Convenient Camping: Your Guide to Hassle-Free Outdoor Adventures

I have also noticed a growing number of, in fact, now near-ubiquitous, ‘No Overnight Parking’ signs appearing in laybys and car parks across Britain. Although parking restrictions are very much a local government issue, it seems that most authorities are adopting the same stance.

However, there are several free places still available to stop or camp in the UK if one knows where to look, and these are either informal, independent, or known only to the members of our community. One great website I have discovered is BritStops, which gives the details of landowners, farm shops, vineyards, and other more unusual locales across the UK and Ireland where camping overnight, often only for a single night, is allowed without any charge or obligation. Most sites have no facilities, so it’s very much wild camping, but since our motorhomes are so well equipped, we bring what we need. The sites often offer local produce and encourage the outdoor type to camp within their borders as a way of bringing in potential customers and spreading the word. However, campers are in no way obliged to purchase anything.

Another website, this time a community site run by and supported by people just like you and me who are motivated to help each other out with advice, is Park4Night. It does list conventional campsites but also smaller, unlisted sites that will let people overnight for a few quid, e.g. Equestrian centres, and true wild camping locations like pull-ins, laybys, and spots where the local authorities have not listed restrictions. The site also lists its ‘charter’, which amounts to the common-sense approach at these sorts of stopovers, the main ones being no dropping litter, grey water or toilet disposal. As it’s a community-run network, it is extensive, and I’ll be using it when I hit the South Coast this summer.

Some countries in Europe, in contrast, offer formal support to campers rather than relying on the goodwill and energy of the camping community. The two best examples are France and Germany. Both offer free overnight parking for campers in the form of Aires, in France, and Rastplatz, in Germany. You’ll find these along the motorways and, less frequently, on the main roads and rural sites across the country. The facilities differ between sites; some will be as simple as a parking space, while others offer showers, toilets, chemical disposal and grey water draining points, freshwater to refill tanks, and even the ability to plug in and charge up for an hour.

We’ve made use of these a great deal when travelling as overnight stops near ferry ports or en route as extended breaks to regroup after many hours behind the wheel. Although we have never used them exclusively, we have friends who have spent weeks driving through France and never paid a penny in campsites by continually using the Aires network and infrastructure. I’ve yet to find a good website with all the Aires or Rastplatz listed, but in my experience, mainly with Aires, they are so common that you’ll seldom drive for more than 20 minutes on the motorway without seeing one. A few words of caution: in both countries, parking for motorhomes and caravans is on a first-come, first-served basis, and these sites are as many truck stops as they are campsites, so you will have cars and lorries arriving and leaving at all hours.

There is no doubt that formal campsites offer us the most peace, facilities, and comfort, as well as the ability to plan. However, if you’re after something different, free, and a little adventurous, alternative stopovers are out there.