Are councils finally getting it?

Like many on this forum, we use all forms of overnight locations and it is great that some Councils are starting to respond more positively to the needs of those of us who prefer not to use large formal campsites. Don't see the issue of having a foot in both forums. Simply put, more vans require more pitches of all types and the challenge for everyone is that provision keeps pace with growth, I'm all for more choice and not some narrow interpretation of wild camping.
 
For me, wild camping is an important safety net more than anything -- something to fall back upon if we can't get a pitch. What planned 'wild camping' we do tends to be pub stops, although I've no aversion to spending the night in a picturesque 'out in the sticks' location. However, 'proper' wild camping needs support. Some aires have service points where you can pump and dump, so inclusion of these is at least as valid as listing WCs and water points. The same argument that aires are not wild camping applies even more so to pub stops IMO. We include those, so why not aires also?
 
Excellent. Finally. For a while I have mentioned wild camping. And even often stated that I might have the wrong opinion on what wild camping forum is Now some people are giving their opinions of it Excellent. Now I can read there opinions and possibly form new opinions. To me life is learning. Although I agree with the parachute item. I think it is a bit extreme So. Cheers for some good reading and interesting points. Brian
 
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Wild camping (parking, call it what you like, I call it wilding) is finding a remote spot on your own away from people, houses, towns etc. Somewhere idyllic with a nice view. Car park aires are not for me. However having said that. They are needed for all the reasons mentioned as are more service points so well done Campra for their efforts so far. What I would like to see is a change in the laws for setting up private motorhome only Aires. There are hundreds if not thousands of them in France, not just the ones the local councils put up but private ones. Ok we have CL sites which are great but you have to spend ages trying to get hold of owners to book and they are limited to five vans. Its supply and demand and surely there is now the demand but there must be something stopping farms, nurseries, pubs etc putting up first come first served private Aires like they have in Europe so relax the laws and maybe more will have a go at it.
 
FWIW, what I really like about the WC app is the ability to filter. So you can filter out aires if they are not your thing; you can also filter out urban car parks or any of the other categories. So the app is fully adaptable to whatever style of 'wild camping' you want to do.

Frankly, I can't agree with the premise that having aires will reduce the number of wild camping locations, simply because anti-motorhome councils etc. (like Cornwall) will ban wild camping whether or not aires are provided and I strongly suspect that those who are pro motorhome will continue to either explicitly allow overnight parking (rather than camping) or just turn a blind eye as they do currently.

I also suspect hope that the changes in legislation to make it possible to quickly remove undesirables from a location without the hassle of going through the courts for an eviction order might result in councils and landowners being less likely to erect height barriers etc.
 
I'm with Tom on this (post 11).

I started in the 60's with a sleeping bag, a change of clothes and a trusty thumb to hitch hike around the country. Finding an out of the way spot to overnight is camping but there is nothing wild about it. :giggle:

It might be better to call us occasional wild spotters but truly wild spots are getting rarer.
 
barryd said:
Wild camping (parking, call it what you like, I call it wilding) is finding a remote spot on your own away from people, houses, towns etc. Somewhere idyllic with a nice view. Car park aires are not for me. However having said that. They are needed for all the reasons mentioned as are more service points so well done Campra for their efforts so far. What I would like to see is a change in the laws for setting up private motorhome only Aires. There are hundreds if not thousands of them in France, not just the ones the local councils put up but private ones. Ok we have CL sites which are great but you have to spend ages trying to get hold of owners to book and they are limited to five vans. Its supply and demand and surely there is now the demand but there must be something stopping farms, nurseries, pubs etc putting up first come first served private Aires like they have in Europe so relax the laws and maybe more will have a go at it.
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I don’t think the U.K. will ever have an aires system like France ( and the majority of Europe) certainly, in France there is a proper Right to Roam and wildcamping ( however you define it) is acceptable and quite common, as long as the facility is not abused. There are also very very few interfering busybodies who enjoy telling you you can’t sleep / stop there or contact the local paper telling them they have seen you emptying your cassette/ leaving tons of rubbish around.
But, even in France, restrictions are being put in place in some areas and aires are closing down or being moved away from coastal towns and beauty spots, reasons given are that areas are becoming congested with wildcampers or local roads in tiny coastal villages are becoming congested by large motorhomes.
This has happened along the south Brittany coast where many of their aires were closed during the summer.
Portugal and Spain are also clamping down on wild camping, especially where dozens of vans congregate on beaches and other busy tourist areas.
England, unfortunately, has no real right to roam and Wales has implied ( or by now probably legislated) that wild camping is illegal.
It’s really nice to find a remote spot somewhere nice and quiet with great views and spend a night or two there and I envy you if you can, and long may it continue, but, I am guessing they won’t be around for long as soon as a busy body member of the public spots you……
 
Snapster said:
I don’t think the U.K. will ever have an aires system like France ( and the majority of Europe) certainly, in France there is a proper Right to Roam and wildcamping ( however you define it) is acceptable and quite common, as long as the facility is not abused. There are also very very few interfering busybodies who enjoy telling you you can’t sleep / stop there or contact the local paper telling them they have seen you emptying your cassette/ leaving tons of rubbish around.
But, even in France, restrictions are being put in place in some areas and aires are closing down or being moved away from coastal towns and beauty spots, reasons given are that areas are becoming congested with wildcampers or local roads in tiny coastal villages are becoming congested by large motorhomes.
This has happened along the south Brittany coast where many of their aires were closed during the summer.
Portugal and Spain are also clamping down on wild camping, especially where dozens of vans congregate on beaches and other busy tourist areas.
England, unfortunately, has no real right to roam and Wales has implied ( or by now probably legislated) that wild camping is illegal.
It’s really nice to find a remote spot somewhere nice and quiet with great views and spend a night or two there and I envy you if you can, and long may it continue, but, I am guessing they won’t be around for long as soon as a busy body member of the public spots you……
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Brittany from memory has always had lots of no overnighting signs all over the place but it also has the largest number of aires than any other region which kind of supports Brians claim (think it was him) that if you have lots of aires then we will be forced onto them and wilding will come to a stop. However I think that boats sailed, its already on its way out aires or not.

Its another reason why I would support private Aires rather than council ones. Chances are they would be somewhere people want to go and more attractive than a car park. There are some fabulous Aires in France, I just cant see that happening here unless someone wants to particularly attract motorhomes rather than a council just providing a car park and dump mainly because they think they are dealing with a problem.
 
brian c said:
Why if we are a wild camping forum do we want aires. Aires are going to kill off wild camping spots. The authority’s will say you can’t stop here we have provided you with aires , so ,we will end up ,well the same as a campsite ,surrounded. Brian. Ps maybe my idea of wild camping is different to others. Come on admin define for us wild camping then those that aren’t wild camping can go on the motorhome forum
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True wildcamping spots are fast disappearing anyway, so if we don't get aires we'd end up with nowhere to go but big campsites. Yes, it's a compromise but it's better than nothing! Little bit unfair of you to be so judgemental about people who'd use aires. Most of us would love to wild camp all the time but in practice have to swap around between wilding, pub stops and the occasional campsite for topups, etc. No-one should be excluded from the forum for not being 'pure' enough :ROFLMAO:
 
brian c said:
Wild camping spots. Car parks. What is the connection between wild camping and car park. Car parks are well a car park. Wild camping is as the title suggest. Wild. Empty cassettes fill up. Ok why an aire. Lay-by with short term stop say 30 mins with amenities. Even lorry drivers would love that. Brian
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So where exactly do you empty your toilet cassette Brian? :unsure:
 
brian c said:
Wild camping. Without upsetting annoying or confusing anyone .in my opinion. Is as the title suggests in the open away from amenities. In the woods in the open spaces. Since 1978 i have had numerous motorhomes and have never had difficulty finding places. Admittedly the last 18 months it’s changing. Due in my opinion to motorhomes congregating. And then locals complaining. All I think is if you park aires. Car parks pubs etc you are a motorhomer equals motorhome forum. If you wild camp equals wild camping forum. What is your opinion of wild camping. Brian. If authority’s want to spend thousands allowing motorhomes into car parks. Great. But don’t call it wild. Camping. All my threads are MY opinions Not rules or judgements.
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Even if I never wild camped again for the rest of my life, there's no way you'll ever drive me away from this forum 🤣
Most of us on here belong to Motorhomer too. Sometimes we wild camp, sometimes we don't. I do hope that's OK with you Brian?
 
I think we are in danger of yearning for a bygone era that will not be repeated. Witness France with the "commercial" interests taking over aires where they see a profit, whilst Portugal has reacted with more regulations. If any additional provision is made in the UK, surely that is a good thing, personally I don't see it making any significant difference to the loss of "wilding" opportunities.
 
Thread 32. 33not sure about the pure enough. What has my opinion to do with pure. To me if you have a motorhome and you use aires pub parks car parks etc you are a motorhome forum person. If you have a motorhome and ,to use the expression wild camp then you are a wild camping forum person. This is why I asked people’s opinions of what they define wild camping as. So I may learn that my opinions may be right or need changing. Not to be pure judgemental etc. This is my opinion and I am not judging people by what they do Or say. It is starting to appear that if you have a different opinion to someone you are opening the door to attacks My opinion. Brian
 
Sometimes I stay on a site, sometimes a lay by, sometimes an aire, sometimes a motorway aire, sometimes in the wild, sometimes urban.
I call it camping or staying in me van, although neither are technically correct I suppose, I’ve yet to lose a nights sleep over what I call it.

Sometimes I think it wise to be discreet, sometimes less discreet and sometimes I’ll make a complete spectacle of myself.:LOL:
Variety is the spice.
 
Wilding..campsites.. lay-bys..pub stops..Aires..Forum meetsI don’t see the difference I’ll stay and use any of them just means I get better use out of my van and I’m not tying myself down to doing the one thing all the time. I’m a member on here because I have interests in wild camping I’m a member on motorhomer.com because I like the meets. I’m a meber of ccc because I want to stay on a nice site with services sometimes. I’ll stay at a pub on my way to somewhere. I think that’s what a motorhome is for enjoyment and freedom to go and do what you want.
 
Well Wully. Well put I can’t agree with you more. In my opinion 100%. Right. It is your opinion and if someone differs then that is down to them and there opinion. No need to get personal or annoyed over someone’s opinion. I might have to do a rethink on my opinion of you. Lol. Besides 5 and a half years and we agree on comething. Wow. What’s the next five got in store. Brian
 
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