First week ever wild camping - where would you go?

Harryw said:
If the drive at home isn’t convenient then perhaps legal tarmac wilding at either Port Solent or Arundel might be best. I’m assuming you’re SO/PO way though.
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Welcome..
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We bought our first van in a similar way and under the same circumstances as you .. Real novices .
We'd done some canal boating, and thought it would be a doddle to drive off and live the dream .
....

At the handover, the dealer took us through all the systems and procedures and there was a handbook
He gave us a list of 20 things one should never, ever do ... " Yeh yeh....!
It'll be simple ...let's get out of here.."
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We were so excited, that we couldn't wait to get started...
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The first night away, we forgot to pack towels and toilet rolls..
By the end of the first week, we'd done half of the list of no-nos.
By the end of the first month, we were on the 3rd time round, and had met a nice, understanding body shop owner.
That was 21 years ago.
........

If there had been an internet and a website like like this, we'd have been saved an awful plile of pain and expense.
...
Some old hands might have made us slow down, play safe and don't dare to be doing anything ambitious, until we were confident and settled.
This old hand would recommend that you join one of the caravan clubs, and find a nice boring campsite, close to your van dealer... There's bound to be a snag, or three. Trust me, there's no such thing as a perfect new or used van. The dealer won't spend expensive labour hours, checking everything... That's your immediate priority ...
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When you are ready for that ferry to freedom... You'll get a discount by booking through the club, that should cover your membership fees.
We feel jealous of all the fun, thrills and adventures, ahead of you
Mind how you go.
Paul and Jenny
 
antiquesam said:
Don't forget that you're are only allowed to stay in Europe for 90 days in 180 from 2021 so may have to see more of the UK than you anticipated.
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Good point. With that in mind I think if it were me I would be preferring to spend those 90 days in early Spring / Summer when Europe comes alive.
 
It sounds like you are well prepared with technical spec, solar, refillable gas etc, but one word of warning.
We have been motorhoming for many years now, but because of work commitments, we had never spent more than three weeks in the van at any one time. I recently retired, which created an opportunity to spend unlimited time in the bus, and it came as a great surprise to discover that living in the van was a LOT different to spending a few weeks away. Silly things that were mildly irritating before, suddenly became a major issue, and when we got back from the continent things just had to be changed/altered/improved, simply to restore my sanity.
It would be nice to think that you were completely happy with your van, which is easier said than done, before you commit to living in it full time.
Having said that, the project sounds very exciting, and I wish you lots of fun and safe travels.
 
Harryw said:
If the drive at home isn’t convenient then perhaps legal tarmac wilding at either Port Solent or Arundel might be best. I’m assuming you’re SO/PO way though.
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Arundel has no waste dump area although a pain to get water is available
 
We have been motorhomers for over 6 years and only very rarely stay on campsites. Only once have we come across hostile natives and that was this year in SW Wales. On the continent it is certainly much better than the UK. We have been to most of Scandinavia, East to Lithuania and South to Spain and Portugal but never for more than a month at a time. We always look for remote places away from habitation and have the best views and no problems. We also rarely stay in one place more than one or at most two nights. My rule of thumb is if you don’t annoy others you will usually be welcomed so just park sensibly and talk to those locals you do meet as much as possible - they are almost always nice people!!
 
Have to say the way things are for a 1st timer far better to find a campsite and stay there - probably all been moved on at some point especially in the uk - you could find yourself in a depressing situation very quickly - not everyone will share the same view but a lot will
 
Join our free group CAMPRAUK campaign for real Aires . We are on Facebook , Twitter and have a website. CAMpRA. On here you can ask people locally to suggest places.
 
Yes
Southern England is a desert for wildcamping at the best of times.
various restrictions everywhere..Hunkerdown somewhere !
 
barryd said:
Good point. With that in mind I think if it were me I would be preferring to spend those 90 days in early Spring / Summer when Europe comes alive.
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There is a useful app available that will let you work out how long you can spend in EU countries and when. If you go in May - June you can then go in September, October and November. There are a lot of aires in France but they expect you to leave within 48 hours although people do stay longer. Spain has paid aires and you can Wild Camp in places but that usually means not getting anything out except chairs. There are some popular spots so you could find yourself with 50+ vans as neighbours.The police are usually very good and will wave as they drive by. One of your biggest problems is getting rid of toilet waste safely. I have put it on the back of the bike and cycled into a campsite to empty it. We also have a spare cassette just in case. Have fun.

As for Dorset good luck with that. There are places you can stop. We managed a couple of weeks without campsites. It certainly was a bit of fun trying to find places to stop, lots of no camping signs and you do get the impression they don't really want you. Emptying cassette and finding water can be a challenge and don't expect facilities to be there because they are on the map. We do have one rule in the MH if either of us doesn't like the spot we have stopped at we move on and lastly always always have a plan B and plan C.

Before you head off anywhere you need to get the MH weighed with ALL your stuff in including full water and diesel tanks. Talked to someone full timing the other year and he was complaining about his MH and how it didn't seem to sit right. Certainly down at the back. I walked over and had a look. The back springs were flat and certainly on the rubber mounts. Whole thing looked wrong. Bike rack on the back with a couple of electric bikes on it. Garage full of all sorts of stuff and in amongst it all was a scooter. Not surprised it looked overweight it was. Guy had not got any idea, he just had a big garage and filled it.
 
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Mrscake said:
Hi all,

My husband are are are newbies. Never spent the night in a motorhome before, so we decided to quit our jobs, rent the house out and go full time :D

We pick the van up in early Jan and are planning to head into France/Spain mid-Jan, but we absolutely need to do a UK reccie to settle in. We are in tier 2, close to the New Forest in Hampshire. Don't want to take the mickey and travel too far. Where is good for the first week or so? We were considering the Isle of Wight, or around Milton on Sea?

Thank-you everyone, looking forward to becoming part of the community.
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You are very brave doing this in the current health climate. Personally I would wait a year, get Brexit out of the way as well
 
Great news! I can't recommend parking spots in Hull - I needed to get my driver's window replaced this week. :mad:

If you signed up as full members, there is Phil's wildcamping app.
Lay-bys are surprisingly good for overnights, some with a nice view and truck-stop bacon roll to wake up to - just be a little open minded about the impromptu romance that happens nearby.
Free customer showers at motorway services.
Getting water is the most stressful thing I ever needed to do.
Don't drink the water from graveyards - it's free but they might still have lead pipework in the old churchyards.
National Trust are trialling motorhome parking.
Britstops looks OK, but there is a free list of pubs that are cool with overnight stopovers. Typically, at most village pubs if you ask nicely when you order at the bar or buy a meal, they will be delighted to have your custom in exchange for a parking spot. One even suggested where to park the van to still be able to pick up their free Wi-Fi.
Lastly, don't be shy about motorhome/vanlife meet ups. Some of the best friends I ever had I met on the road. :giggle:
 
Hi! how exciting! We are from Hampshire originally (not far from the New Forest in fact). There are a lot more signs up there now about no overnight parking but there are some lovely CL's, maybe consider using one or two for your first trips to familiarise yourself with the van and sleeping out in it? It may take the pressure off a little. Or consider some BritStops? There is one in the forest we use regularly when we go back to visit my Mum. We used to do some park ups around Gosport but thats probably further out than you want. Good luck with everything!
 
Try Brit stops .We preferthe farm shops to pub stops
.Then you can look round in the day for alternative stops for another time
 
If you are considering the Dorset coast, have a look at the Isle of Portland on the WildCamping Location App, and perhaps the area south and west of Poole harbour.

As for France, you should assess very carefully the restrictions in force (and any that might be resurrected in any further lockdown). While some claim to have ignored them with impunity, others have not been so fortunate.
When visiting France, the WildCamping Location App has some very useful and attractive locations - aires and wilding. This should be supplemented with www.campingcar-infos.com, which has a fairly comprehensive database of aires and other overnighting locations. You might also consider www.france-passion.com
 
Bailey62 said:
We have been motorhomers for over 6 years and only very rarely stay on campsites. Only once have we come across hostile natives and that was this year in SW Wales. On the continent it is certainly much better than the UK. We have been to most of Scandinavia, East to Lithuania and South to Spain and Portugal but never for more than a month at a time. We always look for remote places away from habitation and have the best views and no problems. We also rarely stay in one place more than one or at most two nights. My rule of thumb is if you don’t annoy others you will usually be welcomed so just park sensibly and talk to those locals you do meet as much as possible - they are almost always nice people!!
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Very hostile natives on Anglesey.
 
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