advise on wild camping please. - Page 2

justme AKA Grath · 22-12-2007, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScotJimland

I know exactly where you're coming from , IMO .. The term wild camping should only be used when the location is truly wild, 'camping' in a car park, promenade, lay-by etc is simply 'free camping' ( some say 'free loading' )

Wild camping spots are few and far between in the UK and no matter where it is someone owns it and that 'someone' may come along and move you on.

Hi, I don't think it is free loading if you stay on a car park or even a promenade as long as you pay your way and do not try to avoid paying..

I for one would rather pay a little more than a little less, particularly if I am enjoying the parking facility!.
I do not condone the sort that turn up late and go early, just to avoid any payment

ScotJimland · 22-12-2007, 11:51 AM

Hi Graham

I did say "some" call it free loading .. but it has become a huge problem on the Spanish costa resorts with vans parked up for weeks at a time.. these are the real freeloaders who get us all a bad name.. the same problem exists on the Moroccan Atlantic coast where traditionally free camping was tolerated, now the authorities have clamped down and move vans on..
Motorhomes are becoming more and more popular and with site prices rising steeply combined with a lack of official stopovers .. it's a recipe for confrontation.

artona · 22-12-2007, 12:10 PM

Hi

I think that is a different story Jim. Wildcamping for me is about moving on, discovering things/areas new to you, stopping overnight and then moving on again. parking up for long periods is taking residence and those people are spoiling it for the rest of us.

I saw that in France on the Aires where you had people who looked as though they had been there for ages.

stew

ScotJimland · 22-12-2007, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by artona

Hi

I think that is a different story Jim. Wildcamping for me is about moving on, discovering things/areas new to you, stopping overnight and then moving on again. parking up for long periods is taking residence and those people are spoiling it for the rest of us.

I saw that in France on the Aires where you had people who looked as though they had been there for ages.

stew

Indeed it is Stew, free camping with due consideration to others does no harm, I'm not against this, but too many are outstaying their welcome and antagonising the locals and the authorities.

Re Aires, there is no time limit, we have stayed up to two weeks or longer on deserted aires during low season, however, if an aire is packed out it's only fair to others to move on.

tetleys · 22-12-2007, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim

Its not against the law for you to sleep in a public place in your motorhome. However some local laws can prohibit this, and signs will be placed informing you, so look out for them. There are plenty of plebs among the motorhoming community and they break simple rules, like staying for too long and producing noise and mess. This is why more and more of these "camping prohibited" signs are appearing. The key to successful wild camping is to keep as low a profile as possible, if the Police swing by and see your "camp" with deck chairs and awning outside complete with a black sack off rubbish then they are probably going to bang on your door and ask you to move on.

Security is a concern of many who wild camp and it should certainly be high on your priorities when looking for somewhere to spend the night. a few security tips to use when wildcamping are..

1. Look at the area, does it feel right? Is the place littered with rubbish, used condoms, skid marks, this might indicate that idiots use the place at night.

2. Dont be a Nosey Parker!! always park in such a way that you can drive away, nose out, without having to do a 7 point turn!

3. Don't put screens (sliver screens insulation) on the outside of windows, these will impede your ability to drive away. Driving away is the very best defence for many security situations.

4. Try to be as inconspicuous as possible, difficult in a 25 foot long bright white motorhome, I agree. But do not put awnings and deckchairs out and light a camp fire, unless you are certain your actions are not going to attract attention from undesirables.

5. Make sure when you turn in that everything is stowed, doors are locked and you are not too drunk so as you won't wake and be able to drive away if an incident occurs.

Wild camping is fun, and is nothing to be scared of, some caravan sites are less secure that some wild-camping places especially those with a bar on site!. Just apply a little common sense, be aware of your surroundings and have fun.

thank you so very much for your advice, so to get this perfectly right...........other than the safety issues, the worst the police could do would be to ask me to move on? and i wouldnt get fined etc? what if i moved on a mile or so down the road and they came knocking on the door again?

artona · 22-12-2007, 03:52 PM

Unless you were proving a hazard or if maybe you had parked up in an area that had been recently plagued with motorhomes I do not think you would get the police moving you on.

If they did call I would ask their advice on where you could park. I would expect their answer to be something along the lines of stay here tonight but be off as early as you can.

It really is just a case of common sense rules. When you are looking at a potential place look at the nearby houses and imagine you lived there and would the motorhome bother you.

On saying that the caravan club and camping and caravan club have many campsites that are still very wild and only charge £3 a night so if you are unsure you might be better off looking in their books and going for one of those. They will not have hardstanding or electric or toilet/shower block and they are hardly used because of that.

tetleys · 23-12-2007, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by artona

Unless you were proving a hazard or if maybe you had parked up in an area that had been recently plagued with motorhomes I do not think you would get the police moving you on.

If they did call I would ask their advice on where you could park. I would expect their answer to be something along the lines of stay here tonight but be off as early as you can.

It really is just a case of common sense rules. When you are looking at a potential place look at the nearby houses and imagine you lived there and would the motorhome bother you.

On saying that the caravan club and camping and caravan club have many campsites that are still very wild and only charge £3 a night so if you are unsure you might be better off looking in their books and going for one of those. They will not have hardstanding or electric or toilet/shower block and they are hardly used because of that.

thank you all so vey much for your advise, it has cheered me up no end, i had got it in my head that i could not park anywhere, and had to park at a camp site only and was having second thourghts about getting a motorhome because of this .

myshell · 31-01-2008, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tetleys

hi all,
i am very new to motorcaravanning and would appreciate some advise please.

Having really wanting to do this for quite a long time.......iam in the process of finding and purchasing my first motorhome, idealy looking for a older type mercedes based autotrail.

i can imagine that the beauty of owning a motorhome to me would be that you have the freedom to go where ever and when ever you like with out the need to book and stay at proper sites if you didnt want to.

my plan is to have weekends/over nights away without the need of stopping at a site, and plan to park up some where discreet to park up and sleep.

Iam aware that other european countries are quite tolerant to this but ive been told that the uk is not, what i need to know is, .............for example......." i parked up next to a lake/woods in the day time and spent a relaxing day in and out the motorhome,and then left at night fall because it was too remote /isolated to sleep there, and then parked up somewhere that was a little bit more populated " what would be the consequences ? would the police knock on the van door and ask why am i parked up on a street instead of a campsite?Even though iam not making noise etc? and if so would it be a case of them telling me to move off? or would i be fined etc?Also, what if i just fancied pulling up and parking at the side of a road and having a nap in the day time or just stop and enjoy the view, would i also be moved on etc?

Or is it a case of trying to be descreet as possible, do not distrurb others, and do not park where there are notices stating no motor caravans, and do not sleep over night in the same place twice?????????

Your advise would be much appreciated as i really want to buy a motorhome, but i do not always want to stay at a camp site either, and i dont want to do something that could lead me getting fined are getting in trouble with the law.

thanks and happy christmas.

If the law do come knocking on you door, be polite with them, possibly even offer them a cup of tea ( Tetleys of course) explain you have been driving for a long time and felt too tired to continue driving safely so you have just stopped for a couple of hours rest, and then if they insist, just move quietly along. This has always worked for me, I have even had a young police woman knocking on the door late at night asking if she could use the toilet as her male colleagues were taking the Micky out of her because she was bursting for a pee.

Marrwyck · 16-02-2008, 03:55 PM

Hi everyone,

Reading through this post & getting the general jist of what people have said, this is my view:

We have just purchased our 1st motorhome with the intentions of touring the UK, including the whole of Ireland & clearing off to Spain when the weather gets a bit damp here.

As an HGV Class 1 driver I have seen most of the UK, but my missus hasn't.
So by the end of March - mid April we should be all set & ready to clear off for a trip that could last anything from 1 year to 2 years.

We intend to just go where we fancy & if we like the look of the place we'll stay there for however long we wish then simply move on.

We intend do do as much "wildcamping" as possible.
We have a Kippor 3000w digital generator & are just deciding on what gas system to have fitted. So while were away we can be as self sufficient as possible.

Now to the point of the post:

As a lorry driver I have spent many nights sleeping in my cab either at truckstops, industrial estates, layby's etc etc.
Now I have never ever had any problems & believe that you attract what you send out. That means if your a nuisance, you'll get aggro. If your thoughtful & considerate, you'll get on.
Now as for parking overnight somewhere, many truckstops are well known for having loads robbed, curtains slashed etc. So can be said for some remote locations, fortunately nothing has ever happened to me.
So with my knowledge of looking after yourself (always make sure you can drive off if anything did happen, large metal baseball bat to hand along with piece of scaffolding tube, lol) & with parking where you fancy look at it this way.

If we see somewhere to park up I'll asses the area, then I'll see if I need permission, I'll always ask & be as polite & responsible as possible. I'll always clean up after myself & I'll always be grateful.
When I have been in awkward situations I have even knocked on peoples homes & asked for my flask to be filled with boiling hot water so I could make a drink or if I could use their loo, I have never been refused & have even been invited in to join their family for dinner.

As for being moved on, I have only once been asked by the Police to move my lorry & that was because they thought where I was parked I would be troubled.
I didn't move & I had a peaceful night.

Even though some councils, government authority, private person etc may have the rights to the land there is always an arguable & polite way of not being moved on at that time. Hope you understand the point here.

If you are feeling unwell or unfit to operate a motor vehicle it would be inadvisable for anyone to request you to move. Even a Police officer would be very wary of this as they have to sign a statement or even move the vehicle themselves to a different location, not worth the aggro.

So if you were parked & being wonderfully good etc I feel it would be quite rare to be asked to move on. If you were a nuisance then move on you should & park up overnight in Moss Side (not that I have anything against Moss Side as I have had some great nights out there). Hopefully your following all this, lol,

So in a nutshell I believe that as a person you attract what you send out in the Universe of Life.
As for Parking where you fancy, if you don't do it you'll never know, if you don't ask you'll never get.

Next time your on the road look at all the HGV vehicles, vans etc & see where they park not only to rest, but to get a good nights sleep.
Then consider would you feel safe if you were parked with them.

Anyway I hope you understood the point I made about Parking & I hope I haven't offended anyone in any way.

Best Wishes to you all,

mushroom-eater · 22-11-2008, 10:54 AM

Thanks for the advice at least I wont ask any more questions. I'm kind of new here and I'm learning a lot. May this summer is a good to try.