Ever wanted to go wild camping (also known as wild parking or off grid) in your campervan or motorhome, but weren’t sure on the rules or how to find free places to stay? This post shares everything you need to know about motorhome wild camping and how to find off-grid parking spots with a motorised vehicle in the UK & Europe.
Don’t forget to grab your FREE motorhome wild parking checklist below.
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Motorhome Wild Parking- why we love it
Motorhome wild parking is one of our favourite ways to spend a night in our van. We prefer to be away from people and like to avoid noisy, over-crowded campsites wherever we can- whether we’re touring in the UK or around Europe.
We’ve wild parked with our motorhome in some incredible places- next to rivers, by the sea, in the middle of forests and up mountains whilst staring in awe at the Milky Way as it sparkles overhead.
But I remember how daunting it is the first time you plan to stay off-grid with your motorhome. Not knowing how to find places to stay, or what the ‘motorhome wild parking’ etiquette is, can make the whole thing feel totally intimidating.
I get it- and this post is written to help you. We want to share the secrets of wild parking with a motorised vehicle, whether that’s a motorhome, campervan or RV. Once you know these, the world is your oyster!
It’s also a great way to explore the local area- I often use the tips we share below to find free motorhome overnight stops near me which are perfect for a quick weekend getaway.
What is motorhome or campervan wild parking?
Wild parking with a motorhome could technically be described as staying with your van anywhere which doesn’t have facilities. So no electric hookup or waste disposal.
We also don’t consider it to be staying on a street, or outside someone’s house. For us, motorhome wild parking is free overnight parking in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nature.
Is it called motorhome wild camping, or free overnight parking for motorised vehicles, or…?
We call it wild parking with a motorhome.
My parents often laugh at me- they consider wild parking to be up a mountain with a tent, but we did a poll in our Motorhome Facebook Group and most people in the UK seem to call it motorhome wild parking too. You can call it campervan off-grid parking or free motorhome camping if you prefer. It all means the same thing.
Want to stay off-grid with your motorhome?
Grab our FREE wild parking checklist and make it easy for yourself. Everything you need to do, bring or remember when you stay off-grid.
Wild Parking with a motorhome or Campervan- where to start
I remember when we bought our very first motorhome- it seemed impossible to find all these amazing locations to stay overnight. HOW did people find free overnight parking for campervans or motorhomes? Is it magic? (Spoiler- it’s not magic)
Wild parking sounds (and is) idyllic… but if you’ve never done it before it can definitely be intimidating. What are the rules? How do you stay safe? What if you get arrested?
Don’t worry- it’s not as scary as it sounds and, hopefully, by the end of this post you’ll feel confident to go off for a little motorhome wild parking adventure of your own. If you’re worried about safety, here are some tips to improve motorhome security, both at home and while travelling with your camper.
Wild Camp in the UK with a motorhome: Our first experience
The first time we considered motorhome wild parking in our van, I was absolutely TERRIFIED. I seriously thought we were going to be either murdered in our beds or woken up at 3am and moved on by the police (complete with a criminal record).
Honestly, I’m not sure which one scared me most!
Our first time was while motorhoming in Scotland and, honestly, I didn’t enjoy it much. As a planner, I struggled not knowing where we were going to stay that night, or if we would be safe.
When we did find somewhere to stay I worried we were doing something wrong. I barely slept (although some of that had to do with the lorries which used the road as a rat run during the night- live and learn!)
But as the new morning dawned, here is exactly what happened on our first night of motorhome wild parking….. NOTHING. Not a thing. Nobody cared, nobody commented. It was a little anti-climatic- and yet completely free-ing. And the more we did it on our Scotland road trip, the easier and more fun it became.
So if this is you, please rest assured. Less than 3 months after that first night, we merrily wild camped our way around Europe without any issues whatsoever. In fact, it was one of the best motorhome holidays we’ve ever had.
In 2018, we spent 5 weeks touring with our motorhome in Denmark, Norway and Sweden- and only stayed in a campsite for one night!
What are the laws for wild parking with a motorised vehicle?
Well, that depends on where you are. Europe is a LOT easier to wild camp in than the UK. Sorry to say but it’s true- motorhome and campervan parking laws in the UK are strict! I break down the current camper wild camping laws for Scotland, England and Wales further down the post.
The law for motorhome wild camping was tightened even further recently- here’s the update.
Wild Parking – How to find free places to stay with a motorhome
Some people research places before they set out. For us, that takes some of the spontanteity out of the journey, so I tend not to look for locations until we’re in the area and ready to stop.
To do this I need internet in the motorhome. If you’re going somewhere really remote (like the Swiss Alps) you might need to do some advanced searching, but in all honesty, if the place if that remote, you’ll have no trouble finding somewhere to stop for the night!
If you need the internet whilst you’re driving, we highly recommend this Wifi dongle. We’ve used it all over the place and rarely had a problem finding a signal. We use the yellow one, but there are several versions which all get great reviews.
Watch the video about how we find Wild Parking spots for Campervans & Motorhomes
This video shows you how we use the motorhome parking apps and how I find free overnight parking places near me.
If you have time, I highly recommend you watch it. If you found it useful, subscribe to our Youtube channel here so you can get more free motorhome and campervan tips for the UK and Europe.
Motorhome Wild Parking- how to find places near you
Depending on what we’re doing will depend on how we look for wild parking places. If we’re heading into the countryside for a weekend, we’ll look for remote car parks or lay-bys which won’t have much noise or passing traffic.
If we’re just stopping on the way to somewhere else, such as on the way down to Cornwall, we look for places not too far off our chosen route. Again, we try to pick somewhere quiet that’s not by a busy main road- otherwise the van shakes violently all night as trucks drive past.
Want to learn everything about motorhome wild camping?
It’s ok to be nervous. Maybe even slightly terrified. I remember exactly what that felt like. Thinking everyone else had some secret that I just couldn’t figure out.
If you want to know what they know, grab our step-by-step guide to motorhome wild camping/ off-grid parking. 80+ pages of tips, step-by-step walkthroughs, videos, checklists and more- everything you need to get started, find places, stay safe, manage power, water, waste and more.
Useful Motorhome wild parking Apps
I use three apps to find free overnight motorhome parking spots. Each app has its pros and cons, and we use them for different things.
Park4night
The best app for finding wild overnight parking spots in Europe or the UK is park4night.com. This site is FREE to join & there is both an app and a website. Most of the users are European, so you’ll find thousands of spots all over Europe (and much of the rest of the world too.)
It lists a lot of aires in France, car parks and approved motorhome overnight stops, which is useful if you need something with hardstanding and not too far off the main roads.
Searchforsites
Another good app for UK motorhome wildparkingis searchforsites.co.uk, which we really like due to its ease of use and wide range of various options. Most places have photos and a review- which we find really helpful when picking a location.
However, this site is a PAIN to use on a mobile phone, especially if you could go anywhere within a 20-mile radius and are looking for options. Each time you come back to the main map you need to search all over again.
Searchforsites has a small subscription cost for the year.
Campercontact
If you have a larger motorhome or RV, or are towing with your motorhome, this is a great option as it allows you to narrow the search results by length or vehicle height.
As we spend most of our time pulling a trailer with motorbikes on it, it’s really useful for us to know which free overnight spots won’t be suitable for us. It also has several options which aren’t listed on the other two apps.
Again, I tend to use this motorhome parking app more in Europe instead of the UK and it does have a charge for the year.
I tend to check all sites, read the reviews, look at the photos and then pick somewhere. Most sites have a postcode so we put that into our motorhome Sat Nav and off we go!
Britstops- a campervan wild parking alternative
Brit stops is a collection of farms, pubs, breweries and other businesses in the UK, which allow motorhomes and campervans to park overnight on their land for free, in return for the hope of some sales (food, drink etc) that evening or the next morning.
It’s a great scheme, especially for the UK which doesn’t have motorhome aires like in Europe.
Motorhome pub stopovers
The other option is to find pubs which allow/ encourage motorhomes to stay over. Many pubs will allow campers to stay in their car park or even in a dedicated field for free, as long as you eat in the pub that evening. Seems pretty fair to me! You can use the motorhome parking apps above to find good motorhome pub stopovers near you.
Want to stay off-grid with your motorhome?
Grab our FREE wild parking checklist and make it easy for yourself. Everything you need to do, bring or remember when you stay off-grid.
How to Wild Camp in the UK with a campervan- Practicalities
There’s no point planning a wild parking trip if your van/ motorhome/ vehicle isn’t set up for it. There are a couple of motorhoming essentials to figure out before you go off-grid with your vehicle.
Water
Consider what your water requirements are. In the motorhome, we carry 95 litres, which is enough water for 3/4 days if we’re very frugal- but that does include a quick shower for each of us every day.
There are some great solar devices which can store water on your roof so it warms up as you drive- allowing you to have a nice hot shower when you park for the night.
We also carry one of these LifeSaver jerrycans, which is AMAZING for getting clean drinking water wherever you are.
Waste
Consider your… errr… bathroom set up. Most motorhomes and campervans have a toilet built in- but even with a bathroom/ toilet installed you need to make sure it has enough space to take …. anything you put into it. No point camping in the middle of nowhere and then realising the toilet is about to overflow & needs emptying. So be sure to empty your toilet at a responsible and sanitary place whenever you can.
If you don’t have a toilet in your camper, consider how you will ‘do your thing’ in the woods/ countryside around you. You’ll need a way of disposing of soiled toilet tissue- PLEASE don’t leave that behind. Waste (including urine) must be at least 100m and ideally 200m away from any water source.
TOP TIP: You don’t need as much kit as you think you do to stay off-grid with a camper. Read our wild camping for motorhomes essential gear guide here.
Consider your grey waste capacity too. Many people empty grey waste (which is water from sink and shower) into the wild. If you’re going to do this, please use products which will not be harmful to the environment and don’t empty black waste anywhere except for in approved areas where it won’t do any damage.
It angers us how many people give motorhome wild parking a bad name by being lazy and disrespectful, both to the environment and the locals. Please don’t be one of them.
For this reason, we tend to empty grey and black waste at the same time in an approved motorhome emptying facility, like a campsite. Alternatively, you can use public toilet blocks and use a bowl to empty grey waste and then pour it safely down a drain.
We use a product called Solbio organic toilet fluid, which is natural and doesn’t contain harmful chemicals. It’s also safe to be disposed of in septic tanks or fosse, meaning we have more options to dispose of our toilet responsibly.
Planning a motorhome trip? These posts might help:
Fires while motorhome wild parking
There is nothing more romantic than an open flame, as you sit around of an evening and enjoy your secluded spot.
HOWEVER, please ensure the fire is off the ground and doesn’t leave any scorch marks and be sensible- if it’s been very hot and dry the surrounding area is likely to go up with a stray ember and could potentially cause a devastating wildfire. Nobody wants that. Also, having a fire is not always sensible or tolerated. It depends entirely on where you are and what is around you.
Remember, wild camping is not always a ‘right’, more of a tolerance from the land owner. A fire could be the thing which gets you moved on.
We LOVE our BBQ/ Fire, which is set off the ground and folds flat when not in use. We leave it to cool off overnight and then it folds away very easily the next day. Such a brilliant bit of kit.
Cooking while wildparking with your campervan
We’ve already mentioned using a campfire (when it’s safe and sensible), which is an obvious and fun method to cook on, but if you use gas check that there is enough gas in your cylinder. Especially if you use it for heating your campervan.
We use our motorhome all year, including throughout winter, and we find one 6kg gas bottle lasts us about 3 days- which is used for cooking, fridge and the heating on constantly nearly all the time. Obviously, it lasts us a lot longer in summer!
TOP TIP: If you DON’T use your van during winter, you need to close it down properly. Read our essential motorhome/ camper winter storage preparation tips
Motorhome Off-grid Power
We only have one motorhome domestic leisure battery onboard. We try hard to keep our power useage to a minimum. When we’re off-grid parking, we make sure we have already topped up all our phones, ipads, laptops, drone batteries and the wifi dongle as we are driving (using 12v chargers and an inverter), so we don’t use our precious battery power while we’re wild camped.
We also carry a small motorhome generator– as an EMERGENCY BACKUP! I refuse to be that couple in a motorhome who ruins a beautifully serene location with a noisy electric engine- but I agreed to it for when we went motorhoming in Norway– and it did come in handy. This is the generator we use and LOVE.
We use the bare minimum of lights of an evening, preferring instead to sit & chat by a fire until bedtime.
Related Posts: 5 Motorhomes essentials you need for wild camping- and 2 you don’t!
Supplies
Make sure you have enough water, food, tools, fuel, motorhome essentials & spare parts if you are going somewhere really remote.
Also, make sure your vehicle is in good working order before you set off. Breaking down in a remote car park is not going to enhance your motorhome wild parking experience! Here are the essential checks you should do before every motorhome trip
Motorhome Wild Parking – advice for beginners
Wild parking with a vehicle is not a right. Anywhere. But in many places it is still tolerated for people to park up off-grid overnight, provided they are considerate, responsible and follow these simple guidelines:
- Only stay one night in any one place
- Don’t put up awnings, outside furniture or make a lot of noise.
- Don’t block access to fields or park in overtaking places (that’s illegal)
- Keep well away from buildings and don’t block anyone’s view (unless you seek owner’s permission)
- Take away all litter and waste
- Obey local bylaws (especially where you need a permit to park in certain places)
Campervan Overnight Parking- what to do/ what not to do
- “DON’T leave anything other than tyre tracks” was how it was explained to us- and I love that definition. If we want to keep wild parking, for free, across the UK, we need to respect the land we are staying on and the fact that most of the time we are there with kind permission of the landowner. The more people who leave rubbish/ cause damage, the quicker we’re ALL going to be stopped from staying anywhere.
- DON’T play loud music
- DON’T put up awnings/ permanent structures. You need to look like you are just stopping for a few hours.
- If there is a charge, pay it. It’s still a heck of a lot cheaper than a campsite for a night.
- You can always move. Should other people move in who are noisy/ unsociable or who you just don’t want to be parked next to, then just start the van and move.
How to Wild Camp in the UK- Safety
A short word on safety. If you are wild parking on your own, PLEASE tell someone where you are going- or tell them where you are when you find somewhere. We also don’t recommend posting your whereabouts on social media until after you’ve left. There are several motorhome security products which can help you be more secure on the road.
We also recommend fitting an additional motorhome door lock for added security.
Want to stay off-grid with your motorhome?
Grab our FREE wild parking checklist and make it easy for yourself. Everything you need to do, bring or remember when you stay off-grid.
Campervan & Motorhome Free Camping is it legal?
So, after all this advice, is it even legal to wild camp in the UK or Europe in a motorised vehicle? The honest answer is….. kinda.
Wild camping in England & Wales in a motorhome
Pretty much every piece of land in England & Wales is owned by someone, and you DON’T have right of access onto their land without their permission. Therefore if you are asked to move on, you need to do so. Wild camping is also prohibited on Open Access lands (shaded orange on Ordnance Survey Maps) and in most National Parks.
HOWEVER, there are many places in England & Wales where wild parking is tolerated. Heck, we camped next to Stonehenge for the night and spoke to the security guards from English Heritage at 6am (we were filming the sunrise). They didn’t bat an eyelid at the fact we were parked there, for free, for the night. There were in fact several other vans around and they could easily have asked us all to move if it was an issue…. but they didn’t. Because it wasn’t.
It’s a lot easier to motorhome wild camp if you head for more remote areas on your UK road trip– such as Cumbria, the Peak District, Yorkshire, Wales and Scotland. Here landowners are more used to wild campers and much more tolerant- although they still have the right to ask you to move.
The practical answer is that most people don’t mind as long as you are not blocking their view, making noise or causing damage and not disobeying an obvious parking sign saying ‘no overnight camping’. A bit of courtesy and consideration will go a long way to making your wild camping trips more enjoyable.
Motorhome & Campervan Wild Parking in Scotland
Scotland has long been considered much more tolerant of wild parking than the other countries in Britain, especially in the Highlands. However, some confusion exists about the definition of wild camping in Scotland (or free parking).
The often-quoted Scottish Outdoor Access code does NOT apply to motorised vehicles, so, contrary to popular belief, it is NOT ok to just park a motorhome or campervan wherever you like in Scotland.
Sadly, the pressure on the infrastructure is creating more and more tension between residents, tourist boards and motorhomers. A few irresponsible idiots who leave rubbish and human waste lying around have led to many more restrictions on where you can legally park overnight, and there is increasing pressure to shut down even more places- especially in the heavily congested areas of the Isle of Skye and NC500.
For more information, check out the UK campervan and motorhome parking laws or find out more about motorhome wild camping in Scotland.
Another TOP TIP for Scotland- do not take your Motorhome into Edinburgh. Under ANY circumstances. You can take kids into Edinburgh, but not motorhomes. There’s nowhere near enough space!
Motorhome wild parking in Europe
Finding free overnight places for motorhomes and campervans in Europe is almost identical to the UK- but a LOT easier.
There’s more space to avoid people and, as long as you stay away from popular tourist attractions, there are loads of places to park up overnight across Europe.
There are also a system of approved motorhome parking spots in Europe called aires. Find out how to find and use wildcamping spots and aires in Europe.
I hope the above has been helpful and allayed some of your fears over wild parking in your motorhome. The best thing you can do is just get out there and give it a go. Good luck- let me know how it goes! 🙂
Want more Wild Camping tips?
Last update on 2025-02-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
