advise on wild camping please.

tetleys · 21-12-2007, 11:55 PM

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.

Jim · 22-12-2007, 08:33 AM

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.

justme AKA Grath · 22-12-2007, 09:01 AM

I am sure that Jim won't mind this post especially as we on the Wildcamping forum publicised the Motorhome Fun forum , but for anyone interested in Wildcamping, please look at www.wildcamping.co.uk

Jim · 22-12-2007, 09:56 AM

Why would Jim mind?, Wildcamping is a great site

justme AKA Grath · 22-12-2007, 10:00 AM

I know that some forums are a little touchy about other forums mentioned on their own site.
Thanks

Jim · 22-12-2007, 10:09 AM

Blatant spamming is of course not on, but pointing a member to a source of good info as you did is of course OK.

But that said, we are pretty relaxed here, most people have a tabbed browser and can have many sites open at once. There are plenty of other motorhome forums and hiding them from your membership is pretty cynical. a google search for motorhome forum will lead you tall all of them in a second.

olley · 22-12-2007, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim

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.

Stayed in a Haven site a few years ago in our Euro m/h, after the bar closed their was a big fight a couple of m/h's down, window smashed and a tent flattened. We peeked out of the curtains watching it, entertaining for me, scary for the wife.

Olley

artona · 22-12-2007, 10:30 AM

HI

One of my favourite blogs is by an american called George. If you google Miss Tioga it will come up. Miss Tioga is the name of his RV.

George wildcamps all over the states. I envy the freedom he has. One thing that I noticed in your opening post that he would disagree with is "setting off at nighfall to find a night camp". George likes to find his night camp during the day time so he can see how safe it is.

He has also blogged that if there are nearby houses he will introduce himself and ask permission. Maybe he does not need to be but what a nice thing to do. He is yet to blog that permission has been turned down.

I have "wildcamped" often.

stew

justme AKA Grath · 22-12-2007, 10:45 AM

HI all,
There is wild camping and wild camping

if you know what I mean.
Wild by a lake/ river/ up a mountain, in the middle of no where or semi wild in a car park, aire, or just along the road from civilization.
My personal hates are lay by's and industrial estates, both only for emergencies!

It all is a question of degree!
Just make sure that you feel safe and not causing a nuisance to anyone else.
Just enjoy and leave the location just as you found it

ScotJimland · 22-12-2007, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justme

HI all,
There is wild camping and wild camping

if you know what I mean.

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.