VW Campervan holidays with kids of all ages

Vintage Road Trip

Finding the resources to enjoy fun exploring can be difficult. But one of the best ways to bond with your child and learn new skills is to take a road trip.And what better wow factor than to hit the highway in a classic camper van. Junior writer Rebecca Hay and her 13 year old daughter Flossie clambered aboard Flora the retro VW for a weekend on the east coast of Scotland.

Travel in Style

Camper van man Rob Dawkins has turned his childhood love into a travel business. Big Sky Campers is based just outside Edinburgh has a fleet of modern top of the range VW T6.1 Highline automatic vans, manual T6 VW’s and classics campers Flora and her equally beautiful pal Dougal.

Rob is ably assisted by his partner Alexandra and cousin George at the Port of Rosyth base and not only provides the vans, but also specialist advice and routes designed to take you to the most beautiful spots in Scotland.

Flora not only drives sweetly, but is also kitted out with a spacious back seat area, which turns into a lovely big bed at night time. Tucked away in the cupboards are a grill and camping stove, pans and plates and all the equipment needed for a simple meal.

Storage space under the sofa cum bed and at the back of Flora means you can keep everything tidy and a handy put a way table means you can eat and relax in comfort. There’s a wee sink for washing up and plenty of water on tap too. A hook up for power is also provided. At night time, you can close out the world with quirky colourful camper van curtains and settle down with comfy duvets and bedding. Towels are included too.

Good to know: Dogs are allowed free of charge to travel in the vans.

Heading Out

The east coast of Scotland has some spectacular scenery and Dunbar’s claim to fame is being the sunniest spot in the country. This seaside town may be small, but it is big on attractions from East Links Farm Park, with fun for all the family to Foxlake Adventures, a great place to burn off some energy and enjoy wake boarding and a water based rope challenge.

The town is the birthplace of John Muir, the explorer who fought to create national parks in America. A three floored and free museum is a worth a visit and just across the road outside the town hall, there is a statue in honour of Muir.

Nearby, the upmarket town of North Berwick is home to Scottish Seabird Centre and Bass Rock, which is home to the largest colony of Northern gannets, which you can watch from the centre or take a boat trip out to get close up. A short drive down the road to the attractive town of Haddington takes you to Amisfield Walled Garden, which dates back to the 18^th century and is one of Scotland’s largest walled gardens. Today, it is being developed by volunteers as a community garden and an impressive shrub maze is being created to blend in with the beautiful borders.

Good to know: Dunbar annually attracts 1,450 hours of sunshine a year.

Where to Park up

Belhaven Bay Caravan Park, just outside Dunbar is one of the best accommodation options around. Situated in the John Muir Country Park, this top of the range facility is literally yards from the beach and affords wonderful views of the Forth of Firth. It is also where there is an optical illusion bridge, depending if the tide is in or out!

Part of the Meadowhead Parks , which has three stunning parks on the east coast of Scotland and one in nearby Northumberland, Belhaven is a real beauty and prides itself on not only on being a well set out facility, but having friendly staff and constantly cleaned high end toilet and shower blocks. The park caters for caravan holiday homes, wigwam glamping, touring vans and tents, plus a seaside cottage which can sleep up to 6. Not crammed to the rafters, means it is a lovely quiet spot and only a short way from nearby attractions.

Good to know: As well as great washroom facilities , there is also a special area for cleaning dishes.

Finding information:

An easy area to travel around, you can plan your itinerary with Visit Scotland

Good to know: Dunbar was once a royal burgh.