Advice for Wild Caravan Camping

[Adrianderby]

Hello Everyone,
I have a small vintage 2 Berth caravan that I would like to ‘Wild Camp’ in. I’ve never had a caravan before but ‘on site’ parks don’t interest me.
I was wondering if anyone has had positive experiences on regular trips, if so why and where?
I’m based in Cheshire and love coastal roads as I surf such as North Wales and hoping to start a tour of the U.K.
Any help & advice would be appreciated.
Adrian.

 

[GreggBear]

Ideally when wild camping you should be ready & able to drive away at a moments notice without having to exit your vehicle. This makes a caravan not the best choice. This is only my opinion, but I know it is shared by many. When I built my bus, the first & most important point for my consideration was "can I get into the driving seat quickly without having to leave the vehicle habitation area?"
Also I believe I attract much less negative attention when parked than I would in a caravan, no doubt due to the general public opinion regarding Irish travellers.
Certainly not impossible to wild camp in a caravan, but I would suggest you might find it much easier to do it with a campervan of some kind.

 

[number14]

I agree with GreggBear. If you want quiet places then join one or both of the two clubs (Caravan & Motorhome Club and Caravan & Camping Club) and make use of their large network of five van sites (Certified Locations and Certified Sites). Many of these have no facilities apart from water and waste. I've just booked one myself in North Devon at £8/night. Buy a portable 'solar panel in a suitcase' to keep the battery topped up.
Hope this helps.

 

[dhall26]

Part of the problem with caravans is that few European ones are 'Self contained' which usually means setting up fresh and waste water containers outside the caravan, which is why Motorcaravans are more usually used.
In Australia it would be quite normal but their caravans are designed for it.
That said. I have often seen caravans stopped overnight in laybys when 'En Route'
But CL's or CS's and possibly Pub Stops may be a better bet

 

[jagmanx]

If you choose to join you will get access to the location app.
This will enable you to view all the locations !
Most of them are simply not viable with a caravan.
With a 6.5 metre motorhome we discount many locations as not for us.
We also discount others for being too close to the road or buildings.
You may find some larger parking areas and country carparks as just ok for space but maybe deemed unsuitable for caravans ? By the "owner"
I cannot recall a caravan in any of the many places we have stopped !!!!
I agree with other comments that the small sites are good cheapish and much better than the big sites !
I suspect your best options may be large lay-bys created by road realignment.

 

[Blue yonder]

I'm afraid, what is said above is probably true but don't be too disheartened. As Number14 said, join one of the big 2 and use their small Certified Location sites.
You have a great looking vintage caravan, enjoy using it.

 

[campervanannie]

We in the motorhoming world think we have got it bad with height barriers and no motorhome parking signs but towing a caravan to wild park will be even harder on car parks that we can get on its usual to see the no trailers no caravans so the wild life is not looking good for you but as it’s been said the CL and CS system attached to the two big clubs will be a great start for you.

 

[jann]

We've seen caravans wild camping in remote parts of Scotland. I wouldn't want to do it.The best idea would be to book on a small 5 van site then go out for the day in your car to search out any possible locations for another time.

 

[Wully]

Adrian that’s a smart wee caravan for it’s age. I hope you have a good time with it whatever or wherever you end up going enjoy.