Costs, licence and age rules, insurance, where you can stay overnight and what’s included. Everything first-time hirers ask us before they collect the keys, answered honestly.
Hiring a campervan in Northern Ireland for the first time comes with a lot of questions. What documents do you need? How does the insurance work? What is included and what is not? Where are you actually allowed to park up for the night?
This guide answers everything we get asked regularly, so by the time you arrive to collect your van you already feel at home. Whether you are planning a short break in Northern Ireland or a longer trip across the island, knowing what to expect before you go makes the whole experience more relaxed.
We are a small, family-run outfit in Ballymoney. Every van is hand built by us, so if something here does not cover what you need, just ask us.
Our Classic campervans start from £240 and our Premium campervans from £310. The minimum hire is two nights, all year round.
Full payment is taken at the time of booking, and there are no booking fees added on top of the price you see. You can check live availability and pricing for your exact dates on the fleet page.
Every hire includes:
Dogs are welcome in every van. Transfers from Dublin Airport and Belfast International can be arranged at an additional cost.
Bedding, camping chairs, a fire pit with logs, a paddleboard and an outdoor shower can all be added at checkout. Excess cover is available at £70 per day, which reduces your liability from the standard £1,000 excess to zero. A late drop-off until 12:30pm is £30, subject to availability.
You need a full UK or EU driving licence held for at least two years, and you must be aged between 21 and 79 with six points or fewer on your licence.
No special licence is needed. A standard category B car licence covers vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes, which includes every van in our fleet, so there is no HGV training or additional entitlement required. If you want to check what your own licence allows, nidirect sets out the licence entitlement needed for motorhomes.
Before your trip we will ask you to send photographs of your driving licence and two proofs of address dated within the last 90 days. On collection you will sign the rental agreement before heading off. That is the whole process.
A £300 security deposit is taken on collection and refunded in full within 7 days of your return, provided there is no major damage to the van.
Insurance for one driver is included in every hire. The standard excess is £1,000, which is the most you would pay towards a claim. If you would rather not carry that, excess cover can be added at checkout for £70 per day and reduces your liability to zero.
Additional drivers can be added and must meet the same requirements. Full detail is in our terms and hire conditions and the rental agreement.
This is the thing first-time hirers most often get wrong. Northern Ireland has no right to roam equivalent to Scotland, so wild camping and overnight parking need the landowner’s permission, and almost all land here is either privately owned or managed by a body with its own rules.
In practice that means you cannot simply pull into a layby, a beach car park or a forest track and stay the night. Most council car parks prohibit overnight stays, and the signage is usually clear where they do.
Our Causeway Coastal Route guide lists overnight options area by area along the north coast, which saves working it out from scratch.
The rules are broadly similar in the Republic of Ireland, so if you are heading south, plan your stops rather than assuming you will find somewhere.
A campervan drives more like a large van than a car, but it is far less intimidating than most people expect. The first half hour is the adjustment, and after that it clicks. We cover this properly in our campervan driving tips for beginners.
It depends which van you book, and this is worth knowing before you choose.
Classic campervans have restricted mileage and can travel within Northern Ireland and Donegal only. That covers the Causeway Coast, the Glens, the Mournes, Fermanagh and the whole Donegal coastline, which is more than enough for most trips.
Premium campervans have unlimited mileage and can travel anywhere across the island of Ireland. If you are planning the full Wild Atlantic Way or heading down to Kerry and Cork, you need a Premium van.
There are no border checks either way. Speed limits change to kilometres per hour the moment you cross into the Republic, so keep an eye on the signs. The nidirect road safety guidance is worth a look if you are driving here for the first time.
It is a pacing guideline borrowed from motorhome travel: drive no more than 300 miles in a day, arrive by 3pm, and stay at least three nights. The idea is to stop a holiday turning into a driving marathon.
In Northern Ireland you will rarely come close to 300 miles in a day, which is one of the advantages of touring here. The whole Causeway Coastal Route is under 130 miles. The part worth taking seriously is arriving early enough to set up in daylight and actually enjoy the evening.
If a longer trip appeals, our seven day Wild Atlantic Way route runs from Ballymoney down the west coast and back, and needs a Premium van for the mileage.
All our vans are off-grid and run from a leisure battery, so you are not tied to a hook-up pitch and can stay wherever the road takes you. USB charging is built in, and interior lighting is included for the evenings.
Premium vans have a diesel heater, which makes a real difference outside the summer months. Classic vans do not, so bring warm bedding if you are travelling in shoulder season.
Every van has a gas stove, a sink, a 12v cool box and a full kitchen kit with pots, pans and cutlery. Gas is included at no extra charge. Do your big shop before you leave, ideally in Ballymoney where parking is easy and the supermarkets are cheaper than the coastal towns.
Campsites have shower blocks and waste disposal, and leisure centres and beaches along the coast usually have facilities too. An outdoor shower can be added at checkout if you want one.
Every van in our fleet is dog friendly. A small additional charge applies to cover cleaning, and you can add it to your booking at checkout.
Most beaches and walks along the north coast welcome dogs, though some have seasonal restrictions through the summer. A few spots do not allow them at all, like the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, which is worth knowing before you drive there.
Kerry, Klaudia, Kitty and Kathleen are our most family-friendly vans, with layouts built around comfortable sleeping space and room for longer journeys.
For what to actually pack, our campervan must haves guide covers the things people wish they had brought.
April to September is the season most people travel in, and for good reason. Long days, better odds on the weather, and everything open.
If you can be flexible, May and September are the sweet spot. You still get long evenings and decent weather, but the roads and the big landmarks are noticeably quieter and there is more availability.
July and August are busiest. Campsites book up, the Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede need booking well ahead, and the fleet goes early. It still works, it just needs more planning.
Out of season the vans are warm and the coast is dramatic, but daylight is short and some campsites close between roughly October and March.
Collection is from our yard in Ballymoney, County Antrim, from 2:30pm. Return is by 10:30am. If you would rather not rush the last morning, a late drop-off until 12:30pm can be added at checkout for £30, subject to availability.
We do not do Sunday pick-ups, though Sunday returns are fine.
You will get a full walk-through of the van on collection, so you leave knowing where everything is and how it works rather than working it out in a lay-by an hour later. There is a car park at our yard where you can leave your own car for the duration of the trip.
Ballymoney puts you in a good spot to start. The Dark Hedges are fifteen minutes away and the Causeway Coast about half an hour, so you are on the route almost immediately rather than driving out of a city first.
All our vans are diesel. Yours will be at least a quarter full when you collect it, and we ask that you return it at the same level or above.
If something here has not covered what you need, ask us. We are a small outfit and you will get an answer from the people who built the van you would be driving, not a call centre.
Our Classic campervans start from £240 and Premium campervans from £310. The minimum hire is two nights. Check live availability for your dates on our fleet page.
No. Northern Ireland has no right to roam, so wild camping and overnight parking need the landowner's permission. Most council car parks prohibit overnight stays. Use campsites, forest park pitches or small farm sites instead.
Not without the landowner's permission. Nearly all land here is privately owned or managed with its own rules, so unlike Scotland there is no general right to camp. Ask first, or book a site.
Drive no more than 300 miles in a day, arrive by 3pm, and stay at least three nights. It is a pacing guideline to stop a trip becoming a driving marathon. In Northern Ireland you will rarely approach 300 miles a day, so the part that matters most is arriving early enough to set up in daylight.
No. A full UK or EU car licence held for at least two years covers every van in our fleet. Drivers must be aged between 21 and 79 with six points or fewer.
It depends on the van. Classic campervans are restricted to Northern Ireland and Donegal. Premium campervans have unlimited mileage and can travel anywhere in Ireland. There are no border checks, but speed limits change to kilometres per hour once you cross.
Yes, a £300 security deposit is taken on collection and refunded in full within 7 days of your return, provided there is no major damage.
No. All our vans are off-grid and run from a leisure battery, so you are not tied to a hook-up pitch. USB charging and interior lighting are built in.
Every van in our fleet is dog friendly. A small additional charge applies to cover cleaning and can be added at checkout.
April to September for the weather and the long days. May and September are the sweet spot, with quieter roads and more availability than peak summer.
Pick-up is from 2:30pm and return is by 10:30am. A late drop-off until 12:30pm can be added for £30. We do not do Sunday pick-ups, though Sunday returns are welcome.
All our vans are self-converted, dog friendly, and ready for the road. Pick the one that suits your group and check availability directly on the listing page.
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