Wildcamping....still dont get it (1 Viewer)

[vwalan]

wake up happy hippy read the post again. i was joking ,.been wild camping all my life started in the 50,s as a child . all over europe even before cliff in summer holiday. had a few xmas,s in italy . too cold. could be the only three vans around then. we used to only see half a dozen on the whole trip.
best not wild camp in wales full of hippies .ha ha . cheers alan.

 

[johnbwhitehead]

snowdon

last week when we pulled onto the car park oposite the station for the railway up snowdon £6.00 all day we were asked if we wanted to stay over night.
we payed the £6.00 all day plus 0.50p to stay all night. nice and later in the evening were joined by one other. had a great day up snowdon and short walk into the town for a good evening meal.

 

[JJ]

Some Wild Camping spots I have experienced this year...

JJ

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[derekfaeberwick]

Lochcarron.

A890 Stromeferry to Strathcarron and the carpark is on your left at Ardnarff. It's a known viewing point used by many tourist coaches so can get busy during the day, but early evening all is very peaceful and quiet. On both occasions I stayed there I was the only person 'on site'.

Of course,oh:I used to rent a cottage 1/2 a mile down the loch from Strome Ferry, no ferry.

 

[Elvis]

We have never stayed on a site so we have saved a few £'s, stayed in some fab places. The best thing is convenience, you can park up in a town centre for example as we have but check out the fab view we woke up to in the Cheddar Gorge (it was 3am and pitch black when we arrived) :thumb: :

Link Removed

 

[ips]

This photograph was taken from a layby in Scotland i've overnighted at twice now.
There may be the odd few pay sites in similar scenic locations to this.....but I got this for free.

Yes a very nice picture, I know of many many "viewing points" like that but it is a car park and I dont really want to spend my jollies on a lay by or car park. Maybe its because I generally have to park on one during the working week (I do 35K miles per year) to have me sarnies. Each to there own I accept that but we would prefer to spend a couple or 20 quid on a site at least I feel like I went somewere instead of having just "gone out for a drive" and we can go for a walk without the fear of the van being vandalised, wouldnt dream of leaving it on a layby.
Incidentally I dont understand this mentality of saving money on sites, expensive it is not............you want to try boating if you want to know what expensive running costs are. :thumb:

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[Wildman]

Incidentally I dont understand this mentality of saving money on sites, expensive it is not............you want to try boating if you want to know what expensive running costs are. :thumb:

hey you know what we don't all have sufficient income to pay for sites, but still like to get away. What is there about that you fail to understand. Or do you suggest those who have to ask cannot afford it? Why be on a site anyway surounded by screaming kids, yapping dogs, blaring Radios, foul mouthed yobs, expencive shops, and the "Blue loo" smell on a hot day. I'd much rather put more "miles" in my tank and actually tour instead of site sitting.

 

[6pm Cowboy]

Keep cool Wildman

Like VWAlan says, the more that use sites, the more space there is for the rest of us (you )

 

[Wildman]

Keep cool Wildman

Like VWAlan says, the more that use sites, the more space there is for the rest of us (you )

bugger I forgot that.

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[ips]

Oh come on wildman you own an A class and try and tell me you cant afford less than a tenner a night on a CL are you one of those people who think there skint when there down to there last 100K per chance.

edit
And having read your profile you own a smallholding as well .............

 

[Happy Hippy]

It's not about whether I can afford it or not - I would never stay on a paying site no matter how cheap, nice or friendly a place, I do not pay to park anywhere as a matter of principle, a principle I adhere to rigidly even if I inconvenience myself by so doing. If by some miracle I won millions on the lottery tomorrow I would still refuse to pay to park. I don't think of this as "saving money", I think of it as "not wasting money."

 

[Wildman]

Oh come on wildman you own an A class and try and tell me you cant afford less than a tenner a night on a CL are you one of those people who think there skint when there down to there last 100K per chance.

edit
And having read your profile you own a smallholding as well .............

Oh what assumptions people with money make, nuff said.

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[scotjimland]

So, the truth is out , it's all about cost .. and or the principal of not paying for parking, water and black dumping .. ?

It's refreshing to see so much honesty from the wild campers..

What I don't get is why people expect, or think they have the right to stay on someone else's land, be it private or council, and not contribute to it's upkeep.

Only a week or so ago a member complained about being ASKED to pay £10 a night for a little piece of heaven on a Scottish island..

Vans arrive from the mainland stuffed full of food and drink, don't want to pay for a site and contrary to what many profess, spend little in the local shops.. mmmmm well, maybe one day they won't ask and just refuse to have MHs on THIER Island .. why should they ?

 

[Wildman]

No Jim not all about cost, as I said earlier when I gave my reasons for not liking sites, even if I could afford sites I would not use them, prefering to be away from other people. As for not paying for water and black waste dumping, don't get me started on theat one. Here in the Southwest we have the highest water rates in the entire country because we pay for the thousands of holidaymakers who visit the area. Do you expect me to pay for them, and then pay again when I visit another area, get real mate.

 

[vwalan]

we can be honest .its like going away in the winter. i take things thats cheap here expensive abroad. buy things along the way that are more expensive where ever we are going . spend as little as i can where ever we stop. try not to pay for parking camping tolls etc .dont use restaurants if possible buy as little as possible .unless its cheaper than on the way back through where ever. then stock up with anything we think is expensive in uk .like fuel wine gas . also buy clothes in morocco as they make lots for m+s there and can be very cheap one pound for a t,shirt .fruit of the loom make. its called being tight mean or sensible .depends how you want to think. its not what you earn but how you spend it. also if you think things are a rip off dont buy them. there usually is an alternative .but cheap can be dear. expensive can be rubbish as well.
cheers alan.

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[neilmac]

we can be honest .its like going away in the winter. i take things thats cheap here expensive abroad. buy things along the way that are more expensive where ever we are going . spend as little as i can where ever we stop. try not to pay for parking camping tolls etc .dont use restaurants if possible buy as little as possible .unless its cheaper than on the way back through where ever. then stock up with anything we think is expensive in uk .like fuel wine gas . also buy clothes in morocco as they make lots for m+s there and can be very cheap one pound for a t,shirt .fruit of the loom make. its called being tight mean or sensible .depends how you want to think. its not what you earn but how you spend it. also if you think things are a rip off dont buy them. there usually is an alternative .but cheap can be dear. expensive can be rubbish as well.
cheers alan.

I think what you're saying makes perfect sense, we always travel within a tight budget - doesn't spoil the experience. I would draw the line at point-blank refusal to pay parking ANYWHERE though, seems to be a bit ott.

Good thing is motorhoming is an activity that each individual can do their own way - horses for courses and all that

 

[vwalan]

i did say try not to. do the same here as well .can travel the length and breadth of uk and not pay. but not always quite where you want to be. its horses and courses. sometimes its just easier to pay . be nice to go away and only spend on fuel. we save up dried and tinned food etc all summer ready for off. sometimes things are so cheap where ever you are you just have to buy them .
last year just before we left our local farm store had chedder cheese at 2quid a kilo .took lots away and still on the last packet .hope they have some more soon.

 

[6pm Cowboy]

edit
And having read your profile you own a smallholding as well .............

From my experience smallholding is spelt
s-m-a-l-l-h-o-l-d-i-n-g
not
g-o-l-d-m-i-n-e

and if he has brought an A class he probably is skint now

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[scotjimland]

Good thing is motorhoming is an activity that each individual can do their own way - horses for courses and all that

I agree Neil, but therein lies the problem, some think they can do as they please no matter who they upset or annoy or what mess they leave behind and by doing so bring the whole hobby into disrepute .. and those motorhomers who respect the countryside and use proper facilities get tarred with the same brush.. and that is what it's coming to, local people see a MH and think 'problem' and are on the phone complaining.. meanwhile the CL just up the road is empty and the owners wondering why they should stay open..

True wild camping is totally different from what many call wild camping .. let's be honest, most are only talking about free parking at a sea front or car park.. and refuse to pay for a site no matter how cheap or quiet it is..

How many new posts are titled.
' Where can I wild camp in (any popular sea side town) ' ..

 

[neilmac]

I agree Neil, but therein lies the problem, some think they can do as they please no matter who they upset or annoy or what mess they leave behind and by doing so bring the whole hobby into disrepute .. and those motorhomers who respect the countryside and use proper facilities get tarred with the same brush.. and that is what it's coming to, local people see a MH and think 'problem' and are on the phone complaining.. meanwhile the CL just up the road is empty and the owners wondering why they should stay open..

True wild camping is totally different from what many call wild camping .. let's be honest, most are only talking about free parking at a sea front or car park.. and refuse to pay for a site no matter how cheap or quiet it is..

How many new posts are titled.
' Where can I wild camp in (any popular sea side town) ' ..

Yes Jim you're right, I can't see who can argue.

I should have added 'responsibly' to my comment

 

[vwalan]

stealth is the answer .dont look too much like a camper ,dont look like you are even camping .leave nothing .try to not even leave footprints in the sand. its hard to be right on the sea or lake or other beauty spot,its easier to move back be there but not look like you are. the worst is putting out awnings chairs tables bikes every where .thoughtfull parking can win most times .sometimes its possible to park in places sometimes not . but you cant stay for ever .find a place during the day go there in early evening leave in the morning find a new place and so on.speak to the locals you can make many friends that way and get shown the best places to stay for next year.

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[Bulletguy]

Yes a very nice picture, I know of many many "viewing points" like that but it is a car park and I dont really want to spend my jollies on a lay by or car park.

Incidentally I dont understand this mentality of saving money on sites, expensive it is not............you want to try boating if you want to know what expensive running costs are. :thumb:

There are few pay sites which come with a view like that, car park or not! Yes it's only a place one would 'overnight' and when I first stopped off there it was all fully legit....a Forest Ranger guy was parked up so I asked him if it would be ok. No problem he replied.

I've wildcamped in some pretty obscure and remote places. Probably the most remote was on a rough layby in the depths of Parczew forest, situated on the far east side of Poland by the Ukraine border. It's pretty desolate to say the least.

Wildcamping isn't only about cost....it's a totally different experience which you won't get from any pay sites wherever you are in the world.

 

[Bulletguy]

Of course,oh:I used to rent a cottage 1/2 a mile down the loch from Strome Ferry, no ferry.

The mind boggles at what some properties around that area must cost!

 

[Happy Hippy]

So, the truth is out , it's all about cost .. and or the principal of not paying for parking, water and black dumping .. ?

It's refreshing to see so much honesty from the wild campers..

What I don't get is why people expect, or think they have the right to stay on someone else's land, be it private or council, and not contribute to it's upkeep.

Only a week or so ago a member complained about being ASKED to pay £10 a night for a little piece of heaven on a Scottish island..

Vans arrive from the mainland stuffed full of food and drink, don't want to pay for a site and contrary to what many profess, spend little in the local shops.. mmmmm well, maybe one day they won't ask and just refuse to have MHs on THIER Island .. why should they ?

Upkeep? Makes it sound like I'm parking on someone's neatly trimmed lawn. The places I park on are not kept up, they are generally places left to nature, wild, overgrown verges, , unsurfaced car parks, wasteland, in the economic sense, yet often still a treasure of buzzing wildlife. The less upkept the better In any case, most roadside parkups technically belong to the highways agency, and I DO contribute to that with road tax!

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[adenough]

Doooh. No such thing as road tax. Roads are paid for out of general taxation.

 

[JJ]

stealth is the answer .dont look too much like a camper ,dont look like you are even camping .leave nothing .try to not even leave footprints in the sand. its hard to be right on the sea or lake or other beauty spot,its easier to move back be there but not look like you are. the worst is putting out awnings chairs tables bikes every where .thoughtfull parking can win most times .sometimes its possible to park in places sometimes not . but you cant stay for ever .find a place during the day go there in early evening leave in the morning find a new place and so on.speak to the locals you can make many friends that way and get shown the best places to stay for next year.

IMHO this is a post written by someone who has done it and being doing it for years. It sees to me he knows what he is talking about.

Motorhomers can be put into lots of smaller sub groups... including campsite always, campsite mostly, campsite never etc.

"Wild" campers split into sub groups too. Those who pull up along with loads of other camper vans in some foreign beauty spot, put up the Oyster and tune in to UK TV. and keep themselves to themselves or mix only with fellow countrymen (and women). Fair play to them if that's what they want.

Others go to quieter spots with fewer (or sometimes no) other vans, spend time and money in the local restaurants, bars, shops, libraries etc. mix and make friends with the local people and are welcomed back each time they re-visit for economic and social reasons.

I have "wild" camped for over thirty years in the UK and abroad (the last 20 years full timing.) I don't dump black water anywhere I shouldn't. I don't annoy the locals by putting out tables and chairs in inappropriate places. No place I have stayed has ever been worse in terms of mess, rubbish etc than when I arrived and often has had litter cleared up by me and is thus in better shape and I get really, really, really annoyed by the few people who equate "Wild" campers with free loading, blackwater dumping, locals annoying riff raff.

So there!

JJ :shout: :Angry:

IMHO many people assume attitudes in these matters from reading or hearing the views of others rather than forming them from their own experiences...

 

[lebesset]

interesting to read the spectrum of views on the subject , what a good job we have different views !
personally I never use a camp site , If I want to stay somewhere for a while when down south for the winter I rent a villa or an apartment , but normally I prefer to keep moving
we have seriously considered giving up and just buying an apartment , but that would tie us to one place , and then we would prefer to be at home

I can't speak for anyone else , but personally I hate to get ripped off , takes all the pleasure away ..I see far to many things associated with this hobby of ours which , imho , are rip offs , especially in the uk
each to their own choice

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[scotjimland]

I get really, really, really annoyed by the few people who equate "Wild" campers with free loading, blackwater dumping, locals annoying riff raff.

So there!

JJ :shout: :Angry:

.

So do I JJ.... but unfortunately the general public lump all vanners together .. whether they wild camp or not..

You, Alan and Happy Hippy are good examples of what real wild camping is all about, but sadly there are many others who don't do as you do and get it a bad name..

You mentioned the type who congregate at beauty spots and stay for the winter.. particularly along the Med coast, IMO they are not wild campers ..

It is a very emotive topic .. I have never been against the truly wild camper, it's the people who park up, cause a nuisance and leave a mess that get me wound up, as I said before they give us all a bad name..

 

[ips]

I'm begining to wish I had never started this topic seems to have opened a can of worms.

 

[TDH]

I'm begining to wish I had never started this topic seems to have opened a can of worms.

"...don't get it...."

Well, if you don't, you don't - but its obvious from the replies that lots do.

For myself, I'm with JJ and similar posters (what I had in mind to post would have been almost word-for-word with JJ).

I can't bear the thought of being surrounded by people (even other motorhomers I'm afraid) and for me The Rosabella is the logical move from REAL wild camping (ie with a small tent and with everything I need on my back), connecting with wherever I am, trying to BE a part of the surroundings (a bit more difficult with a white van than a green tent!).

I wouldn't dream of pitching up on a carpark - not because I'm tight, or skint, but because I usually don't go places in The Rosabella looking for an expedient way of spending the night in order that I can have a nice day - it's the whole experience for me. (I suppose an exception may be if I'm waiting for a ferry or somesuch). I've had the odd night on town Aires and not really enjoyed them.

But - and this kind of debate is really useful to remind us of the fact - each to their own, and IPS, if you 'don't get it' it doesn't matter - you don't have to.:thumb:

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