Wild Camping Near Cambridge

We and our tent friends want to wild camp somewhere near Cambridge for the weekend.

Suggestions welcome please.

The idea is they will tent under our awning so somewhere with grass and safe from the road for the dogs.

 

I think you will be lucky to find anywhere you can wild camp with an awning out.
We normally keep everything to a minimum when we wild.

 

What you are planning is the one thing that is guaranteed to upset the locals and give us all a bad reputation.

Wilding should be just that, nothing outside your van.

 

Unless you have the landowners permission you can't 'wild' with an awning and tent..
not in the UK anyway ..

Find a nice site and enjoy your visit..

 

THATS NOT HOW IT'S DONE I KNOW LODS OF PLACES BUT I AM NOT TELLING YOU GO ON A CAMP SITE IF YOU WANT TO CAMP DONT SCREW IT UP FOR OTHERS oh:

 

Really? Why?

 

For the reasons that Grasscutter, Keith and ScotJimland have already given.

Have you thought of looking for a CL (Caravan Club) or CS (Camping and Caravan Club)?

 

perhaps if you read this excellent guide to wild camping written by 'The Ringleader' it may become apparent.. particularly the 'Unwritten Rules to adhere to'

this one in particular ..

http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/magazine/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-wild-camping-in-your-motorhome/

 

read this
http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/magazine/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-wild-camping-in-your-motorhome/

 

Unfortunately what you are proposing is outside the realms of motorhome wild camping . The idea is to be unobtrusive.
You would not be able to carry out what you propose across the channel on aires.
I think you would be well advised to all book into a campsite together.

 

Staying on a campsite is my idea of hell. I have always wild camped accept once when it was a rally and the rally was the point not motor homing.

I have done it for years and know the rules I work by which by and large are the same as the artical. I never leave a trace that we were there other than tyre tracks.

I know some will disagree and I'm not going to argue my point as we all have different ideas.

I have a boat as well. In 10 years of boating on inland waterways I have very seldom moored on a paid marina accept to store my boat when not using it. Wild mooring has exactly the same "rules". I am well versed in self sufficiency even harvesting river water and processing into potable water 2000l at a time.

The point of this is I don't need a lecture on "your" interpretation of Wild Camping. The tent business is simply to be with our friends for one night that actually like tenting. We have 2 additional berths but they want tent.

So writing in large font red capitals is just plain RUDE and arrogant and seriously pisses me off!

Never have I been so outraged by a reply on MHF. Normally it's polite and balanced. It's my observation that any forum member that has several thousands of posts has little more in their lives than posting in forums looking for an opportunity to force their ill guided opinion on others. It's one stage down form trolling.

:Angry::Angry::Angry:

 

I opened this thread soon after you posted, my immediate thought was 'surely no', I had an image of a Itinerant layby clear as day. MH, awning, tents, windbreaks, dogs running loose

I decided not to reply at the time as I could see nothing to say that was not simply critical of your intentions

Based on the replies received I guess those at least had similar images in their minds, hence their criticism

It is hard to see how you could find anywhere to do what you propose without someone being deeply offended, I am not here to justify the content in the replies, all seemed valid to me, but I think the 'tone' reflected the disbelief in the main

if you do achieve this stopover as described, maybe you could post photos to show how / where you found

 

The way I read it, you know the rules but are quite happy to break them .. the article makes it clear that having anything outside the van is not the way to wild camp..

You will do as you want anyway.. but remember, whatever you do can affect how the public perceive motorhomers in general.. not just you. .. that is why some get upset at your proposal.

Councils up and down the country are being put under pressure by disgruntled residents to ban motorhome parking completely.. more and more height barriers are being erected .. more TROs made, doing as you propose only gives them more ammunition..

I've heard the wild campers argument about campsites being hell .. in my experience that's not the case. Not saying they don't exist.. I wouldn't dream of camping on a big organised site with a club and music till dawn. My idea of hell.

Go to a quiet CL and you have the peace of the country , the space to do as you please, have a barbie.. relax and do it legally.. for as little as £7 per night.. cheaper than 24 hr parking.

Wilding is great in the correct setting.. away from the maddening crowds and far away from towns or villages.. but only if done within the unwritten rules.

 

Picking up from Jim's post above, it is rather ironic that the area of choice is Cambridge.

Cambridge City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council have been very helpful over the years when I have asked for information for the MH Parking web site and, in general, have been sympathetic to our parking needs. Unfortunately they have suffered more than most authorities when it comes to unauthorised camping, especially incursions into the P&R sites, which is why motorhome parking near the city is confined to Trumpington P&R site.

Dealing with unauthorised camping has cost the taxpayers of Cambridge/Cambridgeshire thousands of pounds over the years. As a result, camping of the style proposed in the OP would do nothing but harm to motorhomers in general.

 

That may well be the case but, like all of us, you live in a country where off site camping is regulated more than in some others.

There are still plenty of places where camping off site is legal (so long as it is done in a legal manner) but abusing the regulations is likely to result in individual penalty and/or general further restriction.