The world of campervans and motorhomes is growing; we all love a staycation and the costs of formal Club campsites are becoming increasingly expensive.

The good news is that increasingly, there are ways to keep your costs down and still have a safe place to stay without upsetting the locals and giving motorhomes a bad reputation. For most of these, you will need to be self contained, with your own toilet, shower etc. Emptying out will usually need to be done at a ’standard’ campsite or formal facilities.

There are, of course, free options, but I have not included these, as it can upset locals.

Campra Aires

The number of Campra (Campaign for Real Aires ) sites are growing fast, and are a fantastic resource for overnight parking and sleeping. Often there is a maximum of 5 pitches, and you need to be self-contained, but they do vary. They usually have water, grey waste and black waste facilities, and sometimes Electric Hook Up. They are a volunteer-led organisation, aiming to be a similar resource to the french aire system, and are dedicated to promoting and increasing the availability of aires throughout the UK. Generally book by ringing in advance. Costs around £10 per night, but can vary. Use SearchforSites website or App to find aires

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https://www.facebook.com/camprauk

Brit stops

Brit Stops is a membership initiative, offering free parking for self-contained motorhomes and campervans. Over 1100 venues, including pubs, farm shops, vineyards and other businesses, who will allow members to park overnight for free, on the understanding that you will patronise their pub or facility, typically for one night.

For booking, usually just turn up, but you may want to ring in advance to check. Mainly no facilities.

https://www.britstops.com/

Pub stops

A pub stopover is a pub who will offer their carpark to stay overnight for free or low cost, in exchange for purchasing food or drinks at the pub. Check the apps as below for booking details

Scotland Forestry commissions

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) have a ’Stay the Night’ scheme, which has designated forestry carparks available for overnight stopovers. These are for self-contained campervans and motorhomes only, and are typically from 6pm – 10am for one night. Costs are around £10-£13, and payment can be made via the RingGo app. There are strict rules about BBQ’s, rubbish, noise and toilet waste. Just turn up.

https://forestryandland.gov.scot/stay-the-night

Off-grid Campsites

Many farm campsites have a cheaper cost if you don’t use electric hookup. This can be as little as £10 a night depending on the area. You will usually need to be self-contained, but it can be worth a look on Pitchup or similar. See also apps and web sites for booking details

Other helpful apps and websites for your searches are:

Pitchup: https://www.pitchup.com/

Search4Sites: https://www.searchforsites.co.uk/webapp.php

Park4Night: https://park4night.com/en

As always, leave no trace, be responsible with your grey and black waste. Let me know if I have missed anything.