Free Camping

[RogerD]

Out and about, especially in the summer by the seaside, I often see lots of people just camping, on the side of the road or beach. I really fancy some of this but is it legal? Do the police wake you up and move you on. Does everyone here use campsites all the time?

 

[Munchie]

We often see motorhomes camped overnight on the "Stray" a grassed area between Redcar and Marske on the North East Coast about 20 miles North of Whitby. As we lived in Redcar for some years, knowing the area and having seen the vandalism caused by drunken scroats walking between the two towns in the early hours, we certainly wouldn't camp there. I've often wondered when you see an "ideal" spot when we are in a strange area is it really as "ideal" as it looks?

 

[justme AKA Grath]

Out and about, especially in the summer by the seaside, I often see lots of people just camping, on the side of the road or beach. I really fancy some of this but is it legal? Do the police wake you up and move you on. Does everyone here use campsites all the time?

Hi Roger.
We both wild camp and use campsites, but we are very careful where we wild.
Not as easy as it seems, but it is quite possible.
The biggest worry is the yob element.
Sometimes we use car parks but only nice ones by a river. Lookout for the boy racers and if you see any do not stay!
There are some nice ones such as the station car park at Betwys e Coed. This is just like a French Aire.

 

[Road Runner]

i love the idea but probably wouldn't

 

[justme AKA Grath]

Hi Roger.
We both wild camp and use campsites, but we are very careful where we wild.
Not as easy as it seems, but it is quite possible.
The biggest worry is the yob element.
Sometimes we use car parks but only nice ones by a river. Lookout for the boy racers and if you see any do not stay!
There are some nice ones such as the station car park at Betwys e Coed. This is just like a French Aire.

Further to the above.
Wild camping or using Aires in France is the norm, it is just a lot harder in the UK.

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[justme AKA Grath]

Out and about, especially in the summer by the seaside, I often see lots of people just camping, on the side of the road or beach. I really fancy some of this but is it legal? Do the police wake you up and move you on. Does everyone here use campsites all the time?

Roger D,
you could check out the Wildcamping website as lots of free camping areas mentioned on that site.
but please do not desert this friendly site,
hope this helps

 

[sammclouis]

wildcamperess....

i am a regular wildcamper...much prefer the freedom but occasionally i use campsites...never had a problem yet with wilding it..but i chosse wisely..& thats also not to say that nothing ever will happen but just be aware of your surroundings...samm

 

[johnsandywhite]

:Cool: I have, still do and will continue to do so. Have occasionally been moved on from regular spots in Spain. We just go to another.

 

[Jim]

Wildcamping Security

Wildcamping is fine, a few security tips to use are..

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!

Don't put screens on the outside of windows, these will impede your ability to drive away.

Try to be as inconspicuous as possible, difficult in a 25 yard long bright wihte 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.

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 if an incident ocurrs.

Wild camping is fun, and is nothing to be scared of, some sites are less secure that some wildcamping places. Just apply a little common sense, be aware of your surroundings and have fun.

 

[justme AKA Grath]

Wilding

We, along with Sammclouis will be wilding it this coming bank holiday weekend.
Still dont know where we are going though?
Maybe Wales, maybe Scotland, or maybe Cumbria?????????????

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[scotjimland]

Wildcamping is fine, a few security tips to use are..

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!

Don't put screens on the outside of windows, these will impede your ability to drive away.

Try to be as inconspicuous as possible, difficult in a 25 yard long bright wihte 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.

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 if an incident ocurrs.

Wild camping is fun, and is nothing to be scared of, some sites are less secure that some wildcamping places. Just apply a little common sense, be aware of your surroundings and have fun.

Good security advice from Jimjam, however, I disagree about nothing to be scared of.

There is a yob element in the UK that go out of their way to disturb and frighten free campers. I said 'free' deliberately, there are very few wild spots in the UK and fewer still that are legal.Parking free in a car park or promenade can hardly be called wild unless you count the local yobs who are wild.

I do speak from experience, at one time we did a lot of free camping around the Norfolk/Suffolk coast until one encounter with the local scrotes put me off for life.

We were camping with a few other vans on the beach breakwater near Aldeburgh.
Around 2am we were awakened by an awful banging on the van window. I went out to investigate and saw three or four youths jump into a car and drive off, on investigation I found our lounge widow was cracked.

Many idyllic spots in daytime become the haunt of less desirables at night, look out for rubbish, beer cans, condoms etc, if you see any don't stay after dark.
It's often said that there is safety in numbers, rubbish I say, many break ins and attacks happen in busy places. Far better to look for a secluded farm CL than spend a sleepless night worrying.

We do however use aires almost exclusively in France and never felt scared or intimidated but never Autoroute aires and have wild camped in Morocco, probably the safest and best motorhoming country I've visited.

If there were truly wild camping places in the UK, far from the maddening crowd, I would use them, but with an RV I doubt I will ever find any, this is where the van conversion comes into it's own.. I often wish I could shrink George by about 20ft

Safe travels..

Jim

 

[Jim]

An unfortunate incident Jim and after an incident like that it must be so hard to relax when wild camping that its hardly worth it. We do enjoy wild camping and the extra buzz of it being free and wild makes it that much more exciting and enjoyable, but.... being "Mr Security" and camping with young children makes me look long and hard at any wild camping spot and if I have any doubts at all then we do not stop. Having a dog with us helps and he is a good nightime early warning system, But to be wild camping and be woken by the dog barking and snarling scares me more that any intruder But the best advice I can give is trust your instincts, and be prepared to follow them. I´ll be honest, when we wild camp I do not sleep very well, but its a small price to pay for some lovely camping.

 

[Road Runner]

I have a Great Dane and we were still robbed on a service area on the Autopista 7 in Spain.

10 other units done to including Spanish lorry driver.

Tell me how dunno?

 

[Jim]

I have a Great Dane and we were still robbed on a service area on the Autopista 7 in Spain.

10 other units done to including Spanish lorry driver.

Tell me how dunno?

Had you and the dogs been drinking the duty free?

 

[sammclouis]

i just love wildcamping,i do occasionally go on sites...but you cant fart after 11am without getting a warning from the other campers or site owner..ha ha hey im only joking of course..i never fart ask my hubby!!
anyhow seriously i find site rules a bit of a bore & feel restricted sometimes,i just prefer wilding it..fortunately i have never had any probs like i said before but if something did ever happen well then i may think differently & may never wild it again...i just hope and pray i will be lucky & will always be safe..we have a dog but once asleep like my hubby well a bomb could go off & they both would still be snoring heavily!!like jimjam says...alway use common sense,park where you can drive straight out,no blinds on the outside,and have your keys handy!!! try to go to bed in your jimjams (not you jimjam) as no good driving off in the nuddie...cold or what ha ha!!
iv found some great wildsites where you can sit outside have a bbq,even a fire and the beach 2 paces away...perfect!!!..happy camping however you do it..sammx

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[Road Runner]

Had you and the dogs been drinking the duty free?

Nah off duty at the time

 

[vanessa]

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 if an incident ocurrs.

Another good point here would be, to make sure one driver has not drunk so much as to be over the drink-drive limit! If you might need to make a hasty getaway, it's no good if you're both too tiddled to drive legally.

 

[Adria 5]

hi When touring somerset last year i went up porlock hill [ thats a drama itself]
but when i got to the top there was a clearing come car park overlooking the bay where views where stunning:Cool: some motorhomes and overnighted there, not my cup off tea, but each to your own

ray

 

[RogerD]

Thanks for all your advice

But all that mention of alcohol makes me wonder about drink driving. I know people have been prosecuted that have been over the limit but asleep in their vehicle and charged with "drunk in charge" which carries the same ban as drunk driving.

Do motorhomers have some sort of dispensation here, can we be over the limit in a public place in our vehicles?

 

[scotjimland]

Do motorhomers have some sort of dispensation here, can we be over the limit in a public place in our vehicles?

The simple answer is NO, there is no dispensation, however, it would be a very pedantic cop who would book you if you were in bed with the jim jams on and the keys out of the ignition. Personally I would advise against it, especially if there was any chance of being asked to move on or had to leave in a hurry.

Jim

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[hillwalker]

we allways wild camp,u've just got to check were u park for the nite,if there any sign of neds dont park up as it will get worse at nite,if u see another camper it's safe to camp. as it's better safety in numbers.just be carefull were u park.enjoy

 

[pappajohn]

we allways wild camp,u've just got to check were u park for the nite,if there any sign of neds dont park up as it will get worse at nite,if u see another camper it's safe to camp. as it's better safety in numbers.just be carefull were u park.enjoy

hi hilly, good to see you on this 'channel'

john.