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Campervan and Motorhome Parking

Q. Can I park a Camper van on the public road and sleep overnight in it?

Does the same apply to laybys and car parks?

Cath Sumner

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A. Where there are no specific restrictions or local bye laws prohibiting overnight parking and or sleeping in vehicles you can.

However you should be sensible i.e. several weeks ago a couple in Northern Ireland who had just arrived from Scotland were sleeping in a remote layby and were attacked, robbed and had their van stolen.

The van was later found ablaze. Two men were arrested.

I know this is a pretty isolated occurrence but it is worth considering. Personally I have only ever stayed at ports waiting for a very early ferry and would prefer an organised site anytime.

Niall Murphy, Manchester

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A. Not sure about the legality Cath, but I've been living on the street in mine all about uk for the last 6 months. Got moved off some MOD woodland parking once, and have been questioned by the police a couple of times, but no one has said it's illegal, unless their are local byelaws specific to a town or district. Cheapest way to live in central London, if your out before congestion charge comes into force.

Phil ,

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A. Local bylaws, notices (over night parking/sleeping restrictions) apply. According to the Caravan and Camping Club a Motor Home can park in one place for up to 21 days (including private land with the owners permission) their after you have to vacate the area and not return for 24 hours. I must add you are limited to how many times you may return.

Peter Brown, Meopham

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A. Don't try to overnight in a lay by, you'll be in for a sleepless night, unless the road is real quiet. We tried it last night, every time a wagon came past the van moved on it's suspension and the noise was terrible, you can hear them coming and I was waiting for one to hit us. After an hour and a half a vehicle came headlight on full and music playing really loud. That did it. Back to the M5 and grabbed a couple of hours in a service station. HGV drivers don't get moved on so it must be legal.

Ady , Ramsbottom

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NB. Wild Camping and The Law in England, Scotland and Wales.

Tents cannot be pitched just anywhere because every piece of Britain is owned by some individual or some organisation and according to the strict letter of the law permission must be obtained prior to pitching tent and camping.

In practice however, this is often impractical and wild camping is usually tolerated in the more remote areas - typically, more than half a day's walk from an official campsite or other accommodation providing you:

Keep groups small
Camp as unobtrusively as possible
Leave camp as you found it
Remove all litter (even other people's)
Carry out everything you carried in
Carry out tampons and sanitary towels (burying them doesn't work as animals dig them up again)
Choose a dry pitch rather than digging drainage ditches around a tent or moving boulders
Toilet duties should be performed 30m (100ft) from water and the results buried using a trowel
At all time, help preserve the environment
And if you are in any doubt about what you're doing, find out more

In Scotland, the current access legislation (which came into effect in early 2005) is explicit about your right to wild camp on hill land.

There appears to be an exception to this with respect to camping in Dartmoor National Park where the right to wild camping is actually enshrined in the National Parks & Access to the Countryside Act, 1949 amendment Dartmoor Commons Act, 1985 - see Wild Camping in the UK for more details.

For the definitive answer with respect to wild camping in Scotland see the answer supplied by the Scottish Natural Heritage

NB. go4awalk.com cannot offer any advice on suitable locations for wild camping - but click here for walks from exisiting campsites.

Hope this helps

Mike (Editor)

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Campervan and Motorhome Parking