Wild overnight parking- Scotland

Just for information in case you are not aware, the Camping Car Parks network of Aires in France allow Caravans at certain times of year on their Mon Village sites.

The price is still based on it being an Aire and during the dates caravans are allowed the facility block is open for use. Many of these types of sites are former Municipal sites. we've stayed on a good few of them now and find them very acceptable. Some open as early as June and remain open until October. If you regularly travel in France during the high season it would certainly be worth a look at.

Where we live in Scotland we are not bothered by MH's parking up but we have seen places were the tent campers have made a real mess of car parks by Lochs and rivers.

We have travelled the NC500 twice now and not seen anyone abusing the countryside, I've been told it happens and I don't dispute that it does especially in high season. There is a distinct lack of  campsites and official parking areas for the number of vehicles that want to travel and stay. Adverts for the NC500 and other popular tourists destinations are still in magazines and  on TV so folk think its all hunky dory to just set off and explore like the adverts tell you to. Even this club gives false impressions in their adverts. 

I can't see, or indeed have seen, any area not favoured with MH parking provided by local councils being devoid of MHs any more so than those that do.

In Dumfries and Galloway there is (according to D&G council) nothing west of Dumfries yet the area was very well used by MHs right up to the most westerly point on the Mull of Galloway.

From what I've seen and heard in Scotland the vast majority of the problems come from the people using hired vans.  Clueless and could not careless.  

Exactly they read/see the adverts for touring with a MH and believe it to be all lovely and possible, as if they were the only ones to be doing it. What a surprise they get when they find that the campsites are full and they have nowhere to park up. No one told them they would need to book, no one told them the toilet would only last 1 day with 6 of them using it. the problem is they only read and see what they want to. these type of folk are in the minority but as always they are the ones that spoil it for the majority.

Certainly that’s a contributory factor but I don’t think "the vast majority of problems" can be laid at their door. As TG said, "these type of folk are in the minority" and, indeed, hire vans themselves are in the minority which suggests the offenders are more often than not in their own vans.

It's not often I’ve seen a hire van in Cornwall but the spots renowned for problems can be seen populated by non-hire vans. Obviously they don’t all cause litter/mess issues but the very fact that they overnight where they shouldn’t is technically a problem in itself.

I think you have misunderstood TG's comment, but I will leave it to her to correct you. 

However if this minority are unable to services their vans because they can't find places on site those sme sites could help alleviate the problem by allowing service and refresh visits.  

I’m not quite sure what you’re saying but I think you might be suggesting that full sites should allow wild campers to use service points when they can’t get legitimate pitches. Whilst that is entirely up to site owners to decide, it would not alleviate the perceived problem of vans overnighting in places where it is not permitted.

I can’t speak for Scotland but here in inland Cornwall I can be pretty sure of five places where there will be motorhomes tonight.

A pub which says we have room for 15 in the little field across the road.  £15 a night plus £7 if you want one of our new hook ups - but entirely free if you book a table and eat with us.

A pub which says we are only supposed to take five and they are supposed to be members of a Club, but never mind. 

Another pub which says we only have a car park, but we are not tied to a Club and it’s £10 whether you eat or not.

A farm shop where if you ask the owner or manager you can stay in their car park free of charge 

The old WW2 airfield on Davidstow moor which is unfenced and not watched over, and maybe the open moorland towards St Breward village too. 

I know of other spots which I would use if I were a visitor, and farmers I would speak to, but those five or six are all within ten miles of my home and there is never local alarm  or controversy  - unless it’s a full on rave on the airfield site. But that’s another story.

Private enterprise seems to work pretty well for motorhomers down here - although Cornwall Council provides nothing and the local parish councils are utterly hopeless.

It’s much the same around here, Euro, and it’s good to see local businesses being enterprising. No one I know of objects to the pubs etc opening up their grounds in this way either.

That's not the same as wildcamping, though, when folk overnight on cliff tops, in lay-bys and even residential streets where overnighting is not permitted.

"A pub which says we have room for 15 in the little field across the road. £15 a night plus £7 if you want one of our new hook ups - but entirely free if you book a table and eat with us."

Wow! first thoughts are, how big is the field, do they provide any seperation or do you just park as you like it, do they provide any fire fighting equipment, not that i use club sites very often, but these are some of the things you pay for in your pitch fee, i think you call it "peace of mind"