Overnight stops
Could somebody explain to me the reason that it is illegal to park up and sleep for the night as opposed to using a designated site. (I presume that it is against the law to park anywhere but a designated site).
Comments
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I think you're asking the wrong people, JD. You need to ask the law makers. We just do as we're told - well, some of us.
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You need to start by defining whether you are talking about a self contained vehicle (car, motorhome) or a towed Caravan. The laws are (innexplicably to me) different..
What really gets to me is that certain sections of our community seem to be allowed to stop overnight (or longer) where they choose, but others who merely wish to sleep for a few hours in their car get harrassed by 'authority'.
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Presumably some law was imposed that we all, well most of us, abide to without actually knowing it! But I do remember when I was much younger, holidaying with family in the caravan and having over night stops in lay-bys in Scotland, the lanes around Stonehenge
and stopping on top of Exmoor. Wouldn't dare do that now though!0 -
I don't think it is against the law, John, provided you have the landowners permission - for example there are many pub landlords allowing overnight stops in their car parks.
And in really remote places (like the top of this lane leading up to the moor) people with camper vans stay overnight without asking permission - it's just that caravans can't get up there.
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I only started caravaning last year and have enjoyed it very much but when I realised that there was a restriction on overnight stops I was (and still am) a bit miffed. Even when I stopped to anchor in my yacht somebody would pull up allongside and demand
money for staying there. Sometimes I asked them who maintained the mud where my anchor was lying! They found that one difficult to answer. I suppose that it is no use moaning. I will go with the flow and cough up money at sites. Thanks everybody for the explanations.0 -
Even when I stopped to anchor in my yacht somebody would pull up allongside and demand money for staying there
Even in the Solent there are endless places where you can anchor completely free!! That to me is the one big advantage that yachting has over caravaning. You also choose your own (huge) pitch wherever you like. Splendid isolation. No 'facilites' though, and a wet dinghy ride if you must go to the pub/restaurant.
OTOH, with a 'van you can travel huge distances easilly and enjoy far more creature comforts.
(we still have both!)
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Remember a holiday when the children were small, we anchored either at Studland or just south of Brownsea Island. Only night I paid was up at Wareham Quay. Cheapest holiday ever.
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Could somebody explain to me the reason that it is illegal to park up and sleep for the night as opposed to using a designated site. (I presume that it is against the law to park anywhere but a designated site).
Whether it is illegal or not depends on whether it is private land or a highway. My notes
Here are written with motorhomes in mind but they also apply, in the main, to towed caravans.Pub landlords (indeed, any private land owner) might allow overnighting but if they step outside the provisions of the 1960 Act they break the law.
The legislation also applies to "travellers" but is made more difficult to enforce by the HRA &c brought in by Blair's government.
Graham
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Thank you Graham. Interesting (if not pleasing) reading!
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We managed to spend 2 weeks out and about on the South Coast .. Bournemouth, Lymington and Poole area. Didn't use any camp sites and had no trouble finding places to stay. Would not want to try if with a caravan though. MH is self contained and you can leave
within a couple of minutes. It's surprising where you can find a place to stop for the night without upsetting anyone
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Some of the Scottish Islands have had so many problems with people ( both caravans and motor-caravans) camping up on unauthorised land and leaving toilet waste and rubbish behind, that they have totally banned camping of any kind unless it is on a recognised
camping place. It is a shame it has come to that, but the councils have to put the health and welfare of their residents first.K
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Thank you all for your replies. Certainly varied but valid (in my humble opinion). Between all the answers, I have learned lots and now understand the lay of the land.
Thanks all.
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