Wild Camping in the UK - My experiences and opinions

I have been wildcamping in the UK for over 15 years now in what is regarded by many as quite a big van - a Hymer S700 at 7m long. However in reality it is no bigger than a small delivery truck or many farm vehicles, so isn't really that much of a shock.

Wildcamping is not for everybody, but everybody does it at least once in a while, usually when circumstances mean you have no alternative. I am sure most motorhomers and caravaners have had the noisy truck park experience on service areas home and abroad.

France has it's Aires, Germany has it's Stellplatz, and these are indicative of countries that recognise motorhomes as a class, and provide for them in infrastructure. Unfortunately the UK is not so forward and is generally regarded as motorhome unfriendly. There is almost a complete lack of service points and hardly any meaningful provision in the various laws and bylaws for motorhomes. What does become apparent to a newcomer, is that you are not welcome anywhere, except on an approved camp site. Every space and car park usually has it's signs saying "no overnight parking or camping".

This does indeed give the impression that the UK is motorhome intolerant, but over the years I have found this not to be the case.

In the early days I was quite tentative, choosing my spots carefully and then sleeping nervously in expectation of the dreaded knock on the door, followed by a fine, or even a tow truck!

But after fifteen years and hundreds of thousands of kilometres, home and abroad, and hundreds of nights spent wild ... and not a single fine, and I can count the number of knocks on the door on my fingers.

What I have discovered, especially in the UK, is that the whole system of control of parking of motorhomes is completely arbitrary and informal. Unless it is an absolute prime tourist area, the police and local government do not seem to have any specific policy or even agenda, to deal with random parking of motorhomes. They do make general purpose bylaws and put up lots of signs, but these are there as a backstop in case of serious abuse. 99% of the time, I come and go for the odd night here and there, and nobody is any the wiser. 

I have parked in practically all of the places you are not supposed to and I have seen police cars cruise right up to the van, and then move on, usually with a wave or a smile. The same for wardens, forestry commission guys and all order of local workers. I have never been told to move on by the police. Occasionally I have chatted with people, and they have said things like - "you shouldn't really be here" ... and my reply is always along the lines of "yes I know, really sorry, but we were lost/tired/confused/it was dark ... we will be gone very shortly. 

As the years went by I started to occasionally park in places you really shouldn't - like National Trust car parks and Church and Community centre car parks - just to see what would happen. And nothing ever did.

The worst that has ever happened to me have been bad tempered "jobsworth" type people like car park attendants coming on duty in the morning, some of whom can be quite abusive, but usually lack any authority to ticket you, and can't be bothered calling in for help because you will be gone by then. So they just like a good shout and to feel important.

So gradually the fear of reprisal has receded, and I have formed a belief that the UK isn't particularly hostile to wildcamping ... it's indifferent. And the majority of campers are basically good people who simply follow the signs and use the campsites. 

Committed wildcampers seem to be in the minority - which is fine by me!

However I do believe that it is important to undertake wildcamping with a huge dollop of common sense, and a few basic rules. My basic rules are - I never argue, I always move on if asked, I never have anything outside the van and I leave no trace whatsoever.

So how do you find good spots? Firstly you have to define what makes a good spot. It is fine just parking anywhere and not bothering about getting moved on, but it is hard to relax and enjoy your meal and sleep if you are expecting a knock, so you really need to be in as relaxing a situation as you can.

One thing I did discover very early on is that is is well nigh  impossible to find a decent spot in darkness, other than the obvious major lay-bys and service areas. So I generally always allow myself two hours of daylight. However the situation is not as bad as it used to be because we now have resources and technology! 

A few years ago it was all random luck and legwork. Nowadays we have GPS and the fantastic website www.wildcamping.co.uk. This alone is enough, but if you then add mobile internet connection and a laptop and Google Earth, then you really have an extremely sophisticated system at your fingertips for the identification of suitable places to stop. Technology has completely transformed the wildcamping experience for my outfit, and transformed it from something to be approached with mild trepidation, to something to be enjoyed.

Satellite imagery is a wildcampers best buddy. And Google Street View is your girlfriend! In 10 or 15 minutes I can find suitable spots where ever I happen to be. I have the wildcamping.co.uk POI in my TomTom GPS, and also on Google Earth. I can virtually "drive by" most spots and check them out online. This is extremely useful, not only to decide where to stop, but where not to. 

Once you get used to the technology you can actually start to be choosy, and not just find any old spot, but really enjoyable spots. You have technology at your fingertips that would have seemed like a SciFi film only ten years ago. You can "virtually" drive on any road and look down on any field or property. 

I can't recommend the use of technology high enough, but I didn't use it myself for the first few years, so it still helps to be able to find spots the old fashioned way.

Wildcamping, for me, falls into three main categories. Open country, rural and urban.

Most people will of course try and avoid urban areas, but sometimes you need to, and it is surprisingly easy. City centres are of course always difficult, but not impossible, and you usually have to pay, but in return you get a bit of extra security. Not all car parks have height restrictions. But the most useful strategy in a city or urban area is to head for the retail parks. Supermarkets are the favourite, and I have never had a problem.

Moving out into the suburbs, then I usually look for quiet residential streets, but with a bit of space. I never park directly in front of someones house, but there are usually always spaces that are not obviously anyones "territory". I also like small industrial parks and never have any bother, even if I park on a business car park, as long as it's a large one and not marked "Managing Director"!

A useful tip in urban areas and car parks is to look at the ground. If it has a bit of moss or loose stuff, then it simply isn't used very often, so you are very unlikely to bother anyone.

The biggest problem with urban spots is noise. Towns and cities are pretty quiet between midnight and six, but after six they explode with the noise of commerce, so you need to be prepared for this, and take it into account when you choose your spot. More than once have I woken to be surrounded by cars and trucks and audible comments .... but even then very rarely anger or banging! So try not to park in somebody's parking spot!

Schools are to be avoided at all costs - except weekends!

Another favourite of mine is spotting construction sites, like new housing estates. These often have the roads made before the houses, and can make nice overnight spots.

Small towns and villages often have pay and display car parks that are free at night. If you feed the machine during free time it usually starts the next morning. So you can have a ticket valid for an hour or two the next morning. I also generally set the alarm and open the front curtains before the car parks official "paying period" - usually 8am, as this creates the impression that you have only just arrived if an attendant does happen to arrive early, but generally I have found these small rural car parks to be almost completely unattended. The smaller the village the less likely they are to have a meter maid. Usually one attendant will cover many small car parks on a rota basis. I have never had a problem even when an attendant has done his rounds and the sign has said no caravans or overnight parking. I find rural parking staff to be the complete opposite of their city brothers! 

But open country is the place for me! The ideal formula is peace and quiet, bothering nobody, and a view! Yes you can have it all! 

I have found that open country falls into two categories - farmland and heath/moor. I generally like the sound of cattle grids, as it means you are moving into unfenced territory. Some rural areas can be more difficult than city centres. Every field is fenced or hedged, every property has defined boundaries and access and there is hardly any common land or community areas. Some places really are almost impossible to wildcamp, and sometimes it is best to accept this and move on - or find a Caravan Club CL!

If I really must find somewhere in completely enclosed farmland, then I look for churches and community centres and occasionally farmers field access. There is often a short bit of track between a road and a farmers field gate. You will be very unlucky if the farmer wants access to his field at 6 am on the one day in a thousand that you park there. It has only ever happened to me once and he was very nice, but generally I avoid farms and farmers because they are working the land and don't appreciate even minor disturbances.

Forestry, on the other hand, I have found to be very useful. You can find spots either on the access tracks themselves, or in the many car-parks and picnic areas provided and maintained by the forestry people. They don't seem to mind the occasional motorhome, and I have used them extensively.

But my favourite is open country and moorland. The roads are unfenced and there are lots of little areas to park. Traffic is almost non existent, noise is low and nobody bothers you. Even so you will be sometimes amazed at the amount of folk you see in the most desolate spots. These are spots where I happily will spend more that one day. The only thing to remember is that they can be exposed and the weather can change quickly. It is no fun being on the moors with a gale howling and the van rocking on its suspension - worse than a truck stop!

And then there's the seaside - where everybody wants to be! There is no doubt that the seaside is more tightly controlled and more difficult to park than most other places, especially if it is a tourist area. But even here you can break the rules and usually get away with it....but is it worth it? I don't think so. Motorhomers have quite a low profile in the UK, so I don't think it a good idea to attract any negative attention. So I tend not to bother trying to wildcamp in tourist coastlines in the high summer, although it is possible, you need to be extra careful and choosy.

However there are occasional exceptions - one of these is that in very popular areas local landowners often open up "overspill" car parks, and you will often see clusters of motorhomes here. Another option is to find those foreshores and estuaries with open verges, there are many of these dotted around the country. There are also some very nicely located supermarkets!

But what I do do, and with great enjoyment, is frequent these areas in low season. Car parks are empty and unattended. Nobody is about and some truly wonderful spots are to be found. In fact I see more motorhomes doing this in low season than I do anywhere else. Touring the UK in low season can be really really nice.

Finally although not strictly wildcamping, I have to mention Caravan Club CL's. These are a unique British Institution! They exist because planning law allows 5 caravans without planning permission. Although I am a rebellious wildcamper at heart, I do religiously renew my CC membership every year. The main reason is that, for better or worse, they are our representative when it comes to government and law. They lobby on our behalf, much as the AA and RAC do for motorists. So while I don't always agree with their policy and stance, they are all we have and must be supported. 

But then there are the CL's!! These little sites range from the sublime to the ridiculous, from a fiver to twenty five pounds a night (what?!), but without CL's my motorhome life would have been far less enjoyable. They are my pitstop and my base when I want to spend more than a few nights where wildcamping would not be suitable. 

It's harder to find water and dispose of waste in the UK than it is to find an actual parking spot, so these little sites provide an invaluable service. In effect they are the "Aires" of the UK. After a few days wildcamping I am more than happy to spend ten pounds or more to dispose of my waste responsibly and to recharge my batteries if needed. And usually there are free range eggs and all sorts of country fare on offer, plus local information. We usually end up staying 3 days if it's a nice one. And of course you can use the same technology to choose a CL. There are POI databases available, and the CC directory has postcodes, so you can soon zoom into an aerial view of the site and check it out in advance.

I have found that combining wildcamping with CL's to be by far the best way to explore the UK in a motorhome. 

So far from being a stressful and negative experience, I have found wildcamping in the UK to be a delight. I have found that people are generally tolerant and friendly and that rules and regulations are there to prevent reckless abuse, and will generally tolerate the odd stray motorhome for the odd night. 

And with the advent of sites like wildcamping.co.uk, where there is a forum of like minded individuals plus the advent of really clever technology, then there is every reason why wildcamping in a motorhome should continue to be enjoyed responsibly by owners, tolerated by residents, ignored by government and with minimum impact on the environment, for many years to come.

Common sense and respect, as ever, are the key.

EDIT FEB 2016

With regard to car parks. I have noticed a few people posting online that they are getting tickets for parking "outside the defined parking space". This is because a bigger van won't fit in a normal sized space. There is no real answer to this - it's a symptom of the modern craze for car park owners to ticket as many people as possible and argue later. Personally it's never happened to me. I usually try and park in a corner and try and get my wheels within the lines. There are often odd shaped bays and you can argue that you were indeed "in the bay" - take a photo. A warden once told me that the way to deal with being to big for a bay is to simply straddle 2 bays and buy two tickets. As long as there isn't a specific rule against this clearly signposted, then they would find it very difficult to do anything about this.

There are websites that tell you exactly how to appeal a ticket, and the latest craze is to display a sign in your window that states that you are parked illegally and that you do not agree to the displayed terms and conditions - this exploits a loophole that allows you to get away with a ticket. Obviously it's a hassle, and depends on your appetite for administration, but it's useful to know. Personally I don't mind the odd ticket here and there, I have had about 3 in ten years! If using car parks, it pays to be on the ball.

EDIT OCT 2016

Technology continues to advance. There are now even more sites and apps to help you find spots. I like the Dutch app called "Campercontact" - but there are lots of others.