Wildcamping - does it exist?

[lennyhb]

Depends where & how you camp, CL's & CS's are available for £4 or £5 a night in the UK just need to research it a bit. Last September we spent 22 nights in France total camping cost including water 20€, at the other extreme we have paid £35 a night in Italy.

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

In a word I'd say no if your talking about the bulk of the UK, maybe Scotland if your up for midges and grey skies and drizzle. Look at the majority of CCC CS sites and they are all going upwards in price, just paid £12 for a spot in a field, the cheapest in the area we could find. We do have people "wild camp" on our local car park in 30k upwards vans, god knows why, hardly a desirable location right next to a main road, and no facilities whatsoever, mind you the cheapest CL here is £18 a night ( £126 a week), and that's for a field and a tap. CCC CS sites seem to be the most expensive, CC CL's tend to be somewhat cheaper, if as the above poster comments you research it well.

 

Pub stops as others have said will be on the expectation you'll spend at the pub, don't forget though you could be nicked for being in charge of a vehicle if over the limit, stuck on some pub car park wouldn't be my idea of a good time, or even could be remotely described as "wild", unless you get some boy racers doing handbrake turns after closing time !.

 

France without a doubt provides what sadly the UK lacks, and that isn't about to change any time soon.

 

The UK is without doubt the MOST unfriendly place for motorhomers, just to reinforce that point of view we also recently went to a CCC club site arriving at 6.45 pm to be greeted by the warden saying the office was locked up and cashed for the day, but did begrudgingly book us in, butmade it very plain he was not impressed with such a "late" arrival.

 

In short I'd say go to France, or if restricted to the UK, keep your money in your pocket, by a decent car for half the price, and use Premier Lodges instead.

[Mel B]

LordThornber - 2012-07-09 1:16 PM

 

747 - 2012-07-09 12:40 PM

 

'Free' overnight stops at Pubs is in reality one of the most expensive ways of camping. That is if you are eating and drinking in the Pub.

 

Surely it's the cheapest form of camping if you're planning to eat & drink in a pub anyway.

 

Martyn

 

You are both right and wrong! :D

 

Pubs could prove expensive if you DO then feel you have to have a bar meal main course only and a couple of drinks - cost probably around £15-£20 minimum (depending on if there are any special meal/drink deals at the time).

 

If you use CLs/CSs and cook your own food and sup your own beer/wine drink, then it could still cost around £15-£20 ... however, if you use a 'main' site with this could easily be £20-£25 or more!

 

There are too many variables and personal preferences to the above to say catagorically which would be the most expensive - if you drink expensive stuff, eg malt whiskey etc, and like to have a 3 course meal it will soon add up in a pub and cost a lot more than £20!!! If you do the same in your own van, buying the M&S premium brand food, expensive bottles of plonk etc, again it will add up. If, however, you don't go mad with your drink or food in your van, this would probably be the cheapest overall.

 

Maybe a mix of the above would be the best thing so that you don't get bored???

 

 

:->

[Guest pelmetman]

I find the cheapest option is to park up on the drives friends or family, use their electric, showers, water etc, and eat their food drink their drink and then move on ;-)......................Works for me :D

[lennyhb]

pelmetman - 2012-07-09 3:17 PM

 

I find the cheapest option is to park up on the drives friends or family, use their electric, showers, water etc, and eat their food drink their drink and then move on ;-)......................Works for me :D

 

Works for us too especially at Christmas :D :D

[FRANKP60]

It is possible to wild camp ,but never done it ,was parked in Council car park free no height barrier Saturday pm in my Motor home,right on sea front in Westbrook Kent .As i was putting the bikes back on rack another Motorhome pulled in and asked if he could park overnight,I commented don't know ,but it looks like boy racers are here in the evening by the skid marks.

While we were talking his wife open the valves and drop all the waste water over the car park,then it run down onto the sea front,loads of people walking and cycling along.

We wonder why the councils don't want us in there car parks!!!!!

[robertandjean]

Could people please stop calling staying on camping-car aires wild camping. These aires are designated places where motorhomes are allowed to stay for a set charge which can be anything from nothing up to 15€ per night. Often provision is made for water, toilet emptying etc. Wild camping, on the other hand, for most seems to involve staying on some rough car park or similar, not an official place, with no services but main thing is that it is free!! As most of you know we are great aires users but in no way consider ourselves wild campers and why would we? Take where we are now for example, on the aire at Bouchemaine (dept 49). Here we are on an individual hard standing pitch, surrounded by grass, with views of the River Maine. We have an electric hook-up and wi-fi; other services are included in the 10€/night fee. How can this be thought of as wild camping? (Interestingly we are only none French van here, yet setting is really nice and weather is fine with sun/cloud in low 20's. Could it be the 10€ charge is just too much for some?).

[Guest JudgeMental]

Poor things.....Shame you cant afford a proper holiday with decent weather! :D

 

http://www.weathercity.com/fr/r/bouchemaine/

[Guest pelmetman]

The best places to wild camp in the UK is probably Scotland, but we have over nighted in towns, but have always choose a posh area to do so, less likely to be troubled by oikes ;-).....................

[robertandjean]

JudgeMental - 2012-07-10 4:57 PM

 

Poor things.....Shame you cant afford a proper holiday with decent weather! :D

 

http://www.weathercity.com/fr/r/bouchemaine/

 

Eddie don't believe everything you read on a third rate weather site like this one. Last two days here have been warm and sunny and now sat out in warm evening sun. Certainly much better weather than endless rain in U.K. Think you misunderstood my point re charges on this and other aires. We are more than happy to pay the 10€ here, given situation and fact were able to catch bus into Angers yesterday from outside gate and visit Chateau and Meuse de Beau Arts, as well as have meal sat outside. Certainly beats being stuck for weeks on a crowded slum of a camp site in say Spain!

To be clear. We are more than happy to pay 10 or more Euros a night on aires like this; it certainly means that many tight wads and the like are keot away.

[malc d]

robertandjean - 2012-07-10 4:43 PM

 

Could people please stop calling staying on camping-car aires wild camping. These aires are designated places where motorhomes are allowed to stay for a set charge which can be anything from nothing up to 15€ per night. .

 

 

It seems that some of the bigger aires are really not much different from campsites - the main difference being that aires are for the exclusive use of motorhomes.

 

The new one at Beauvoir ( near Mont St.Michel ) looks like a campsite - and even has a reception building.

They charge 12.50 Euros per night, while across the road is a campsite where they charge 14.00Euros.

( Low season ACSI prices)

Not a lot of difference there.

[Guest pelmetman]

I've noticed this happening with aires closing and moving into campsites with an increase in fees :-S

[Mel B]

malc d - 2012-07-10 8:14 PM

 

robertandjean - 2012-07-10 4:43 PM

 

Could people please stop calling staying on camping-car aires wild camping. These aires are designated places where motorhomes are allowed to stay for a set charge which can be anything from nothing up to 15€ per night. .

 

 

It seems that some of the bigger aires are really not much different from campsites - the main difference being that aires are for the exclusive use of motorhomes.

 

The new one at Beauvoir ( near Mont St.Michel ) looks like a campsite - and even has a reception building.

They charge 12.50 Euros per night, while across the road is a campsite where they charge 14.00Euros.

( Low season ACSI prices)

Not a lot of difference there.

 

Are you sure that the new 'aire' at Beauvoir is only 12,50 a night? If its the new one created specifically for people to park motorhomes to visit the Mont, I belived it is actually 25,00 a night as the 'time' runs from 2.00 am to 2.00 am so you need 2 lots of 12,50 to be able to stay overnight.

[Mel B]

robertandjean - 2012-07-10 4:43 PM

 

Could people please stop calling staying on camping-car aires wild camping.

 

... you haven't seen some of the characters we have on some of the aires then ... they are certainly wildcampers!!! :D

[malc d]

Mel B - 2012-07-10 10:28 PM

 

malc d - 2012-07-10 8:14 PM

 

robertandjean - 2012-07-10 4:43 PM

 

Could people please stop calling staying on camping-car aires wild camping. These aires are designated places where motorhomes are allowed to stay for a set charge which can be anything from nothing up to 15€ per night. .

 

 

It seems that some of the bigger aires are really not much different from campsites - the main difference being that aires are for the exclusive use of motorhomes.

 

The new one at Beauvoir ( near Mont St.Michel ) looks like a campsite - and even has a reception building.

They charge 12.50 Euros per night, while across the road is a campsite where they charge 14.00Euros.

( Low season ACSI prices)

Not a lot of difference there.

 

Are you sure that the new 'aire' at Beauvoir is only 12,50 a night? If its the new one created specifically for people to park motorhomes to visit the Mont, I belived it is actually 25,00 a night as the 'time' runs from 2.00 am to 2.00 am so you need 2 lots of 12,50 to be able to stay overnight.

 

 

 

Yep. I had a look around it last week.

 

I'll attempt to attach a pic of the sign at the entrance:

 

 

[Derek Uzzell]

Mel B - 2012-07-10 10:28 PM

 

malc d - 2012-07-10 8:14 PM

 

robertandjean - 2012-07-10 4:43 PM

 

Could people please stop calling staying on camping-car aires wild camping. These aires are designated places where motorhomes are allowed to stay for a set charge which can be anything from nothing up to 15€ per night. .

 

 

It seems that some of the bigger aires are really not much different from campsites - the main difference being that aires are for the exclusive use of motorhomes.

 

The new one at Beauvoir ( near Mont St.Michel ) looks like a campsite - and even has a reception building.

They charge 12.50 Euros per night, while across the road is a campsite where they charge 14.00Euros.

( Low season ACSI prices)

Not a lot of difference there.

 

Are you sure that the new 'aire' at Beauvoir is only 12,50 a night? If its the new one created specifically for people to park motorhomes to visit the Mont, I belived it is actually 25,00 a night as the 'time' runs from 2.00 am to 2.00 am so you need 2 lots of 12,50 to be able to stay overnight.

 

This was discussed in the following "Hints and Tips" thread (which I note you contributed to)

 

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=28108&posts=13

 

It's evident that the facility at Beauvoir that malc d refers to is indeed an 'aire de services camping-car" that fully meets robertandjean's chosen definition, being purpose-designed for motorcaravans and (in the case of Beauvoir) with several servicing-points.

 

The facility you've mentioned (as I understand it) fails to meet robertandjean's definition. It's just an "aire de stationnement camping-car" integrated into the vehicle parking areas that have been recently created near to Mont St Michel, and there are no motorhome servicing-points.

 

My view of what's happening in France aires-wise conflicts with pelmetman's. Municipal campsites are closing, moving into private ownership or (occasionally) becoming 'aires'. Bigger campsites are tending to concentrate on chalets/static caravans, significantly reducing the availability of pitches for touring caravans/motorhomes. A few large motorhome-only 'aires' installations have sprung up - besides the Beauvoir one, there is a large facility not that far away at Hirel.

 

http://www.commune-hirel.fr/index.php

 

I assume 'wild camping' derives from the French term 'camping sauvage', which always makes me think of being washed up on a remote desert island following a ship-sinking and having to cope like Robinson Crusoe. I don't see staying on any sort of 'aire' - be it free or pay, a bare piece of tarmac or a quasi-campsite - as wild-camping.

 

I see wild-camping as staying where there is no indication that you are authorised to stay there and, if someone comes along and tells you to bugger off, it might be difficult to argue that you shouldn't. So (as far as I'm concerned) car-parks available to the general public, or roadside lay-bys don't count, though overnighting in an industrial estate or on a school car-park might. And, of course, if there are clear signs banning you from parking your motorhome there and you choose to ignore them, that's got to be considered proper 'camping sauvage'.

[robertandjean]

Both contributors are correct re aires/parking at Mt. St. Michelle. The new aire, with hook-up, wi-fi etc is 12.5€/night whilst the car park for motorhomes is, because of the 2.00am/2.00am charge band, 25€/night with no services but near shuttle bus to the Mount.

Re general point that trend is to larger aires with hook-ups, wi-fi etc with charges of 10/15 € night. Must say that on the whole support this move as appreciate things like wi-fi and fact that charges put many off particularly tight wad Brits!!!! But it is not true to say that this trend means many smaller aires are closing. Yes some aires do close but total number is on the rise and many of the new ones are small and many are still free (there that's brightened many of you up!).

[wild rover]

FRANKP60 - 2012-07-09 4:35 PM

 

It is possible to wild camp ,but never done it ,was parked in Council car park free no height barrier Saturday pm in my Motor home,right on sea front in Westbrook Kent .As i was putting the bikes back on rack another Motorhome pulled in and asked if he could park overnight,I commented don't know ,but it looks like boy racers are here in the evening by the skid marks.

While we were talking his wife open the valves and drop all the waste water over the car park,then it run down onto the sea front,loads of people walking and cycling along.

We wonder why the councils don't want us in there car parks!!!!!

 

A friend of mine tried to get me to join a wild camping forum, but when I looked at this forum I was horrified. They actually have 'wild camping meets'. What is the point in so called wild camping if all you do is meet up with a bunch of people in a car park somewhere? Maybe some people really do go off the beaten track, but I suspect that a lot of others are just a bunch of misers who won't pay to use a proper camp site.

[ips]

Wild camping is available at our CS. We will turn the water tap off, padlock the chemical disposal point and drive around your van with loud music on at 1am. The charge for this service is £6pn ...........or you can have the facilities re-instated and a quiet relaxing night for the same price. The choice is yours. :-D

[Rod_vw]

FRANKP60 - 2012-07-09 4:35 PM

 

It is possible to wild camp ,but never done it ,was parked in Council car park free no height barrier Saturday pm in my Motor home,right on sea front in Westbrook Kent .As i was putting the bikes back on rack another Motorhome pulled in and asked if he could park overnight,I commented don't know ,but it looks like boy racers are here in the evening by the skid marks.

While we were talking his wife open the valves and drop all the waste water over the car park,then it run down onto the sea front,loads of people walking and cycling along.

We wonder why the councils don't want us in there car parks!!!!!

 

I totally agree, disgusting habit - BUT where could they have 'dumped'?

Does the locality have a publically accessible waste facility for us motor home users? I know they could have parked over a roadside gully but there should be better options available to us. Local authorities, supermarkets, campsites and others offer this service in France why don't ours?

 

It's time the motor home magazines, convertors / manufacturers and we owners combined and put pressure on for better facilities in the UK. I don't mean posh campsites but basic, simple, cheap parking for motor homes only. They don't have to look far south to learn how to do it!

[747]

wild rover - 2012-07-13 12:23 PM

 

FRANKP60 - 2012-07-09 4:35 PM

 

It is possible to wild camp ,but never done it ,was parked in Council car park free no height barrier Saturday pm in my Motor home,right on sea front in Westbrook Kent .As i was putting the bikes back on rack another Motorhome pulled in and asked if he could park overnight,I commented don't know ,but it looks like boy racers are here in the evening by the skid marks.

While we were talking his wife open the valves and drop all the waste water over the car park,then it run down onto the sea front,loads of people walking and cycling along.

We wonder why the councils don't want us in there car parks!!!!!

 

A friend of mine tried to get me to join a wild camping forum, but when I looked at this forum I was horrified. They actually have 'wild camping meets'. What is the point in so called wild camping if all you do is meet up with a bunch of people in a car park somewhere? Maybe some people really do go off the beaten track, but I suspect that a lot of others are just a bunch of misers who won't pay to use a proper camp site.

 

Thanks for really brightening up my day, I have had a good chuckle at your post.

 

If you find it horrifying to have a get together at a Pub (NOT a car park as you mistakenly say), then do not pay £30 a year to join a similar scheme. It costs the wildcampers nothing as the Landlord is happy to have the increased business. It also does him no harm that his weekend guests often do something to raise funds for charity.

 

But what really had me howling was your forum name. Wild Rover is a howl to someone as easily horrified. You might want to change it to something more suitable, like Scaredycat.

 

BTW, I do not personally attend these meets but do not rule it out in the future. You seem to suffer from the illusion (common on this forum) that we EXCLUSIVELY wildcamp. We are members of at least one Club, use their sites and THS's.

 

The next time you spout words on a public forum, please ensure that you know your subject.

 

Thanks.

[mel wood]

Rod_vw - 2012-07-13 1:00 PM

 

FRANKP60 - 2012-07-09 4:35 PM

 

 

While we were talking his wife open the valves and drop all the waste water over the car park,then it run down onto the sea front,loads of people walking and cycling along.

 

 

 

I totally agree, disgusting habit - BUT where could they have 'dumped'?

 

It's time the motor home magazines, convertors / manufacturers and we owners combined and put pressure on for better facilities in the UK. I don't mean posh campsites but basic, simple, cheap parking for motor homes only. !

 

 

 

 

 

Rod, in answer to your question he obviously could have used facilities if staying on a campsite. As you say, as a last resort he could have used a drain at the side of the road.

 

 

 

As regards your second point, for members of CCC or CC many Certificated Sites/Locations provide "basic ,simple, cheap" overnight stays, some for as little as £4 per night and there will be somewhere to empty the loo and also to obtain fresh water. OK they do not all provide a drain over which you can drive to empty grey water but there will be somewhere to dispose of it.

 

Who could possibly begrudge paying as little as £4 for a place to stay?

[wild rover]

747, there is no need to be rude. I wasn't referring to anything you may have said on this thread. For me, wild camping means going off to a quiet place where you can get away from it all. The idea of a group of people going to a carpark (and yes, many so-called wild campers do that) does not appeal to me. I live in Wales and I always go to remote places in the motorhome. If you'd read my message carefully, you would have noticed that I said there are people who do go off the beaten track - I am one of those - but I suspect that SOME people are just misers. If the shoe fits, wear it!

 

Pam

[747]

wild rover - 2012-07-13 4:38 PM

 

747, there is no need to be rude. I wasn't referring to anything you may have said on this thread. For me, wild camping means going off to a quiet place where you can get away from it all. The idea of a group of people going to a carpark (and yes, many so-called wild campers do that) does not appeal to me. I live in Wales and I always go to remote places in the motorhome. If you'd read my message carefully, you would have noticed that I said there are people who do go off the beaten track - I am one of those - but I suspect that SOME people are just misers. If the shoe fits, wear it!

 

Pam

 

Well I expect I will bump into you in those wild, remote places because it is extremely rare that I have ended up in a car park. It is usually down to bad planning.

 

You got my reply because you generalise too much. You painted a picture of a bunch of freeloading people, the type that you would not want to meet, you actually said you were 'horrified'. These internet forums are very one-dimensional and some thought needs to go into the post to keep the right impression you are trying to convey. You are very likely not pompous at all but your thread certainly came across that way. These forums can be extremely helpful to anyone with a problem but nobody calls a poster a 'cheapskate' because he is asking for advice which could save him a large bill from a dealer. This is why I get annoyed when others give false impressions of a group of people that I mix with. Pick any group you like and you will have a very similar cross-section of society.

 

I would like you to tell me which wildcamping site you were on about and where the meet (or meets) were being held. That is the only way I will believe you.

 

Thanks.

[sambukashot]

The term "wildcamping" should be called "wildparking" if you are using your motorhome or campervan, wildcamping refers to the use of tents

Thank you

Keith