Mobile Home Holidays Scotland

Mobile Home Holidays Scotland

Mobile home, motorhome or campervan?

What is a mobile home?

A mobile home is also known as a caravan. One example is the static kind you'd find as holiday homes and tends to be transported on a lorry due to their size. However, you can also find caravans that can be towed by a car which means they're slightly smaller but with the benefit of mobility. A motorhome starts life as a van chassis then the caravan shell is built on to the chassis, you have the cab area of the van at the front then behind the drivers and passenger seat is the habitation area.

 

Mobile home holidays Scotland vs motorhome holidays

A caravan holiday and motorhome holiday are similar in some ways but very different in what they offer in terms of flexibility. A caravan tends to need to be sited on a campsite – a static caravan is a home from home and usually located on a caravan park. A towing caravan does offer you greater freedoms as it can be more easily moved from location to location, but still, it is more reliant on caravan sites for amenities. A motorhome, however, offers you the flexibility and freedom of not needing to rely on campsites as you can be self-sufficient. This means you do not have to be tied down to a specific location on a set day. You can come and go as you wish if the weather is good to stay on an extra day or if you have explored enough, then you can move on more freely.
 

Wild camping vs campsites
 

A caravan tends to need to be sited on a caravan site for amenities, which are usually ideally located within a lovely location such as a forest or riverside and near local facilities. The biggest benefit a caravan site provides is the facilities it offers such as small shops selling bread and milk, toilet and shower facilities, chemical waste disposal, freshwater top-up and waste disposal. They are also safe areas for children to cycle about, and quite often there will be a play park for them too. Certain areas of Scotland have larger caravan parks such as Seaton Sands, they offer on-site restaurants, take away, kids clubs, evening entertainment and are generally large holiday parks located by the beach, and cater for everyone so static caravans, mobile caravans, tent’s, and motorhomes – so have a range of facilities for its customers.

A motorhome can take advantage of a caravan site but also has the option to wild camp (free camping). Wild camping is perfectly legal in Scotland, but you do need to use your common sense – remember do not:

• park in front of someone’s home
• block roads or access points. 

Also remember, leave no trace that you were ever there.

There are no amenities when you wild camp, so you need to be self-sufficient. At Scottish Tourer we provide a sat nav which is pre-programmed with places to wild camp, empty the chemical waste and points where you can fill up with fresh water.  
The motorhome itself is well equipped with everything you need, including comfortable double bed, toilet and shower facilitie and solar panels to keep the battery topped up so you can still watch tv and make use of the onboard Wi-Fi.

The biggest advantage a wild camp spot provides over a campsite is usually a stunning location, which you quite often have all to yourself, so if its tranquil and peaceful overnight spot you are looking for then wild camping is the ideal choice.
 

What a motorhome has to offer inside 
 

A caravan and motorhome are the same on the inside, remember a motorhome is a caravan built onto the chassis of a van. 

Why choose a motorhome holiday over a mobile home holiday in Scotland?

• You do not need a special license to drive a motorhome whereas with a caravan you need to have a towing license.
• You have everything with you all the time, so on a day out if you fancy some lunch you can park up and enjoy – your caravan will more than likely be on a caravan site.
• When you park up at night, you just push a button and everything comes on, so no need to worry about putting down feet and levelling the caravan.
• Fresh water is filled directly with a hose into the tank so no need to drag the heavy water barrel around.
• The same goes for wastewater. Drive over the drain, turn the tap or push the button and allow the grey water to empty into a drain – no emptying grey water barrels.
• You do not need an electric hook up unless you want it for something.

A motorhome holiday is far more comfortable and more practical in many ways; what you sometimes miss out on is the ability to have a car and nip about. When you take into consideration what you get, there is no competition, in my opinion, the best way to holiday in Scotland is by motorhome. I prefer a wild camp at the end of a busy day exploring. I like to sit back on my own to enjoy the tranquillity of my surroundings with my favourite tipple, using the BBQ as a mini fire pit to keep me cosy as I watch the sun go down.