imagine yourself far from home, no campsites near. Seeking an overnight spot to park. How will you recognise a good spot, how will you research it ? problems to avoid ?
thanks
A "good" spot will vary according to your tastes but there are a few basic rules to take into account whatever you are looking for:
1. Don't annoy the locals - ie don't park up outside someone's house. We usually try to be near civilisation but hidden from it (others prefer to be more remote).
2. Look at how busy the road is - and how visible you are going to be to passing traffic. Nothing is more annoying than being rocked out of bed by large lorries thundering by - except possibly being woken up by hooting vehicles!
3. Look around for signs of vandalism, such as broken glass and grafitti - and drive on if you see any.
4. Look around for signs of boy racers - the skid marks give them away - and drive on if there are any.
5. Look around for signs of frequent sexual activity (I will leave that to your imagination) unless, of course, you enjoy dogging!
6. Look around to see if there are other motorhomes in the area. We prefer to have company for reasons of security (but not too close); others prefer to be alone.
7. Position yourself so that, in the unlikely event of trouble, you are able to make a quick escape (that also means have everything inside packed away so you can leap straight into the driving seat and be gone).
8. Don't leave waste of any kind to show that you have been.
9. Don't overstay your welcome (obviously, the more remote the spot the longer you can stay without annoying people)
10 Be careful but not paranoid - and most of all, enjoy yourself. Happy travels.