Exploring Scotland in a Rockin Vans Mid-Sized Campervan

This half term we decided to do something totally different. We didn’t fancy flying anywhere, or towing Betsy the caravan; but we wanted an adventure and to ‘get away from it all’. For many years now we’ve longed for a campervan – nothing TOO large as to make it impractical for day-to-day exploring, yet something large enough to contain two adults, two teen-sized children, and two springer spaniels. We weren’t brave enough to hire a VW Transporter (a bit too small), so we decided on a mid-sized Ducato Swift Select 184. To get away from it all there’s no better place than Scotland, so Rockin Vans, based in Kilmarnock, was our perfect starting point.

Dugato Swift Select 184 Campervan

Hiring Process

We drove from Hertfordshire to just outside Kilmarnock, to a B&B for the night. This meant we could get to Rockin Vans nice and early the following morning; we arrived at 10am (the B&B breakfast was so good we stayed on to enjoy it!)

Upon arrival we checked in at the office. We were asked for our booking number, along with a copy of the nominated driver’s driving licence check code (easily available online via the DVLA website), and a credit/debit card. They do take a deposit of £2000 (well, you are driving off in a rather expensive piece of kit). To save space in the car driving up, we also requested bedding packs for the four of us. We then had a short wait of around 15-20 minutes while our van was being prepared.

After this Huw (driver) was given a thorough tour of the vehicle and also went around it to note down any scratches/scrapes that were already there. We then unloaded our luggage into the motorhome, the children and dogs hopped in, and Huw handed his car keys to the office (in case they needed to move it).

We were off!

This post is going to take you on a walk-through of the campervan we chose to spend our week in. Rockin Vans also hire out VW Transporters (some were really funky in bright colours!) and also larger motorhomes. All the vehicles are literally brand new.

Where we went, what we saw (etc) will be covered in subsequent posts.

Performance (written by driver Huw)

Time to get a little techy, for those who are interested! The Swift Select 184 is based on the 6.36m long Fiat Ducato chassis with the new 2.0-litre 115bhp Euro 6 engine and six-speed manual gearbox. This makes for excellent handling, good performance on a run and good fuel economy. We pretty much drove the length of Scotland and back on a single tank of diesel. The driving position in the Fiat Ducato is high up, with good visibility. The van was equipped with cab air-con, cruise control, two airbags, captain’s chairs with armrests, cab seat covers, height adjustment on the passenger seat.

Our Campervan’s Driving Cockpit

I found the van handled well on country roads with good cornering and the 2.0 litre engine made all the difference when it came to tackling steep climbs touring around Scotland. Driving was not heavy or tiring and the steering and pedals were easy on hands and feet. However, the stiff and low-down parking brake lever was a bit of a pain as you needed longer arms. The handbrake actually beeps if you haven’t released it all the way, which is handy (but annoying).

The cab is, however, very well supplied with cup holders and cubby holes to stash necessities and there are both 12V and USB connections so you can charge your phone and run a Sat Nav at the same time. The radio also had Bluetooth as well as USB and auxiliary functions, although these were fairly rudimentary.

Inside the Campervan

Campervan Day Layout

A quick tour inside the campervan … Let’s start with the front ‘dining area’.

Front Diner

This is where the children sit while travelling. There are two seats fitted with seatbelts. Sitting side-by-side my children found it a bit narrow and the seatbelts a little short – a fold-down armrest would have helped too as Toby often had to reach across to the worktop to stop himself rolling off the seat going around corners. The seats were comfortable, just a little narrow for teenagers (suited for young children really).

Passenger Seats

Anyway, here you can also set up an expanding table – when not needed it is stored in the roof space above the driving cabin, though we found it quite difficult to fit within the safety catch (and it’s heavy!)

Kitchen

The campervan was equipped with a very useful kitchen that consisted of a 3-ring gas hob, small oven and grill, sink, and a small fridge with freezer compartment. Inside the overhead and floor-level cupboards we found everything we needed for our 5 days in the wilderness of Scotland – pots, pans, kettle, plates, cups, glasses, cutlery and cooking implements, chopping board, grater and a dustpan and brush. There was a good-sized work area for food preparation too.

The hob was powered by a gas bottle that is accessed via the outside of the van. We cooked each morning and evening, and so long as you kept organised and tidy as you go, there was enough space.

Campervan Breakfast!

There is also a 59 litres water tank, for washing, washing up, toilet flushing etc.

Bathroom

Opposite the kitchen was a small (emphasis small) bathroom. Once inside there’s a toilet, small washbowl, and the whole unit is a wet room so could be used as a shower if needed. Yes, it’s very handy to have a toilet on board, especially if you have children, but a word of warning – you do need to empty the waste container (best done when booked into a campsite with facilities to service motorhomes).

We used the bathroom during the nights as an emergency loo and to clean our hands, faces and teeth in the sink as it had a mirror above.

Rear ‘Lounge’

At the far end of the campervan is a double benched seating area … there’s a round table located in a cupboard under the fridge to give it a bit of a bistro feel! Above each bench were two storage compartments – and further storage space could be found under one of the benches.

Seating Area at Rear of Campervan

On the wall there was a bracket to hang a TV (we didn’t have one).

The rear of the campervan opened up, though we never did this (it was beautiful weather for February, but it was still February!)

Beds/Sleeping

The rear lounge converts into a double bed, and the front dining area also converts to a double bed – as per this layout:

Campervan Night Layout

The bed at the rear was the easiest to set up as it was simply a case of pulling out bed supports and configuring the cushions to make up the mattress. For the first couple of nights it was like a Krypton Factor challenge trying to work out what cushion went where though!

The front bed did really require instructions. As we didn’t have any, nor mobile reception to google it, it took a lot of working out on the first night. Part of the bed was stored under the kitchen worktop and it all clips into place (quite easily once you know how!)

Comfortable? Yes, to a degree … parking on a flat surface stops you rolling (we quickly discovered ?). All windows, including the windscreen, had pull-across privacy blinds.

Travelling with the Dogs

Well as readers of PackThePJs know, Izzy and Jack are rather partial to an adventure. They are also springer spaniels so by default are beyond mental. They are used to travelling in a crate in the car boot; in the campervan they really could have done with a crate as they struggled to settle while we were moving. Instead the children held them on their leads while we were driving.

They loved all the amazing countryside they constantly tried to run off to explore! They liked sitting on the front seats when an adult was off shopping (etc), so they could watch the world go by (and bark at any dogs).

Izzy and Jack ‘In Charge’ while Huw shops for essentials

At night time they slept at our feet … because they make excellent hot water bottles!

Izzy and Jack, our hot water bottles!

Campervanning, as well as caravanning, is brilliant for dog owners – the pets love a holiday too!

Touring Scotland in February Half Term

We are going to write a separate post about our circular route, and what we stopped off to see along the way. However, what I do want to say is that Scotland is relatively empty in February! If you really want to ‘get away from it all’, it’s a fabulous time to visit. We were blessed with lovely weather, yet we could visit the tourist attractions without really encountering any other tourists. Some attractions even offered free entry.

“At times it felt like we had Scotland all to ourselves.”

The Open Road: Towards Glencoe

Our plan was to ‘wild camp’ one night, followed by booking into a campsite the next. Unfortunately, most campsites are closed until March/April … we didn’t realise this. So, we had to go all five days without showers! Eek! This also posed problems when it came to emptying our waste containers; luckily some campervanners we spoke to told us of a facility along our route.

Too Small or Just Right?

Truth? A bit too small. For us. There was such a narrow walkway between the bathroom and the kitchen area that you had your back against the bathroom door while washing up. For us, the space used up by the bathroom didn’t justify the benefits of having it … extra space would have been preferable.

The bedding we hired (two double duvets and four pillows) took up SO MUCH space, we were forever moving them around the van … it was like having two extra people to accommodate (so to solve this 4 x sleeping bags would work better).

The campervan had an electric step, operated by a button behind the kitchen worktop. This was really good – but the front passenger door would have benefited from a step too as it was a big jump down/step up without one.

Having said we’d prefer a larger motor home, we probably wouldn’t have been able to visit some of the places we did in this smaller one. What you give with one hand, you take with the other.

Wild Camping in the forests of Scotland

We would say that this campervan is most suited for a couple. Maybe a couple with young children. The cooking facilities are possibly more substantial than they need to be (a smaller two-ring hob would have sufficed); you really could cook full family meals, from scratch!

Our Experience

It was five lovely days of exploration. No TV. Very little mobile reception, so was truly ‘off the grid’ camping. I can’t recall the children arguing (too much); in fact, most moaning came from me as I wanted to wash my hair!

We’d have loved to have had more time to explore more of the Highlands – possibly even do the North Coast 500. For us, we’ll pick Rockin Vans’ next size up motorhome next time, even though we know it won’t be as economical or flexible. But that’s just us … And we’ll be much stricter on what we pack – space is at a premium so you have to pack with this in mind.

Izzy enjoying the scenery

Being able to pull up alongside a deserted loch, fill up the kettle for a cuppa, open a pack of biccies, and take in the views, the fresh air, the silence. You can’t really put a price on that. It’s something quite magical. If you’ve not tried it, you really should. We’ll tell you all about our adventures in following posts. We can’t wait to do it again!