We all know that Wales is a fabulous road trip destination, with many scenic driving routes and destinations where you can bring your campervan, motorhome or car for a trip to remember.
There's a whole network of mountain roads, coastal views and campsites where you can park up for the weekend and enjoy exploring or relaxing.
Caravanning experts, We Buy Any Motorcaravan have recently named Wales as the 5th best UK destination to travel with a motorhome this Easter break.
Read more: 17 holiday parks in Wales for the perfect family getaway
Wales comes just after The Lake District, Devon, Cornwall and The Peak District on the list, all of which are brilliant places to take a van.
Shane Malpass from We Buy Any Motorcaravan says, "The United Kingdom is filled with everything from small, quaint, countryside villages to concrete jungles – it just depends on where you go. There really is something for everyone which is why many avid campers choose to explore the UK in their motorhome."
Wales is always a brilliant choice for a campervan or motor home trip no matter the season. We have lively cities, charming towns, national parks and coastal campsites to discover.
If you don't own a campervan or a motorhome, you can look at hiring one from rental companies such as Goboony and take advantage of a wide selection of vans and in-house insurance.
If you're planning a campervan or motor home trip this spring or summer, here are a few of the top destinations in Wales.
Brecon Beacons National Park
The wildly popular Brecon Beacons National Park has some of the most glorious landscapes and flowing waterfalls in South Wales. Its impressive peaks and ridges bring a sense of haunting beauty and provide a range of strenuous hill walking opportunities.
Stretching from Llandeilo in the west and the Black Mountains in the east, the Brecon Beacons National Park covers more than 500 square miles and therefore has plenty of attractions within its boundaries.
The Brecon Beacons are an ideal place to bring the van for scenic views, hiking, biking and camping, so long as you follow all the parking rules and leave no trace.
Take a sunrise walk up Pen Y Fan, go paddleboarding on Llangorse Lake, or go to a stargazing event and gaze up at the cosmos.
If you like mountain biking and can fit bikes in your van, then there are plenty of trails in the Brecon Beacons. A popular trail is the Black Mountain Blitz Trail, which is a challenging ride.
The trail includes some epic climbs, white-knuckle descents and some great single-track sections. Taking in the heart of the Black Mountains range this route offers spectacular views of the National Park from several vantage points.
There are plenty of official car parks and parking places here where you can leave the van for a day of hiking.
For an overnight stay, you are better off going to a campsite that has van and motorhome pitches. Wild camping is generally illegal in England and Wales, though some landowners will allow people to camp for a small fee.
The Brecon Beacons Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite is a great choice for a stay as they have superb views of the mountains and lots of facilities including toilet blocks, a well-stocked shop and play areas for children.
Pembrokeshire
With beautiful coastal roads, sandy beaches, campsites and gastro pubs, Pembrokshire has to be the best place for a coastal campervan trip in Wales.
Take a drive down winding roads and discover lovely rest stops, beaches and bays where you can pull up and admire the view.
There are so many places to visit in Pembrokeshire, that it's hard to know where to begin?
You could plan a Pembrokeshire road trip in the van and try and see some highlights along the way.
Take a drive from Blackpool Mill through Narberth to the Preseli Hills, then Newport on to St Davids and Marloes before arriving at Tenby to see dramatic cliffs, beautiful beaches and wildlife.
Tenby is another great place to visit as this seaside town has beaches, pubs, shops and indie cafes and it has places where you can park the van for the day.
If you like hiking, there are plenty of places in Pembrokeshire where you can park for the day and enjoy the beautiful coastal routes.
The village of Dale has a large car park where you can leave the van for a few hours and explore the Wales Coast path or rent a SUP board for the day and paddle on clear waters. Dale Hill Farm also has pitches for vans and motorhomes.
Van blogger Luci from Van Life with Luci recommends exploring Pembrokeshire by van and camping along the way. She said: "The Pembrokeshire coast is spectacular and I have hiked sessions of the trail for miles. If you're camping along the coast, make sure to check out Fishguard for the local little bays and tasty icecreams and towering sheer drop cliffs."
It's vital that van trippers and motorhome visitors do their research when planning a van trip in this area. Singletrack roads are commonplace in Pembrokeshire, so you must be prepared to stop and maybe reverse for oncoming traffic.
It's also important to never block any roads or illegally camp in Pembrokeshire as this causes a lot of problems for locals and emergency services.
If you are looking to spend the night in your van or motorhome make sure to book a pitch – enjoy all the amenities of a campsite whether you’re after a holiday park or a rural retreat. There are numerous campsites in Pembrokeshire where you can stay all with lots of facilities.
Fishguard Bay Resort is a great option for those seeking coastal views and a peaceful campsite in Wales. All of their pitches have electric hook-up if needed and nearly all offer dramatic views of the Pembrokeshire coastline.
The Elan Valley
Taking the van to explore the Elan Valley is a must, the 45,000-acre estate, now managed by Welsh Water, is an ideal place to explore by van and motorhome.
Drive around Elan’s stone Victorian dams, see highland cattle and discover epic hiking and biking routes.
There are miles of spectacular waterside walks where you may not see another soul for hours – just the buzzards, kites, goshawks and peregrines that wheel overhead.
The Elan Valley Visitor Centre offers a wealth of information, exhibitions, guided walks and will be able to assist you with driving routes in the area.
For van visitors travelling with bikes, The Elan Valley offers exhilarating off-road biking through rivers, over hills and along bridleways through some pretty epic landscapes.
Book a guided tour with MTB Wales and let the experts guide you through awe-inspiring scenery through some of the most isolated parts of Wales.
After a taxing cycle, refuel at the quirky Lost arc Café in Rhayader. Make sure to order their homemade Welsh Rarebit that oozes cheesy goodness with a hint of Welsh ale.
The Elan Valley is also a wonderful place to go stargazing in Wales Estate achieved International Dark Sky Park status in 2015 and became the first privately-owned but publicly accessible park in the world to do so.
Several optimal stargazing sites in the Elan Valley offer the best chances of seeing the cosmos, including the Teifi Pools, Claerwen Dam and the Craig Goch car park.
Park the van at one of the dark sky discovery sites and spend an evening spotting constellations and planets in one of the darkest places in Wales.
There are a few campsites where you can stay the night in the Elan Valley in the van. Elan Oaks is a camping and caravan site based right at the entrance to the beautiful Elan Valley.
The site has direct access to the estate and is less than 2 miles from Rhayader with its shops and pubs.
Their well-equipped campsite is the perfect place to pitch up and discover the Elan Valley and all it has to offer.
Snowdonia
The mountain roads and countryside stops make Snowdonia a wonderful campervan or motorhome destination.
Explore miles of scenic routes around the National Park where you'll want to pull over every two minutes to grab a photo of the mesmerising landscapes.
If you're prepared to do a little driving around the National Park, there are plenty of adventure and adrenaline activities and hiking and biking routes to discover that are quite spaced out.
Van blogger Luci from Van Life with Luci loves exploring Wales in her Van, especially Snowdonia. She said: "One of my favourite places is just down from Lake Dinas in Snowdonia National Park to take in the best views of the pass, Snowdon itself and undertake a walk and swim."
"Furthermore, in Snowdonia, the Watkin Path is arguably a more gentle path up Mt Snowdon which starts from the main A498 road, outside Beddgelert. This is just up from Caffi Gwynant, book ahead to secure a table for lunch or tea after a walk on weekends."
Thrill-seekers travelling by van around Snowdonia should head straight to the Zip World site at Blaenau Ffestiniog to ride Titan 2, a zip line and heritage experience that will get your heart racing.
Combine adventure and history on an exhilarating four-person parallel zip line, with a unique tour of the Llechwedd slate quarry.
Their robust, former army truck will take you to a 1,400 ft height that overlooks the captivating manmade, industrial mountains, while a guide explains the history and significance of the mining community.
You'll then travel back down via a kilometre of zip line that provides thrilling views of the quarry below and a panorama of Blaenau Ffestiniog.
On the same site, you'll find the unique Bounce Below attraction. Here, giant trampolines and nets are suspended across two levels in atmospheric caverns illuminated by neon lights.
If you fancy a hiring challenge when visiting the area why not attempt to get to the summit of Yr Wyddfa, [Snowdon].
This is the highest mountain in Wales towering at 1,085 metres [3,560 ft] above sea level and is a challenging hike and bucket list activity for your Wales road trip.
There are six main paths to the summit of Snowdon, they include Llanberis Path, Pyg Track, Miners’ Track, Watkin Path, Rhyd-Ddu Path and the Snowdon Ranger Path.
What path you choose will determine what your starting point will be in Snowdonia and where you will park for the day. Make sure to research and plan your route before you set off to the mountain and dress appropriately for the weather and terrain.
Each of the mountain routes has its own unique, natural features and challenges and it's important to be properly prepared for each path as you attempt the summit.
When visiting Snowdonia in a van or a motorhome, it's really important to observe the rules of the national park and not stay anywhere overnight that you aren't supposed to.
The National Park Authority has previously lamented that “high numbers of motorhomes and campervans are staying overnight in roadside laybys". This has caused much backlash from locals who aren't happy with vans and motorhomes camping illegally in the area.
While it's tempting to pull up for the night in a beauty spot the law in England, Scotland and Wales is is pretty clear on this matter. Parking up overnight, either on laybys or in the countryside, is illegal without consent from landowners.
In Wales, there tends to be less tolerance for illicit parking than elsewhere, especially as some people have not taken their rubbish away or started fires.
It's best to book an official campsite with facilities, so you can enjoy your stay knowing you aren't having an impact on the environment or causing problems for the National Park Authority.
The Llyn Gwynant Campsite is a great spot to spend the night with its 'back to nature' ethos. The site isn't overdeveloped but still has enough facilities for a comfortable stay including hot showers, a small shop and a chemical toilet emptying point.
The Glamorgan Heritage Coast
Stretching from Aberthaw to Porthcawl, the Glamorgan Heritage Coast offers 14 miles of unspoilt coastline with Jurassic features and waymarked trails that wind through charming villages, rural farmland and hidden bays.
There are some lovely drives and places to stop along the heritage coast and in the wider Vale of Glamorgan area.
For hikers, there are a series of marked and numbered Vale Trails that will take you through coastal and countryside routes with the most scenic views and historical features.
Many of the short walks in the Vale have a variety of heritage and maritime points of interest, including the last manned lighthouse in Wales, a Neolithic Tinkinswood Burial Chamber, churches and castles.
Visitors with vans should head to Ogmore Beach which has a lot of parking where you can leave the van for a few hours during the day.
It's a popular sand and shingle beach along the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, with the sandy part exposed at low tide. It's a great beach for a long walk, or a dip in the summer as it has a reputation as being one of the cleanest beaches in the region.
It's a great place to come for sunset as well. Open up the van doors and watch the sky blaze with colour as the sun dips into the ocean.
Not too far away from Ogmore, Llantwit Major is a small town that might not be on everyone's radar, but it's a great spot for history, decent pub food and a beach stroll if you want to get out of the van for a while and stretch your legs.
The town has managed to develop and improve whilst maintaining its medieval streets and Impressive stone buildings.
You can park here and have lunch at The Old Swan Inn, Llantwit Major's oldest pub with ornate windows and weathered cobbles.
The Glamorgan Heritage Coast offers walkers miles of coastline to explore via waymarked trails, you can attempt the entire route or walk smaller sections of the coast if you just want a short day walk.
One of the easier trails is the Nash Point loop walk, a 4½-mile, mostly gentle hike across windswept clifftops. The route takes in a number of historical sites, including the Nash Point Lighthouse, Atlantic College and Holy Trinity Church, Marcross.
There's a small car park at Nash Point where you can pull up and leave the van for the day and walk this scenic trail.
Like most other parts of Wales, you'll need to spend the night in an official campsite rather than a beach car park or layby.
The Heritage Coast Campsite near Monk nash beach is one of the best spots to spend the night in the van. It's just a 10-minute walk from Monknash Beach across public footpaths and the campsite has a swish cafe, shower blocks and campfires are also allowed.
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