Wilding In The UK (1 Viewer)

Cilfan

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The Mrs and I have still to get our first MH, but have done the (highly recommended) "try before you buy" exercise and discovered we love MoHoming - particularly wilding.

This latter factor gives rise to a number of questions, not least of which: How wilding friendly is mainland UK?

Haven driven trucks and vans extensively on the continent I'm well aware that Europe as a whole is far more geared up and accommodating re; overnight parking for commercial traffic than the UK. Likewise - from info on here - for MH's.

Here in North Wales, my newly focused sense of observation has revealed a number of desirable places with "No overnight parking / camping" signs.

We didn't have any undue problems during our trial run in the Western Highlands, but that was a couple of years ago so things may have changed.

Hopefully someone can quell my suspicions that the killjoy brigade are hard at work in the UK.
 

irnbru

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We wild all the time in Scotland. Only been on 2 sites up here in 3 yrs. Just back from a few days at Musselburgh. Outside hot showers, toilets and a fresh water tap, also right next to the beach. Scotland is full of great wilding spots. :)
 

DanielFord

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Hopefully someone can quell my suspicions that the killjoy brigade are hard at work in the UK.
Very quick reply for you! Yes I can quell your suspicions, although the killjoy brigade are certainly hard at work, they haven't completely killed off the joy! :D
I Think the problem is, most folk don't differentiate between people like us, and those of the 'travelling persuasion'.
You will still be able to find places to overnight, it just won't be in dedicated areas. Almost every pub is struggling for business these days, so pop in, have a pint and ask if it is OK if you stop overnight. Only a foolish landlord would say no, because if you overnight, you can have more pints, and probably food!

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PJGWiltshire

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We have been full timers for the last 18mths. The first 12 over the water and had a great time wilding. Upon returning to the Uk we have found it very difficult to just turn up at places of interest and expect to be able to stay for a few days wilding. In the main we have either found overnight car parks that allow motorhomes at a cost or we use The Caravan club or Camping and Caravan Club CL/CS sites for around £10.

We have on many occasions just parked up in a lay by over night on route to somewhere just like the lorry drivers and had no issues what so ever.

Our initial van was a Tag axle at 8.7m and did stick out when parked up. We have since changed to a 7.5 and we seem to blend in more.
On our travels we have met many full timers and they mix and match as well, although some really go for it and wild as much as possible. When wilding I do not have a glass or two just in case.
 

cbrown1360

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Scotland is great for wilding with many good locations, largely tolerant locals and lots of online resources to help locate the best spots for a wild overnight stop.

Sadly, based on our recent experience (last week), England is not the same. With the exception of Britstops in pubs and farm shops, all of the other potential locations we tried were either guarded with height restriction barriers or very large signs warning of the consequences of overnight parking. I feel there is definitely a trend towards less / no tolerance of even responsible wild camping in England. Very short sighted imo and in stark contrast to the situation in most continental European countries. Probably explains why we didn't see a single non UK van in our 9 days on the road despite the strength of the euro.

Sorry - probably not what you wanted to hear! (unless you're in Scotland)
 

kip

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We wild camped whenever & wherever when in Scotland, but the further south you go the harder it is,but if your discreet is still possible.

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icantremember

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I reckon you can wild park and overnight almost anywhere you like in the UK .... you can dump grey waste at will .... black waste can be put in bottles or plasic bags and dumped in hedgerows and motorway hard shoulders without problem!:rolleyes:

The only criteria as I see it is the need to have a motorhome registered in Eastern Europe, preferably Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania etc.:whistle2:
 

mjltigger

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If all you want is a quiet place at a low cost to get your head down there isn't a shortage. On the other hand, if you want facilities and amenities you will struggle to find them in my experience.
 

Bart

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We went over to the mainland UK for our 1st outing in our MH for 2 weeks , with the intention of only Wild camping , after me spending the time and money to install 3 x 130 AH batteries , along with a B2B charger.
we spend one week in scotland , and the other week in the mainland around Leeds / Nottingham ,
The scotland part was super , np's wilding , the other week we spend between car parks , industrial estates , and lay by's
UK Sucks when it comes to providing for wild camping.

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Cilfan

Cilfan

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Sorry - probably not what you wanted to hear! (unless you're in Scotland)
On the contrary, it's what I half expected to hear. We Brits really have a bad attitude to parking up for the night, so much so that when I was driving for a living I used to actively avoid being in the UK as much as possible. Finding anywhere to park for free was/is a nightmare and even if you did pay the facilities were dire.

Seems we Brits are only interested if there's a buck in it. Personally I much prefer waking up to a stunning view and solitude on occasion.
 
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We wild all the time in Scotland. Only been on 2 sites up here in 3 yrs. Just back from a few days at Musselburgh. Outside hot showers, toilets and a fresh water tap, also right next to the beach. Scotland is full of great wilding spots. :)

And you never came to visit.;) still don't know why I'm leaving.:(
 

Carol

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Your not that far from Anglesey, give it a try quite a bit of wild camping there try it out, Nercwys, Halkyn both have pubs you can park in overnight you can have a weekend away on your doorstep.

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Cilfan

Cilfan

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If all you want is a quiet place at a low cost to get your head down there isn't a shortage. On the other hand, if you want facilities and amenities you will struggle to find them in my experience.
I know it's a case of each to their own and CS's have their place - we spent a total of 4 out of 9 nights on them - to take on water, dispose of waste etc. But I see little point in spending several thousand of the Queens finest pounds on a fully self contained home from home, then paying someone to let you use their shower and toilet every night.
 
D

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I think it depends on what your definition of wild camping is.

If you think wilding is parking up in car parks, lay-bys, pub car parks or other tarmac based public places then you shouldn't have much problem.

If you define wilding as finding quiet locations well away from everything and everyone then you might have more difficulty.
 
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Cilfan

Cilfan

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I think it depends on what your definition of wild camping is.

If you define wilding as finding quiet locations well away from everything and everyone then you might have more difficulty.
That's exactly what I call wilding and I'm fast reaching the conclusion that my suspicions are correct.

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D

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That's exactly what I call wilding and I'm fast reaching the conclusion that my suspicions are correct.

I don't think your suspicions are entirely correct. The results maybe but not the reasons.

If you have a search on here you will find plenty of reasons why the "No Camping" signs and height barriers are appearing in more and more places. Loch Lomond is a good example.

Unfortunately there seems to be a growing scumbag element abusing the places where wild camping (of both definitions) has been previously tolerated. This can range from leaving mounds of rubbish behind to freeloaders parking up on a seafront for several months at a time

I think it would be unfair to blame things on a "killjoy brigade" when really the majority of the fault lies with the selfish arseholes that have no consideration for anyone but themselves.
 

OldAgeTravellers

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MotorhomeFun is my Club of choice but we also belong to Wildcamping.co.uk which has a massive database of wild camping spots all over the UK and the continent. We have used many of them and all except one have been great some for one night some for a few. They also have a database of toilets and water taps.
But when emptying in a public loo I always take a full cleaning kit in with me and make sure it is cleaner after I leave than when I arrived. I also do not use chemicals so there is no fear of upsetting septic tanks. Cheap Tesco bio washing powder is better than the chemicals and I empty into my own septic tank with no problems at all.
Wild camping is possible all over the UK. So don't despair.
Have Fun,
Steve
 

GJH

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If you define wilding as finding quiet locations well away from everything and everyone then you might have more difficulty.
That's exactly what I call wilding and I'm fast reaching the conclusion that my suspicions are correct.
When one thinks about it, how many places are there in the UK which are "quiet locations well away from everything and everyone"? As we are told so many times, on a variety of subjects, the UK is a crowded island - with the exception of places like the Scottish Highlands. So, the fact that places to camp off site are fewer in the UK is a matter of geography, not killjoys.
This article may be of interest.

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Dec 30, 2014
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Another vote for Wildcamping.co.uk and its database. Only got our van two weeks ago and wild camped for three nights so far all in Wales. One was by Llyn Ogwen, no signs on car park. The others where a car park in Elan valley, again no signs and one in Powys. All on the wildcamping database, which allows you to click through to street view and have a look before you set off.
 
D

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When one thinks about it, how many places are there in the UK which are "quiet locations well away from everything and everyone"?

I think there are still places out there but the people who know about them keep them to themselves.

It's when they are publicised on public forums, whether this one or the other one mentioned above, that the freeloading/scumbag element find out about them and start abusing them.

The last thing anybody with any sense does is tell anyone about their favourite spots.
 

GJH

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I think there are still places out there but the people who know about them keep them to themselves.

It's when they are publicised on public forums, whether this one or the other one mentioned above, that the freeloading/scumbag element find out about them and start abusing them.

The last thing anybody with any sense does is tell anyone about their favourite spots.
I'm sure you are right Nick.

The other problem with some forums (and I don't know if it applies to the one mentioned as I don't know its contents) is that the database contains entries to places where overnight camping is not allowed. When people flout such rules it does us all a general disservice because it tends to inflame action against all motorhome owners including (on some occasions) the erection of barriers which prevent even daytime parking.

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GJH

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One was by Llyn Ogwen, no signs on car park.
If the car park is owned by Snowdonia NPA then it is covered by the order which bans overnight camping in all Snowdonia NPA car parks and there is no need for signs as a result.
The fact that there are no signs in a car park certainly does not mean that overnight camping is allowed.
 
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If the car park is owned by Snowdonia NPA then it is covered by the order which bans overnight camping in all Snowdonia NPA car parks and there is no need for signs as a result.
The fact that there are no signs in a car park certainly does not mean that overnight camping is allowed.
Its actually more a lay-bye than a car park there is no parking sign as such. As far as I know all Snowdonia NPA car parks charge £5 for "all day" which expires at midnight
 
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I'm sure you are right Nick.

The other problem with some forums (and I don't know if it applies to the one mentioned as I don't know its contents) is that the database contains entries to places where overnight camping is not allowed. When people flout such rules it does us all a general disservice because it tends to inflame action against all motorhome owners including (on some occasions) the erection of barriers which prevent even daytime parking.
The one mentioned does not include sites where parking is banned and when circumstances change they are removed. Updates are monthly.

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GJH

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Its actually more a lay-bye than a car park there is no parking sign as such. As far as I know all Snowdonia NPA car parks charge £5 for "all day" which expires at midnight
If it is a lay-by then it is part of the highway and, unless there is a specific restriction, overnight camping is legal.
The Snowdonia NPA charges are for parking only, not camping.
The one mentioned does not include sites where parking is banned and when circumstances change they are removed. Updates are monthly.
Good. Too many are not kept up to date.
 
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Cilfan

Cilfan

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Thanks all of you for your input. I started this thread in a hope of gaining refutation of my suspicions. If I'm honest, I wasn't holding my breath for that to be the case. With known factors of overcrowding and the undesirable element it was always more likely that those suspicions would be confirmed and, I think it fair to say, they have been. The light at the end of the tunnel has been that other site, which I will definitely be exploring.

We love the Scottish Highlands but also have the good fortune to live just a stones throw from the truly beautiful scenery of Snowdonia. It would be nice to think that we could enjoy that for the occasional one or two nighter without having to book onto a site.
 
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Thanks all of you for your input. I started this thread in a hope of gaining refutation of my suspicions. If I'm honest, I wasn't holding my breath for that to be the case. With known factors of overcrowding and the undesirable element it was always more likely that those suspicions would be confirmed and, I think it fair to say, they have been. The light at the end of the tunnel has been that other site, which I will definitely be exploring.

We love the Scottish Highlands but also have the good fortune to live just a stones throw from the truly beautiful scenery of Snowdonia. It would be nice to think that we could enjoy that for the occasional one or two nighter without having to book onto a site.
This should whet your appetite

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MicknPat

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The kill joy's who 'kill' wild camping are mainly those wild campers, who leave rubbish and dump the black tanks or toilet cassettes around the area, even in the sea if the location is obviously near a beach, many a location in Spain has now been banned for MH's due to these brain dead / selfish people.:(
 

mjltigger

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Good. Too many are not kept up to date.

I'm more than one example I have looked at the street view clearly shows a no camping or no overnight parking sign. In at least one case I arrived somewhere and there was a 'no cooking no sleeping' sign which could not be seen on Google maps. It is not flawless.

I know it's a case of each to their own and CS's have their place - we spent a total of 4 out of 9 nights on them - to take on water, dispose of waste etc. But I see little point in spending several thousand of the Queens finest pounds on a fully self contained home from home, then paying someone to let you use their shower and toilet every night.

Not all of us did and some of us require facilities in a site. For example my van cost £3k and doesn't have a shower. Wilting is possible for one night or two at a stretch by strip washing but beyond that isn't practical.

Our need to wild comes from the fact that, as wage slaves, we have no choice but to limit our trips to weekends. We leave after work on a Friday and by the time we arrive somewhere it is too late to book on to a reasonably priced site. Our usual method is to book the Saturday night somewhere and wild on the Friday night. It is very rare down here in the edges of the south west that we find secluded and beautiful places to get out heads down...

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