MarkB
Guest
Hi all,
I'm new to this site and found it through a link from motorhomes forum thats been quite useful for me. this place is great. whoever set it up it looks good and it is just what I was looking for.
I am about 3 weeks away from turning into a wild camper. probably quite literally.
I'll risk boring you briefly with how come I am here right now....
I flirted with the new age travellers world way back in the days of Stonehenge festival when the lawmen sat chatting to the bikers while they smoked spliffs and though I never really related to the 'convoy' lot I was spellbound by their lifestlye. Then for those who have heard of the incident, I got caught up in the first violence to hit that world properly which I discover is now a landmark moment known as the 'battle of the beanfield'. Everything changed after that day. Anyway I took an exit stage left at that point and since then havent been in a campervan or spoken to a hippy as far as I recollect, that was 1985.
I am an upstanding citizen nowadays, kinda, I work in IT in London and have a mortgage and girlfriend and so on. but I also have no money because of it, I bought into property late. two weeks ago I received the letter from my pension people and they tell me if I keep working my ass off at the current rate I do then I will receive the sum total of 6K p.a. when I retire. I smoke that much a year!
anyway that triggered a decision in me that has been brewing for the last 2 years within my spirit if you like.
so I am in the process of selling up the house, or rather selling it to my soon to be ex g/f as we arent really heading the same way in life now, but you dont need to know that.
long and short of it is I spotted a largish van on ebay, nipped up to Halifax to buy it.
returned many hours later, the beast guzzles diesel like an SOB and only goes 50mph.
but it runs and it has a campervan makeover bigger than some of the rooms I have rented in my time.
It doesnt have the aesthetic beauty of an expensive RV, in fact it looks worryingly more like some hippy mobile but funds are limited. It isnt too bad and I may have to consider giving it a paint job to give it a better disguise in order to become just another unnoticeable van on the road.
3 weeks time I will hit the road in it. with very little money, keeping my job in IT in london.
and doing what those around me seem to think is something insane.
I will be parking up all about London in it as my new home while I pay off some debts and do my best to avoid the ridiculous costs of renting and mortgages and of course all the bills that come with it.
I have no idea if I will get away with this. but I plan to try and if all else fails then I will return to renting and pay my debts off that much slower.
I love music, it is my business I am professionally skilled at it, but it doesnt pay my way, I run music events as a hobby, and this campervan has all the ingredients required to make a mobile stage . I can run PA's off batteries and put live bands on and so on if the chance arises. (open for bookings if you are interested!)
add to that my love for surfing and I have to say this has all the makings of a dream come true.
before you drop your draw aghast at my naive insanity, I know most of the problems that lie ahead from the law to the local pikeys and have-a-go teenage robbers that no doubt I will from time to time end up coming across. to be honest most of the people that live in houses in my area are just as violent, unfriendly and untrustworthy but its the sickness of the cities wherever you live. IMO.
so thats my situation. I apologise if this seemed like an offload it is just that this site suits my purposes well and I hope to post here regularily as I can as my adventure begins. It is an adventure no doubt about it. I feel an incredible sense of excitement mixed with absolute terror at the prospect. but it is something I must do. I have no idea why it just feel right.
I am nearly 40 , I have no kids and I have been putting off travelling because I was terrified of ending up old , lonely and skint without a career and long term job. It seems according to my pension I am stuffed anyway and that letter was the final straw. If all goes well I will have consolidated my debts in about 8 months to a year and I will be able to look further afield and be free to make new plans I dont count out buying land or property but not in London the market has peaked right about now.
I figure reading all the things I have in this site and others that there are in fact possibly hundreds of everyday normal people wanting to do 'wild camping' in UK but the info on how to do it just isnt quite out there yet and there is clearly a massive perception that is very anti this behaviour in the UK. but given the history of it all as I know it and have written above, I think that there is a change on the cards. I was up for doing this years ago but it turned into a war zone.
Web Sites like this prove to me that it is coming back in a healthy way and hopefully lemming-like buffoons such as myself can put something down in writing for those who follow on behind. I dont mind making mistakes its fine so long as I learn from them.
This does for me go back to 1985 and what I witnessed back then. 1984 was a fantastic year for me when I discovered the travelling community that was just starting to take off and everyone who now fears and despises them, back then saw them as wild kids born of the 60's love and peace brigade just trying to live a dream. That is what it was, even the cops were friendly and forgiving. Why wouldnt they be. it was about fun. we all like that right?
The change from a good spiritual sense of freedom that was developing into a friendly mobile community was suddenly dashed and utterly destroyed if not turned into an all out war not only between society and the 'travellers' but it actually began prope, as far as I know, the night before in 1985 when the drunk thug dealers who had involved themselves with the true peace loving travellers started beating other travellers up. It was the tension that started it all and then escalated within hours into a full scale battle with riot cops. a la the battle of the beanfield I mentioned which changed laws and set all the bad perception in motion. it became an us and them situation that continues to this day. damn shame.
It didnt have to go that way. but it inevitably did when families had their windows punched out by the militarily prepared riot police of course they fought back, who wouldnt. but you cant beat the police nhor the governemtn and the resulting laws and problems for people simply trying to live a lifestyle that was mobile and free was turned into some media frenzy and became outlawed and that was where it all began.
its a shame but now new age travellers are marked in all our minds and always will be though they dont really seem to help the situation much. Well, I have been shedding that whole concept in my own mind replacing it with what I find out here. new terms like - wild camping and full-timing. its more respectable and doesnt conjur up images of dredlocks and people with hard done by attitudes, dogs on rope and a special brew in their hand. not that there is anything wrong with that it just doesnt work for me nor society and it never will to be honest.
what you have to do is change peoples perception and things become acceptable. Truckers are after all doing the exact same thing really.
anyhoo, long introduction from me but there is a lot of history to my making this decision and hearing all I do from people out there wishing to enter this lifestyle. somehow it felt important to say it in public and this seemed the place to do that. (hope you dont mind admin) But I saw it working once before the £$%^ hit the fan and it worked. It was a good thing and it was working well. Violence or problems with the law just didnt come into it in 1984.
but enough of thatI am sure you get the picture.
I havent yet found anyone out there wildcamping or fulltiming in a major city which is what I am about to do. risky I guess but I have found a few spots to choose from for starters. will be commuting to work by bicycle at first but may change that to motorbike to give me a longer range. and a car if I cant take the cold and wet. I dont expect it to be easy but my focus is on the freedom and of course 8 months paying my debts off.
So watch this space folks and if you have any tips or thoughts good or bad advice send it my way. Or if you have any questions feel free to email me. I will endeavour to put all I can in the way of what I learn in doing this down here when I pop back from time to time.
It may all go tits up on the first night who knows. but I have to say I havent felt so excited since I first took to a surf board and discovered the sheer freedom one feels just sitting out on the waves alone. it is special and despite the risks, if you can handle what comes your way that is what makes life worth going for.
Thanks for listening. and please guys and gals let me hear your wild camping stories. It is support and understanding that helps people push on into the things the really want to do.
Having said that I should probably not say a word because if this works then I dont want it ruined by others trying it and nicking my spots! A possible future problem I foresee is when loads of people start doing this. it could become a real problem because then it will become an issue again. I can imagine hundreds of vehicles parking up all over the place because working people cant afford houses and want loose cash to spend on a bit of adventure and sense of freedom. Right now the law probably has no idea that hundreds of potential wild campers are revving their engines trying to get the bottle to take the leap.
You should see the look in the eyes of my mates, pure envy and admiration at my insanity. its hilarious. I rekon they'll all want to do it soon if it works out for me. It is the nature of people isnt it.
I write for england as you may have noticed. I best stop there.
but if anyone knows any sites in West London that will be any good to me for wild camping let me know.
or if anyone knows the law, preferably a lawyer, with regards living in a vehicle on the streets of London also please contact me.
and on that note, I'll take up your time no further and sign off.
ciao
MB
I'm new to this site and found it through a link from motorhomes forum thats been quite useful for me. this place is great. whoever set it up it looks good and it is just what I was looking for.
I am about 3 weeks away from turning into a wild camper. probably quite literally.
I'll risk boring you briefly with how come I am here right now....
I flirted with the new age travellers world way back in the days of Stonehenge festival when the lawmen sat chatting to the bikers while they smoked spliffs and though I never really related to the 'convoy' lot I was spellbound by their lifestlye. Then for those who have heard of the incident, I got caught up in the first violence to hit that world properly which I discover is now a landmark moment known as the 'battle of the beanfield'. Everything changed after that day. Anyway I took an exit stage left at that point and since then havent been in a campervan or spoken to a hippy as far as I recollect, that was 1985.
I am an upstanding citizen nowadays, kinda, I work in IT in London and have a mortgage and girlfriend and so on. but I also have no money because of it, I bought into property late. two weeks ago I received the letter from my pension people and they tell me if I keep working my ass off at the current rate I do then I will receive the sum total of 6K p.a. when I retire. I smoke that much a year!
anyway that triggered a decision in me that has been brewing for the last 2 years within my spirit if you like.
so I am in the process of selling up the house, or rather selling it to my soon to be ex g/f as we arent really heading the same way in life now, but you dont need to know that.
long and short of it is I spotted a largish van on ebay, nipped up to Halifax to buy it.
returned many hours later, the beast guzzles diesel like an SOB and only goes 50mph.
but it runs and it has a campervan makeover bigger than some of the rooms I have rented in my time.
It doesnt have the aesthetic beauty of an expensive RV, in fact it looks worryingly more like some hippy mobile but funds are limited. It isnt too bad and I may have to consider giving it a paint job to give it a better disguise in order to become just another unnoticeable van on the road.
3 weeks time I will hit the road in it. with very little money, keeping my job in IT in london.
and doing what those around me seem to think is something insane.
I will be parking up all about London in it as my new home while I pay off some debts and do my best to avoid the ridiculous costs of renting and mortgages and of course all the bills that come with it.
I have no idea if I will get away with this. but I plan to try and if all else fails then I will return to renting and pay my debts off that much slower.
I love music, it is my business I am professionally skilled at it, but it doesnt pay my way, I run music events as a hobby, and this campervan has all the ingredients required to make a mobile stage . I can run PA's off batteries and put live bands on and so on if the chance arises. (open for bookings if you are interested!)
add to that my love for surfing and I have to say this has all the makings of a dream come true.
before you drop your draw aghast at my naive insanity, I know most of the problems that lie ahead from the law to the local pikeys and have-a-go teenage robbers that no doubt I will from time to time end up coming across. to be honest most of the people that live in houses in my area are just as violent, unfriendly and untrustworthy but its the sickness of the cities wherever you live. IMO.
so thats my situation. I apologise if this seemed like an offload it is just that this site suits my purposes well and I hope to post here regularily as I can as my adventure begins. It is an adventure no doubt about it. I feel an incredible sense of excitement mixed with absolute terror at the prospect. but it is something I must do. I have no idea why it just feel right.
I am nearly 40 , I have no kids and I have been putting off travelling because I was terrified of ending up old , lonely and skint without a career and long term job. It seems according to my pension I am stuffed anyway and that letter was the final straw. If all goes well I will have consolidated my debts in about 8 months to a year and I will be able to look further afield and be free to make new plans I dont count out buying land or property but not in London the market has peaked right about now.
I figure reading all the things I have in this site and others that there are in fact possibly hundreds of everyday normal people wanting to do 'wild camping' in UK but the info on how to do it just isnt quite out there yet and there is clearly a massive perception that is very anti this behaviour in the UK. but given the history of it all as I know it and have written above, I think that there is a change on the cards. I was up for doing this years ago but it turned into a war zone.
Web Sites like this prove to me that it is coming back in a healthy way and hopefully lemming-like buffoons such as myself can put something down in writing for those who follow on behind. I dont mind making mistakes its fine so long as I learn from them.
This does for me go back to 1985 and what I witnessed back then. 1984 was a fantastic year for me when I discovered the travelling community that was just starting to take off and everyone who now fears and despises them, back then saw them as wild kids born of the 60's love and peace brigade just trying to live a dream. That is what it was, even the cops were friendly and forgiving. Why wouldnt they be. it was about fun. we all like that right?
The change from a good spiritual sense of freedom that was developing into a friendly mobile community was suddenly dashed and utterly destroyed if not turned into an all out war not only between society and the 'travellers' but it actually began prope, as far as I know, the night before in 1985 when the drunk thug dealers who had involved themselves with the true peace loving travellers started beating other travellers up. It was the tension that started it all and then escalated within hours into a full scale battle with riot cops. a la the battle of the beanfield I mentioned which changed laws and set all the bad perception in motion. it became an us and them situation that continues to this day. damn shame.
It didnt have to go that way. but it inevitably did when families had their windows punched out by the militarily prepared riot police of course they fought back, who wouldnt. but you cant beat the police nhor the governemtn and the resulting laws and problems for people simply trying to live a lifestyle that was mobile and free was turned into some media frenzy and became outlawed and that was where it all began.
its a shame but now new age travellers are marked in all our minds and always will be though they dont really seem to help the situation much. Well, I have been shedding that whole concept in my own mind replacing it with what I find out here. new terms like - wild camping and full-timing. its more respectable and doesnt conjur up images of dredlocks and people with hard done by attitudes, dogs on rope and a special brew in their hand. not that there is anything wrong with that it just doesnt work for me nor society and it never will to be honest.
what you have to do is change peoples perception and things become acceptable. Truckers are after all doing the exact same thing really.
anyhoo, long introduction from me but there is a lot of history to my making this decision and hearing all I do from people out there wishing to enter this lifestyle. somehow it felt important to say it in public and this seemed the place to do that. (hope you dont mind admin) But I saw it working once before the £$%^ hit the fan and it worked. It was a good thing and it was working well. Violence or problems with the law just didnt come into it in 1984.
but enough of thatI am sure you get the picture.
I havent yet found anyone out there wildcamping or fulltiming in a major city which is what I am about to do. risky I guess but I have found a few spots to choose from for starters. will be commuting to work by bicycle at first but may change that to motorbike to give me a longer range. and a car if I cant take the cold and wet. I dont expect it to be easy but my focus is on the freedom and of course 8 months paying my debts off.
So watch this space folks and if you have any tips or thoughts good or bad advice send it my way. Or if you have any questions feel free to email me. I will endeavour to put all I can in the way of what I learn in doing this down here when I pop back from time to time.
It may all go tits up on the first night who knows. but I have to say I havent felt so excited since I first took to a surf board and discovered the sheer freedom one feels just sitting out on the waves alone. it is special and despite the risks, if you can handle what comes your way that is what makes life worth going for.
Thanks for listening. and please guys and gals let me hear your wild camping stories. It is support and understanding that helps people push on into the things the really want to do.
Having said that I should probably not say a word because if this works then I dont want it ruined by others trying it and nicking my spots! A possible future problem I foresee is when loads of people start doing this. it could become a real problem because then it will become an issue again. I can imagine hundreds of vehicles parking up all over the place because working people cant afford houses and want loose cash to spend on a bit of adventure and sense of freedom. Right now the law probably has no idea that hundreds of potential wild campers are revving their engines trying to get the bottle to take the leap.
You should see the look in the eyes of my mates, pure envy and admiration at my insanity. its hilarious. I rekon they'll all want to do it soon if it works out for me. It is the nature of people isnt it.
I write for england as you may have noticed. I best stop there.
but if anyone knows any sites in West London that will be any good to me for wild camping let me know.
or if anyone knows the law, preferably a lawyer, with regards living in a vehicle on the streets of London also please contact me.
and on that note, I'll take up your time no further and sign off.
ciao
MB
Hi MarkB. welcome to the wonderful world of Wild Camping. Although I am a Full-Timer and a Wild Camper to boot. I do not spend my time within cities so I cannot help you there. All I can do is wish you the best of luck and happy travelling.