Adventure and off-grid bliss: Our family campervan road trip along the Costa Brava

Words by Sam Bradley

We’re kayaking down the Ter River in north-east Spain, the all-encompassing greenery perfectly complementing the clear blue water beneath and bright sky above. I was hoping we’d be drifting along lazily with the current, but the guides at Kayak Del Ter did almost too good a job showing the kids how to paddle, meaning this peaceful activity has somehow turned into a competitive race.

Other highlights include splashing each other, enthusiastically looking for fish and terrapins, and jumping in for the occasional swim. It’s a busy, energetic day in the sun, but the kids wouldn’t want it any other way; this is how to make the most of a holiday!

It’s only later in the day that calm reigns: the sun slowly sinking into the horizon as we park our campervan amongst an orchard of apple trees, enveloping us in blissful quiet for the evening. No crowds, no noise, no artificial light, just the quiet hum of nature. For my wife, this is peak relaxation. For the kids, it’s a brief pause before tomorrow’s adventures. And that balance, it turns out, is exactly what a campervan trip does best.

Fun on the Ter River

Why a family campervan holiday suits everyone

Ask a family how they want to feel at the end of a holiday and you’ll rarely get a unanimous answer. In ours, it ranges from ‘completely relaxed’ to ‘pleasantly exhausted.’ What this trip proved is that you don’t have to choose.

With a campervan, it’s entirely possible to combine high-energy days with peaceful, off-grid evenings. A chance to hike, paddle, ride and explore – and then retreat somewhere wonderfully remote to recharge.

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Peace and calm after a busy day of exploring

Family campervan travel in Spain: A home that moves with you

CamperDays has a wide range of motorhomes available in many cities around Europe, and we found the process of booking our campervan nice and easy.

After a long winter in the UK we needed a sun and sand holiday, so we chose the beautiful city of Barcelona as our collection and drop-off point (the exact location is about an hour’s drive from central Barcelona, although public transport is pretty good, and ride-sharing services like Uber are available).

At first sight the campervan and its many gadgets seemed rather intimidating, but the friendly collection team soon had us up to speed on how everything worked.

Pickup done and ready to hit the road

And what a vehicle it is. It’s easy to take the concept of an entire home on wheels for granted, but the technology behind it all is remarkable: a fridge, freezer, gas cooker, shower, toilet and even batteries that charge the whole system while driving. As our youngest pointed out, we were just like a tortoise moving along with our house on our back, except a bit quicker.

Our family of five fitted in comfortably, and while I’d been a bit apprehensive about spending five nights in very close proximity, we actually loved spending quality time together that’s hard to replicate in everyday life. Even a puncture didn’t hamper the adventure, as it was surprisingly easy to get it all sorted and keep on going… a good reminder that the best travel memories are rarely the smooth bits.

Home sweet home for the next few nights

Our campervan doubled up as our transport, our hotel and our base for the week, making it the easiest way to squeeze a lot into a short holiday. Waking up in a new and beautiful place each morning, often surrounded by only nature, got everyone into holiday mood right from the start.

Not having to pack or unpack was a bonus, not to mention the onboard kitchen making meal times a whole lot quicker and more cost-effective. After a busy morning out having fun it was a joy to be able to pop back to the campervan, where a quick and easy lunch kept the ‘hangry’ meltdowns at bay.

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The better ‘fast food’ option

Costa Brava family adventures: Horse-riding, kayaking and quad biking

While many travellers hug the coastline north of Barcelona, we were glad of our decision to stay inland for the first few nights. Endless forests, cheerful yellow fields of rapeseed (‘colza’ in Catalan) and the snowy Pyrenees mountain peaks in the distance provided the perfect road trip backdrop.

Driving through the Parc Natural de la Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa was especially striking, with its rolling landscape dotted with dormant volcanic cones. It’s the kind of place that makes you slow down, both literally and figuratively. Our stopover points were varied: one night was spent on a riding farm, giving our kids the novel experience of waking up to horses peacefully grazing nearby, as well as a happy morning learning to ride.

Pony riding (they spent more time grazing than walking)

Another day was spent at Fang Aventura, an adventure sports centre complete with lots of space to explore and plenty of fun activities to enjoy. The children loved the mini-paintball, firing enthusiastically as we moved through the various courses, starting on the Wild West course and finishing in a Mayan Temple battlefield.

We then moved onto the quad bikes, with children under 12 riding along with adults but still having a whale of a time. We could have spent a week rather than just a day here, and getting the kids to leave wasn’t easy.

– READ MORE: Why an outdoor holiday could be exactly what your family needs this summer –

Quad biking fun

Off-grid campervan camping in Costa Brava

Having taken the family on a campervan trip before, we were keen to learn from past experience to make this trip amazing. Our biggest win was realising that not every night needs to be spent in a big campsite with lots of facilities (if you’re reasonably careful, a battery recharge and water refill only every third night seems to be fine).

This dramatically changed our holiday for the better, as there are some amazing apps and websites for finding off-grid places to stay. Espana Discovery shows many places you can stay for free in Spain in return for sampling the services of your host (we “paid” for our stay in an apple orchard by buying cider and fruit juice from the Mooma farm shop… which definitely wasn’t a hardship).

Campspace and Park4night were also great for finding quiet places to legally park for the night (free camping isn’t allowed in Spain). Having space to ourselves with no crowds or restrictions more than compensated for the lack of facilities.

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One of our favourite off-grid camping spots

Costa Brava road trip: The best coastal drives and beaches

The last part of our trip was just as varied, with enough adventure to keep the kids and me buzzing, and enough calm and quiet for my wife to feel as though she was still on holiday.

We cruised along the beautiful Costa Brava road all the way from France, passing countless seaside villages and vineyards. As we moved further south, the coastline route (which contained more twists and turns than a funfair rollercoaster) became more dramatic.

This was road trip paradise: undulating cliffs gave way to pine forests, with the mountain passes containing plenty of lookout viewpoints from which to admire the sparkling Mediterranean vistas below. Routes like this remind us why driving can be fun, as we enjoyed the benefits of slowing down and just enjoying the journey.

The rocky Costa Brava coastline

Our destination was the jewel in the crown of the Costa Brava, the historic coastal town of Tossa De Mar. Rumour has it these ancient cobbled streets can get pretty busy during peak summer, but in shoulder season it’s simply delightful with plenty of souvenir shops and enticing restaurants leading towards the sea.

The sandy beach and sparkling waters kept us entertained for hours, with the 13th-century castle and fortified towers providing the picture-perfect backdrop. After exploring the castle and the walled old town of Vila Vella, we jumped onto a Fondo Cristal glass-bottomed boat to see more of the coastline and hidden coves, finishing up forty minutes later on the equally beautiful Giverola Beach.

– READ MORE: 10 best family eco adventures to have with kids year round –

The castle overlooking the beach of Tossa de Mar

End your Costa Brava road trip with a stay in Barcelona

We finished our trip in Barcelona, and while it was sad to say goodbye to our beloved campervan, we couldn’t resist the allure of seeing a few city attractions at the end of our trip.

After five nights on the road we felt a touch of luxury was well deserved, and Hotel España more than met the criteria. The decadent Art Nouveau rooms (with incredibly comfy beds), the outstanding Fonda España restaurant (be sure to try the rice) and the history of the building (see if you can spot the hand-painted ceramic motifs in the breakfast room, each representing one of Spain’s different regions) make this a lovely home away from home. It’s also situated just off La Rambla and close to the waterfront marina, making it a perfect location for exploring the city.

A touch of luxury at Hotel Espana to finish off the stay

We started off with a Baja Bikes tour of the city; a fun way to find our bearings and discover which attractions to return to later. We cycled past Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, worth a visit even though by this point it could be renamed ‘the renovation that never ends,’ with a crane or scaffolding inevitably intruding into every family photo.

It was also fun cycling along the beachfront marina area and past many of the Gaudi-inspired buildings scattered throughout the city, our guide Aleix stopping off to give a quick explanation of what we were looking at. We finished off the cycle tired but happy, and ready to follow Aleix’s recommendation to a local tapas bar for a well-earned lunch.

Big sister keeping a watchful eye during our Baja Bikes tour

Strolling along La Rambla and finding the best churros in town took up a fair chunk of time, as did souvenir shopping in Mercat de la Boqueria and feeding the pigeons in Plaça de Catalunya.

One of the more unusual attractions was a nighttime visit to the Basilica de Santa Maria del Pi for a Luminiscence light show. Colourful light projections enhance the architecture of the basilica, while the narration (we made sure to book one of the English language time slots) explains the history. It felt like the perfect mix of educational fun (where children learn almost without realising it) and a fitting end to a memorable holiday. Thank you, Spain!