Car and caravan

telfordfox

Guest
Does anyone comp wild with a car and caravan rather than a motorhome?
 
I've done it a lot with just a car.

A bit more sophisticated than just a plain car too. Have fitted second battery and also had luxuries like water carrier in boot with hand pump and bowl ;)

A car is quite good for wild camping. It doesn't attract too much attention and you can be off very quickly.

A caravan goes the other way for me. Unhitching from the car gives an air of semi-permanence likely to attract the wrong kind of attention from nosy locals who have nothing better to do with their lives than "report" people so I imagine you'd have to be quite careful with location.
 
I wild camped for more than 20 years with car/ caravan .....to be fair the fact that very few others did so was probably very helpful
my outfit was a double axle german van like the gypsies , but with a 4WD ;the only place where it was difficult was in the uk ...due to the 12 metre length ! otherwise , no problems ; being able to park the van with other wild campers and go off for the day gave me a flexibility that the majority of motorhomers didn't have , and I wouldn't have changed except that my outfit got old , I got old , and my new 70+ licence only allows me to tow 750Kg ...not enough with my towcar

so my take is ...if you want to wild camp in uk , the motorhome is best ....around europe I still prefer the caravan ...if I were younger and starting again I would probably go for a small motorhome as a tow vehicle [ 4wd bongo ?] and a small caravan ; that way I would be able to cover the uk as well as europe
 
Firefox said:
A car is quite good for wild camping. It doesn't attract too much attention and you can be off very quickly.
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This is my approach. I've camped in an adapted Renault Kangoo van. Now I have the Kangoo Roo car conversion. I've parked in places I shouldn't but if I'm seen, which I rarely am, then people just think it's a car and ignore it (other than those who ask to look inside). If I'm ever rich I might consider a larger motorhome but for sheer discretion, you can't beat wilding in a converted car (unless you have very bad weather when cabin fever can strike...).
 
Back in the 60`s my wildcamping equipment consisted of a good sleeping bag (Royal Marines arctic warfare type), a plastic sheet, a change of clothes and not much else. It was not just a fine weather thing either. A few times I woke up to a hard frost on the ground. Sometimes I woke up to a herd of cows as well. There were no NOP signs in farmers fields.

The most important bit of kit was my trusty thumb. Hitching was commonplace back then. Another British institution that has disappeared. Along with tramps. I met a few really interesting characters who opted out of society and went "wildcamping"

I once got home from the London area to the North East in 7 hours. Another time took me 3 days. I certainly needed a bath after that one.

Happy days.
 
when i wild camped a few weeks ago there was a caravan and car wild camping in front of me..the couple were about my age(32) and were very nice we all had a nice chat for a few hours about wild camping,they said they had been doing it for a few years and were happy with it..Was wilding in my favorite secret location.
 
maingate said:
Back in the 60`s my wildcamping equipment consisted of a good sleeping bag (Royal Marines arctic warfare type), a plastic sheet, a change of clothes and not much else. It was not just a fine weather thing either. A few times I woke up to a hard frost on the ground. Sometimes I woke up to a herd of cows as well. There were no NOP signs in farmers fields.

The most important bit of kit was my trusty thumb. Hitching was commonplace back then. Another British institution that has disappeared. Along with tramps. I met a few really interesting characters who opted out of society and went "wildcamping"

I once got home from the London area to the North East in 7 hours. Another time took me 3 days. I certainly needed a bath after that one.

Happy days.
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Those are the days I remember also - hitching all over the country and also on a small m/c - sleeping under hedges, in haystacks etc. Minus 10 in Betswy Coed one winter with just an Army surplus sleeping bag and a plastic sheet - never seen so much snow and ice! Getting woken at four o'clock in the morning by a pheasant screeching next to me in a haystack is one thing I will never forget. The 60's and 70's were the heyday of wilding for me. A bath was always a stream or the sea. Maybe this is the reason for all the arthritis now!
 
Have also camped out in the woods above Betws-y-Coed about 1992. That was the middle of winter... about minus 5. It was halfway up a hillside in the middle of the forest so no space for car or motorhome!
 
I believe that when caravaning first started you could stop anywhere in your caravan :eek::eek: no cost, however was it made illegal to stop in a caravan unless on a site or private land :mad:
That is why we have motorhomes:cool::cool:
 
aged 70 , unless you take the medical to continue with your previous licence , you will be issued with a group B licence as are those who passed their test from 1997

with this group you must take a driving test to tow a trailer which exceeds 750Kg

as introduced by the last Conservative government
 
btw , in 35 years caravanning I have never heard of a law which states private land or site only
 
cipro said:
I believe that when caravaning first started you could stop anywhere in your caravan :eek::eek: no cost, however was it made illegal to stop in a caravan unless on a site or private land :mad:
That is why we have motorhomes:cool::cool:
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Lebesset
btw , in 35 years caravanning I have never heard of a law which states private land or site only
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The law changed in 1936 with the introduction of the Public Health Act (1936). The provisions of that Act were superseded by the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act (1960) and the Caravans Act (Northern Ireland) 1963.

Licensing of caravan sites
1.—(l) Subject to the provisions of this Part of this Act, no occupier of land shall after the commencement of this Act cause use of or permit any part of the land to be used as a caravan site unless land as he is the holder of a site licence (that is to say, a licence under this caravan Site Part of this Act authorising the use of land as a caravan site) for site the time being in force as respects the land so used.
(2) If the occupier of any land contravenes subsection (1) of his section he shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction, in the case of the first offence to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds, and, in the case of a second or subsequent offence, to a fine not exceeding two hundred and fifty pounds.

Definition
"caravan" means any structure designed or adapted for human habitation which is capable of being moved from one place to another (whether by being towed, or by being transported on a motor vehicle or trailer) and any motor vehicle so designed or adapted,

A Motor home is therefore considered to be a caravan under this act. However so is a truck or van that has a sleeping cab, but no one seems bothered to enforce the act on them.

A site licence and Planning Permission ARE required except under certain circumstances.

Use by a person travelling with a caravan for one or two nights
2. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 13 of this Schedule, a site licence shall not be required for the use of land as a caravan site by a person travelling with a caravan who brings the caravan on to the land for a period which includes not more than two nights—
(a) during that period no other caravan is stationed for the purposes of human habitation on that land or any adjoining land in the same occupation, and
(b) if, in the period of twelve months ending with the day on which the caravan is brought on to the land, the number of days on which a caravan was stationed anywhere on that land or the said adjoining land for the purposes of human habitation did not exceed twenty-eight.

Use of holdings of five acres or more in certain circumstances
3.—(l) Subject to 'the provisions of paragraph 13 of this Schedule, a site licence shall not be required for the use as a caravan site of land which comprises, together with any adjoining land which is in the same occupation and has not been built on, not less than five acres—
(a) if in the period of twelve months ending with the day on which the land is used as a caravan site the number of days on which a caravan was stationed anywhere on that land or on the said adjoining land for the purposes of human habitation did not exceed 'twenty-eight, and
(b) if in the said period of twelve months not more than three caravians were so stationed at 'any one time.

Sites occupied and supervised by exempted organisations
4. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 13 of this Schedule, a site licence shall not be required for the use as a caravan site of land which is occupied by an organisation which holds for the time being a certificate of exemption granted under paragraph 12 of this Schedule (hereinafter referred to as an exempted organisation) if the use is for purposes of recreation and is under the supervision of the organisation.

Agricultural and forestry workers
7. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 13 of this Schedule, a site licence shall not be required for the use as a caravan site of agricultural land for the accommodation during a particular season of a person or persons employed in farming operations on land in the same occupation

Building and engineering sites
9. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 13 of this Schedule, a site licence shall not be required for the use as a caravan site of land which forms part of, or adjoins, land on which building or engineering operations are being carried out ('being operations for the carrying out of which permission under Part III of the Act of 1947 has, if required, been granted) if that use is for the accommodation of a person or persons employed in connection with the said operations.

Traveling showmen
10.—(1) Subject to the provisions of paragraph 13 of this Schedule, a site licence shall not be required for the use of land as a caravan site by a travelling showman who is a member of an organization of travelling showmen which holds for the time being a certificate granted under this paragraph and who is, at the time, traveling for the purposes of his business or who has taken up winter quarters on the land with his equipment for some period falling between 'the beginning of October in any year and the end of March in the following year.

Sites occupied by licensing authority
11. A site licence shall not be required for the use as a caravan site of land occupied by the local authority in whose area the land is situated.

Wild Camping under any circumstances under the 1960 act is therefore not permitted. We should all be on regulated sites.

I have been in communications with Natural England who administer this act on behalf of DEFRA. My argument is that Motor Homes have moved on since this act was written and they no longer need sites to cater for their sanitary need unlike touring caravans. All we need are frequent dump points or Aires. The Caravan Club which has a very strong input into Natural England still recommend that all tanks are emptied before travelling for stability of the unit. This is the touring caravan influence of this club. "The Big Two" clubs also have a commercial bias in getting us to use sites, many of which they own or licence.

DEFRA still insist that 20ft should be left between units in separate occupation. This is not however being enforced in lorry parks or motorway service areas where drivers sleep in their vehicles.

They are not happy with Pubs allowing motor homes to stay on their car parks because of the spacing provision and also the 28 day rule as stated above. Pubs would need to apply for an exemption from a club and you need to be a member of the exempted organisation that granted the exemption to use one of their sites so we would need to join the organizations or the Pub should apply to the local authority for Planning Permission and a site licence.

I have wild camped since the 1960s in a variety of Estate Cars, Caravans and Motor Homes. I am also the certificate holder for an exempted club and consultant to another.

 
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Wild camped in Suffolk this weekend and was joined by a caravan first time I've seen this.
 
Often seen one on yorkshire moors he is there most weekends want to know where then p.m me but think that a lot of you may know where this is:eek:
 
Thanks for those interesting comments. I've been wild camping in a motorhome for several years, but for certain reasons am no going the car/caravan route: hence the question.

I also have camped in the frost at Betws-y-Coed - not wild, but at the Dragon Rally. If you don't know it, that's hundreds of bikers ovenighting in tents, either in a mud bath or on hard ice.
 
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