UKC

I'll be spending around 3 days climbing and hiking around Glencoe, towards the end of the month. I'm visiting from the US and will be in a campervan. Does anyone know any spots nearby where I can park and stay in the van for free for a couple nights? Thanks!

PS: Also, if you have spots you'd recommend for The Peak District, Lake District, Pembroke and Cornwall, located near climbing, I'm all ears - thanks!

Wild camping in the UK is not as easy or as socially acceptable as it is in many parts of the US. We are a small and comparitivley crowded island and in the summer the good spots can be very busy.

I'm pretty sure everyone on this forum has wild parked/camped on occasion but many of us do that less frequently and much more discretely now. I don't think anyone on a public forum is going to tell you about their "secret" spot.

If you can afford to fly to the UK and drive around in a camper van I'm sure you can afford to pay for a camp site.

Great campsite in Pembrokeshire on the right just as you drive in to bosherston village £5 per night. Quarter of a mile from the pub. One mile from st govans car park for all the great climbing.

For some reason you seem to be attracting downvotes ...

download the park4night app... find pubs that will let you stay in their car park ["parking lot"] in exchange for you buying a meal and a pint or three.

8/10

Pay to go on an authorised campsite! It will help the local economy. It's is a minimal cost compared to getting here and hiring a camper van. In many areas parking tickets are issued for parking in the wrong place.

There's an interactive map on this link that shows suitable locations:

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

Edit: I should have added that there is a small charge at many of them but at least it'll be legit.

£6 pppn now, still worth it for location alone. No hot showers though, but we just head up some water and stick it in a washing up bowl with some soap and a flannel. 

Edit link to Pembrokeshire camping - https://maps.app.goo.gl/5FTwePpEk9CCoFt96

Around Glencoe you can park up round the back of the Kingshouse Hotel (they seem to tolerate people using the showers/ toilets for the bunkhouse) or at Glencoe Ski centre (costs a couple of pounds but that covers access to a toilet block).

Park4night is useful, but if there is a campsite nearby I would generally encourage using that as some areas (all of the ones listed) experience significant pressure on parking and waste management from van users. Generally I only use a none campsite space for a single night and I make a point of visiting a local pub to contribute to the economy in the area.

'I make a point of visiting a local pub to contribute to the economy in the area.' Yeah right - that's the only reason I ever visit pubs as well

To avoid any confusion, it's worth noting that 'campsite' has different meanings in the US and the UK.  On this thread, 'campsite' is being used in the UK sense - referring to what would be called a 'campground' or even an 'RV park' in the US.

I agree with everyone on this thread that wild camping ('free camping') is becoming much less acceptable in the UK.  However there are lots of alternatives to fully-developed campgrounds, including harbours, forestry sites, pubs and local businesses where you can park up for a small charge.

I'd particularly recommend the searchforsites app.  It's UK orientated and has filters for pub stopovers, forestry sites etc

Be careful... If the pub car park has no barriers to the road, then having a few drinks and sleeping in a car, campervan etc is a serious offence, bizarrely and stupidly. Drunk in charge of a motor vehicle is as bad as drink driving, you can be "in charge" of it by sleeping in it. Anyone wants example of a stupid law...? try this one 

Good point, I had forgot that one.

Good to get to understand the culture a bit better - this is just something I wasn't aware of, and things are definitely very different in the US, so I am grateful for those of you that have been patient and explained this.

I am going to be driving around the UK for 3 weeks, and have already booked a number of campsites through campsites.co.uk. However, I am worried that plans and locations will change in real time, in response to weather, and that I might end up in a place where I do not have a campsite reservation and everything nearby is booked up because it's the summer (and a weekend). So I thought it would be good to have some backup locations that I could occasionally get to if I can't have a reservation there. 

In the US, we have what we call "primitive camping" (which is free camping in designated spots with no facilities) near many major climbing areas. If any of you are doing an extended trip and looking to save some money, please feel free to reach out to me, and I'll be happy to point you to these spots.

Depends where I am really! 

I quite liked the Crask Inn and would happily plan a visit there again (possibly to go up to Ben Loyal). I have no great desire to visit The Killin Hotel (or Killin itself) again but have several nearby Munros to do still. 

There are of course the days I can't be arsed to cook after a long walk mind you!

you should be okay I think. We have a scheme where farmers can open up as temporarty campsites for 72 days a year without having to get planning approval. Certainly in my local climbing area (swanage) the number of campsites skyrockets over the summer. You might not find them on the internet though - mostly they seem to just have a phone number posted on a board at the gate. 

facilities are usually basic but that wouldn't offend anyone used to primitive camping. 

For your perspective, taking only England as an example.. the area is square miles is similar to the state of Mississippi. But while Mississippi has a population of 2.94 million, England has a population of 55.98 million , so you can see how much more densely populated we are. And to compound that problem, a lot of the stuff people (you, me, a lot of others) want to see are concentrated into relatively few honeypots

Thanks for the response, and the tip on the cheap camping in Pembrokeshire. 

Most of the campervan sites I've been seeing are at least 20-30 pounds a night, and that adds up quickly over a couple weeks. I'm able to do this trip because I have some work in the UK, and I get to fly for free. I picked a campervan because I have a partner I'm sharing the cost with and we got lucky and found a good deal on a small van. And that seemed to be easier and cheaper than renting a car and staying in hostels. We both need to also work from the road periodically.

Thanks for this tip - much appreciated!

Fantastic - thanks!

You will find cheap sites available in most areas, but these will be more basic and probably won't have websites where you can pre book. Some people have made suggestions already. It might be worth starting another thread asking for suggestions for cheap/basic campsite suggestions in particular areas you are interested in.

In some remote areas you will get away with the occasional night in a layby if you park up late and leave early. I think people here were just hoping that it's not the plan for your whole trip as it seems to be for some people.

Thanks Helen! Appreciate the beta and the context (looks like you've spent some time in the Southwest US in some fun spots).

Thanks Martin!

I think I am fine for now - knowing there are backup options is really all I'm after. If my plans end up changing significantly and I find myself struggling to find places, I'll think about starting another thread and see if I can beat my current downvote record! =)

Don't know why you got downvoted so much, you weren't suggesting people give away their "secret"spots, just suitable places to camp.  More than most consider when coming here.

You won't have any trouble in Glencoe, just pick somewhere suitable, don't block gates, or park over anyone's livestock.  And being from the US you'll know about leaving things tidy, ie, bury your feces and carry out your toilet paper.

Camping is permissible in Scotland, people are free to enjoy the landscape given they adhere to a common sense code respecting the outdoors.

Down south not so much.  You'll want to stay in campsites.  But the one in Bosherston in Pembroke is great as suggested, and in Cornwall there is a farmer in Zennor who usually opens a field up for a fiver/night, same down the road in Morvah.  Hope that helps and you have a good trip.

In the Glen Coe area, as well as the Ski Centre already mentioned, there's also Glen Etive. This is notorious for people camping close to the road and then driving away and leaving all their rubbish behind; but the reason I'm mentioning it is that there are several spots where you could pull a campervan off the road for a night - which is precisely why there is a problem with "dirty camping".

Glencoe parking is pretty crammed these days.  There are trillions of tourists and tourist bus operators pouring through each daylight hour.  All of them stopping for 15mins or so at each of the few carparks to glimpse the surrounding hills.

Many of these carparks have multiple bomb craters of giant potholes that will swallow any vehicle, particularly rentals.  So space is even more restricted.

There are even some "gift shop" local vans that claim prime spots and leave them there permanently over weekends and holiday seasons.

Basically you need to get in early each day and get away to the hills fast!

Totally!  Two months last autumn staying mostly in free dispersed or primitive camping courtesy of BLM and USFS - and always in amazing locations (NM, UT, AZ) 😊.  Sorry our island is too small and crowded to reciprocate!

Our trad climbing is great though, especially the sea cliffs.  Enjoy your visit!