It was the week between Christmas and New Year and as a family with two children, Anna aged 15 and Tom 11, we wanted to do something for New Year rather than sit at home and watch the fireworks at midnight on New Year's Eve, on the TV.

'Well if we're going to go somewhere' I said, 'it has to be Scotland, that's where New Year, Hogmanay, is really celebrated' and that's where the seed of an idea began to grow. Let's hire a motorhome and go in search of a New Year's adventure!

Time was short but as thebestof bury members with our own business Authorized Access, we were aware that another thebestof bury company, The Academy Group, had a number of motorhomes they hired out, I had seen one of their vans at a recent thebestof bury exhibition and so we went in search of their number.

It was already Wednesday, the day after Boxing day but when I contacted Freedhome, the part of the Academy Group that dealt with the motorhomes, I was told that they did still have a couple of vehicles available for the New Year's weekend and I was invited to go down and have a look round, to see what was available. 

I had never set foot in a motorhome before but had to admit, the level of luxury, accommodation and space was unbelievable and although I was alone at the time I felt confident to make the decision there and then, I made the booking, we were going to get our New Year's adventure!

I arranged to pick up the vehicle late on Thursday so we could set off very early Friday and head for Aviemore, Scotland, if we couldn't find snow and a Hogmanay experience up there then we wouldn't find it anywhere. 

The staff at Freedhome were extremely accommodating and eager to give us the best possible experience, with a thorough demonstration of the Tribute 725's facilities and capabilities we were sent on our way with a cheery smile and a couple of mobile phone numbers should we need any assistance on our journey. I must say Jason, Martin and Ian really went out of their way to make us feel special and well equipped to manage our holiday.

The camper van with its 2 fixed double beds and saloon double made-up bed gave us ample sleeping space and with the reversible front seats and side bench gave plenty of seating to relax at other times. The van was easy to drive, as long as you remembered the extra length and height and we comfortably arrived at our lovely pre-booked campsite before dark and a large helping of snow!

Connected up to the sites mains electricity, Sky box and with access to fresh water and a handily situated toilet and shower block with under floor heating and piped music, we had arrived and were very comfortable.

By Saturday night (New Year's Eve) we had got the bug, having driven to Loch Ness earlier in the day and parked next to the Loch eating Mussels in white wine sauce with chunks of fresh warm bread and a suitable glass of something to wash it down (non-alcoholic for the driver of course!), what could be better, 'motorhoming' was our new found pleasure and now it was only a 10 minute walk to the centre of Grantown-On-Spey where the main street had been closed off and a Ceilidh Band shipped in on the back of a tractor to provide music for the festivities between 11pm and 1am, when around 3000 people enjoyed Scottish dancing and mulled wine in a very relaxed but exiting atmosphere.

Driving up to Cairngorm mountain on New Year's Day we found more snow and didn't want the experience to end. After texting the owner of Freedhome to ask about extending our break we were pleasantly surprised to hear that for a small additional cost we could stay on another day.

On the Monday we drove across The Great Glen in yet more snow, heading for Fort William and Glen Coe, finally stopping again at the head of Loch Lomond at a camp site attached to a hotel and enjoyed our last night in our mobile home. We prepared another meal and enjoyed a bottle of wine, played cards and charades as we had done most nights and reflected on our weekend's adventure. 

We figured that if we could do this for the first time in wind, snow, rain and more snow, living, traveling and sleeping in the confines of the motorhome and still all be talking to one another, then maybe it was just what we might be looking for in a holiday.

We woke the next morning to 100 MPH winds and horizontal rain. Our journey home took eight hours, often at a very slow pace, dodging fallen trees and overturned lorries but we didn't care, we had our on-board, kettle, cooker and store of food, so when we pulled over  for a break we had all we needed, right there on-board.

In summary, we took a gamble, never having hired a motorhome before, not knowing where we were going or what to expect but my wife and I and both children haven't stopped talking about our New Year's adventure and telling everyone all about it. 

We can thoroughly recommend this type of holiday to any family and the assistance, advice and friendliness shown to us by the staff at Freedhome in Bury was second to none.  Well done and thank you to Jason and his team.