Is it “illegal” to wild camp in England?

n brown said:
i agree ,my idea has always been 'it's better to apologise than ask permission '
especially for such a harmless pursuit
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Nigel, the amount of ignorance from both sides is quite frankly ridiculous. We have Simon who has been on here since 2016 asking a question he should know the answer to already, and us debating something that should not require ddbate. And some folk don't reckon it’s harmless, and the way some behave (not only us) make our pastime harmful at times to others.
 
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For the CMC to say wild camping in England is illegal is wrong, as the law says you can camp on most land with the land owners permission.
When it comes to the public highway, there are laws governing setting up a camp, but not AFAIK any that apply a blanket ban on sleeping in a vehicle, some might say this is a grey area, well if it is let it stay that way, because you can bet that if government gets involved the laws will get tighter.
 
If you need somewhere to safely stop for the night without risking parking up “illegally”, you could always phone the local council where you are or are planning to be, and ask if there is anywhere you can park up for the night ( not in a campsite). We have done this a few times in England and Wales and have been offered parking spots in car parks ( generally empty at night) or other acceptable ( to them) places.
 
I find it a rather strange question. If it was illegal most on here would be in jail for repeat offending. If done with common sense and discretion I’m sure you will be fine.
It’s about time you Englanders stood up for yourselves and have the same rights as Bonnie Scotland not that they apply to vehicles.
 
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colinm said:
For the CMC to say wild camping in England is illegal is wrong, as the law says you can camp on most land with the land owners permission.
When it comes to the public highway, there are laws governing setting up a camp, but not AFAIK any that apply a blanket ban on sleeping in a vehicle, some might say this is a grey area, well if it is let it stay that way, because you can bet that if government gets involved the laws will get tighter.
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Quite right Colin, not illegal.

More frowned upon by the general public or councils with vested interests who then seek to legislate against it. Not helped by (more than a small minority) who's behaviour doesn't exactly help the cause.

There are still thousands of places where wildcamping is possible with discretion, but unfortunately not around the honeypots where many want to be.
 
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I have read on both the major clubs magazines the statement that WC is illegal. I wrote to both and received no reply from the CMC but did get a letter published on the CCC mag which I posted on here. I also read a letter from someone living on Mull who complained about our “illegal” activities, again I got a reply printed on their magazine, and posted it on here. The man from Mull being convinced he was correct in his assumption.
I was ordered to move from a carpark at St. Andrews Harbour, the warden quoting a sign saying “no overnight parking for caravans”. When I tried to point out that we were not a caravan, and that no overnight parking signs are not legally binding, he told me to go stay in a hotel. We left and parked a few miles down the road on a laybye in Gaurdbridge.
I got into a discussion with a Motorhome owner in Dunbar CCC site, who was convinced WC was Illegal. After a while I managed to convince him he was wrong. I also met another man on the Auchrannie facility on Arran, who remains convinced it’s illegal, I being unable to convince him he was wrong. I even pointed out that on Arran we have two public elsan points to no avail.
The levels of ignorance on both sides out there create problems for us.
 
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Back to March/April 2021 when Scotland was about to emerge from the COVID legislation constraints, there was a grey area about the then emerging freedoms to travel beyond the 5 miles for a change of scenery/day out. The Civil Servant updating the Guidance/legislation assumed [always dangerous] that everybody would travel by car for their day out and then go home [caravans were not affected because sites were still closed, IIRC]. Scottish Motorhomers began to post on Forums plans to stay overnight, wild camping [because sites were closed], and Police Scotland said that they would not be interested in issuing tickets for overnight stayers, but Officers would drive past, making a visual check for the Motorhomer's safety, considerate/safe parking, so that traffic, especially emergency vehicles could pass easily, no evidence of littering/emptying of cassettes etc, and no other anti-social behaviour such as loud music/drunken revelry.

In other words, Police Scotland were taking a pragmatic 'Live and Let Live' approach, and relying on Motorhomers to act responsibly

Steve
 
Snapster said:
If you need somewhere to safely stop for the night without risking parking up “illegally”, you could always phone the local council where you are or are planning to be, and ask if there is anywhere you can park up for the night ( not in a campsite). We have done this a few times in England and Wales and have been offered parking spots in car parks ( generally empty at night) or other acceptable ( to them) places.
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I have had various communications with Cornwall coco and in every reply the wording is identical....if you come here you must stay in one of our many campsites 😡
 
Why is parking a motorised self propelled vehicle on 4 wheels in which a bed is fitted defined as “wild camping” or even “camping”?

It is clearly illegal to park up on any privately owned land without the land owners permission regardless of the type of self propelled vehicle. Public owned land and highways a different matter subject to local road traffic orders.

Why are self propelled vehicles in which a bed is fitted always singled out for special treatment over and beyond other vehicle types?
 
r4dent said:
Generally, it is illegal to wild camp in England and Wales without the express permission of the landowner.

www.geppsolicitors.co.uk

Is it legal to camp anywhere in the UK?

Generally, it is illegal to wild camp in England and Wales without the express permission of the landowner.
www.geppsolicitors.co.uk www.geppsolicitors.co.uk
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The situation is a little different to that. It is not illegal to wild camp anywhere sleeping in vehicles is not explicitly banned. Until the latest change in legislation, wild camping without permission constituted trespass, which (except for actual damage or obstruction) is a civil matter, not criminal. That's still the case unless the land owner, a police officer, or other person named in the legislation directs you to leave -- when it becomes a criminal offence to not leave.

However, it is unlawful (contrary to the 1960 caravan sites legislation) for a land owner to (with some exceptions) permit their land to be used as a caravan site without a license. So, while wild camping is in general illegal, it's the land owner, not the wild camper, who would be breaking the law!
 
GeoffL said:
However, it is unlawful (contrary to the 1960 caravan sites legislation) for a land owner to (with some exceptions) permit their land to be used as a caravan site without a license. So, while wild camping is in general illegal, it's the land owner, not the wild camper, who would be breaking the law!
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One of the exceptions being.

Use by a person travelling with a caravan for one or two nights​

2Subject 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)if 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.
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In the USA the term recreational vehicle or RV is used for what we in the U.K. call a 4 wheeled vehicle with a bed fitted.

Maybe we should adopt this term “recreational vehicle” in the U.K. to distinguish users of motorhomes and camper vans that are self sufficient and are happy to park up where cars can park up from tents and caravans that cannot and that do require a campsite to set up with suitable facilities.
 
Moped said:
In the USA the term recreational vehicle or RV is used for what we in the U.K. call a 4 wheeled vehicle with a bed fitted.

Maybe we should adopt this term “recreational vehicle” in the U.K. to distinguish users of motorhomes and camper vans that are self sufficient and are happy to park up where cars can park up from tents and caravans that cannot and that do require a campsite to set up with suitable facilities.
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The term RV in the US covers all 'Recreational Vehicles'.
 
This thread seems to have deteriorated badly, in common with many, several people seem to think it’s necessary to answer a question that hasn't been asked.

First of all, I do not use campsites in UK, and very seldom in Europe. I will always want to park in that secluded layby or forest track or similar as can be found on the WC app. I will always want to wild camp (if that is the correct term) because I don’t want the regimentation and costs of stopping where I don’t want to be ie near people. I have all of the equipment necessary contained inside my Motorhome (not a camper van) to stop miles off grid if necessary, I’m fully self contained with lots of solar, plentiful leisure batteries (x4) 2 large Gaslow cylinders and so on.

My question was quite simple is it illegal to wild camp in England? I have done it, I will continue to do it, but I just wanted an easy answer.
 
colinm said:
The term RV in the US covers all 'Recreational Vehicles'.
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In the US, almost all travel trailers and motorhomes have inboard fresh, grey and black tanks and so, unlike the majority of UK trailer caravans, are completely self-contained. That said, when we were tuggers, we stopped over in the odd layby when too tired to continue and had containers for both fresh and grey water and could use the toilet also when necessary, showing that (with a little care) even trailer caravans can be self-sufficient for a limited time.
 
It would be great if there was defining type such as a van with no toilet or cooking facilities is one type, a van which has all facilities is another type, one can stay one or two nights "wildcamping" and the other cannot as they will need to dispose of their waste, or cook outside etc, obviously there are grey areas with that and why there is no blanket answer or actual law.
 
SimonM said:
This thread seems to have deteriorated badly, in common with many, several people seem to think it’s necessary to answer a question that hasn't been asked.

First of all, I do not use campsites in UK, and very seldom in Europe. I will always want to park in that secluded layby or forest track or similar as can be found on the WC app. I will always want to wild camp (if that is the correct term) because I don’t want the regimentation and costs of stopping where I don’t want to be ie near people. I have all of the equipment necessary contained inside my Motorhome (not a camper van) to stop miles off grid if necessary, I’m fully self contained with lots of solar, plentiful leisure batteries (x4) 2 large Gaslow cylinders and so on.

My question was quite simple is it illegal to wild camp in England? I have done it, I will continue to do it, but I just wanted an easy answer.
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No
 
Debroos said:
I have had various communications with Cornwall coco and in every reply the wording is identical....if you come here you must stay in one of our many campsites 😡
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Stayed a few nights in Cornwall recently. Never broke the law , never stayed on a campsite .
Not going to say where but easy to find (including a so called hotspot)
 
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