Secret places to stop overnight?

[bosshogg]

Hi folks,

We are fairly new to the camper van experience so to date this being our first season we have stayed on caravan/camp sites.
We have joined a couple of clubs e.g. camping and caravan club and caravan and motor home club so we can test out their various sites for our short breaks.

With the season now over many sites have closed but we want to try a few one night stops if we foresee a fine crisp and cold sunny day or two or we thought why pay for a hotel if your visiting somewhere for a night? Is there an obvious website or forum which identifies any simple/basic stop off points, country pubs&inns, village car parks, farms etc with just a few pitches that are deemed safe and will get you by for a one night stop? (Assuming the obvious that lay by's are not deemed suitable due to traffic noise and potentially dangerous)
Hoping there is a guide of secret places where the camper van community have shared knowledge??
Second question do you sleep on the ground floor rather than in the pop up when it comes to keeping warm in winter?

Thanks for any thoughts and advice,

 

[Melanie Day]

There is park for a night app and it tells you free places - also there is Brit stop that is pub carparks you can stay at - these are listed on the park for a night app.

Also search for sites app is similar.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[Duxdeluxe]

We use searchforsites , brilliant app

 

[bosshogg]

Fabulous, thanks for your help Melanie & Duxdeluxe,

 

[Ta51tac]

Agree Park4night is good too.

 

[Velma's Dad]

As said above do see searchforsites, you can use the website for a quick look without getting the app, although the app is better.

This time of year we like stopovers at pubs, ie you book a table at a pub for dinner and ask if you can overnight in their car park. We've often asked a pub 'on spec', by phoning ahead or just showing up if it looks nice, and never been told no, so far.

But pubs that promote campervan/MH overnighting are in the Britstops book (lots on the forum about that - use search function) and also some pubs are on the searchforsites listings although they're a bit of a mixed bag IMO.

Re your last question OP, re upstairs or downstairs, we sleep upstairs all year round. A good down-filled duvet plus a warm spaniel, and enough heat comes up from the parking heater which we keep on low all night if it's really cold.

 

[rod_vw]

Link to Search-for-sites

Link to Park-4-night

My preference is Search for Sites but each to his(or her) own.

 

[Amarillo]

I've found some great spots by browsing Google Maps satellite view in the area where I want to stop.

Lanes that end near railways or rivers are usually very discrete. Both can be noisy but in different ways, a river a constant babble, and a railway a great whoosh that sounds like it will go straight through your van at about 5.30am.

 

[Velma's Dad]

I've found some great spots by browsing Google Maps satellite view in the area where I want to stop.

Lanes that end near railways or rivers are usually very discrete. Both can be noisy but in different ways, a river a constant babble, and a railway a great whoosh that sounds like it will go straight through your van at about 5.30am.

When you were a nipper did you ever imagine your middle-aged self would be using remote sensing satellites to recce camping spots... and then another set of satellites to navigate to them? We take modern tech for granted but it's pretty gobsmacking really.

(If only it could resolve the Portapotti vs Bog In A Bag issue.)

 

[Amarillo]

When you were a nipper did you ever imagine your middle-aged self would be using remote sensing satellites to recce camping spots... and then another set of satellites to navigate to them? We take modern tech for granted but it's pretty gobsmacking really.

(If only it could resolve the Portapotti vs Bog In A Bag issue.)

When I was a nipper the greengrocer would tot up my mum’s bill on the back of a brown paper bag before telling her the total. The supermarket had modern crank handled machines which added up the total with the final amount popping up in a window. Later, my uncle, manager of a large farm bought an electronic calculator for £50 with the functions plus, minus, multiply, divide and, impressively, square root. This made his slide rule redundant.

To route find my father plotted his journey with a map - a practice I continued with right up to March 2017, although from about 2003 I was assisted by a Garmin walkers GPS receiver which would give me British grid references or universal lat. and long. and could point in the direct line direction between my current location and destination.

I do miss my handwritten notes of road numbers between home and previously unvisited destination.

As for the “Portapotti vs Bog In A Bag issue” I find the traditional method still works well: pee behind a tree; take a trowel to bury a poo and a match to burn paper.

 

[Velma's Dad]

When I was a nipper the greengrocer would tot up my mum’s bill on the back of a brown paper bag before telling her the total.

When I was a nipper my mum used to take me to Henry Cooper's greengrocers shop on Wembley High Road. The great man often served customers in there - attracting big crowds even then. I can't remember what he used to add up the bill with, but in any case you weren't going to argue with him though, were you?

 

[Anthony1]

Hi folks,

We are fairly new to the camper van experience so to date this being our first season we have stayed on caravan/camp sites.
We have joined a couple of clubs e.g. camping and caravan club and caravan and motor home club so we can test out their various sites for our short breaks.

With the season now over many sites have closed but we want to try a few one night stops if we foresee a fine crisp and cold sunny day or two or we thought why pay for a hotel if your visiting somewhere for a night? Is there an obvious website or forum which identifies any simple/basic stop off points, country pubs&inns, village car parks, farms etc with just a few pitches that are deemed safe and will get you by for a one night stop? (Assuming the obvious that lay by's are not deemed suitable due to traffic noise and potentially dangerous)
Hoping there is a guide of secret places where the camper van community have shared knowledge??
Second question do you sleep on the ground floor rather than in the pop up when it comes to keeping warm in winter?

Thanks for any thoughts and advice,

The Caravan & Motorhome Clubs has some sites open all year. I guess the Camping & Carvan Club does too. Just use their websites to do a seach.

 

[Norfolk Jim]

WIld Camping have an excellent app that tells you of tap locations, pub stops and possible wild camping spots in Scotland etc. For camping sites you could use Archies Campings which is real good app https://www.archiescampings.eu/

 

[Anthony1]

When you were a nipper did you ever imagine your middle-aged self would be using remote sensing satellites to recce camping spots... and then another set of satellites to navigate to them? We take modern tech for granted but it's pretty gobsmacking really.

(If only it could resolve the Portapotti vs Bog In A Bag issue.)

Bivvy Loo

 

[Anthony1]

When I was a nipper the greengrocer would tot up my mum’s bill on the back of a brown paper bag before telling her the total. The supermarket had modern crank handled machines which added up the total with the final amount popping up in a window. Later, my uncle, manager of a large farm bought an electronic calculator for £50 with the functions plus, minus, multiply, divide and, impressively, square root. This made his slide rule redundant.

To route find my father plotted his journey with a map - a practice I continued with right up to March 2017, although from about 2003 I was assisted by a Garmin walkers GPS receiver which would give me British grid references or universal lat. and long. and could point in the direct line direction between my current location and destination.

I do miss my handwritten notes of road numbers between home and previously unvisited destination.

As for the “Portapotti vs Bog In A Bag issue” I find the traditional method still works well: pee behind a tree; take a trowel to bury a poo and a match to burn paper.

Men seem to be able to cope with this method better than women though.

 

[Ocean Spirit]

I can feel an early moring coastal run coming on around Lulworth, Durdles door etc in the very near future and would like to be there overnight. The only thing I can find is the actual car park which is open 24 hrs. Has anybody used this? is it free of revellers and the likes (i.e. peaceful safe night?) or do you know of any other possibilities?
Thanks for reading
EDIT:
Just read that its 24 hours but no sleeping allowed???? how does that work

 

[CannonDale]

I can feel an early moring coastal run coming on around Lulworth, Durdles door etc in the very near future and would like to be there overnight. The only thing I can find is the actual car park which is open 24 hrs. Has anybody used this? is it free of revellers and the likes (i.e. peaceful safe night?) or do you know of any other possibilities?
Thanks for reading
EDIT:
Just read that its 24 hours but no sleeping allowed???? how does that work

Lulworth car park is 24 hours and I have seen the odd van tucked away in a corner early morning. Durdle Door is not 24 hours and when I stayed on the campsite a quad bike went around the car park moving cars on, the car park was empty 30 mins after the official closing time. The camper van pitches are at the top of the car park with EHU, great place to camp

 

[CALI FATE]

I can feel an early moring coastal run coming on around Lulworth, Durdles door etc in the very near future and would like to be there overnight. The only thing I can find is the actual car park which is open 24 hrs. Has anybody used this? is it free of revellers and the likes (i.e. peaceful safe night?) or do you know of any other possibilities?
Thanks for reading
EDIT:
Just read that its 24 hours but no sleeping allowed???? how does that work

Stay at the Weld Arms - they have an orchard behind the pub. We had dinner and a pint and they allowed us to find a cosy spot in the trees listening to the owls. Short walk /run to the cove. Good grub and beer and a lovely open fire

 

[WelshGas]

I can feel an early moring coastal run coming on around Lulworth, Durdles door etc in the very near future and would like to be there overnight. The only thing I can find is the actual car park which is open 24 hrs. Has anybody used this? is it free of revellers and the likes (i.e. peaceful safe night?) or do you know of any other possibilities?
Thanks for reading
EDIT:
Just read that its 24 hours but no sleeping allowed???? how does that work

Night Fishing?

 

[GrannyJen]

Night Fishing?

Yes,

Amazingly an old tart 4 years ago used it for the same reason that you are thinking of.

Beware the man in number 3, the new houses off to the right as you approach. He was quite abusive to me as I was having my morning bran flakes in quite a hazy sea mist.

 

[Ocean Spirit]

Thanks for posts 17 to 20

And I never thought about fishing ...why would I? anybody would think its by the sea or something.

 

[GrannyJen]

Thanks for posts 17 to 20

And I never thought about fishing ...why would I? anybody would think its by the sea or something.

I was not fishing, I replied to the wrong post.

I was pursuing an activity similar to which you propose except in my case it's a plodding, wheezing progress a little bit quicker than a geriatric snail.

You wouldn't be considering the Purbeck 10k by any chance?

They call the course "undulating" ..... I've met less undulations mountaineering than I met on that bloody course

 

[Ocean Spirit]

I was not fishing, I replied to the wrong post.

I was pursuing an activity similar to which you propose except in my case it's a plodding, wheezing progress a little bit quicker than a geriatric snail.

You wouldn't be considering the Purbeck 10k by any chance?

They call the course "undulating" ..... I've met less undulations mountaineering than I met on that bloody course

I did wonder given your running interest......
Yes I walked some of that a while ago and that was a struggle on some hills.

Purbeck 10? I'll look it up.

 

[Ocean Spirit]

@GrannyJen
This one?
the-purbeck-6
I looked at the 16 but reading the description (Hard) I'd be quite happy to do 10k.
A bit early for any commitment yet though. Are you signed up?

 

[GrannyJen]

@GrannyJen
This one?
the-purbeck-6
I looked at the 16 but reading the description (Hard) I'd be quite happy to do 10k.
A bit early for any commitment yet though. Are you signed up?

I could be. Still trying to sort my diary out and at present in limbo awaiting results of more heart tests.

Still chewed up over having to withdraw from London, Berlin and Bournemouth marathons But then born with a heart defect that is now only making it's miserable self felt at the age of 72 I feel stupidly, incredibly privileged and gifted to be able to run any distance.