North York Moors

[DCC]

Having spent most of our time away last year on sites, we made a decision last week to spend this weekend exploring the areas of our local moors that we hadn’t been to before, and spend a couple of nights wild.

Being a ‘local’ I obviously know where most of the vans go but we wanted to get a little bit further off the beaten track.

We noticed a dozen or so ‘youngsters’ (late teen/early 20’s) at one potential site and obviously moved on.

On Sat afternoon we were parked up just off the road discussing our next move when a car stopped and a guy saying he was a ‘Park Ranger’ suggested that we couldn’t stay there and made reference to the group down the road that we had seen the night before. We said we wouldn’t stay although it had been in our mind, but within minutes a 4x4 pulled up and another chap said there was no problem with staying there as long as we didn’t have any naked fires as the moor was bone dry.

We did move however in the early evening as it was getting a bit breezy and we were literally on the moor top. We settled into our new spot and at last light saw the Police pass a hundred or so yards away but they obviously were not interested.

We then got to thinking about how many vans actually visit the area, there must be quite a few if the numbers we see on the roads (we live near one of the main routes) is any thing to go by.

Are you one of them?

 

[suej]

Yes, we're one of them!
As we live in Pickering, we often overnight on the moors and have never had any problems. I had a chat with a ranger just before Christmas and asked about the park's policy to overnighting in a motorhome and he told me there wasn't one. His own attitude was to ignore one or two nights stay but to move vans on after that as it was too much like camping. So it seems by your experience it's down to the individual rangers attitude to motorhomes whether you can overnight or not.
By the way DCC where are you based? We'll have to keep an eye out for you when we're out on the moors.
Happy wilding, Sue

 

[DCC]

Hi Sue,

We live on the outskirts of Whitby. On my twice a day dog walking trips it is rare not to see at least a couple of vans. When coming back after our trips on Sunday evenings we easily spot a dozen.

There is also a lay-by just up the road that is supposed to be no overnight parking, but it is never enforced, most nights there is lorry or two in there, often they are foreign and spend a couple of nights.

The sleeping ban on the sea front is often mentioned on this forum, I have not heard of a single enforcement in the last ten years.

Dave