Stealth camping tips for towns/cities

[thehorse]

Planning a night out with some friends and thought I might try sleeping in the Cali rather than paying £30 for a taxi home.

Was wondering what the safest locations are to park up - Car park, industrial estate, residential street etc? Any other tips gratefully received.

 

[Loz]

Make sure you swivel the seats in case the plod try and pin you for drink driving.

 

[Daren_Chambers]

I parked up on the main drag in Newcastle - I put up a makeshift curtain behind then front seats so nobody could see in (it wasn't the quietest night's sleep)

I'd be nervous of anywhere too secluded so would avoid industrial estates. Car parks and safe residential streets are fair game though.

Oh... Don't put the pop top up either

 

[Annik]

We have a friend who is a traffic cop and this has come up on conversation. He said the keys must not be in the vehicle if you are drunk and on on a public road, car park etc. I assume most cops would turn a blind eye if you genuinely looked like you are camping but you could be unlucky and get a jobsworth and end up losing your licence.

 

[thehorse]

Hadn't considered the drunk in charge aspect, though suspect if the seats were rotated you'd have a strong case in court.

 

[Brindisi]

Ask one of the landlords whose pubs you're visiting if you can stay in their car park . Most are happy for you to stay if you have had food or a drink in their pub

 

[ArunAlec]

Hadn't considered the drunk in charge aspect, though suspect if the seats were rotated you'd have a strong case in court.

I wouldn't bank on it!

 

[WelshGas]

Hadn't considered the drunk in charge aspect, though suspect if the seats were rotated you'd have a strong case in court.

But what's to stop you turning them back to the driving position?
You might win in Court but I bet your legal fees would be a lot more than the £30 taxi fare.

 

[MattBW]

There was a post on Facebook from a policeman about this and they would have to prove you had intent to drive regardless of keys. If your seats are turned around and you're setup to camp they would struggle to make that intent stick in court. Staying away from the roads was recommended though.

He also had never ever in 30years had an instance of someone being arrested for this.


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[Joker 1299]

There was a post on Facebook from a policeman about this and they would have to prove you had intent to drive regardless of keys. If your seats are turned around and you're setup to camp they would struggle to make that intent stick in court. Staying away from the roads was recommended though.

He also had never ever in 30years had an instance of someone being arrested for this.


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Is there not still an offence of '...drunk in charge of a motor vehicle...' which could be used regardless of intent to drive?

 

[camper-x]

There was a post on Facebook from a policeman about this and they would have to prove you had intent to drive regardless of keys. If your seats are turned around and you're setup to camp they would struggle to make that intent stick in court. Staying away from the roads was recommended though.

He also had never ever in 30years had an instance of someone being arrested for this.


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I read one of those FB posts from a policeman. This one advised bed made up, seats spun, you in PJs, but also suggested putting the keys in the safe would be belt and braces RE no intention to drive. Up to you to persuade the policeman I guess. If you answer the door.


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[T6Beach]

I would not take the risk, it is a grey area and my licence is way too precious to me, for the sake of a couple of beers you could cause the end of your Cali adventures for a minimum of a year.

 

[Jonathan Duke]

I do this quite often. I leave the front seats facing forward, hang a black bed-sheet over the two front heatrests, to restrict view from the outside into the rear. This makes the van look empty and just parked, to anyone walking or driving past the van, as front seats just look empty. I don't fit the front side window curtains either.

I have Dubflecta front window trims, so can leave front windows slightly open for ventilation.

Rear Blinds all down, lower-bed made up in advance.

I just jump in, and go to sleep.... multi-storey car parks can be a good option... cops unlikely to pounce on you in there. Suppose barrier operatated would offer same. If on the street, just be aware of police (potentially unmarked) parked near pubs, watching for drunks coming out and staggering towards their cars..,,

I have a couple of mates in the police, and have spoke to them about this also.... you are very unlikely to get asked to "move-on" which is when a potential problem could arise, unless you are causing a nuisense.... so maybe avoid the same places week after week.... or parking outside some curtain twitchers house.

Each to their own i suppose.... but I'm happy to-date anyway.

 

[Ciki62]

Just relax. Find the quietest place and enjoy overnight camping. What is de facto overnight sleeping not camping. I recommend no chairs table awning


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[CYCLOPATH]

I do it....like above I leave the seats forward, and roof down, and put a curtain up behind the seats.....you wouldn't know I was there.....i choose quiet roads, where I am not going to annoy anyone.
I usually get back late....don't turn any lights on...and leave fairly early
Though beware being over the limit in the morning.....it takes an hour to metabolise a unit of alcohol. So if you had 6 tins of 5%, that is 15 units, so that will take 15 hrs to clear!!
The last time I slept in the van after a wedding....I mentioned in another post,,,,,I fell asleep quick and forgot to lock the door. In the night somebody opened the front door....I woke up, and made some comment....he said sorry and ran off!
It was a lovey quiet, well to do little village.
Apart from that I have never had a problem

 

[CYCLOPATH]

O , and I have asked landlords if I can stay in their car parks, if I eat and drink, and never been refused

 

[GrannyJen]

I read one of those FB posts from a policeman. This one advised bed made up, seats spun, you in PJs, but also suggested putting the keys in the safe would be belt and braces RE no intention to drive. Up to you to persuade the policeman I guess. If you answer the door.


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Somewhere in this these forum archives is a transcript of a conversation between myself and a Lawyer at Geoffrey Millers, one of the UK's leading motoring lawyers.

If you have the keys, are in the vehicle to which the keys fit, and over the limit then yes, you are technically "drunk in charge" and as it is a statutory offence the onus is upon the defendant to prove he/her self innocent in court if charged.

The spirit and intent is to prevent those who have been or want to be driving from being apprehended with the excuse "I was parked up and sleeping it off". Clearly not the case if in a vehicle designed to be slept in and modified/adjusted from the driving position for that purpose ... i.e. Keys no where near the ignition, seats swivelled, bed made up etc. If permission to park overnight has also been given, e.g.: A Britstop pub car park, then clearly there is no intent to drive. If in the unlikely circumstances that police would proceed with a charge then the CPS will probably intervene and if not even that then a laudable defence can be made in court.

From my own pov, and this is "female travelling alone" perspective: If wild camping then I always make sure I can escape: park in such a way as to mitigate against getting boxed in, internal, not external, blinds and due caution exercised that I am not intruding any bye-laws or parked anywhere that may give cause to others to ask me to move on. I also have attack alarms positioned in strategic places around the van so whilst trying to make my escape the racket would be awesome. I am also careful with alcohol as I want to be able to drive in an emergency. My alcohol intake usually depends on where I park and my comfort levels that I will not need to move until well into the morning.

I adopt what I hope is a common sense approach. Never drink enough so that I will still be over the limit the following morning, try not to upset people or authorities, do not leave myself vulnerable and leave no sign that I was ever there when I leave. I have yet to have a problem but am not complacent enough to assume that will be the status quo forever.

a PS: I have had what I think was a potential threat. This was at a Britstop, a pub car park open to a major road. I was woken up at around 2am by a van stopping close to mine and clattering coming from it followed by voices and people walking towards me. Once I had put the interior lights on, made a noise, made sure it was obvious someone was sleeping in the van and then got keys in the ignition and lights on the van/car drove away.

Ever since then if planning an overnight stop, I google streetview, to ensure my stopover is not in sight of a main road and in sight of those who may see an opportunity for a quick bit of van theft.

 

[ejmoore]

Thanks for this. I am interested in the potential of stealth camping, and would like to know more about people's experiences and how to do it discreetly & safely, but the discussion always gets hijacked by the question of being drunk in charge of a vehicle. I don't drink so that wouldn't be an issue, so I'm more interested in where and how.

 

[Jonathan Duke]

Thanks for this. I am interested in the potential of stealth camping, and would like to know more about people's experiences and how to do it discreetly & safely, but the discussion always gets hijacked by the question of being drunk in charge of a vehicle. I don't drink so that wouldn't be an issue, so I'm more interested in where and how.

I stealth camp, quite often.... Train Station car-parks, or "Park & Ride" car-parks are often quite good.... Town centre car-parks normally have some sort of restrictions, but normally always some out-of-town carparks with not so many.... Anywhere on the Coast, near harbours and marinas are normally good locations also.... Inland, along rivers or canals normally have good locations. Or anywhere there are trail-heads for hikers/mountain-bikers etc... I try to avoid areas around nightlife and shopping, but I have camped in city-centre underground and multi-storey carparks. I've even slept in the van, at a petrol station forecourt, and an Asda car-park also. I've also slept in a cemetery car-park, 4km from Vienna airport.... "Dead" peaceful so it was!

Industrial estates, local authority parks and tourist areas etc.... Are quite often patrolled by G4S or whoever, they have moved me on, on one occasion. There are some really good smartphone apps, for locating free parking-sites, "park4night" is one of them. It's always easier to scout-out somewhere during daylight, it can a bit stressful when dark. I also normally arrive late, and leave early..... Always sleep in the downstairs bed, when in stealth mode also, and don't stay in any one place more than one-night in a row.

I've slept in my van 85 nights, since I got it.... I'd stay roughly 60 of these in free locations. Haven't had any problems so far..... We had a couple, maybe 2 or 3, un-settled nights due to "boy-racers" spinning their wheels and with noisy exhausts but these can be mitigated, by looking for car-parks with big ramps, as their lowered-cars don't like them....

 

[CYCLOPATH]

Like jonathan, I have moved on on a couple of occasions when boy racers, or dodgy looking cars turned up.
One site in the Blackdowns a car pulled up and shined its lights in the window and stayed there....we moved on,,,,later to be told it was the main dogging site for Taunton....we moved a mile along the ridge to another car park that was empty, and had a lovely night.
A car park in the Brecon Beacons had quite a lot of rubbish in it,,,strong lager cans and little plastic bags.
We tidied it up, sort of our way of paying for the night. In the morning, an adventure centre van turned up, and the guy told us drug dealers from the valleys come up there....it must have been there night off.
I have come across sites on the park4night that clearly say no campervan s.
But 99% of the time it is lovely and peaceful....much nicer than most campsites!!
And don't forget France passion...I have never shared a site with them,,,,,And pub car parks....with pemission, and a meal.

 

[ejmoore]

Interesting! I think the pub car park option (have a meal and ask permission) is a good bet. I don't like the idea of someone tapping on the window in the night to move us on. We've 'wild camped' often abroad, where it's a bit more deserted in the mountains. Though my brother said 'Wild camping? if you mean parking up in your luxury campervan, it's not exactly Bear Grylls, is it?'

 

[flying banana]

I have a story here. whenever you drink at home. your vehicle parked on your drive. you are drunk in charge of a vehicle aren't you? rubbish. it's private land. same as a car park. it's usually owned by the council or is a private car park..if so they can't do anything. I parked with a mate in york in a council car park and we were leathered. my mate got knocked up by cops ....he was running engine to keep warm...they charged him with drink driving . keys in ignition etc. he got a solicitor and they dropped the case as it was a private car park and not the highway so nothing to do with police and rules of the road. if your going to drink drive you get in and drive...you don't get in and make a coffee and go to bed under a double quilt. it's same on a campsite when you've had a few. it's private land so your not drunk in charge.just be careful at the rd side and I too would not pop the roof up. happy drinking everyone

 

[flying banana]

3 merry men. peak district Sheffield. eat in the pub.camp for free

 

[CYCLOPATH]

Interesting! I think the pub car park option (have a meal and ask permission) is a good bet. I don't like the idea of someone tapping on the window in the night to move us on. We've 'wild camped' often abroad, where it's a bit more deserted in the mountains. Though my brother said 'Wild camping? if you mean parking up in your luxury campervan, it's not exactly Bear Grylls, is it?'

I think you will find, on a lot of those bear grylls programmes, when the camera Is off he jumps into a motorhome!....a true survival expert makes life as easy as possible for himself....more likely to survive that way

 

[ArunAlec]

I think you will find, on a lot of those bear grylls programmes, when the camera Is off he jumps into a motorhome!....a true survival expert makes life as easy as possible for himself....more likely to survive that way

Wasn't there a series a few years back where he was supposedly "surviving" out in the US wilderness but was revealed to be using a hotel ( making use of available resources !!)?