How to Enjoy a Caravan Holiday Without the Towing: My Experience with Squared Away UK

BUT what if you could just show up to a caravan which was already set up and ready to stay in?

No hitching, no towing, and best of all you don’t have to find somewhere to store your caravan the other 50 weeks of the year.

Well that’s exactly what Squared Away UK do: stress-free caravan rental in Wiltshire and the surrounding counties.

How does caravan hire actually work?

If like me, you have never heard of this concept then let me explain; it’s pretty simple really.

• You pick the pitch: Choose a campsite you like the look of, check its within their delivery radius and make an enquiry with Squared Away.
• They do the hard part: The company tows the caravan, hooks up to the electric/water and sets up the awning if you’re having one
• You just arrive: grab the keys, unpack your bags and relax

It worked particularly well for us as a family with young children because we didn’t have to worry about watching them whilst also setting everything up.

We actually arrived first, and I must admit I felt a little apprehensive turning up to a patch of gravel without a caravan but the campsite warden was unfazed. My husband took the kids off to the soft play and I hung around to watch the set up. It’s not necessary to do so as you can arrange to turn up once the caravan is all set up; I was just being nosy.

When Steve arrived, he and his partner did everything; they filled the water tank, hooked up to the electric, inflated the awning and put up the chairs and table. All I had to do was listen as Steve showed me all the various switches, explained how the toilet worked and how to convert the sofas to the double bed. He did leave a contact number just in case but to be honest it all seemed quite simple.

A ‘home from home’: review of the stay

I felt a wave of nostalgia when I first walked into the caravan; I had countless caravan holidays as a child and the memories came flooding back. Though this caravan was a lot warmer and more comfortable than I remember, with central heating that means you can leave your thermals at home.

We were provided with a 6 Berth Eldiss Crusader which for the non-technical means it could sleep 6 with fixed bunks beds, a convertible side dinette and a front room conversion. There was only myself and my husband, 5 year old daughter and toddler son and we had plenty of space. My daughter couldn’t have been happier with her top bunk and took great joy in pulling the curtain across, turning her reading light on and going to bed by herself (which let me tell you does not happen at home).

My 20 month old didn’t quite have the coordination for the bottom bunk but the double bed was more than big enough for him to share with us. The first night he stayed up later than usual, excited by the change in routine but on the second night he was asleep by 6:30pm – the dream!

This meant my husband and I could sit in the awning, enjoying a couple of cold G&Ts whilst discussing our new found retirement plans to just caravan our way around the UK. If you have young children then you’ll appreciate my tip of nipping across to the campsite toilet block rather than re-entering the caravan and risk waking the kids up…

The caravan had everything we needed for our stay which helped reduce our packing – the bedding was included, kitchen equipment, washing up essentials – all we really needed to provide was the toilet roll. And given we mostly used the toilet block, we didn’t really need much of that either.

I loved looking in all of the many cupboards and drawers and seeing the unexpected additions such as a car radio so we could have a morning kitchen disco, and kids plates and bowls. At home we do probably watch too much TV but in the absence of one, the children spent time colouring, building with the magnetic tiles we took, and opening and closing the blinds. It made me appreciate the small moments which actually provide them with joy and excitement.

On the morning of our departure, we just packed up the car, emptied the toilet cassette (which was really not as gross as I expected) and handed the key back to Steve. We drove off to Monkey World on the way home, leaving Steve to take down the awning, hitch up and have the stress of towing the caravan past Stonehenge.

A coastal campsite

Squared Away have an extensive delivery radius which extends from their base in Wiltshire, to the surrounding counties of Hampshire, Dorset, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire.

This gives you a huge variety of campsites to choose from, whether you want to explore the stone circles of Avebury, see the New Forest ponies, or make your way around the picturesque villages of the Cotswolds.

I’ll never pass up an opportunity to visit the coast, so I chose West Bay holiday park in Bridport, Dorset. It was a little more expensive given it’s a Parkdean site but I thought we’d appreciate the on-site facilities like swimming pool, evening entertainment, soft play and park.

To be honest, I didn’t rate the swimming experience so we only did that once, and on the second night our son was asleep before the kids disco began so I wish we had been braver and booked a quieter campsite with fewer facilities. I had underestimated how happy the kids would be just being in the caravan.

The main highlight of the campsite was the 5-minute walk into Bridport harbour, a small but popular section of the Dorset coastline. It’s a 15 minute drive to Lyme Regis, one of the most visited sections of the Jurassic coast and a World Heritage Site – famous for fossil-hunting. We also stopped off in Charmouth, a lesser known spot with many fossils to be found, though I only added to my seaglass collection.

The practicalities: how to book your South West caravan stay

Maybe you’ve also been considering buying a touring caravan, but you want to do a trial weekend away first. Or maybe you’re like me and have great memories of camping as a child but the thought of towing one in the Wiltshire countryside fills you with dread.

Hopefully this review of a ‘set up and stay’ with Squared Away has tempted you into booking your own UK staycation – here’s what you need to know.

Go to https://www.squaredaway.uk/ and have a browse of the range of caravans – ours was from the Comfort range and it did live up to the name. There are more basic ones depending on your likes, and prices start from £40 per night.

• Choose a campsite you like the look of, within their delivery radius (which is huge!).
• Complete the enquiry form with Squared Away to confirm availability of your chosen van and dates
• Go ahead and book the campsite pitch and start the countdown to your holiday

It does feel like your own caravan concierge service, with Scott on hand to provide campsite recommendations, packing suggestions and answer any questions you may have.

And if you’re still on the fence, then head to my Instagram post and you might find yourself a discount. They also offer a 10% discount to Blue Light cardholders and Veterans.

So was it worth it?

2 months ago I hadn’t even heard of caravan rental and now I’m already looking up campsites to visit next. It was so easy to book a campsite, turn up and get that nostalgic caravan holiday without ever having to touch a towbar.

My daughter is now begging for a bunk bed at home and I have a feeling we’ll be talking about this family trip for years to come.

If you book a trip and want some advice on what to pack for your caravanning adventure then we have a whole camping section on the website.

By Sarah Frost

Image credits – Sarah Frost