Book Review: Camperstop Europe 2016
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for this review. I did not receive any payment and was not required to write a positive review.
The growth in popularity of motorhome travel in Europe shows no signs of slowing down.
This is reflected in the increased size of the 2016 edition of Camperstop Europe, which contains 852 new stopovers out of a total of 8,910. By way of contrast, the 2015 guide only had 415 new stopover locations.
The work of Dutch firm Facile Media, Camperstop is a weighty tome with 640 A4-size pages. However, I reckon it is well worth adding to your glovebox or motorhome door pocket if you head across the channel regularly.
In just one guide you get details of 8,910 motorhome stopovers in 27 countries. This means you are covered pretty much anywhere in Europe, including central and eastern European countries and Scandinavia.
What’s in the guide?
The guide includes details of 8,910 motorhome stopover locations, or camperstops. Of these, 6,804 are photographed. Unlike some others, Camperstop is not restricted to French-style motorhome aires. A much wider range of stopover locations are included, with varying levels of cost and facilities.
These include car parks, dedicated motorhome parking, full-service aires, marinas, harbours, farms, vineyards and restaurants. There are also details of service-only sites, so that those of us who prefer to wild camp can find legitimate and convenient locations to empty their waste water and toilet and refill with fresh water.
Camperstop is organised by country and region, for example Germany – Lower Saxony. There’s also a comprehensive index system to allow you to search for stopovers in a target area.
Each stopover is described by using a simple graphical key. It’s easy to use and means that a lot of useful information can be packed into a small space. Information provided includes parking fees, the number of spaces, the type of location and parking surface, nearby amenities, and if appropriate the procedure for paying.
GPS co-ordinates are provided for every location in the guide. You can also download a complete set of GPS co-ordinates from the Camperstop website, so you can load them into a sat nav as points of interest (POI).
Our verdict
Camperstop Europe 2016 is an excellent guide. At £24.95, I don’t think it is expensive — the savings from not using campsites mean that this guide will soon pay for itself. It will also save a lot of time (and fuel) spent hunting for desirable but elusive stopover locations.
The wide coverage of Camperstop means that if you only buy one motorhome stopover guide, it should probably be this one.
Camperstop Europe 2016 is widely available to buy: on the high street, I’m told stockists include Waterstones, Blackwell and map specialists Stanfords. Online, stockists include Amazon, www.dash4it.co.uk and www.mapsworldwide.com.
Book details:
Title: Camperstop Europe 2016
Publisher: Facile Media
UK Price: £24.95
ISBN: 978-90-76080-44-4