Off grid

[Azteccamper]

Genuine question. I read a lot on here (and other outlets) about going “off-grid” camping and how people get power to their van via solar, power banks, etc. I love the idea of doing it overlooking the coast or on some mountain range, but the reality is there are hardly any spots anywhere where you can genuinely do it and feel safe (and not breaking the law or upsetting the locals).
So - is it really a thing? Do people go days in the wilderness? Or are we talking just not plugging in your ehu one weekend on a campsite? Or are you wild camping in a lay-by off the A40 or in a car park for a night?

 

[CamperFam]

It varies.

For us southern lot, offgrid opportunities are limited. There are a number of places that offer wildcamping (ie - not campsites per se, but woodlands with tracks etc). The further north you go, the more your opportunities both in quantity and safety. But offgrid extends beyond that.

Personally, I never like the idea of layby parking - i've done it before (used to use the van to live/work in 3-4 days a week) and it wasn't fun wondering if people would come knocking etc.
There are however plenty of places where you can pay for parking in more rural locations etc.

Example:
Last weekend the mrs and I decided to go heading off to Southwold for an impromptu day, night and morning. We paid £20 for parking which saw us through from 2pm on Saturday till 2pm on Sunday with overnight sleeping etc allowed. No EHU, no toilets etc. Meant we had a fantastic Saturday afternoon, simple meal out in town, wandered back to the van, and had a great morning at the beach before anyone else even woke up.

 

[pchmlk]

Looks good but surely if you’re paying then that’s definitely not off grid.

 

[chockswahay]

Genuine question. I read a lot on here (and other outlets) about going “off-grid” camping and how people get power to their van via solar, power banks, etc. I love the idea of doing it overlooking the coast or on some mountain range, but the reality is there are hardly any spots anywhere where you can genuinely do it and feel safe (and not breaking the law or upsetting the locals).
So - is it really a thing? Do people go days in the wilderness? Or are we talking just not plugging in your ehu one weekend on a campsite? Or are you wild camping in a lay-by off the A40 or in a car park for a night?

You raise a very valid and interesting question. Yes I would say it is a 'challenge' in England and Wales. especially the further South you go. This is why we prefer to hop over to France where off grid night stopping is remarkably easy (we recently did a 4 week tour of Brittany coastline and stopped most nights overlooking the sea/beach. Also much easier than you would think on the West coast of Ireland. A few years ago we toured the entire length oh the Pyrenees hopping from France to Spain all the way and often stayed high up in the mountains.

OK, none of this is really on the doorstep so to speak (well France is close to us (Plymouth to Roscoff) but it is all possible.

I do agree that sometimes the fear can become an obstacle but quite frankly we will continue to stop off grid until something really scares us

 

[CamperFam]

Looks good but surely if you’re paying then that’s definitely not off grid.

My view - offgrid = off power, infrastructure, reliance on amenities etc.

We went to Cornwall two weeks ago and saw a whole host of vanlifers with towels and t shirts over their numberplates in an ANPR car park. They'd instantly shout they're living offgrid. Only difference is we respect individuals and firms property and pay where required.

 

[Californication69]

My view - offgrid = off power, infrastructure, reliance on amenities etc.

We went to Cornwall two weeks ago and saw a whole host of vanlifers with towels and t shirts over their numberplates in an ANPR car park. They'd instantly shout they're living offgrid. Only difference is we respect individuals and firms property and pay where required.

Great drone footage!
What you got DJI ?
Apols to OP

 

[Californication69]

Genuine question. I read a lot on here (and other outlets) about going “off-grid” camping and how people get power to their van via solar, power banks, etc. I love the idea of doing it overlooking the coast or on some mountain range, but the reality is there are hardly any spots anywhere where you can genuinely do it and feel safe (and not breaking the law or upsetting the locals).
So - is it really a thing? Do people go days in the wilderness? Or are we talking just not plugging in your ehu one weekend on a campsite? Or are you wild camping in a lay-by off the A40 or in a car park for a night?

The other option for off-grid for 3 days is a ExoFlow Delta 2 or similar. Lets you have plenty of outlets and don’t even need solar.
Can use the new 800w alternator charger to fully charge in 1 hour.

 

[CamperFam]

Great drone footage!
What you got DJI ?
Apols to OP

Yeah - Air2S - Been a while since I got it up, so renewed my licenses and went for a morning float.

RE Ecoflow - absolutely what I'd always recommend. Solar is great, dont get me wrong. We had 300W solar panels on our old California Ocean and made such a difference; but theres something extra special about being able to use an EcoFlow and use common appliances/electronics without worrying about leisure battery consumption, etc. And with a short EHU, you can easily recharge the van using the EcoFlow too. Vital i'd say for offgrid Grand Californianing, and incredibly useful for an Ocean (albeit less vital given the two decent leisure batteries and inverter)

 

[soulstyledevon]

It’s harder than it’s ever been. Unless you chance the signs and possible fines.
25 years ago it was just us surfers and genuine outdoor types.
There were so few numbers, it really wasn’t an issue.

That’s not the case today, even on the mainland. Germany, Portugal and Switzerland have all clamped down with signage everywhere to deter people camping.

As I’ve got older, the thought of camping in a general carpark or supermarket carpark doesn’t really appeal…

 

[Mehdime]

Genuine question. I read a lot on here (and other outlets) about going “off-grid” camping and how people get power to their van via solar, power banks, etc. I love the idea of doing it overlooking the coast or on some mountain range, but the reality is there are hardly any spots anywhere where you can genuinely do it and feel safe (and not breaking the law or upsetting the locals).
So - is it really a thing? Do people go days in the wilderness? Or are we talking just not plugging in your ehu one weekend on a campsite? Or are you wild camping in a lay-by off the A40 or in a car park for a night?

It’ll clearly depends on the place. I almost always wild-camp as I don’t find campsites to be particularly pleasant places and the constraint of having to arrive before a certain time never aligns with the way we travel.

In Ireland, there are wild-camping places in beautiful lake-side, sea-side and forest/mountain environments just about everywhere. Check out Park4Night.

When we went to Wales a few weeks back, it was a mixed bag. Some lovely spots. But on the Pembrokeshire coast, I ended up in a campsite as I couldn’t find any wild camping spots in the area.

 

[capt kirk]

Half way house britstops, not really wild but still off grid and in some genuinley nice spots, just done a couple in yorkshire and northumberland.

 

[CamperFam]

It’ll clearly depends on the place. I almost always wild-camp as I don’t find campsites to be particularly pleasant places and the constraint of having to arrive before a certain time never aligns with the way we travel.

In Ireland, there are wild-camping places in beautiful lake-side, sea-side and forest/mountain environments just about everywhere. Check out Park4Night.

When we went to Wales a few weeks back, it was a mixed bag. Some lovely spots. But on the Pembrokeshire coast, I ended up in a campsite as I couldn’t find any wild camping spots in the area.

A useful Google map collection I found which might also be of interest:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1A6UPAXG0SA1vr8meScbd6QaBf0_bOco&ll=51.85149210762333%2C-2.5981431746525274&z=8

App Info | The Ultimate Road Trip Resource

theultimateroadtripresource.com

 

[Azteccamper]

I’ve got the park4night app. Out of interest I looked at where my local spots were. The 10 closest to me I wouldn’t stay in 8 of the recommendations - probably wouldn’t leave my car parked overnight in 5 of them. So as you say you’ve got to use common sense and get a feel for the area.

 

[CamperFam]

Half way house britstops, not really wild but still off grid and in some genuinley nice spots, just done a couple in yorkshire and northumberland.

I can vouch for BritStops.

A fair bit of drama the past 12 months as they went digital and a lot of the 'Grey Nomads' (thanks Bluey...) didn't like the concept of not having a book to flick through - which I can understand. But its now incredibly easy to pop in a destination and it'll give you stops enroute, contact details and any specifics (vehicle size, restrictions and expectations (ie - come in for a drink, etc). I've got a weekend in October near Manchester and i've got a spot 'prebooked' (advanced greement with the pub) and will be using it as my base of operations whilst I journey into the city for a couple of meetups with mates.

 

[Chris Ratay]

We are based in Budapest and in general prefer to avoid campgrounds, store parking lots, abutting busy roads, and truck stops, although sometimes there's no choice.

Without having solar/running the engine, we can easily run all our electrics, lights, fridge, 12v fans, and recharge gadgets for upto 3 days - which is the max we stay in one place anyway.

Europe is getting harder to find legal places, but we scour the Park4Night app descriptions/reviews and can generally find options, especially away from tourist destinations. The less population, the easier it is, and vice versa. Next to local soccer fields and other rec parks can often be good options to stay when there are no events. Trailheads can also be good.

We'll hit a campground every 7 days or so to do laundry, get water, and have a proper shower. Wet wipes and small rivers help between showers. We have a dog and no kids, and are put off by the "rules" and crowds of larger campgrounds - especially in the summer.

In tourist cities we often stay in hotels/AirBnBs in the city center, so we can walk around and enjoy the restaurants/culture, do laundry, and have a good shower. After we generally look for pure nature, off-grid spots

We all have different comfort levels. When we utilize campgrounds, a small, 2-star place without a pool or other kid facilities is generally a better fit for us. We're not against kids, but you get a bunch of them (or adults too) and they down out the sounds of nature.

Europe is very safe, especially away from tourist cities.

 

[calicasas]

Genuine question. I read a lot on here (and other outlets) about going “off-grid” camping and how people get power to their van via solar, power banks, etc. I love the idea of doing it overlooking the coast or on some mountain range, but the reality is there are hardly any spots anywhere where you can genuinely do it and feel safe (and not breaking the law or upsetting the locals).
So - is it really a thing? Do people go days in the wilderness? Or are we talking just not plugging in your ehu one weekend on a campsite? Or are you wild camping in a lay-by off the A40 or in a car park for a night?

Sadly, wild camping is pretty much prohibited in the UK (as mentioned already). I personally go to continental Europe as they are far more relaxed about this. I understand that’s not possible for a weekend getaway… i have done it before but you don’t know when you will get the dreaded knock….

 

[CYCLOPATH]

Your right, not easy in the U.K. we hop over th france where it’s much more van friendly, or spain, as long as you avoid the souther coast hotspots, or Greece. There are places in uk, but they take some finding, and are best not shared, as they get abused.

 

[oceanson]

I always wild camp, but I do live in Portugal and i have a 4motion. Being off road makes it easier but I found that being stealth and humble is always the best way, that means I rarely sleep with the roof up and I never set up camp, meaning, no awning, no chairs and table when I'm not actively using them, i also never leave the shoes outside or dirty dishes underneath the van to clean in the morning. If I'm in a more urban environment, i always take big care in being properly parked, a lot of campervans take two spaces

 

[Jans2]

https://wildwithconsent.com/locations

Visited one of these, not exactly wild/off grid but secluded, peaceful and lovely hosts who left us to get on with our stay but kindly filled our water bottles on request! It wasn’t completely clear from the website but once the spot is booked, it is exclusively for your use, not a campsite (although some take small group bookings). Highly recommended.

 

[CharlotteDR]

We often go off grid, even with kids and they love it as well.

As mentioned before, the main things are being humble, not making a full basecamp with chairs, tables etc and leaving the places cleaner as you found them!

our travels on average exist of a series of 2 nights off grid, 1 night camping and so on as the kids then have playgrounds and other facilities. The available showers is a plus for all of us ;-)
but nothing beats the morning breakfast in the middle of nowhere, discovering new places.

We did this in multiple European countries as well as England

 

[chockswahay]

https://wildwithconsent.com/locations

Visited one of these, not exactly wild/off grid but secluded, peaceful and lovely hosts who left us to get on with our stay but kindly filled our water bottles on request! It wasn’t completely clear from the website but once the spot is booked, it is exclusively for your use, not a campsite (although some take small group bookings). Highly recommended.

They look nice....... but pricey for just a field

 

[pchmlk]

They look nice....... but pricey for just a field

What price can you put on peace and quiet?
This looks like the sort of site I’ll be visiting a lot, I love not having people around.

 

[Mehdime]

They look nice....... but pricey for just a field

Pricey but then that’s what campsites charge. If these let you arrive whenever you want at night and guarantee that you’ll be on your own in the middle of nature (and welcome to be here), then I’d take this anytime over a campsite. It’s basically luxury wild camping.

 

[ThomasHJ]

Genuine question. I read a lot on here (and other outlets) about going “off-grid” camping and how people get power to their van via solar, power banks, etc. I love the idea of doing it overlooking the coast or on some mountain range, but the reality is there are hardly any spots anywhere where you can genuinely do it and feel safe (and not breaking the law or upsetting the locals).
So - is it really a thing? Do people go days in the wilderness? Or are we talking just not plugging in your ehu one weekend on a campsite? Or are you wild camping in a lay-by off the A40 or in a car park for a night?

Interesting post. I have had the wish to 'wild camp' with the van for quit some time, but I have come to the conclusion that it's not really an option (for us) in Europe. When you google 'wild camping + [any country]' you will find many blogs luring you in but in reality it always comes down to the fact that legally it's not allowed and yes you can do it and chances of getting in trouble are low, but still, you dont want to be woken up in the middle of the night by police or other people.

In Scandinavia it's very doable though, as long as you go North enough. In the South you'll find you could be looking for a long time to find a suitable spot. Driving down small forest roards which all turn out to be someone's driveway ;-) I've seen people do it when we visited Scotland, but only in certain area's. I guess you mostly need a region where there's a lot of spce and little people.

In France, technically you are allowed to park (and sleep in your vehicle) in just about any public parking space, but I wouldn't enjoy doing it in a town.

For us (pop-top open, because of 4 people) it is hardly ever a serious option outside Scandinavia. Sadly enough.