Wild Camping Forums

bsb2000

We've just spent a most enjoyable 2 nights wild camping on the North Yorkshire moors (First time wild camping for us) it had everything we needed splendid views and nothing else Wink

We were parked well off the highway and were passed countless times by Police patrols who didn't bat an eye.

Question: Has anybody had any experience of being 'moved on' whilst wild camping and if so were the reasons justified?

Anonymous

We have only been wildcamping for about a year but in all that time we have never been trouble by anyone. There is an old maxim, if you look for trouble (by camping in places where you are not allowed or not welcome ) it will surely find you.
Like you, I would love to hear more tales, good and bad, from the "old" hands..

Jim

peejay · Campsite DB Admin

Ian and Jim,

I seriously fancy this wildcamping lark but the only thing that puts me off is, we like to settle down at night and relax with a few bevvies, if mr plod tries to move you on youre technically drinking and driving (as discussed in an earlier post), so we'll only do it when not having a drink. Incidentaly Ian, where's the spot in yorkshire where you stopped at this weekend?

pete

Anonymous

Hi Pete
I understand and sympathise with your dilema, it isn't a worry I share as I gave up bevying several years ago but you have a valid point. In your circumstances I would head for the nearest CL, checking first it had No hook up.....

All the best

jim

bsb2000

Hi Pete, it was actually signposted as a lorry park although you wouldn't have thought it, right on the top with splendid views. It was just off the A169 Pickering to Whitby road, just before you get to Sleights turn left signposted Grosmont (Not the first turning left) 100 yds up there you'll find a compact gravel parking area on the left.
When we left on Monday morning there there were two other vans which had joined during the night.

peejay · Campsite DB Admin

Thanks ian, we'll certainly give it a try next time we're up that neck of the woods. Have you thought of putting it in the wildspot database for future reference, i've just checked this and theres only 9 entries for wildcamping at the moment so this might kickstart a few more entries maybe?

pete

bsb2000

Hi Pete, yes I'll get round to that today.

Anonymous

I have wild camped for about for almost 20 years & I have never been asked to move. I think that providing you are sensible where you stop & don't cause a nuisance there's no problem. That said we have always been prepared to move off if the need arises. Sometimes places you pick as an ideal spot in the daytime end up being meeting places for youngsters & courting couples, usually accompanied by loud music etc. These sort of things are very infrequent & are usually in local beauty spots close to town, telltale signs are rubbish bins overflowing with beer cans.
Lets face it we are either forced to pay exhorbitant camp site fees for what is sometimes an overnight stop or wild camp. As I for one will continue to wild camp why can't we have signs like the Aires in France & Stellaplatz in Germany to show where motorcaravans are welcome.

Boff

Last weekend we returned from our Easter tour to England. All in all we spent 5 nights in UK, all of them "wild". Several times police cars passed by, but did not bother.

On our last morning (on Dover Patrol Monument car park at St Margaret's at Cliffe) we thought "Now they will get us!" when a police car came up the hill and parked right besides us. But they just unpacked their sandwiches...

We also saw some car parks (e.g. beach car park in St. Margaret's, Guild Hall car park in Sandwich) explicitly allow overnight parking (against a fee), while on others it is explicitly forbidden.

In fact, although there is hardly any "official" infrastructure for motorhomes like in Germany or France, we did not have the feeling to be in a motorhome-unfriendly country. The lack of sanitary service stations is made up by the abundancy of public toilets and we did not have any difficulty getting water at fuel stations. Only thing we did not like were the many height barriers.

I will put some entries in the wild camping database when I find time in the next days.

Best Regards,
Gerhard