Buying an off grid camper?
Discussion
I have a big decision to make next year - iam getting 'bought out' of my house and i have to decide whether to buy my own house or get a fully converted camper to live in for a couple of years,and tour the UK!
Has anyone done this? (My budget maybe £20K-30K)
Which sites are best to look for them? (ive seen the Quirky Campers one)
I need to think about living day to day like this....how much on average is it to stop on a camp site for a night?
Has anyone done this? (My budget maybe £20K-30K)
Which sites are best to look for them? (ive seen the Quirky Campers one)
I need to think about living day to day like this....how much on average is it to stop on a camp site for a night?
On Caravan and Motorhome Club sites I'd say we pay on average around £30/night for a serviced pitch with electric hookup and site showers. It varies by site and time of year, sometimes a little less, sometimes quite a lot more. I've also parked in a field with no services other than loos for £10 a night, which was blimin' ridiculous!
Check out the SearchForSites map as that will show pretty much every campsite, plus other options like pub stops and public overnight parking (free and paid).
Some sites seem to make the mickey on prices without facilities to match, but maybe they get loads of bookings so who can blame them?
Some sites seem to make the mickey on prices without facilities to match, but maybe they get loads of bookings so who can blame them?
Agreed that many prices are getting silly - both at the 'sink and portaloo in a field' end and at the higher end.
At the very top end I found a couple of site last year that were £70 pppn or £150-300 a pitch...
Anyway OP, having full on board facilities means you are able to go a few days on an aire with minimal facilities, enough fresh, grey and foul water storage and energy will save you a lot of money and give flexibility...
At the very top end I found a couple of site last year that were £70 pppn or £150-300 a pitch...
Anyway OP, having full on board facilities means you are able to go a few days on an aire with minimal facilities, enough fresh, grey and foul water storage and energy will save you a lot of money and give flexibility...
We've had our motorhome nearly 4 years and have noticed how much campsites have gone up since we bought it, as others have said, sites are at least £30 a night if you want any sort of facilities, pretty sure you can't wild camp in England and Wales but OK in Scotland. You might find it better value to tour Europe and utilise the aire's.
With regards to a van, I'd hire a few and see if you want a camper or maybe a motorhome.
With regards to a van, I'd hire a few and see if you want a camper or maybe a motorhome.
Have a little search on here for my Fulltiming in a Motorhome thread. I did it for >18months.
Would I change it? No, it was (for the most part) a life affirming experience but not for the fainthearted either. It really tests your resolve when even what seem like the simplest of things turn complicated and that's before you've broken down, have your "house" recovered with no knowledge of when you'll get it back or where you'll be living in the interim.
Sometimes, with the rose-tinted glasses that the passage of time & hindsight can provide, I look back on the experience fondly; the "freedom", being outdoors and much more exposed to the seasons and the good & bad that brings. I loved the travel and uniqueness of what I was able to do. However, that was also ahead of the more mainstream "vanlife" which has caused a lot of backlash from communities and made things more difficult, rather than easier.
Overall though, living in a van or a motorhome is very, very compromised. The extremes of heat - either winter or summer - will test you. You have to be very parsimonious with your resources and knowing where you'll get your next water fill, solar top-up, toilet empty, end up being perenial thoughts from which you're never entirely free. I'd say to do it if you have to. In my case, I had a van already and I was getting divorced and had to move out. Even then, the van I had wasn't up to the job and required more outlay, which then created more outlay in fixing things when they went wrong. In the end, I probably could've put a roof over my head for cheaper.
It was an experience I'm perversely glad I had but couldn't do it for the longterm.
Good luck with your situation.
Would I change it? No, it was (for the most part) a life affirming experience but not for the fainthearted either. It really tests your resolve when even what seem like the simplest of things turn complicated and that's before you've broken down, have your "house" recovered with no knowledge of when you'll get it back or where you'll be living in the interim.
Sometimes, with the rose-tinted glasses that the passage of time & hindsight can provide, I look back on the experience fondly; the "freedom", being outdoors and much more exposed to the seasons and the good & bad that brings. I loved the travel and uniqueness of what I was able to do. However, that was also ahead of the more mainstream "vanlife" which has caused a lot of backlash from communities and made things more difficult, rather than easier.
Overall though, living in a van or a motorhome is very, very compromised. The extremes of heat - either winter or summer - will test you. You have to be very parsimonious with your resources and knowing where you'll get your next water fill, solar top-up, toilet empty, end up being perenial thoughts from which you're never entirely free. I'd say to do it if you have to. In my case, I had a van already and I was getting divorced and had to move out. Even then, the van I had wasn't up to the job and required more outlay, which then created more outlay in fixing things when they went wrong. In the end, I probably could've put a roof over my head for cheaper.
It was an experience I'm perversely glad I had but couldn't do it for the longterm.
Good luck with your situation.
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