrain your steps to avoid spending too much time on the road.

Drive to Wales by motorhome : traffic rules to know

Basic principles

Like all over the UK and Ireland, driving in Wales is done on the left track . Overtakings occur by the right . At the beginning, the left-hand drive is confusing. Our habits are reversed, we must learn to drive again. Above all, you first look to the right before embarking on a road: this reflex is not natural at all.

But it’s a blow to take, we’re getting pretty fast. Please note if you come with a motorhome or a fitted van with the left steering wheel! The rules of the road code do not differ from those that prevail throughout the United Kingdom . In this sense, traffic in the roundabouts is done in the direction of the needles of a watch.

In addition, to drive to Wales, you must be equipped with all identity documents and the vehicle :

• Driver's license,
• Identity card or passport,
• Vehicle papers,
• Accident friendly finding,
• Certificate of Insurance.

The vehicle shall be equipped with a signage triangle, a fluorescent jacket, a first-aid kit, an extinguisher and replacement bulbs.

Roads and limitations

The road network is good quality in Wales, but country roads are sometimes very narrow and lined with hedges. Redouble caution for crossings, and think about the wide gauge of the camper. Take a step also in the countryside due to the many sheep that pass along the roads. They can cross the road at any time.

Attention to speed limitations: they are expressed in milers per hour (MPH). It’s pretty confusing, but still there, we’re getting there fast. Head the mile conversion coefficient at km/h (1 km/h = 0.62 MPH). The distances are expressed in yards: 1 yard equals 0.91 meters . The speed limits for cars, vans and motorhomes are as follows:

• In agglomeration: 30 MPH (48 km/h),
• In pedestrian areas: 20 MPH (32 km/h),
• On double-way tracks: 50 to 60 MPH (80 to 96 km/h),
• On the highways: 70 MPH (112 km/h).

Finally, the maximum permissible alcohol level is 0.8 g/l .

Motorway to Wales: what fare for your camper category?

Motorways in the UK are mostly free. They are reported by code M, for motorway . There are only two highways in Wales: the M4 and M48 . The M4 is the connecting motorway axis London and Wales, via Bristol. It extends to Pont Abraham, north of Swansea.

The M48 is an M4 arm, crossing the Severn River between South Gloucester and Montmouthshire. North, from Manchester and Liverpool, the M56 and M6 motorways allow you to enter the north of Wales. To reach the center of England, borrow the M5 , which travels from north to south.

Here's a good news to visit Wales in motorhome. Since the end of 2018, the toll of the Severn bridge has been removed: the highway is therefore free !

How and where to rent a motorhome in France?

Do you intend to leave for Wales, on a motorhome since France? That’s a good idea! Therefore you will have to rent your motorhome in France. Now it is very simple to rent these vehicles between individuals. Many platforms allow this type of rental, online, as Yescapa For example.

How does it work?

• At first, you have to choose the motorhome in your city (For example Bordeaux, Nantes, Toulouse, Paris, Montpellier or Marseille).
• Be careful choose unlimited mileage, to check the number of beds available and if travel abroad is possible.
• Do your work online rental request and share your travel information (dates, rental options, mileage, etc.) to the owner.
• If your request is accepted and after payment, you will have access to the owner's contact information to organize a First meeting.
• Day J, present your driver's license and pour bail.
• One. status of premises is executed and a lease is signed between the two parties. Upon your return, after visiting the Welsh lands, sign the state of the return places and the tower is played!

How and where to rent a motorhome in Wales?

You can also rent your camper directly on site. Wales is used to camoing-carists. Thus, many rental points will be available. However, we recommend that you book your motorhome in advance online. Private rental platforms, such as Yescapa, also allow renting a vehicle abroad. By opting for this solution, you make sure your backs are confident that you have a vehicle for your stay.

Campsites in Wales: where to park?

Where and how to park in motorhome in Wales? How all European countries, camping-car can park at the same locations only those for cars.

Parking in Wales

Welsh cities can easily find free parking areas. But most often, parking spaces are paid .

The signs marked with a "P" indicate the parking spaces. In the United Kingdom, parking is paid during working hours, usually between 8am and 6:30pm . You can display a parking card on the dashboard, allowing you to park without paying. Be sure not to park on areas marked with a double yellow or red line. However, the simple yellow or red line may indicate that parking is allowed in the evening or during the weekend.

In any case, it will be easier to park outside the tourist areas and the city centers of the major cities (Cardiff or Swansea).

Camper in Wales

Where to park to spend the night? Figure that in the UK and Wales, the wild campsite is tolerated By law. We can therefore settle in the middle of nature to sleep even in the national parks of Snowdonia and Brecon Breacons. Between the beautiful sandy beaches, large green spaces, cliffs overlooking the Irish Sea and the mountains, Wales is a camper paradise. Like the Galicia (Spain) or Scotland , one could summarize the country in a word: "spotland". However, it is recommended that you have the approval of the land owners on which you install.

Here’s a very popular tool for barders: the Park4night app. In free version, you can view the spots shared by other travellers. Notably the service areas for motorhomes, parking (free or paid), isolated places in the middle of nature, and camping grounds.

How to get to Wales on a motorhome?

The passage by England is compulsory because there is no landing port accessible from France. To go directly to Wales, avoid leaving Calais. Indeed, the arrival city, Dovers, is located 4 hours’ drive from Cardiff.

Britanny Ferries is the company, offering departures from Caen, Le Havre, Saint-Malo and Roscoff, is the company to transport you to Wales. For the landing port in England, you have the choice between Plymouth, Poole or Portsmouth, all about 2h35 from Cardiff. Cost of crossing for 3 hours: about 200€ per vehicle for a return trip.

The traffic between the ports of England and Wales is easy. Regardless of your landing port, to get to Cardiff, the itinerary passes close to Bristol and crawls the Severn River through the immense Second Bridge of the Severn. Careful, however, to properly understand the conduct on the left , which can be complicated the first minutes!

What is the best time to travel to Wale on a motorhome?

When to come and visit Wales in camper or in furnished van? Generally speaking, Wales enjoys a wet ocean climate four seasons marked.

L’ summer is logically the best time to visit Wales in camping-car. Between July and August, temperatures range between 17°C and 20°C On average in the day. At night, mercury can descend to 15°C In summer. It is even cooler in the north of Wales and in the mountains.

At Holyhead in the north, for example, the climate is considered favourable only in July and August . On the contrary, we can visit the region of Cardiff between May and September . Careful, fall and winter are the seasons where precipitation is the most important of the year.

Conclusion: to visit Wales in camping-car, it is better to go between May and September and provide hot clothing for evenings and nights.