Wildcamping How To Guide 2012

Don't drink alcohol if you're parked on a road or layby etc as you may become victim of drink driving. If you are having a drink always remove your keys from the ignition, NEVER put them in your pocket (preferably hide them in a draw) and turn your seats into the lounge position (if you have swivel seats) with cab curtains or blinds shut. This way if you are questioned by police you can insist that you are parked up for the night and not in charge of a vehicle on a public highway whilst under the influence. This is a grey area, so best not to drink if unsure.
 
Don't park in a dogging car park unless you're a dogger.:lol-053:

Seriously, someone knocked on my window in Llandullas and told me just that. Anyway, I stayed the night with interest expecting to be woken up by hundreds of people. Nothing happened. In fact we had a very quiet and peaceful night. I guessed later, that he was probably the owner of the adjacent caravan site trying to scaremonger.
 
Make sure you have a tin opener/bottle opener/corkscrew!! :beer:
 
A quick get away and all that

The advice on having to get away quickly or park facing OUT of a spot, is just sound precautionary advice. You just may have to scarper if you are threatened, just don`t feel safe, the vibes all wrong or asked to move. So be like the boy scouts and girl guides, PREPARED.

Whilst inside we keep all doors locked, sleep with the mobile phone, (make sure you can get a signal before you park up) and torch within easy reach on or down the side of the bed, and keys under the pillow. DON`T get out of the vehicle, if things happen, just make sure you can get the keys in the ignition, for quick lift off, and get on your way, avoiding killing anything.

Yes, you do get a lot of couple cruising vehicles, in car parks and woody spaces. Ayr car park on the front is particularly bad for this. Plus a group of lads on cycles kept driving up and down the front, and dropping their handlebars into the vans, as they passed. A couple of motorhomes were damaged when we were there last year (2011).

Then apart from the couple of crazy kids, that threatened us and threw a fully opened sauce packet at the back window, thinking it was funny, and hooting their horn and flashing their lights at the van, in a car park in Carlisle, at 7.00pm below the walls, (and we did have to move off because they did not let up), we have not been bothered by them, or anyone else and the couple cruisers do go home to mummy and daddy about midnight. So sometimes you have to keep awake until the noise has gone. Then bed down and be off early the next day. :sleep-027:

So folks just be aware that there may be dyfunctional persons,:mad1: who may want to cause chaos and unhappiness, just for their fun... But hopefully incidents are rare, (unless anyone knows differently). It is about being aware.:idea: and alert, the countryside and your van needs lerts.........

If you have a vehicle with an engine in the back, they don`t reverse easily out of boggy places, so reverse in and make sure you park the front wheels on terra firma so you can get out easily. Preferable don`t park on very soft ground.

We do clear any site of rubbish, apart from thinking it looks `orrible, we just don`t want motorhome users blamed more than they are, for things. Have fun.........:fun:
 
warm and toasty

A spare blanket can be sat on but not slept without if you get a sudden temperature drop ....and has a whole host of other uses in times of crisis....including being laid under the wheels to get purchase in snow!

(Can recommend the tartan double sided fleeces from B&M Bargains - very reasonable and very very warm)
 
Good wildcamping advice

Keep yourself discrete and quiet, and if anybody chats to you, be a bit evasive about your wildcamping. I know this from experience, people appear to be friendly (and usually they are) but some just smile at you, but are really about to start their letter writing campaign to the local council!
Keep low, stay quiet, dont make any mess, be polite, smile at those around you, and say very little about wildcamping, even though you want to scream to the whole world about how fantastic wildcamping is.

Oh, and dont trust other motorhomers until you know them well. . . trust me on this one, they dont always approve of wildcamping.
 
remember and clean your shower if fitted to ward off legionella poisioning.
one of the biggest ways to get it is to only put water in ur washwipes under the bonnet.
its not the spray but the mist.
 
Number 1. Always Always face the way you will exit !!
We became a little complacent three weeks ago at the most lovely country park, arriving early to take our dog for a walk, lovely clean parking, beautiful kiddies playground, well manicured grounds and at least 200 acres of parkland. No restrictions of any kind, so of course we decided to stay the night. during the afternoon and evening the local constabulary drove in and out twice, smiled and waved, and we thought they were "checking us out". A man arrived at around eleven to walk his dog, we were just going to bed. Apart from this guy and us, there was nobody else in the park, or so we thought. The car parks in this park are in a dip, i thought i could hear people laughing and shouting, my wife then pointed to the silhouettes of several people against the skyline, but said she thought we would be ok as they are "just kids", and they dont know we are here at the bottom car park.
Not until chummy finished walking his dog, loaded up, switched on his lights and lit us up like a Gin Palace.
I said lets go right now, and by the time i moved from the bed to the drivers seat, and upped the blinds, (i had put all away, locked draws, step in etc before going to bed) 6 to 8 of these "kids" had charged down the car park, some 3 hundred meters, and crashed into the side of the motorhome, and i had left us facing the wrong way.
Between the dog going berserk at the noise, and me starting up instantly, it gave us just those precious few seconds to do a 3 point turn and drive up and out through the middle of at least thirty odd teenagers.
With 2 you might feel brave, but believe me with 32 you would be foolish to be brave.
As i said, this is RULE No1.
And the park, Alyn Water Country Park, just north of Wrexham, on the B5425
 
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