Going on trips without booking sites?

[CampervanTime]

Hi Everyone

We are really new to the whole camper van / caravanning thing and both my wife and I were really struck by how many accommodating pubs there appeared to be when we went to the North York Moors a few weekends ago.

We had pre-planned to stay at the Lion Inn (Blakey Ridge) on the first night and then in a camp site for two nights after that (near whitby).

We rang the Lion Inn beforehand, checking and double checking it would be ok etc. It was all fine.

So the question..

How possible is it that you can just choose to go away for a weekend and then just find a suitable pub or campsite when you get to where you want to be / find somewhere nice to want to stay there? No pre-planning etc?

Are there just hundreds of places out there and you just get a sixth-sense for it or does pre-planning, phoning etc always pay off?

I know it seems like a bit of a funny question but I'd really like to get some spontaneity when we get our Cali so just judging how 'free' we can be!

Not sure true wild camping is our style just yet, however

 

[GrannyJen]

Easy except at really busy periods for the type of establishment.

Assuming wild camping is on the back burner for a while:

Britstops or searchforsites.co.uk will give you lists and lists of places that are known to accept campers for overnight stops, most of them will rarely turn a camper away even if busy, although it may be a different story if you are a 7m plus great white.

You will often see a sign on a gate indicating a C&MC or C&CC CL which if you are a member of those clubs will not object to you just popping in and asking have they got room.

A few times I have found myself in a really nice spot with a lovely pub not listed anywhere and a polite "lovely pub, can I stop for dinner and if so park up for the night" normally gets a yes. I've had two refusals only.

In france the place is littered with stopover points, in fact the mainland Europe full stop, if I am on an extended trip then I book the first night then wing it.

 

[Jonathan Duke]

So the question..

How possible is it that you can just choose to go away for a weekend and then just find a suitable pub or campsite when you get to where you want to be / find somewhere nice to want to stay there? No pre-planning etc?

I've slept 98x nights in the van, so far this year, haven't pre-booked any of them, except one which was the night before the VW Factory Tour in Hannover, which was a club event. I'm certainly "planning" a nice night somewhere special, if possible, for my 100th night.... But it'll be a great wild-camp location, and not a campsite I suspect (hope.....)

It's the big advantage of the Cali for me..... The ability to just get in and go.....

 

[CampervanTime]

Ooo i’m liking the sound of this then. Should suit us down to the ground as we can be a bit last minute at times.

 

[GrannyJen]

Ooo i’m liking the sound of this then. Should suit us down to the ground as we can be a bit last minute at times.

It's what makes a camper so special. Get in and go. You can "hide" down a side street without attracting attention, fit in a standard car park space and allowed in anywhere, creep under a height barrier guarding the entrance to an isolated car park, tuck yourself into a clearing off a track in the country, wake up in a french market square and find they've set the town market up all around you .......

 

[CampervanTime]

EEEEeeek! Let’s hope that doesnt happen to us on our first trip over the water then!!

I can just see us getting home on a Friday after work and saying “that was a tough week shall we just go away for a night or two” and then 30 minutes later being on the road to somewhere for a night or two.

I can really really see that...

 

[GrannyJen]

EEEEeeek! Let’s hope that doesnt happen to us on our first trip over the water then!!

I can just see us getting home on a Friday after work and saying “that was a tough week shall we just go away for a night or two” and then 30 minutes later being on the road to somewhere for a night or two.

I can really really see that...

Done that a few times. Had enough, half way through the day, made sure my Sister was stopping at home to look after our dogs, and just set off, no idea where until the wheels were rolling.

Normally I would decide vaguely what I wanted to do before I was on a main arterial road then head off vaguely in that direction, pulling over to scan a couple of books or websites to decide where to head for in the hope of finding a parking spot for the night.

Britstops is my paper bible and searchforsites my online one.

 

[flying banana]

I asked a landlord if I could camp in his car park and he asked what I was driving . I said a vw campervan . he said. sure...no problem. I even popped the roof up

 

[jeff]

I asked a landlord if I could camp in his car park and he asked what I was driving . I said a vw campervan . he said. sure...no problem. I even popped the roof up

If you find a nice pub with car park always worth asking landlord most will let you stay if using the facilities.