Lost confidence

[mark61]

Barring the hotspots we all know about, I’m fairly sure, most people don’t even notice motorhomes.

I know for a fact, during lockdown there were at least 5 vans locally with people living in them. All sensibly parked up, not making a show. Completely unnoticed by most.

It’s only cause I’m a nerd that I notice new vans into the area.

Always on the look out incase they have any handy bits I can nick.

 

[in h]

Yes, but that's most certainly not down to the motorhome community!
And only extremely ignorant, biased or very sad, paranoid souls would ever believe that to be the case.

Only very paranoid souls would read that interpretation into what I wrote.

 

[Toffeecat]

I was wondering what exactly is the rules on wilding post July 4th. Can i overnight or do i have to stay on a campsite? Were noticing the campsites are pretty crammed already.

 

[Fisherman]

Mariesnowgoose. Of course it is nimbyism. We are a tiny hamlet that has been strictly adhering to the lockdown guidance. Why would we welcome large groups of campervans filling the very limited space we have for parking.
Why would we welcome vans without facilities dumping human waste on the Cleveland Way.
why do the police have to waste resources trawling out here to deal with folk who don’t understand simple rules?

just sayin’

And why would you welcome folks into your hotels and your B&Bs.
You would also welcome your car parks full of cars so why not a few campers.
Your assertion that campers will dump human waste on Cleveland way is quite insulting.
Are you sure that you are on the right forum
You seem to have a very low opinion of our community.
Did you see any motorhomes or campers in Bournemouth.
If you did, I have no doubt were you would lay the blame.
Oh and bye the way, 500,000 visitors.
And the only ones with toilets were, you guessed it us.
Wonder were all that human waste ended up.

 

[mariesnowgoose]

Only very paranoid souls would read that interpretation into what I wrote.

That was definitely not my interpretation of your post, that was my own viewpoint on how the rest of the world might be perceiving the behaviour of the motorhome community during this god-awful situation we're all having to face

 

[in h]

I was wondering what exactly is the rules on wilding post July 4th. Can i overnight or do i have to stay on a campsite? Were noticing the campsites are pretty crammed already.

There never were any rules, and there will continue to be none.

 

[Fisherman]

I was wondering what exactly is the rules on wilding post July 4th. Can i overnight or do i have to stay on a campsite? Were noticing the campsites are pretty crammed already.

Toffeecat, you are allowed in Scotland to remain overnight anywhere were you can legally do so.

 

[izwozral]

Having been confined to home exclusively for the last three months with only a couple of days out, I have found myself losing the confidence to free camp. This feeling has been exacerbated by the stories of people in Wales and Cornwall and elsewhere actively and in some cases physically discouraging visitors.
I thought I would book a couple of days in a campsite but school holidays are upon us and campsites are already saying they are likely to be full.
I expect a couple of short trips locally might restore my confidence but I wondered if anyone else was feeling a little shaky.
I certainly won't be going abroad this year.

I know what you mean, been pondering what sort of reception a lone MH would get. We will only stay in very isolated spots that are well off the beaten track the first few times, until we feel 100% confident. What worries me more is leaving the MH whilst going walking rather than any personal attack,.
Certainly wont be going to Wales or Cornwall in the near future and will be keeping my eyes and ears open re-visiting Scotland.

 

[Robmac]

Wrongly Rob.

First there will be far more coming up here in cars.
Those staying in hotels and B&Bs will be coming in much more contact with people. I stands to reason they pose a much higher risk than us Rob.
But that won’t stop the councillor Colin types from spreading the myth that we are a greater risk.

Precisely Bill - the myth spreads.

Motorhomes are an identifiable target for people to vent their anger at. They can't look at a bloke in the street and know he was at Bournemouth, but a few stories go round about those arrogant motorhomers and we're all tarred with the same brush and very easy to spot.

I hope I'm wrong but a second lockdown might be the catalyst for a backlash, and people do like to have somebody to blame.

 

[Fisherman]

Precisely Bill - the myth spreads.

Motorhomes are an identifiable target for people to vent their anger at. They can't look at a bloke in the street and know he was at Bournemouth, but a few stories go round about those arrogant motorhomers and we're all tarred with the same brush and very easy to spot.

I hope I'm wrong but a second lockdown might be the catalyst for a backlash, and people do like to have somebody to blame.

And a myth spread by the media, and the great il informed.
And sadly within our own community as post 16 highlights in here.
Apparently only folk in campers fill carparks, and crap all over the place.

 

[Deleted member 34243]

And why would you welcome folks into your hotels and your B&Bs.
You would also welcome your car parks full of cars so why not a few campers.
Your assertion that campers will dump human waste on Cleveland way is quite insulting.
Are you sure that you are on the right forum
You seem to have a very low opinion of our community.
Did you see any motorhomes or campers in Bournemouth.
If you did, I have no doubt were you would lay the blame.
Oh and bye the way, 500,000 visitors.
And the only ones with toilets were, you guessed it us.
Wonder were all that human waste ended up.

As we are still in lockdown the hotels,B&B and holiday homes are closed. That’s how it works.
The car park is next to the Cleveland way and I and others have seen the van occupants nipping over the fence with toilets rolls and seen the infamous cassette roses,

I really don’t see the relevance of the Bournemouth statements nor the assumptions you make about what I would think.

i have been campervanning (much of that free camping) since the late 70s so I’m fairly sure I’m on the right forum.

 

[mariesnowgoose]

I was wondering what exactly is the rules on wilding post July 4th. Can i overnight or do i have to stay on a campsite? Were noticing the campsites are pretty crammed already.

There have never been any specific 'rules' about wild camping as such, certainly not as part of any 'government guidance'?

And strictly speaking 'wild camping' in a moho or camper is a self-policing activity/community and always has been.

We rely heavily on common sense, shared knowledge within loose communities such as this website, consideration for the environment, tolerance of each other and respectful behaviour towards others who don't wild camp. We don't have any rules enshrined in the laws of the land - because there aren't any.

At least that's my own interpretation of how a wild camper should behave.
You won't find any wild camping rules in any government legislation, national or local, so looking for an 'official' source to give you the green light to go ahead and start doing what you have always done re wild camping before lockdown is a kind of non-starter, I think?

You have to make your own mind up, just as you did before C-19 arrived and turned our lives upside down.

Don't let C-19 leave you permanently fearful - we had independence of thought and, hopefully, the ability to make sensible decisions before all this happened, we need to continue to do the same now, just with C-19 factored in as another problem we all now have to deal with as best we can.

 

[Robmac]

And a myth spread by the media, and the great il informed.
And sadly within our own community as post 16 highlights in here.
Apparently only folk in campers fill carparks, and crap all over the place.

It might be ill informed Bill, but it does the damage.

Earlier on I was reading an Applecross forum earlier and it saddened me to see that local opinion was in part against motorhomes and the reasons cited were exactly that - dumping crap and rubbish and generally not obeying the rules.

 

[izwozral]

No doubt about it there will be a second wave and a second lockdown, not caused by MHers but by anybody who is attracted to crowds or visiting places where the public are touching things as in shops and hotels..
Whether the none MHing public see us MHers as a virus carrying plague on the move, I don't know, but am more worried that the moronic boy racer types, who would hassle you in normal times, may feel justified in lobbing a brick at the MH.

 

[mjvw]

Having been confined to home exclusively for the last three months with only a couple of days out, I have found myself losing the confidence to free camp. This feeling has been exacerbated by the stories of people in Wales and Cornwall and elsewhere actively and in some cases physically discouraging visitors.
I thought I would book a couple of days in a campsite but school holidays are upon us and campsites are already saying they are likely to be full.
I expect a couple of short trips locally might restore my confidence but I wondered if anyone else was feeling a little shaky.
I certainly won't be going abroad this year.

I think it's normal to feel like that especially under the restriction we have all been living, Myself and the wife have discussed this at length we are not going to use campsite if at all possible as we like to self isolate, we will wild camp but it will be in out of the way place usually our style anyway. As an example i would not rock up and park in a urban seaside environment or in a village, a couple of community run west coast stop overs ( off the main tourist route areas) i will call to gauge reaction and inform them we are self contained.
For the last two weeks we have been going out driving around the and have not received any negative attention, if stopping for food etc I would ask the shop keeper if i was welcome to enter.
Short weekends away for us in the coming weeks, we are assessing the situation on a weekly basis, and not commenting to any fixed plan. So your not alone feeling like this but don't let it stop you from doing what you love doing.

 

[Fisherman]

As we are still in lockdown the hotels,B&B and holiday homes are closed. That’s how it works.
The car park is next to the Cleveland way and I and others have seen the van occupants nipping over the fence with toilets rolls and seen the infamous cassette roses,

I really don’t see the relevance of the Bournemouth statements nor the assumptions you make about what I would think.

i have been campervanning (much of that free camping) since the late 70s so I’m fairly sure I’m on the right forum.

I am fully aware that the Hotels are closed.
But when they open your village will welcome visitors with open arms.
I kind of thought you would not see the relevance around Bournemouth.
I does not fit into your belief that we are the main problem around Covid 19.

 

[Deleted member 34243]

I am fully aware that the Hotels are closed.
But when they open your village will welcome visitors with open arms.
I kind of thought you would not see the relevance around Bournemouth.
I does not fit into your belief that we are the main problem around Covid 19.

yes we will welcome visitors when the rules designed to prevent / mitigate the spread of the virus are lifted, The issue at the moment is folk who decide that the rules don’t apply to them.
BTW. I live close to the car park and have provided water and waste disposal facilities to some of the camper vans and the surfers. I have even loaned one camper a spare bottle of gas.

on what basis do you make the statement ‘...your belief that we are the main problem around Covid 19’?

 

[mfw]

I would imagine if out of your own area ind est to park up for the night - cant really get peoples back up there - in your own local areas you know where to get away with it anyway

 

[mariesnowgoose]

I am fully aware that the Hotels are closed.
But when they open your village will welcome visitors with open arms.
I kind of thought you would not see the relevance around Bournemouth.
I does not fit into your belief that we are the main problem around Covid 19.

My reason for bringing in the Bournemouth aspect was to try and show that we may be wrongly assuming that the spotlight is always shining big & large on the motorhome community. Lots of other, non-moho, people are also getting flack during this whole fiasco.

Robmac is right about the fact that our vehicles are easy to spot and therefore easy targets when it comes to the 'blame game'.
And the 'blame game' is rife just now with the media (in all its forms!) homing in on anything that is headline grabbing and negative.

They also love to 'big it up' to make things into an even more sensational or emotion-stirring story.
No mention of the fact that probably 99% of the country is going quietly about their business as best as they can - that's not newsworthy!

We just have to accept the fact that C-19 has f*****d us all up good and proper and there will be all sorts of backlashes and reactions not just now but in moving on.

But again, the decision about whether you want to overnight in true 'wild camping' mode is very much down to the individual.
It always was and hopefully always will be.

Extreme caution and keeping an even bigger low profile than before would seem to be the sensible way to go in the coming weeks and months?

I will be travelling to meets, which is a different ball game, but I am planning to make my stop offs with friends and family as I make my way across the country. Any overnight stops will all be on private property. Won't be parking up in any POIs in parts of the country I've never visited before any time soon, unless I get my route planning and timing wrong, or something untoward happens!

Fingers crossed I will be fine. Life is permanently full of risks, I won't be worrying too much.

 

[landoboguy]

I couldn't give a Monkeys, until the law says I cant then I will, as far as Im concerned all MH owners are not the same, some are good some are not, simple, it's the same about every group in life.

Im considerate, and always make sure Im not upsetting anyone as far as I can help, but if they get uppity because of their own perceived views than that's their problem.

Ill cross the bridge of any issues when they appear, until then, happy camping everyone.