Owning a campervan or a motorhome means you have a lot more freedom than most people to explore the world. Driving somewhere and parking up for the night to camp out in the open is a dream for a lot of us, but wild motorhome camping isn’t as easy as you might imagine. Whether you’ve just bought a campervan and are thinking of wild camping for the first time, or you have hired a campervan or motorhome and want to give it a go – make sure you read this first!
What is Wild Camping?
Wild camping means that you spend the night somewhere outside under the stars, without paying for a campsite. Traditionally, this meant wild camping in tents but motorhome and campervan wild camping has become commonly accepted as a definition as well, especially with the recent boom in van life and RV travel.
What is Wild Motorhome Camping?
To some people, campervan and motorhome wild camping means that you will park up in the middle of nowhere, usually somewhere scenic, isolated and beautiful.
However, for the purposes of this article, I’m also going to include free motorhome parking – whether that is on the street, in a pub car park or anywhere else.
Is Wild Camping Legal in the UK?
This is where it starts to get complicated.
In England and Wales, wild camping is only allowed if you have permission from the landowner.
If you wild camp in a tent, campervan or motorhome without permission from the landowner then you are trespassing and committing a civil offence. You cannot be arrested for a civil offence like wild camping, but you can be asked to leave by the landowner or someone acting on their behalf such as the police or a national park warden.
If you don’t leave immediately when asked to move on then you could be arrested for committing the criminal offence of aggravated trespass.
Scotland is different, as most unenclosed land is legal to camp on as stated in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. Wild camping is much more accepted in Scotland, although overcrowding can be a problem in some places like along the popular North Coast 500 route – especially during the summer.
Want More Campervan Tips?
Check out these blog posts for your campervan adventures!How to Find Wild Camping Spots in the UK
Instead of driving around and hoping to come across somewhere suitable, the best way to find wild camping spots for campervans and motorhomes is to get advice and recommendations from other wild campers, primarily from various apps for campervans and motorhomes, but with a few other tricks too.
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Free Overnight Motorhome Parking Apps in the UK
These wild camping apps use recommendations from members to share the best free camping spots and overnight parking places where you can spend the night safely.
Park4Night App
This user-generated app is full of places where you can park your campervan, either during the day or at night, with ratings from other users and useful descriptions for stopovers. Parking places vary from streetside parking to quiet laybys, paid car parks and campsites.
The app is completely free to use, although you do need to sign in to get access to all the information. I’ve found some fabulous places to park for free using this app! You can download the app or view the map online here.
Search4Sites
This app is free for the first few days, then charges a subscription fee of £5.99 to access the full list of parking spots. Similar to Park4Night, it lists hundreds of places to park up, including official campsites and places such as local pubs which allow you to spend the night for free – provided you eat or drink there. Check out the website.
iOverlander
Although it has limited listings in the UK, you might find some decent recommendations for free overnight stops for motorhomes and campervans. Some wild camping spots are free, and others suggest cheap or just excellent places to park up for a while. Take a look.
BritStops
BritStops is a book that lists all sorts of places to spend the night. You can find nearly wild camping spots at pubs, wineries, farm shops offering a free parking space for your motorhome or campervan. Some free parking places may have facilities to top up water, and a few even have free electric hook up and black waste disposal.
The book costs £28 plus postage and is published every year in February, with regular email updates. The overnight stays are usually free as long as you buy something from their business, such as a pub meal. Bear in mind that once you’ve paid for a meal for a couple or family it might work out as more expensive than a campsite, but at least you’ve eaten well!
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Facebook Groups
Facebook is a goldmine of information for wild campers. Check out Campervan and Motorhome Pub Stopovers in the UK, Wild Camp For Vans Uk and Free Campervan/Motorhome stopovers as a start, or just search for “free motorhome parking UK” on Facebook.
You can even find specific female-only groups such as Women with Campervans which have advice just for solo female campervanners.
Pros and Cons of Wild Camping
Advantages of Motorhome Wild Motorhome Camping
It’s Free
There’s nothing better than not spending money, so if you are campervanning on a budget then wild camping in a motorhome can save you a bunch of cash on campsites.
You Can Camp in Unspoiled Places
This is the dream for most people I think, to be able to be free to travel and park up wherever you like, in some glorious tranquil wilderness with incredible views. Getting up and sitting outside for breakfast by the sea or in the middle of the forest is definitely my favourite thing about wild camping in a motorhome!
Disadvantages
No Facilities
Obviously, motorhome wild camping in nature means that you have no access to electricity, showers or heating unless you are completely self-sufficient in your campervan or motorhome. While some semi-wild camping spots may have access to water, toilets or even an occasional hookup, they are harder to come by.
Even though I would say I am self-sufficient to an extent, I need access to hook-ups regularly to charge my laptop. Some van-lifers specifically design their vans to include solar panels and other campervan accessories to be able to get away without facilities for longer, it depends on your plan and your van.
You Arrive Late & Leave Early
In general, it is best to arrive late wherever you’re going once most day visitors have left and then leave before new ones arrive the following morning. If you spend the night in a car park, they usually have rules about leaving at a certain time to make space for cars during the day so check that and stick to it.
Stays are Usually One Night Only
This does vary but a general rule to follow is that you can only stay in one place for one night. This keeps spaces free for other campers, and also means that if landowners or police are aware of your presence they may leave you be for one night but more than that they are more likely to ask you to leave.
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Potential Safety Issues
I believe this is quite rare, but on some occasions, wild campers have been hassled at night. For me, when I have been wild camping I haven’t slept very well as I’ve been terrified that someone was going to break into the van or hammer on the door. Nothing like that has happened to me (touch wood) but I have heard about it from other people.
Tips for Wild Motorhome Camping in the UK
Be Prepared
As much as I would love to be free and easy about this, unfortunately in the UK, you need to plan your “spontaneous” adventures!
Plan Your Camp Spot
Make sure you have planned where you are going to camp well before it gets dark, and also aim to have at least one backup plan if your first choice isn’t available or you get moved on.
Practice
Again, this takes away a lot of spontaneity, but have a practice camp without an electric hook-up and facilities so you know you have everything you need before you end up in the middle of nowhere.
Know Your Van
Make sure you know what you need to make your electricity work in the van, whether that is from solar panels or the leisure battery in your campervan, and what else you might need to bring with you such as a portable phone charger.
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Go Easy on the Booze
If you do get moved on by police or the landowner, you need to be capable of driving without being over the limit so avoid having too much to drink.
Be Stealthy
While I love sitting outside my campervan with my breakfast, admiring the view from wherever I am – be mindful not to appear like you are camping when you are wild camping. Don’t set up an awning, and don’t draw attention to yourselves with a barbecue or being noisy outside of your campervan.
Mix and Match Normal and Wild Camping
No matter how self-sufficient you are in your campervan or motorhome, there will be times when you need to empty your toilet facilities and top up with water, do laundry and enjoy a hot shower.
For me, I know how long I can last on a full water tank, and how often I need to empty the toilet, so I would plan to spend say three nights wild camping, followed by at least one night on a regular campsite to recharge everything on the electric hook up and sort out my water and waste.
Leave No Trace
In case you need to hear this, do not leave ANY TRACE of your wild camping anywhere. Take your rubbish and your toilet waste with you, in no circumstances is it acceptable to leave rubbish behind or to empty your toilet in a public place.
I would also go a step further and say to leave things better than when you arrived. When wild camping in a car park in the Yorkshire Moors I did a litter pick before I left as there was litter everywhere – not necessarily from campers, but from people just throwing stuff out of car windows when parked up. Not cool.
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Follow the Rules
It is increasingly common to see “no overnight parking” signs, in laybys and secluded car parks in England, so pay attention and don’t park where it is specifically requested not to. The more campers and motorhomers who break the rules, the more it gets local people and businesses annoyed and it creates more issues for us in the future.
Due to problems this past summer with more people using campervans than in previous years, there has been a clampdown on motorhome wild camping in popular areas such as Cornwall and the Lake District, making it harder to wild camp.
Enjoy It!
After trying wild motorhome camping I decided it’s fine for a night or two but I much prefer staying in a campsite to have the extra security as a solo female, and to have the comfort of staying in one place for a few days. If you do decide to wild camp in a motorhome or campervan, follow these tips and let me know how you get on! If you enjoy it then fantastic, but if it’s not for you then that’s ok too.