Can you park up anywhere? Forums

MickKnipfler

Do you need to stay at a campsite with a MH or can you park up and sleep anywhere?

What about just parking it? Can you park anywhere that a car would (assuming you're not causing an obstruction?

Is it the same across Europe?

hymmi

Hi

Welcome to the site.

You don't need to stay on a site it is personnel choice,some people are wary about "wild-camping",we very rarely use sites as i feel we have paid for all we need in the van ,so why give a siteowner £15.

You can join Caravan Club or Camping & Caravan Club they have large sites and a selection of C.L sites(only take 5 vans) and are very cheap,about £5 per night.

We use large laybys,industrial Estates,non-residentual side roads,sea-fronts,we are never cheeky with it,as this gives us all a bad name........

Cowly

Hi NickKnipfler

Most of my night stops are not on camp sites, quiet lay-bye's, car park's in small towns, or out near a river or lake, when i come over to the UK mainland, i drive down to Dover, ""slowly"" and often call into a small out of the way pub, and ask if i can park up overnight, have never been told no, then have a bar snack, and a small drink, i think it is better to spend £6 - 7 in a pub, than to spend £10 - 14 in a camp site.

In europe you have the Aire's system, MH parking places, or the France Passion system where you can park up for 1 night free of charge,

There will be a lot more replies to your post, good luck, and have fun.

Colin

Sonesta

Hi there Mick, we do a mixture of both in our MH. Sometimes we stay on campsites but often we wild camp. There are some spots or car parks that say NO overnight camping but if you look around there are lots of places that you can. We have wildcamped overlooking the cliffs in Cornwall and awoken to the sea crashing against the rocks, it was awesome. We have parked in a national trust car park high up in the peak district (and yes this was allowed) we just paid £2 for 24hr hour parking and when a National Trust warden drove into the car park in the early evening he just checked our windscreen to see if we were displaying a valid ticket and once he saw we had, he just drove off. We were overlooking some fabulous views and it was far better than any campsite and we enjoyed total peace and seclusion.

When we travelled to Spain last January we found many places that you could wildcamp but due to the many robberies we had been hearing and reading about in Spain we were a tad concerned to park anywhere too secluded so we tended to park up in locations where we saw many other motorhomers were wildcamping too and we found loads of different spots. This way we felt a lot safer and it turned out to be great fun and we met some lovely people. We did come across one Aire in Spain (so dont know if this a rarity) and that cost us approx 7 euros for the night for EHU, water and chemical waste. I could go on but I think you get the gist.

To me being so free is the true beauty of motorhoming and within reason you can camp almost anywhere and are not restricted to just campsites. Having the freedom to make this choice is just what a MH is all about.

Town centres and car parks can be a problem but most car parks will state their height or vehicle type restrictions. If it doesn't state NO mototohomes then it is perfectly legal to park there but if your vehicle takes up 2 spaces like ours often does then be prepared to pay for 2 tickets. You are allowed to park on the road like any car can Mick provided of course there are no double yellows etc and your vehicle is legally parked and taxed.

Hope this helps and if you are in the process of deciding whether to buy a MH or not, then I say go for it and I am sure you wont regret it.

Sonesta

ScotJimland

Hi
" Wild Camping" has been discussed many times on this forum, some are for it some against. I don't wild camp for several reasons but read this thread first:

>>

MickKnipfler

Thanks guys,

The principle reason for considering a MH is that I'm working away from home and am researching alsternatives to paying £600pm to rent a flat. I guess a flat would be more comfortable but if I put the £600pm into a MH then at least I'd have something to show for my money.

At the moment I have an Audi A6 estate with privacy glass. I get a single matress in the back and sleep on that and then take a shower in the office in the morning. If I get a MH, I would probably prefer to use my car for the weekly commute and use the MH during the week. The next question is, where could I leave the MH over the weekends? I guess a secure car park would be the best option but I don't know if the company would be too pleased....

By the way, I'm only about 45mins from Dover, so if anybody needs somewhere convenient to wild camp in return for a look at their van and a few tips, I would be happy to facilitate that

Brambles

Hi,
I also do a mixture of wild camping and campsites along with certificated locations. There are many great locations for wild camping to be found, but always remember to leave the area as tidy as you found it, if not tidier. Clearing up a little bit of rubbish left by someone else is no hastle, is a sort of thankyou for letting me stay and prevents us wild campers getting a bad name.
Jon.

Oldskool

tigger

Hi Mick,

I read your post with great empathy, having had this these thoughts myself. Over the past 20 years of contract working, I have wasted copious amounts of cash on various Hotels, B&Bs & temporay accommodation.

Having purchased the motorhome, I managed to persuade the wife to let me take it on my last 4 month stint at Folkestone. What a delight it was, instead of living at work & just sleeping & eating in digs, I found that I looked forward to going back to the motorhome, everything I needed was there & I felt like I was going home every night.

I stayed on CC & C&CC sites for the duration, It cost me in the reigion of £250 per month for site fees, but enjoyed cooking my meals instead of the usual take aways, saving loads of money on the usual going out every night when staying in digs. The best bit was the fact that instead of going home for holidays, my wife came down to me on a regular basis & we had some great times (especially when our friends joined us for a week in their motorhome).

In short Mick, I wish I had bought one 20 years ago, It would have paid for itself times over, but mostly it would have made each tour a lot more pleasant & interesting.

Mark