My first camper experience: on the road with a Hymer Exsis
There you are as a fresh camper with a Hymer Exsis I 644 from Bruggink Campers & Caravans. All this to be initiated into the world of motorhomes and caravans.
During Ascension Day, some friends had arranged a camping spot at Camping Den Driesch in Valkenburg. They invited us too, but we don't own a caravan or camper. What do you do then? You look for a B&B or hotel. I discussed this with my colleague Maarten van CampersCaravans.nl. He suggested seeing if Bruggink Campers & Caravans would be willing to rent a camper there to experience real camping life. Also a must to better understand and advise our readers, website visitors and business relations.
Your journey is the destination
Leon Bruggink listened to my story. He thought it was a good idea and also a bit comical. The first questions I asked were very familiar to him too. The most frequently asked question he gets from people who want to buy a camper van was: “How do I get around during my holiday now that I don't have a car with me?”. Leon answered with a laugh: “with a camper van, your route is the destination”. He indicated that with a camper van you pass all the shops and sights, so you experience and visit all sorts of things “en route” to then relax at your pitch.
His advice was therefore to take a scenic route to Valkenburg and avoid highways as much as possible. This will only enhance the camper feeling. In fact, he suggested that you should stop frequently along the way, for example by the water, to enjoy a quiet moment.
The start of the journey
With this advice, I started making a plan. We decided to leave a night earlier and make a stopover at “Camperplaats jachthaven ’t Leuken” in Well (Limburg). At this partner of Botentekoop, we were assigned a beautiful camper pitch directly on the Leukemeer.
On Tuesday, May 8, we were able to pick up our camper in Almelo. When you see the Hymer Exsis-I 644 for the first time without any camper experience, you think “what a big thing, how will that drive?”. After a thorough and good explanation by Leon about all the do’s and don’ts and all the functionalities in the Hymer Exsis, we were handed the key. Off we went, the first few meters on the road. Driving was surprisingly easy right away. You do notice that the camper is big and high, but if you follow the advice given, take turns slowly, keep an eye on your width and be careful with quick steering movements, then it's perfectly doable.
Furnishing well
One advantage we also experienced with the Hymer Exsis was that you don't really pack suitcases or bags for a holiday, but rather furnish the Motorhome. With all the hanging options and cupboard space, all the items you take with you can be stored neatly and properly. You only need to lock all the drawers properly before driving off to prevent a wild racket at the first bend. A real “garage” in the Motorhome was also ideal. But the most fantastic thing, of course, was the full-size refrigerator with freezer compartment. Always well-chilled drinks at hand and food that doesn't spoil.
Sleeping like an angel
After a beautiful quiet route from Enschede through Germany to Well, we arrived at our first stop. Camperplaats 't Leuken was truly fantastic. Nice weather and a beautiful camper pitch. The strange thing is that the grandeur of the Hymer Exsis immediately faded against the even larger campers that were already there. The first night in the camper was also great. A good fixed bed and an excellent drop-down bed. My daughter in the drop-down bed had the idea that she was sleeping floating like an angel on a cloud.
With Hymer Exsis to Valkenburg
The next day we left for campsite Den Driesch in Valkenburg. We did this route via the highway. There you notice that this Hymer can easily keep up with traffic. A pleasant speed is then about 110 km/h. Then you also have the least trouble with the rattling in the camper. Upon arrival in Valkenburg, we were kindly received by a campsite employee and taken to our pitch. Here too, a beautiful spot on the edge of a mountain with a direct view of Valkenburg and the castle ruins.
Camping Den Driesch is a small city campsite with good facilities. Well-equipped for motorhomes. The pitches are approximately 50 m2, semi-paved and suitable for motorhomes up to 9 meters. In addition, they also have standard pitches for motorhomes, caravans or tents of 100m2, optionally semi-paved. There are also comfort pitches of 100m2, semi-paved and some even with their own hammock.
Towards early evening, the befriended families also arrived at the campsite. Unfortunately, not all at once, as one family had a breakdown with their caravan near Venlo. They had to wait over five hours for roadside assistance due to the prevailing holiday rush. They only arrived in the middle of the night at half past two. Extra thanks to the campsite staff and security who kindly accommodated this family and brought them to their pitch.
Have fun
Despite using our camper here as a glorified caravan, this did not detract from the pleasure we experienced with it. The stay at the campsite was also a very special and positive experience. You quickly get to know new and interesting people. People who had a great time watching two teenage boys set up two dome tents. They had no experience with tents, but they are, of course, stubbornly adolescent. The Geurts family thoroughly enjoyed this special spectacle.
Tractors attracting a lot of attention
We also saw that a campsite attracts people who look at camping differently than we do. For example, the Alders and Rongen families, both from the Boxmeer area, arrived with 2 vintage tractors and authentic gypsy caravans. The Alders family's tractor is a Hanomag R55 Nato from 1956 and the Rongen family's tractor is a Polish Ursus C45 from 1952. The latter is a so-called hot-bulb tractor that first needs to be heated with a glass bottle before it can be started.
The arrival of these families attracted a lot of attention. The children at the campsite were even allowed to sit on the tractors. During their barbecue, they also used a stationary engine. With this, they powered a spit on which a whole chicken and ham could turn nicely until cooked. In our eyes, this is a great advantage of camping. You quickly come into contact with other people and you also notice that everyone experiences and carries out camping in their own way.
On Saturday, May 12, we left for Enschede again to empty and clean the camper and return it to Bruggink Campers & Caravans.
Conclusion of our trip
Have we become campers now? I don't think we are yet, but we probably will be. We now plan to purchase a family tent to spend more short and long holidays at campsites. Personally, I think a motorhome is ideal as a camping vehicle. But for our family, it's not yet suitable in combination with our current lifestyle. Renting a motorhome is a better option. We do see ourselves buying a motorhome in the future, as soon as we have more time and thus more often the opportunity to go away spontaneously.
I would like to thank our befriended families; Heuvels, Damhuis and De Jonge/Kamphuis for the pleasant week in Valkenburg. Special thanks go to the employees of Camping DenDriesch, Leon Bruggink and his team from Bruggink Campers&Caravans and to Linda and Martien Valckx from motorhome pitch/marina 't Leuken.
Specifications Hymer Exsis-I 644
Year of construction: 2012
Car brand: Fiat Ducato 2.3 Mjet
Body length: 6.70 meters
Width: 2.15 meters
Headroom: 1.97 meters
Total height: 2.70 meters
Weight: 2.740 kg
Number of beds 3
Double bed 200 x 129 cm
Double bed 188 x 150 cm
Double bed 178 x 90 cm
More information
www.campingdendriesch.nl
www.brugginkcaravans.nl
www.valckxwatersport.nl/Camperplaatsen
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