Sleeping in your car or camper in the UK and Europe. Is it allowed ?
 

Is this legal ?? No one I ask seems to know.

If i want to go somewhere, park up and kip in my car on a public road.. can I ?? If someone complained, could the plod move me on etc ??

I've always fancied getting a cheap camper van and tour the UK or Europe. Just parking up on a quiet road for the night..

Obviously, private land is fine with the owners permission.

Why not ?
When I lived in rural Blighty I used to fetch the cows in for milking in the morning and occasionally came across a car parked in a gateway with a slumbering occupant .They weren't doing any harm - so why worry ?

Sometimes I think the Brits are obsessed by rules, regulations and laws .
Just park out of the way and snore to your heart's content and bugger to anybody who says otherwise !

Why not exactly !!!

Thats my problem, everything seems to be illegal here now. Even if it wasnt, no doubt I would be offending somebodys religion or public rights if i parked up for a snooze in a beat up camper..

If you say

"I was too tired to drive on" what can they do ? Make you have a crash?!

Provided you are not close to a place to stay they should leave you alone.

I found parking late and flopping straight down, after I'd eaten and sorted my stuff out somewhere else, makes for a quiet night.

Service stations are good for the three esses, so worth the detour.

Ordinary car parks are ok, but many don't allow camper vans - and if they're within a few minutes from towns, especially the edges of coastal towns, they are often meeting places for young people during the evening and early hours.

My favourite place for motorised vagrancy is France, because of all the Air du Repose and Lidls.:thumbup1:

Good luck with it.

Don't try it in service stations on the motorway, there's a maximum time you're allowed there before having to pay a parking fee.
I slept around in the UK for years, and in campers and cars, just give a bit of thought to picking your spot and drop off.
It's not illegal unless you're breaking some parking law somewhere.

To be fair councils have to restrict "overnight parking" otherwise they end up with 10 Gypsy caravans in a carpark and it takes them 28 days to evict them. This is probably why we don't have the right to roam in England. Scotland is a lot easier to wildcamp.

I spent 7 months last year travelling around Europe in a campervan and the only time we moved on after parking up was when some idiot was doing donuts in the parking area we chose.

France has it really sorted with a lot of Aires de repose, with water, power and often toilets or chemical toilet dumps. Wild camping is easy, just choose a quiet spot, off main roads, away from nightclubs and pubs, and dont block someone's million $ views.

The UK is the hardest in Europe to park up without a sign prohibiting everything except breathing, without having completed an environmental impact statement, health and safety study and got approval from the relevant departments from the Parish Council, County Council, Westminster and Brussels - probably the UN and Washington now as well!!

France...
 

Ouai, most places you're OK, there's a few places where you'll find a no overnight stays sign, or no campervans after a certain time, but that's usually either beaches or town squares. Lots of town/villages will have a municipal campground too, and they're only a couple of euros for a hook-up if you want it.

Look for ....
 

Apart from where it is obviously sign posted you should be ok to stop, however, you will find yourself being checked out by local residents/farmers etc and the police, they will wonder why you do not use the local campsite or B&B etc, but as has been said I do not think you would be breaking the law.

Its better just to have a MPV or a normal van, as many places have restricted parking for camper vans. On the westcoast of Jutland/Denmark, some counties have no parking between 9pm to 7am in the whole county.
I normally go for the parking on the harbour area, as they have a lot of space and always public toilets. I bought a VW Sharan/Ford Galaxy, as I can sleep in the back, but it looks like a normal car from the outside.
In Monaco they patrol all night and even check normal cars and send you away. In france, the police adviced me to park in a better lit place and in Germany, on the autobahn, the police just wanted to know, what went on, when we moved all the luggage to the front seats, at 12 o'clock midnight, to be able to sleep in the back.

Most towns in France have an overnight spot for camper vans free of charge. Often with waste disposal, water supply and electric hook up. Something to do with a law Napoleon introduced. I've only ever seen camper vans use them, not caravans. I've often thought you could live quite frugally just moving from one spot to another each day.

Make sure you don't this in the US, where there's even MORE rules. Having a van in the US means you're smuggling something or someone, and people will surely call the police. I had it happen countless times. :-( Which is why so many camp at parking lots like Wal-Mart. But who wants to wake up surrounded by bright lights and countless caravans???

Lorraine

Truck drivers sleep overnight in their cabs, so one option is to head for a truck stop. At least you'll be able to get an early morning fry up.

Tim

My two cents on this for France:

1. Truckers & campervan people can be in for a very hard time in France along the autoroutes, take care especially in the south. There's always been cases of gassing campervans & stealing things on offer afterwards. But earlier this year a friend of mine who drove between Italy & Spain parked up near Montpellier at an 'aire' & locked up for the night. In the morning he was feeling very woozy, found he was 600euros lighter & credit cards had gone missing!!! How they gassed the truck he's still not sure as he's a light sleeper, but they broke the door locks to get in!

2. Certain villages, like mine do NOT allow campervans etc to park up, it's a local by-law. Either go to the campsite & pay like the rest or park outside the confines of the village. To support each others businesses/livelihoods here we do go around knocking on campervans late at night to move them on ... sorry but if you knew the tax system in France you'd do the same!

Kira

Ah, that explains the narcotic alarms I've seen in motorhome adverts...

For example, LPG Alarm & Narcotic Gas Detection Alarm

Tim

Could always gas the parking attendant.

Just a thought.

Is this for REAL??

You must be joking !

For many years I've been traveling around Europe by pushbike, motorbike & campervan, most of the time staying overnight somewhere in the bush.

To answer Ted's question: In most countries except for Scandinavia (Alemansregt = 1 night ok) this is not permitted. But nowadays nobody seems to care if you don't trespass on private property. So far I have only been asled to move once, when camping in Polish forests right under a stance. A hunter pitched up, but wasn't angry at all. Just asked if we couldn't move some 2-3 kms further on.

Of course you should always check out the safety situation. I would never stay overnight on a scenic route like eg. the Ardeche gorge in southern France where visitors are pick-pocketed even at daytime.
No offence meant to our Frenchies :oops2: :innocent:

In Germany the parking sites are signed out where 24 h stops for campervans are prohibited. On the other hand more and more cities offer cheap overnight sites right inside town for a really low fee like 10 €, often with amenities like elctricity, toilets, water. Just to attract visitors.

Funny enough, I got the odd suspicious look in my own very limited travels - driving an old Lada and being a scruffy bastard possibly doesn't help - but (and I don't mind admitting) I did feel a sting of resentment at the thought of being 'judged' - and that was just me on a trip. Actually got pulled in Belgium as they were having a clampdown on people smuggling. At least, that's what they told me.:huh:

Just my thoughts.

Up in scotland you will find alot of parking bays out in the country, we have a lot of vans parked near our little harbour in crudenbay and up at the castle nearby. These all have french/german plates so no one really bothers them unless they do something really stupid or park in residents parking spaces. The same goes for most the villages up and down the north east of scotland or in the highlands.

I have seen alot biker groups as well this year and again no one has problems. We also get quite alot of backpackers camping on the beach[ further down and out of site of the village] and up in the sand dunes. The screams at 2 am as my chinese crested finds them have indicated many are from over seas.

The problem at the moment is with the traveller/gypsy groups have really upset alot of locals in the north east of scotland with the damage and mess they make. There has also been alot of trouble with large groups coming up from England claiming to be travellers/gypsy people [and then admit their just on holiday to the press after the council has payed for toilets and skips for them] to park in nature reserves and tourist spots.
So if your a single van/camper you shouldnt have any trouble parking up in a layby somewhere. Just make sure its not one that has had the anti large vehicle barriers ripped up and I wouldnt recommend using a site that already has travellers on it or trying fields and farm tracks.
The police wont/cant move you on and the council need to go through the courts to do so. Although on the estates it may be a gamekeeper/farmer with a shotgun and they dont care about "human rights" and "discrimination" as much so I wouldnt recommend trying to camp out on the estates. Same goes for using tents out in private estates unless you go well off the tracks forestry guys and the local land owner will move you on and fires are a big no no.

Thanks for all the European advice :thumbup1:

But, does anyone know the rule in the UK specifically ?


Can I LEGALLY drive down to a nice town, find a quiet road to park in and sleep there for the night ?? If someone wants to cause an issue and call the police, could i be moved on or prosecuted ?

There is different laws throughout the UK, scotland has no such thing as private roads or lands[ no such charge as trespassing], england does as far as I am aware or used to.
In the towns parking bays and car parks are generally owned so you may get moved on if you are classed as blocking access.Although recently my mother recieved a parking ticket from parking too long in a supermarket car park, It was sent from an english legal firm, used english law as its basis and therefore was not a legal charge in scotland so she phoned them pointed this out and they tore it up.

The best thing you can do is to use common sense. Dont park in a city, If in the country dont go into an area that isnt a proper rest stop or block a field or side road. And stay away from places with barriers. Its up to the police to move you on and explain why, so if you deal with them in a nice way say your stopping for 1 night only and that you are too tired to carry on they should be ok. IF you stop far enough away from any centres of population the chances of running into police or complaints are very slim indeed.

If as you said you find a nice town ect dont Park in someones space and try not to park in a residential area, as that way you will stick out.

Knowing your rights and having rights dont mean anything when the police are trying to move you on, as trying to tell a police officer they are wrong and you know your rights really wont get you anywhere. Unless you claim to be a gypsy/traveller and then the police will not do anything as its a discrimination charge against them waiting to happen.

Don't you sound like a bundle of joy! :rolleyes2: I bet your freinds with this guy..
White Trash Networks: Vigilante biker reports speeders to police

Don't you sound like a bundle of joy! :rolleyes2: I bet your freinds with this guy..
White Trash Networks: Vigilante biker reports speeders to police __________________


Thats what I mean by common sense if you have seen the damage done by some of the "travellers" up here both to the area and to the local buisnesses[ no tourists stopping means no money] you will see where this attitude comes from. And as for the link If i ever catch the assholes who think its fun to offroad at the area where my parents live by cutting up pedestrian pathways at 60mph when theres kids playing or generally driving like complete morons on the streets the police would be the least of their worries.

I have no problems with bikers speeding on main roads[ as lets face it cars do] as most of them know whats going to happen when it goes wrong[ they end up hurt]. But to link a guy against speeding to someone who doesnt want campervans parked outside their buisnesses[ where do the customers park] is just plain stupid and not exactly connected in any way.

Respect what the local people expect and want and you will do fine and probably make some friends, dont and you screw it up for those that do.

Even further down the food chain than a jobs-worth.

He's wasting his time. The Police would never prosecute on his evidence alone.

Be careful if you have a few beers! in the UK is there not a charge for being drunk in charge of a vehicle. even if you have no intention of driving but are in the car with the keys and are over the driving limit you can be charged? my Knowledge of this is very vague, anyone better informed?
Andy

The police have charged people from U tube videos, so if the guy videos them he may get them charged. They will also charge people with dangerous driving ect on the basis of one persons report so I wouldnt be so sure they would not charge someone this guy reported. But lets face it if hes riding around sitting on the speedlimit hes gonna get squished sooner or later by a truck or something.

The point about being drunk in charge of a vehicle is pretty valid, If you are found in a car even when you have not got the keys in the ignition and its not running, you could be charged. Not sure how this applied to campervans though, maybe the back is a safe place to be.

The other option...
 

Of course you could always go and knock on someone's door and ask them if you can park up on their land, I've done this before and I think as long as you don't look like a father-raper you should be OK, even in this lovely day and age of everyone locking everything and mistrusting everyone a polite smile often gets a positive result. Plenty of times farmers have found me a corner to camp on (even if I've been in a car) and some have even turned up in the morning with bacon butties and fresh daughters.

AND it's a great way to actually meet people and find out a bit about the locality.

Diesel
 

Diesel in truck stops, be very cautious anywhere near long distance truck overnight stops! When driving trucks and coaches I had no idea diesel spills were any problem to bikes. This is probably the same now. Also beware of the drivers' blind spots. I'd keep away personally. Linzi.

It seems this is one of those 'urban legends' that just isn't true. There have been similar warnings on motorhome forums and despite motorhomefacts.com having more than 30,000 members there has not been a single incident reported, only anecdotes saying, "I heard from ..."

This is a formal response from the Royal College of Anaesthetists.

How did I miss this thread?

What's becoming more clear to me as I read is the extent to which I rely on my accumulated understanding of the unwritten rules which prevail over the written ones throughout the world. Here in the States, I find it ridiculously easy to sleep in or around my car, truck, van or whatever else I'm driving (contrary to Lorraine's experience). I do it all the time, and it's been twenty years or more since anyone's bothered waking me.

I think this is because I know where to stop, how to blend in, how to recognize the places where other folks are stopped, what sorts of places will feature loud teenagers and used condoms or syringes, and where a property owner is likely to take offense. Or worse, an over-protective parent who sees threat in every stranger's face.

Some of those posting on this thread have a similar experience--of their own home countries. But they might be as lost here in America as I am in, say, England or France....because as soon as I leave the USA or Canada, the same task becomes very difficult. In Europe I found myself riding my bike for hours after I should really have stopped, in all sorts of weather and on all sorts of roads, purely because I don't know how to read the unwritten rules. When I did stop--sometimes of total exhaustion--no one ever hassled me, even when I sacked out in plain sight. But I always did so with real trepidation, which doesn't make for a good night's sleep, and I was always aware of my own cluelessness.

This becomes far more urgent in places where bandidos of one stripe or another prevail--these might be fully uniformed police, or they might consider themselves vigilantes, or they might just be the usual sharks out cruising for victims. Whoever they are, I don't want to cross them. In America I can accurately weigh the dangers and act accordingly; in Britain (again, just the obvious example) I can't even tell which neighborhoods to avoid transiting at all costs and which are perfectly safe--much less which will allow me to park overnight.

Ok, enough words. I'm off to purchase one of those nifty backpack-mounted narcotic gas sniffer alarm systems on the internet. One can't be too careful these days.

Mark

OK, I may be getting the wrong end of the stick here but it sounds like you are simply harrassing people into using your services. No mention that these people are actually doing anyone any harm. That's pretty shameful IMHO.

Matt :(

the gassing of vehicle occupants maybe came from the reports on burglars using it in spain[or france cant remember]. There was actually gangs doing this as they got a few famous folk if I remember right.

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