Disclaimer: we were kindly gifted a weekend in a Hey Campers motorhome in exchange for a review, however all our reviews are our honest opinions. For more information, visit Hey Campers, Leicestershire.
“Mummy, I’m going to give Hey Campers a 5 STAR review!” Lily, age 7.
I’m not sure where to start in thanking Hey Campers for allowing us to try out Poppy the motorhome for our weekend at Gloworm Festival – it was just brilliant.
I’m obsessed with campervans, but had never had the opportunity to drive one since my campervan tours of New Zealand about 10 years ago, so when we had the chance to try out a motorhome, you can imagine the excitement levels, not to mention the fact we were already buzzing for our favourite festival.
On one of the hottest August weekends on record, Lily and I set off on an awesome motorhome weekend together, thanks to the lovely Hey Campers in Leicestershire – here’s what happened…
Pre-arrival
Hey Campers is based in Coalville, Leicestershire, so beautifully local to us and perfect for anyone looking for campervan or motorhome hire in the East Midlands.
The team were lovely when they contacted us, with full clear details of what we needed to provide. I had never hired a car in the UK before, so the Hey Campers team were great at answering my questions.
Once I sent across all my details, I was given full information on the motorhome, what to expect when we picked her up, as well as full times/dates for the pickup/drop-off. The team were flexible over the pick-up time as I was working in the morning, so couldn’t pick Poppy up until the afternoon, which the team were really understanding about.
I booked in my own car to leave for the weekend and you have the option of additional extras such as bike hire or bedding too.
Arrival
Hey Campers is based in a modern warehouse in an industrial estate in Coalville. We were immediately welcomed by the team and all our information was ready when we arrived for our timeslot, with Poppy (our motorhome for the weekend) waiting at the door.
We were shown around the motorhome and how to work all Poppy’s features, such as how to operate the electrics and water, the awning, how to operate the toilet, as well as where to find all her essentials.
When we were happy with everything, I provided a clear credit card for a £1000 safety deposit (refunded at the end), and then signed the forms, before we were allowed to get on our way.
The whole introduction lasted just under an hour, including the time I took to pack our things into the ‘garage’ (rear storage) of the vehicle, but I felt confident I knew what I needed to at the time as the instructions were clear and there was also a guide left with you to remind you of the essentials.
Driving
I admit, it was driving the motorhome that made me the most nervous. This was the first time I’d driven anything of this size, plus I was on my own with my daughter, so I wasn’t sure how I’d get on.
However, I didn’t need to have been so nervous, Poppy was so easy to drive, and you don’t even notice the size of the vehicle while you’re driving.
There was air conditioning, a rear camera and a satnav all ready so, despite the 33 degree heat that weekend, we were kept nice and cool.
My only issue when driving was getting slightly stuck on one very narrow country road we drove down (following the sat nav) as it was on a hill, and that was the only time I noticed the weight of Poppy, however I soon mastered the top of the hill and got over the junction.
Aside from that, we never had any problems and she was smooth the entire way, with clear displays and easy to fill up with diesel at the end too.
For my daughter, I simply put her car seat into the passenger seat and she was so excited to be so high up and be up front with me too. Poppy can sit up to 6 people, with four seatbelts in the living area too.
Sleeping
The first thing Lily did when she got into Poppy was to choose her bed (total priorities of a 7-year-old)!
Poppy could sleep up to 6 people in bunkbed style sleeping, across three double beds. The Hey Campers team had made up two beds for us, complete with clean, comfy bedding.
Lily chose the beds above the cab, while I had the bed at the back of the van, with another fold down bed available if there had been more of us at the back.
All the windows had pull-down blinds, so it was completely dark at night, as well as nets at the edge of the beds to avoid rolling out. They’d also provide some privacy for those who may wish for it.
The beds were so comfy and you could have the windows open with the blinds closed for darkened airflow at night too. Lily slept so well, which was fantastic!
At night time, we loved the blue light details which were subtle enough to not keep us awake, but great for getting down the ladders/to the toilet in the night.
Washing & toilets
Our own toilet and shower, as well as running water, was a total luxury for us at a festival – we usually camp in our trusty tent with our little camping toilet on hand for emergencies.
We didn’t use the shower in Poppy as we had some on the festival site that were clean enough for us to use, but we were thankful for the toilet at night, without having to trek across a field, as well as the sinks for running water – definitely a festival luxury!
The toilet has to be emptied at the end of your stay, which we did into the elsan point at the festival field. It was easy to empty without any mess and Lily even said she liked the smell of the cleaning materials!
Living area
The living area really does have everything you need, including a table and chairs, which double up as the seating for passengers when driving. You’re surrounded with cupboards packed with all your essentials, including a toaster and kettle, cups, pots and pans.
We brought our own picnic food and milk, which fitted well with plenty of space in the large fridge, and used the kitchen area for teas and breakfast, rather than for cooking, however there were plenty of options if you did want to cook on the hob too.
My only confusion was where to plug the kettle in as it only just reached the plug above the sink, but I managed to make it work so can’t complain 🙂
There were so many lighting choices too, including above the beds for reading, and brighter/darker options around the inside of Poppy to suit your taste.
We also liked the bug blinds on all the windows and main door to allow the air to flow, without the bugs following.
In the living area you also have a TV as well as Wi-Fi throughout the motorhome – we didn’t use the TV but the Wi-Fi was super useful without much reception at the festival.
Outdoor area
Poppy has a full awning which easily winds out – on my own when we parked up, it took me only about 5 mins to set her up, including plugging in the electricity and sorting the awning out. We were thankful for the extra shade this weekend and it was easy to wind away afterwards too.
We also took our own camping chairs and wind breaker (for privacy), that we used at the end of the motorhome for our own shady little seating area, however there is also a fold out picnic bench inside that you can use too.
On the back, there are also bike racks, however these weren’t needed for us – though they’ll be great for next time we hire one!
Storage
There is so much storage in Poppy, including the huge garage area at the back. We usually take a lot of stuff with us to festivals, even though there is only the two of us, including our trailer, festival bag, clothing, cooler box and extra essentials – all which fitted inside Poppy with plenty of room around.
The cooler box we kept inside one of the cupboards in the living area, while there were plenty of hooks around for towels and coats if needed too. We also liked the ledges on top of the cupboards next to the beds to put our books (and Lily’s toys!) for bedtime.
Conclusion
Hiring a motorhome was a total gamechanger for us, especially for festivals, and knowing that Hey Campers are so easy to use too.
As a local Leicestershire business, we will be using Hey Campers again for sure, and they’re also the perfect base for reaching the Peak District, Lake District and beyond.
There was another Hey Campers motorhome in the Gloworm Festival field with us (Hi Finley!), and the sat nav showed that Poppy had recently been touring the south of France too – so the world really is your oyster with Hey Campers.
The campers were so clean, modern and every detail had been thought of – we really couldn’t fault the whole process, and we were really reassured that Hey Campers are a company that know camping, so know what anyone would need when hiring their vans, right down to optional kids’ activity books and last-minute essentials on sale in their warehouse on collection.
As a parent travelling on her own with a young child too, I was reassured every step of the way, feeling totally safe and comfortable to head out with Lily in Poppy.
We’ve already been looking up availability for our next hire and this will certainly be the start of many campervan adventures together.
For more on Hey Campers, visit their website here
Check back soon for my next article including Hey Campers and why taking a motorhome to a festival was a total gamechanger for us!
The 3am Diary 
Husband’s dream is to own one of these. Maybe I’ll just hire one for him one day. You need a different type of license though, don’t you?
It looks like so much fun and adventure
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Ahhh it was my dream too 😍 didn’t need a different license at all – just had to give them a code from the DVLA to say I had a clear licence and all was easy 🙂 it was so much easier to drive than I thought too, as they’re huge but you don’t notice at all 🙂 definitely recommend hiring one – we will do again too, it is brilliant 🤩
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Oh that’s really good to know. May have to do for his 40th in a couple of years if we get through the rise in prices first x
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