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Hello. I'm new. Do the advert cliches work?

S

St. Etienne

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2
Vehicle
T5 SE 140
I'm just wondering how many people have actually driven to remote spots and camped in their Calis and did they quickly get moved on by farmers/police/busybodies? What are the rules in the UK and beyond?
 
This will be interesting......

When I post about the advantages of having a built in loo, loads of folk come on saying they prefer to "Sh*t in the woods"(*)
When someone asked whether folk preferred grass or hard standing pitches on campsites, the consensus was hard-standing to avoid getting grass in the Cali (*).

(*) both responses are exaggerated to make a point, but prove what a huge variety of users are on the forum ;)
 
Hi and welcome to the forum! I don't wildcamp myself, but there are several on here who do and and I'm sure they will be along soon :)
 
Hi
Wild camping in the UK is hard work. However, the EU mainland is a different matter.

Regards
Mike
 
It is a big subject, but in England and Wales, the rules are you can't stay overnight unless it says....in Scotland, you can unless it says.
That is a LONG way from saying that nobody wild camps in Eng & Wales, but you face the risk of being asked to move on.
Queue 135 contrary opinions to follow shortly...........
 
Hi and welcome ,
Only been in the UK on one occasion for five or six nights in witch i stayed overnight twice in a non official spot...other nights at campsites.

But on other European trips we did use , freestanding spots , as i like to call it .
The word "wildcamping" to me gives a bad impression.

I like to use a lot of " camperspots" , you will find lots on special sites and books as ACSI ,...
Those are usualy spots that are ok to stay overnight without any risk of getting troubled by police...
Sometimes it has waterpoints, electric,....sometimes free or at low price.

Sure we stayed the night on abandonned parkings or nice spots .
Use common sense , it will get you to spent the night in lovely places.
 
St. Etienne said:
I'm just wondering how many people have actually driven to remote spots and camped in their Calis and did they quickly get moved on by farmers/police/busybodies? What are the rules in the UK and beyond?
Click to expand...
As far as I am aware, Private Land is just that. If the owner allows parking by the public then the owner can stipulate if camping overnight is allowed or not.
Council owned land is similar. If there are no posted restrictions then you are ok.
Road Lay-bys, once again if there are no restrictions posted then you can stay overnight.
The Police could stop and check but cannot move you on if you are not flouting any restrictions/bye laws. But please note, if you are over the limit and in pocession of the vehicle keys then things could get difficult.
As far as Private Land is concerned then the owner has the legal right to ask you to move.
The problem with "remote locations" near towns and cities is they might well be frequented by others for other purposes. We have some nice coastal spots near us, but I wouldn't like to be there on my own when the sun goes down. With a crowd different.
 
Regarding the title of the post, the VW California ad is through rose tinted specs but that's advertising for you. They're not going to show the Cali on a packed campsite in Skegness (no offence Skeg fans).
 
i have Stopped in some stunning places.
Out of the way

I check there is no sign saying I shouldn't
Nobody around
And that is is not obviously private land.
I make no fires and leave no Rubbish
We wake with the light , so are packed up before anybody comes....this last one dog walkers started appearing at 8 , but we had the bed away and we're making breakfast by then. For all they knew we could have arrived that morning.
We did stop in a car park last summer on Bodmin moor. A load of youngsters turned up in cars....we felt uncomfortable....and moved on.

I now watch out for good spots as I drive around. You will be suprised how often I see a van ...never seen a Cali mind..that looks like it is there for the nightimage.jpeg
 
image.jpeg
We recently stopped in a pub overlooking blagdon lake. Stunning view. I asked the landlord if I could stay overnight if we ate and drank...he was quite happy
We had the car park to ourselves, apart from the landlords car
 
Wow. Full and informative responses. This is a good forum. Thank you. i'm looking forward to having more specific questions to ask.
 
St. Etienne said:
Wow. Full and informative responses. This is a good forum. Thank you. i'm looking forward to having more specific questions to ask.
Click to expand...
You ain't seen nothing yet ....just warming up!
:thumb
 
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Reactions: DM
CYCLOPATH said:
View attachment 11792
This was blagdon in the Mendips .
The food and beer was good to
Click to expand...
I know the pub well Cyclopath, spent many a long summer evening up there.
There was an annual steam rally at the Blagdon Pumping station about a mile from there with a superb restored beam engine on display.
Never thought of asking the landlord about staying in his car park.
 
CYCLOPATH said:
I make no fires and leave no Rubbish
Click to expand...

When I took my mountain leadership training, which included an overnight wild camp in Snowdonia, I was told the following code:
- Take nothing but photos.
- Leave nothing but footprints.
- Break nothing but wind.
- Pick nothing but nostrils.

I never completed the mountain leadership assessment - but the wild camping code has stayed with me.
 
I have wild camped in Europe, and I've been moved on by the police (along with about 50 other vehicles!). Yes it's definitely doable, and yes it's great! I will post up a couple of photos :)

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
 
We sometimes wildcamp. Depends what we're up to and where we are going. Sometimes a campsite meets our needs better.

Here are a few wildcamping pictures to get you in the mood :)

IMGP3045_zpse913aa18.jpg


19867763455_0b826c1e82_z.jpg


P1010113_zpsyb167f2f.jpg


file_zps55d46b41.jpg


19679746458_7fd98cfb4f_z.jpg


file_zps8a00c545.jpg
 
Tactical said:
Great photo of you on the roof - but what about the 50kg weight limit? :Nailbiting:Nailbiting
Click to expand...
Lol, good question!!! It was a friends van and we didn't know about the limit, he's never mentioned anything so I assume it was ok!!!

Sent from my GT-N8010 using Tapatalk
 
The start of this little video was a wild camp, you will see a farmer in the first few seconds, he didn't bat an eye lid and just waved and smiled. I also had a police car pull up a short distance away from our van about 3am, It did wake us because of the noise and headlights but they just ran our plate and left us alone didnt even attempt to wake us.


Leave no mess behind, pick a sensible spot and be respectful and you will be fine most of the time.
 
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