When the sun finally arrives, half the North West points its wheels toward the sea, and our van hire in Warrington makes taking a hire van to the coast an easy way to bring everyone and everything in one go. A proper beach day for a family or a group means windbreaks, shelters, bodyboards, cool boxes, chairs and a boot’s worth of towels, and that is before anyone mentions bikes or a barbecue. Driving a hire van to the coast turns the usual game of luggage Tetris into a relaxed load-up, and with more than seventy vehicles on the fleet there is a van to suit whether it is a day trip to Southport or a longer run toward the beaches of North Wales.
Getting the Whole Beach Day in One Vehicle
Beach kit is the definition of bulky-but-light, the sort of load that swamps a car yet barely troubles a van. Once you have packed a shelter, a couple of windbreaks, chairs, a table, the cool boxes and the inevitable inflatables, there is little room left for passengers in an ordinary car. A van keeps the group together and the gear with them, so nobody draws the short straw of a second car and nobody leaves the good kit at home. It also means a tired, sandy return journey is far more comfortable, with everything stowed in the back rather than piled on laps.
A van that takes the bulky kit
For a big family beach day our Luton van with a tail lift offers a huge, boxed load space, and the tail lift makes light work of loading heavier items like a loaded cool box, a folded gazebo or a barbecue. The whole fleet stays within 3.5 tonnes and drives on a standard category B car licence, so the larger vans need nothing beyond your ordinary licence. If your trip is more modest, a smaller van will carry a generous beach kit just as happily, and our team can match the size to your group so the day starts without a packing argument.
A steady run on the motorway
The coast usually means a motorway leg, and a loaded van rewards a calm, steady style. Leave more room to slow down, take the bends and slip roads gently, and remember that a van sits higher and catches the wind more than a car, which is worth bearing in mind on exposed coastal stretches and bridges. Knowing what to do if the unexpected happens is reassuring on a long trip, and our guide on what to do if you break down on the motorway sets out the simple steps so a rare problem stays a minor one.
Packing for sand and sea
A beach load is loaded twice, clean on the way out and damp and sandy on the way back, so pack with the return in mind. Keep the cool boxes and the things you want first near the doors, stow heavier items low and forward, and bring a few old sheets or a groundsheet to throw over the load space for the journey home so the sand stays contained. A couple of bin bags for wet clothes and a separate spot for muddy boots keeps the worst of the mess in one place, leaving the van easy to hand back clean.
Set off from the right side of town
Our depot beside Asda at Cockhedge is well placed for the routes that head toward the coast and across the Mersey Gateway toward North Wales and the A55. Customers around Runcorn van hire and the southern approaches are particularly handy for those crossings, and the free secure parking means your own car stays safely at the depot for the day while the van carries the crowd to the seaside and back.
Making a day of it
Half the pleasure of a coast trip is not having to leave anything behind, and a van makes that easy. With proper load space you can bring the windbreak, the cool box, the bodyboards, and the folding chairs without playing the usual game of deciding what stays at home. Families travelling together can pool their kit into one vehicle, which keeps the convoy small and the parking simpler once you arrive. On the way back, sandy and damp gear goes in the load area rather than over the seats, so the clear-up afterwards is far less of a chore. A little planning helps the day run well, so set off early to beat the worst of the traffic on the popular routes, keep heavier items low and towards the front, and give everything a quick check before you pull away. With the bulky gear sorted and everyone comfortable, you can focus on the beach itself rather than the logistics of getting there and home again.
Booking your coast trip
Fine weekends sell out fast in summer, so booking ahead is the best way to secure a van for a beach day. On selected vehicles a reservation made at least two weeks in advance qualifies for the advance discount on our special offers, there is no deposit on most vehicles, and short term hire keeps a single day out affordable. We open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 4pm and close on Sundays, so plan a Saturday trip accordingly, and bring your photocard licence and a DVLA check code at collection. To choose the right van for the coast, call our Warrington team on 01925 396 222.
