1wk solo trip - give me some ideas....

Hi all - I'm in need of a bit of inspiration, please!

I'm in the enviable position of having 6wks of gardening leave ahead of me; fettered only by having two small children and therefore being somewhat more inflexible than my selfish self would like to be! When I found myself in a similar situation 3years ago, I took myself up to NW Scotland in my Concorde Charisma for a full week of living off grid in central heated cosiness, surrounded by Scotland's finest (i.e. worst) winter weather. What with family commitments, my only availability for this trip is a week mid-end January, so starting to plan now.


My first thought was to do exactly the same this time around (I love the W Coast & Durness) but then the thought of wet clothes inside the Cali and a trip punctuated by the need to stop for toilet emptying, water top-up and showers, off-season (campsites closed) crept into my head to cause a series of doubts as to the viability/sense in the plan.

I do have some parameters I need to bear in mind - I can only depart N Essex after school drop-off on Friday morning and I have to be back the following Thursday evening. That only gives me 7 nights away and although I am quite happy driving up to 10-12hrs for the first and last legs, I would like some relative downtime in the middle. My current thoughts are as follows:

- Option 1 - Overnight somewhere around Oban on night one, then tour Skye for 5-6 nights and then return;
- Option 2 - Head back up to Durness via W Coast and pootle around far NW corner at some favourite haunts and return;
- Option 3 - Book a Eurotunnel ticket and head to the continent to either: Hamburg (where I used to live), Eiffel mountains and maybe take in a Touristenfahrt at Nurburging in a race prepped hire car (although it looks like there'll be no availability during January), or somewhere else in Germany (I'm fluent in German so feel most comfortable in the country);
- Option 4 - go snowboarding for a few days in Sankt Anton (a regular haunt of ours as a family). Have done it before in the Concorde but don't fancy it much in the Cali in the depths of winter season;
- Option 5 - Overnight ferry to France and do Normandy (again)

Or, this is where you guys come in........take on something else which I haven't yet figured out.....

In terms of me - I'm a fit early-40yr old male. I like wild camping (have no problem with overnight park ups and the more rural the better), happy to wash down using the sink & some hot water in the van, but conscious of need to top up with water and empty Thetford toilet reasonably regularly. Have an Anker 535 1000w Power Bank so relatively self-sufficient powerwise too. My van is a youthful MY2018 T6 with just 16k miles and wearing Michelin CrossClimates. I have a Brandrup Isotop VI fitted. I like walking and mountainbiking (and will take my SantaCruz if I can be persuaded it will be used).

Given this will be a solo trip, I can be really selfish and outlandish. Money is no object and it's about having a fab experience which will provide some decent memories & stories when I get back from it. Keen to make it count given these opportunities don't come along regularly.

Would be really grateful for some inspiration. Thanks in advance!

I would vote for option 4
As an alternative a week is just about long enough to fit in a whole lap of the M25

Thanks Andy. Scoping that out, looks like two days each way and 3 days snowboarding. Could very well work.

We did a trip to Soell in our Westfalia KeplerOne a few years back and booked a site with private bathroom facilities which kept our gear out of the van. May look into Fieberbrunn where they offer something similar and is right on the slopes (unlike Pettnau which now appears to have shut down.. oddly)

SpuffingtonMe said:

Thanks Andy. Scoping that out, looks like two days each way and 3 days snowboarding. Could very well work.

We did a trip to Soell in our Westfalia KeplerOne a few years back and booked a site with private bathroom facilities which kept our gear out of the van. May look into Fieberbrunn where they offer something similar and is right on the slopes (unlike Pettnau which now appears to have shut down.. oddly)

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The only thing to watch is travel insurance, a broken ankle & a van to get home are not a happy mix.

I wouldn’t do that many nights in Skye, can you get on the ferry to one of Outers?
Or Yorkshire dales then on to peaks? Split the stay. Some great cycle routes, less driving and more relaxing?
Or Winter Snowden is my favourite, no one around, blizzards and hard hikes, then tour a little.

The Algarve is lovely this time of the year...

Ozzy Pete said:

The Algarve is lovely this time of the year...

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That's what I was going to say, or Spain. Maybe fly down and rent a camper in order to make use of the time.
I live in northern Spain, so winter is about skiing. We spend the winter skiing at Baqueira Beret in Val d'Aran, and Grandvalira and Ordino/Arcalís in Andorra.

We go to the French Alps for a week in January every year, Briançon, Alp d'Huez, Val d'Isere-Tignes, and this season back to our favorite, Les 3 Vallées: 600km of connected slopes in Val Thorens, Meribel and Courchevel. We usually rent a chalet in Les Menuires, noticeably less snobby than Courchevel, which has the most amazing runs but also has it's own landing strip for private planes.

option 4 all day long. if not a tour of the yorkshire dales would be up there for me

January head south

willwander said:

January head south

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Disagree. Head North.

Option 4.1 go snowboarding but somewhere nicer than St Anton . (Chamonix?)

calias - turn right follow the normandy coast from le touqet towards honfleur - its a beautiful diverse wild unspoilt and wonderful coast line - if you like french bread pastries muscadet oysters cidre st jacques wide open isolated beaches wild camping night skys - we only managed 60 miles per week so took 5 x weeks to conquer normandy coast

I‘d get a fully refundable Eurotunnel ticket and watch the weather. If weather good in Scotland go there and get refund, if bad go to Europe….. activity depending on weather / snow conditions. If money no issue then you don’t even need to spend every night in the van…. Embrace the flexibilty….

TwoDogs said:

Option 4.1 go snowboarding but somewhere nicer than St Anton . (Chamonix?)

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it is still not snowing or freezing in any of these places. Anyone want to but a 600 mile new 21 plate coast? I am sticking to hotels and sports car.

How would snowboarding in Andorra via Ferry from Portsmouth to Santander look?

G3WRT said:

it is still not snowing or freezing in any of these places. Anyone want to but a 600 mile new 21 plate coast? I am sticking to hotels and sports car.

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I think you might have missed the point of this forum - there are plenty of others that cover sports cars and hotels.

pluc99 said:

How would snowboarding in Andorra via Ferry from Portsmouth to Santander look?

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If you’re going to travel this far, it’s worth going to Baqueira-Beret in the central Pyrenees. By far the best Pyrenees ski resort, with 160km of slopes, and usually the best snow. We avoid the snob aspect of Baqueira (Spanish royalty ski there) by staying in the van while parked at the Refugi de Gerdar, run by a young couple who are friendly and excellent cooks. Slopes are 10 min away by car.

Hi all - many thanks for all your comments. In some ways, the diverse range of opinions has confused me more! Definitely food for thought.

@CALI FATE - great idea on Normandy and if I hadn't already done the same trip in the Hymer about 5yrs ago (in Summer), I'd have been very much up for that.

@kp64zl - I like this idea and it's potentially got legs.

For everyone on the snowboarding topic, in principle, I was all over this at the start. Genuinely started looking at campsites in Tirol on the slopes (I speak German fluently so more happy heading to Austria than France) but then remembered back to my last snowboarding holiday in 2019 when I broke my ankle. Then I was with my family and wife could drive back to Munich and I was ferried around the airport on a disabled car. Didn't fancy a similar fate whilst driving solo (with a new job to start the following week in the UK), so will probably play it safe and save snowboarding for Feb half-term with the wife & kids.

I looked at the ferries to Santander/Bilbao but unfortunately there only seems one route open and that's fully booked - not that I think the times would've suited anyway. Nice idea but too far for a week.

So I'm back with the UK, most likely. I'm going to play it by ear and keep that Eurotunnel ticket flexi option in mind. However, I may just go with the West Coast but chose a piece I haven't been to before. Haven't done Mallaig/Skye area before. Nor have I spent a huge amount of time hiking around Glencoe. It's always been a stop on the way through. Rather than head far up north or kill myself getting to Skye, I may just stick around Glencoe / Glen Etive for a few days and then over to Mallaig.

My only issue is how short the days are going to be then and also how wet they could be, when trying to dry clothing in the van.