Self-drive hire Frequently Asked Questions
What days can my hire start? We can run hires starting and ending any day including weekends subject to availability. For self-drive hire our minimum hire is 3 nights, maximum 3 weeks.
What time can I collect/return the campervan? Our normal collection time is 3.30 pm to 5 pm but we can often be flexible. Later, up to 7 pm is possible by prior arrangement and we can offer an earlier collection if the van is not booked out by someone else the night before. Return is between 10 am and 11 am on the last day. We can also offer the option to pay to add half-days at the start or end of a hire to return the van by 6 pm. Please ask, not available to book online.
How old do I have to be to drive one of your campervans? Our insurance will cover drivers aged 25 – 75 on the standard terms, with an excess of £500. Drivers aged 23 and 24 can be covered with an excess of £750. Licences must have been held for at least 2 years. See hire terms for details of other conditions. Please ask if you don't know what the excess means.
Can we leave a car with you? Yes, we have safe, free parking here for one car per campervan.
Getting to you by public transport? Penrith is the nearest train station, on the West Coast Mainline. There are hourly buses from the station to Keswick (X4 and X5). We can collect you from the nearest bus stop. If there are 4 or more in your group a taxi can be economic – booking in advance from Davies Taxis in Keswick (www.daviestaxis.co.uk 017687 72676) is cheaper than taking one from the station rank.
Do you allow dogs in your campervans? We allow a dog in Billy, Fleur and Robbie but not in Maisie, Daisy, Jess or Harry. The vans are not large so we advise you count a dog towards the occupancy capacity then you won't be too crowded. E.g. 2 people and 2 dogs would be OK in Fleur or Billy. Robbie has less floor space for a dog bed.
Do we need car seats for our children? The vans all have seat belts - some are 3 point belts; some are lap belts. We can advise which van has the best arrangement for you and whether your child seats will fit.There are no "isofix" mountings in the vans.
What size are the campervans? When you book a campsite they will often ask for the van dimensions. The vans are 4.5 metres long and 1.85 metres wide so will fit on the smallest of campsite pitches. If you are adding an awning allow 2.5m square at the side of the van. It is best to have grass for the awning next to any hardstanding for the van.
Can you recommend campsites? Please see our links from the Self-drive hire" page.
Do we need an electric hookup? A hook up is handy but not essential. All the vans have mains hookup cables so you can use the 240v fan heater supplied and plug in the coolbox or TV/DVD. There are 12 volt sockets in each van too, powered from the leisure battery, so you can run he coolbox etc from these if not on a hook up. Lights run from the leisure battery too. You can plug SATNAVs or in-car phone chargers in all our vans. Please bring your in-car usb adapter!
Gift vouchers? We can provide gift vouchers for any amount from £150 upwards either for a full hire or to put towards one.
How can we pay? We can take payment by online bank transfer (see hire terms for details) or Visa/Mastercard credit and debit cards. We don't take cheques any more sorry. A credit card or cash is needed for the returnable damage deposit at the time of collection or this can be paid in advance online. Bookings can be taken online via our own website or various agents. We incur commission charges through agents so please choose our own site if possible.
