Traveling Friends - 2 days free camping for us all?
Discussion
Genuine question here. I've been thinking of buying a motorhome (for a few weekend trips only!) however having looked online it seems to be very limited as to where you can stay.
Having had a group of travelers on our village green of recent, I was talking to the police who said it was purely down to the council to move them on and its not a crime. He told me that they get 2 days to move on once a court order had been approved. Off they go, no crime committed and we all clean up the waste.
So this got me thinking - why cant I find somewhere very nice for the weekend, park up my motorhome and leave on Sunday, what is to stop me? It might be quite nice to start with my village green as a tester
What is also to stop be saying I'm a traveler!? I could surely self identify?!
Please dont turn this into a traveler bashing thread, as much as I like them I think PH forum has that already covered. Is there something we can learn from their behavior?
- Are we all entitled to free accommodation?
- If not, is there a secret club I need to join?!?
Having had a group of travelers on our village green of recent, I was talking to the police who said it was purely down to the council to move them on and its not a crime. He told me that they get 2 days to move on once a court order had been approved. Off they go, no crime committed and we all clean up the waste.
So this got me thinking - why cant I find somewhere very nice for the weekend, park up my motorhome and leave on Sunday, what is to stop me? It might be quite nice to start with my village green as a tester
What is also to stop be saying I'm a traveler!? I could surely self identify?!
Please dont turn this into a traveler bashing thread, as much as I like them I think PH forum has that already covered. Is there something we can learn from their behavior?
- Are we all entitled to free accommodation?
- If not, is there a secret club I need to join?!?
mmm-five said:
The main difference is that you, as an upstanding citizen, would be worried about getting a fine for parking 'illegally'.
The people who normally do this sort of 'wild camping' don't give a s
t.
There must be more to it that this. Surely I can identify as a traveler as that what I'm doing. There is no crime, as its trespass?The people who normally do this sort of 'wild camping' don't give a s
t.Can I just laugh at a fine and give my name as 'Patrick O'Really'? of no fixed abode?
I'm genuinely fascinated about how they do it with total impunity, we could possibly all learn from their behavior.
Join the wild camping club. Its about 10 quid a year IIRC.
There are 1000s of locations you can legally overnight in a van / camper. Many have agreements from land owners or pub landlords etc. Others are just public places you can legally park and stay overnight. They publish their data set with google earth, tomtom etc.
Don't get me wrong, the majority are not exactly the Ritz - its usually a layby or a pub car park but its free and the locations are vetted by members so you know you should be fine.
The main places that wont allow are tourist places like Cornwall and I know Blackpool does not allow either. They prefer you to pay to stay on a site.
In the dozens and dozens of nights I did in my van all over the UK I only ever had a knock on the door once and it was a polite council employee letting me know they are locking the gates to the car park and they would not re-open until 7am. Fine with me! She was even kind enough to leave me her mobile should I need to get out in an emergency.
As always, arrive late and leave early with no trace you were ever there.
Refrain from alcohol at all times just in case you need to move.
That's my main advice.
There are 1000s of locations you can legally overnight in a van / camper. Many have agreements from land owners or pub landlords etc. Others are just public places you can legally park and stay overnight. They publish their data set with google earth, tomtom etc.
Don't get me wrong, the majority are not exactly the Ritz - its usually a layby or a pub car park but its free and the locations are vetted by members so you know you should be fine.
The main places that wont allow are tourist places like Cornwall and I know Blackpool does not allow either. They prefer you to pay to stay on a site.
In the dozens and dozens of nights I did in my van all over the UK I only ever had a knock on the door once and it was a polite council employee letting me know they are locking the gates to the car park and they would not re-open until 7am. Fine with me! She was even kind enough to leave me her mobile should I need to get out in an emergency.
As always, arrive late and leave early with no trace you were ever there.
Refrain from alcohol at all times just in case you need to move.
That's my main advice.
Crap website, handy book: https://britstops.com/welcome.php
Free motorhome stops all over the UK, usually you're expected to shop in the farm shop, book a meal or have a drink at the pub etc. but it's not compulsory.
Free motorhome stops all over the UK, usually you're expected to shop in the farm shop, book a meal or have a drink at the pub etc. but it's not compulsory.
red_slr said:
Join the wild camping club. Its about 10 quid a year IIRC.
There are 1000s of locations you can legally overnight in a van / camper. Many have agreements from land owners or pub landlords etc. Others are just public places you can legally park and stay overnight. They publish their data set with google earth, tomtom etc.
Don't get me wrong, the majority are not exactly the Ritz - its usually a layby or a pub car park but its free and the locations are vetted by members so you know you should be fine.
The main places that wont allow are tourist places like Cornwall and I know Blackpool does not allow either. They prefer you to pay to stay on a site.
In the dozens and dozens of nights I did in my van all over the UK I only ever had a knock on the door once and it was a polite council employee letting me know they are locking the gates to the car park and they would not re-open until 7am. Fine with me! She was even kind enough to leave me her mobile should I need to get out in an emergency.
As always, arrive late and leave early with no trace you were ever there.
Refrain from alcohol at all times just in case you need to move.
That's my main advice.
Motorhomes are not "wild camping" I take serious offence at that.There are 1000s of locations you can legally overnight in a van / camper. Many have agreements from land owners or pub landlords etc. Others are just public places you can legally park and stay overnight. They publish their data set with google earth, tomtom etc.
Don't get me wrong, the majority are not exactly the Ritz - its usually a layby or a pub car park but its free and the locations are vetted by members so you know you should be fine.
The main places that wont allow are tourist places like Cornwall and I know Blackpool does not allow either. They prefer you to pay to stay on a site.
In the dozens and dozens of nights I did in my van all over the UK I only ever had a knock on the door once and it was a polite council employee letting me know they are locking the gates to the car park and they would not re-open until 7am. Fine with me! She was even kind enough to leave me her mobile should I need to get out in an emergency.
As always, arrive late and leave early with no trace you were ever there.
Refrain from alcohol at all times just in case you need to move.
That's my main advice.
You're just not parked on a touring site.
Mind you, for a tenner a year a few years ago that was a good list of dogging locations, much fun to be had by sneaking into a site a dusk, leaving a potted pampas grass outside a parked up motorhome, then watching the doggers arrive later to everyones eventual confusion!
StanleyT said:
red_slr said:
Join the wild camping club. Its about 10 quid a year IIRC.
There are 1000s of locations you can legally overnight in a van / camper. Many have agreements from land owners or pub landlords etc. Others are just public places you can legally park and stay overnight. They publish their data set with google earth, tomtom etc.
Don't get me wrong, the majority are not exactly the Ritz - its usually a layby or a pub car park but its free and the locations are vetted by members so you know you should be fine.
The main places that wont allow are tourist places like Cornwall and I know Blackpool does not allow either. They prefer you to pay to stay on a site.
In the dozens and dozens of nights I did in my van all over the UK I only ever had a knock on the door once and it was a polite council employee letting me know they are locking the gates to the car park and they would not re-open until 7am. Fine with me! She was even kind enough to leave me her mobile should I need to get out in an emergency.
As always, arrive late and leave early with no trace you were ever there.
Refrain from alcohol at all times just in case you need to move.
That's my main advice.
Motorhomes are not "wild camping" I take serious offence at that.There are 1000s of locations you can legally overnight in a van / camper. Many have agreements from land owners or pub landlords etc. Others are just public places you can legally park and stay overnight. They publish their data set with google earth, tomtom etc.
Don't get me wrong, the majority are not exactly the Ritz - its usually a layby or a pub car park but its free and the locations are vetted by members so you know you should be fine.
The main places that wont allow are tourist places like Cornwall and I know Blackpool does not allow either. They prefer you to pay to stay on a site.
In the dozens and dozens of nights I did in my van all over the UK I only ever had a knock on the door once and it was a polite council employee letting me know they are locking the gates to the car park and they would not re-open until 7am. Fine with me! She was even kind enough to leave me her mobile should I need to get out in an emergency.
As always, arrive late and leave early with no trace you were ever there.
Refrain from alcohol at all times just in case you need to move.
That's my main advice.
You're just not parked on a touring site.
Mind you, for a tenner a year a few years ago that was a good list of dogging locations, much fun to be had by sneaking into a site a dusk, leaving a potted pampas grass outside a parked up motorhome, then watching the doggers arrive later to everyones eventual confusion!
The only dogging going on near my van was of the GSD variety and if anyone wants to try putting their c**k near that you be my guest...
Mr Peel said:
red_slr said:
Refrain from alcohol at all times just in case you need to move.
This has always struck me as a major disadvantage of 'wild' camping.
bobtail4x4 said:
sites usually have times you cannot enter, so if you know you will arrive after about 10pm of need to leave early for a ferry they dont work.
Pretty much, loads of reasons we generally never went on sites - despite being CC members I might add.Usually the need to book in advance and arrive before a set time was the big issue. Friday afternoon, 4pm might be able to jump in the van and go. The following Friday at 5 to 4 something happens and we cant. Some sites have a "slot" where you could park overnight outside the main site but whats the point in paying for that when you can do it for free.
That and someone always has a wife who laughs like a donkey being kicked down some stairs, at 2am.
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