Wild overnight parking- Scotland

The group, which is due to report its recommendations at some point this year, is exploring the provision of aires – free or low cost motorhome camping areas

I'm sure they understand the economics of the boom in motorhome touring and forcing owners to use sites with facilities most do not need or are away from attractions will not be the answer. There are now many more official motorhome overnight parking places in Scotland than there were  and I see that set to continue in the coming years.

peedee

I'm following through FB the travels of my Italian relations who I go motorhoming with when over there.

They are working their way north to escape the 30 and often very 40C heat back home. At the moment they are in the Netherlands (and will heading even further north) and I repost their translated words:

Approaching Rotterdam today to continue on to Amsterdam. First timid taste of the low temperature of the North Sea with subsequent forced break in Shedrecht guests of the Nescio farm as all the campsites are absolutely full (and the "free" break entails a €400 fine!). Walk along the canals to visit windmills up close restored and still efficient despite being almost 500 years old.

So it would appear that staying anywhere with a MH apart from campsites, aires, and other specified allowed places there could get you a 400 euro fine? I've asked for further details but FYI.

 Post edit just checked a few other websites and this appear to be the case.

That's the problem with Golden Geese.

They become pests and are no longer wanted so have to migrate elsewhere.

ET

Exactly my own thoughts when I read it. It completely lacks credibility, more like self interest?

There must be thousands of motorhomes and campers that visit the NC500 (as an example) each year and cause no adverse effect to the environment even if they do park/camp off piste. It seems to me that that those that have a fundamental dislike of people parking where they choose have to find examples of the quite small number of people that do disregard the common sense rules. We should also remember that the promotion of routes like the NC500 came originally from local tourist boards but of course, like Topsy it kept growing and growing probably to the point where it was unsustainable. The answer is to provide more facilities which can be done in a number of ways not always to the cost of the locals. There must be loads of businesses that have the room to allow parking for a modest fee and maybe a few facilities. The trouble is someone has to organise it and really that has to be some official body.

David

We visited D&G last year, and used quite a few of the free and very low cost overnight stay areas that are legal for campers and MH’s. From our experience, I would say that the only problems we had were with overseas visitors (Swiss in our case) and those in hired outfits. They totally ignored the concept of only a given number of outfits being allowed, and the spacing between outfits. Forestry Sites, the lovely little Aire at Kircudbright, everyone behaving and paying. 

Scotland has a lot of hire companies. Easy enough to spot a hired camper, if they are misbehaving, simply make a note of outfit details and pass onto local community area/police and let them deal with it at source. Report to hire firm, fine if appropriate, they can pass on fine to hirer’s. 

So it would appear that staying anywhere with a MH apart from campsites, aires, and other specified allowed places there could get you a 400 euro fine? I've asked for further details but FYI.

 Post edit just checked a few other websites and this appear to be the case.

It has always been illegal to wild camp in the Nertherlands as it is in some other countries. However the Netherlands, like the UK is seeing a boom in motorhome ownership and has this year established 45 offical motorhome aires already this year.

peedee

Good for them. Sounds a good plan.

Although according to my source there it's not enough. They're moving north out of the country asap. 

'They're crazy, 'cause the motorhomes (italians expecially) are absolutely more and more than available slots in campsites! 😡'

(Translated)

"They're crazy, 'cause the motorhomes (italians expecially) are absolutely more and more than available slots in campsites! 😡'

this is becoming the case in some areas of Spain during the winter months. When we were there this winter gone, sites were rammed with MH's especially German, French & Dutch, the site we were on had converted the playing field into pitches for MH's, massive fire risk, you could shake hands with your neighbour thru the window, in fact there was a bad fire early this year at Bolnuevo campsite in Mazarrón when several MH's were completely burned out, this was not just a few apparently a whole row were burnt out, suspect gas cooker in 1 unit.

That was our opinion when we checked it out the other year. 

Lovely area, smashing beach but the site was unruly. Units parked to close to each other, awnings facing with windbreaks joining them to their ' friends' not for me.

Yes the complaint came from site owners, no surprise. Not enough sites to cope with the hordes during summer, not profitable in winter. More Aires are planned but it all takes time. 

The same problem applies in the Lake District with illegal overnight pitching up in car parks, especially around the Keswick area. V