Whether you’re planning a weekend break or a longer road trip, you’re going to need somewhere to sleep in your van. So, how do you find the best camping spots?
There are more options than you may think and which you choose will depend largely on your personal preferences, the kind of trip you are planning, who you are traveling with, and the budget you have set for your adventure.
Where will you choose to park?
Campsites
Campsites are an obvious option that needs no introduction. Although they are the most expensive option, they are obviously the #1 choice if you’re after comforts and facilities.
Joining the Caravan and Motorhome Club and/or The Camping and Caravanning Club will bag you discounted rates at their sites along with access to Certified Locations (CLs). These are small, private sites which are exclusively available to club members and which offer picturesque solitude in interesting locations.
Pitch Up is a super site for booking campsites online and has extensive search filters, e.g. adults only, dogs allowed, electric pitch, walkers’ paradise, horse riding nearby. The list goes on… and on!
The website Cool Camping is also worth a look, despite it catering mainly for tents and various glamping options. Although relatively few of the campsites listed allow camper vans, those that do have been selected for being particularly special.
Nightstops
The Nightstop Scheme is run by Practical Motorhome in conjunction with the Motor Caravanners’ Club. Their sites are in England, Wales and Scotland and they are all Certified Locations, but you don’t need to be a member of any club to make use of them.
Many of the sites are the car parks to pubs and hotels, and some will waive the overnight fee if you eat in the pub or hotel. Most sites have fresh-water taps, three-quarters have toilet facilities, rubbish-disposal bins and hardstandings and are dog-friendly, and just over half have chemical-disposal points. Many – just under half – have dog-exercise areas and are wheelchair-friendly. Fewer (a quarter) have electric hook-up and washrooms, while just five have shower facilities. A quarter of the sites are suitable for stays of a week.
Many of the sites are open all year, and fees for an overnight stay are around the £10 mark (although you might have to pay more for extra people, electric hook-up, or use of a shower).
Britstops
Britstops puts restaurants, country pubs, farm shops, vineyards and breweries in touch with motorhome and camper van travellers. To join this fantastic scheme, you simply need to purchase the annual guidebook, which costs £28 (plus £3.60 P&P). The guidebook contains details of over 1000 hosts who will welcome you to stay overnight in your motorhome or camper van in a safe environment – free of charge! These are not camp sites, so they won’t have shower blocks or overnight toilet facilities, but you do get a pleasant stopover somewhere off the road. The businesses are obviously hoping to attract your custom and, whilst it’s not compulsory by any means, if you are going to eat out or stock up on food anyway then it’s only fair to support them.
Wild Camping
Staying off-grid in our camper van is our first choice every single time. Nothing beats a quiet and secluded spot – perhaps in an area of woodland, maybe along a scenic stretch of coastline, and usually with great walks right from the parking spot. It’s the ultimate way to get close to nature and avoid crowded campsites.
It goes without saying that there will be no facilities, so you will have to be especially organised when it comes to water, waste disposal, managing power and staying safe. Don’t let that put you off though. Wild camping is where the magic really begins.
Finding wild camping overnight parking spots in the UK is really easy. All you need is the park4night app. It’s free to join and is essentially a directory of parking spots shared by members of the community, usually including photos and comments by others. The app will guide you to the location too, using Google Maps.
Stealth Camping
Stealth camping essentially involves sleeping in your vehicle without anyone knowing… which probably means that you are parked somewhere where you shouldn’t be sleeping! You’ll have more luck with stealth camping if you have a home-made camper van that doesn’t look like a camper van from the outside.
I will warn you that you should always be prepared for a knock on the door from the police who might ask you to move along. (And if that happens, simply apologise and move on.) If that’s not for you (and it’s certainly not for me, unless there’s absolutely no other choice) then stick to the other options. Also, if you have a dog that barks every time someone walks by the van then, as great as that is for security, you can probably write stealth camping off!
With that in mind, I have some tips that will help you to pull this off. Firstly you will want to be sure to do all of your chores and general ‘living’ in your van when you are parked in a safe location, so that the only time you spend at your overnight parking spot is when you’re actually asleep. Your safe location could be a supermarket parking lot, where you could also stock up on groceries and use the bathroom. Bear in mind that parking is usually limited to 2 or 3 hours though. Another great option is National Trust membership which will allow you to park at most of their sites for free (during their opening hours) and enjoy their grounds, properties and cafés. Make sure to do all of your cooking, eating, cleaning and other chores before you head to your overnight parking spot.
Your overnight parking spot should be a quiet road in a residential area where other cars and vans are parked. Remember, you don’t want anyone to know that you’re in the van, so as soon as you arrive it’s lights out and straight to bed. And as soon as you wake up, head straight for a safe parking location again and have your breakfast there. Don’t park in the same place for more than one night. Don’t push your luck.
Motorway Service Stations
I doubt spending the night at a motorway service station would ever be anyone’s first choice, but I’m including it simply because… well… “any port in a storm” as they say. If your aim is simply covering as many miles as you can for a few days, perhaps driving until late at night and heading off early in the morning, or if tiredness suddenly hits, then spending the night at a motorway service station may be your most convenient option.
In terms of price, most service stations allow you to stay free of charge for 2 or 3 hours but longer stays will cost you about the same as you would pay at a campsite. Of course you will not have facilities such as electric hook-up that you may have at a campsite, but the advantage is being able to make an impromptu stop at any time of day or night without diverting from your route.
Motorway Services Online and Motorway Services both aim to catalogue all motorway service stations in the UK along with the services available at each and the costs of parking.
Happy camping peeps!
