I've got a problem that I thought I'd ask the camping collective for their combined knowledge.
I'm looking to buy a vw t5 campervan, but the main thing holding us back is where to keep it. I rent a garage off tower hamlets council to keep my car in, but a van won't fit and on street parking isn't an option.
From what I can see, the best option is a caravan storage place in Essex, but was hoping to find something closer to home that isn't going to break the bank (say around £50 a month), and be insurance friendly.
There must be other people in London with a van and no driveway who have found a solution, but at the moment I'm struggling. Any ideas?
If you are a member the Caravan Club has a site at Abbey Wood which also does storage although I would imagine that its pretty well subscribed but worth a try.
Hi Rico! I live in Mile End when I'm in the UK and I went with on-street parking when I kept my Romahome and then one of our truck campers there. We also kept them at another place we rented over in Lewisham.. The council did have a height restriction on their on-street parking permits which was less than the height of either vehicle. I wasn't too worried with the Romahome but I was worried they were going to ticket me with the truck camper. Not a problem though - no tickets and parked it on street for months with a regular permit.
If you're worried about vandalism I did go through this with the Romahome. It got broken into (drivers door) pretty much the first night I parked it up. I then left it unlocked for a few days with glove box open and empty so any local eejits could satisfy themselves that it was 1) staying so belonged to someone local 2) empty of valuables to sell on. It was the only vandalism I had and after a week or two I got it all repaired for about £80. It was bloody annoying but could have been worse.
Finally... I'm back and forth to the States at the moment so on-street is no longer an option (in case there are road closures or anything). I've now gone for a storage place near Peterborough (can rummage out details if you want) as it's only a few quid in a cab to get back to the vehicle from the station and there's usually someone on site to drive me back to the station after a trip for petrol money (like £3). It isn't ideal I admit but it was the best we could do in the circumstances to make sure it was secure. It is very insurance friendly as a solution - they sent me £260 back from my insurance when I moved it there which I figure is quite a few train rides covered.... Heidi
------------- We rent fabulously fitted out truck campers in San Francisco, USA.
How high is your garage? A T5 with a thin lifting roof, lowered suspension, nice alloys with low profile tyres should be under 2mtres high & may well fit in.
Is there any way you would compromise and buy something like a romahome or bongo that would fit in your garage?
Just a thought but you may find that an easier scenario and also you could use it as your everyday car.?
------------- Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
Heidi - We are in Mile End too, but in a very restricted area parking wise, and I don't fancy leaving a nice van to the mercy of some of the locals! Peterborough is a bit of a trek and I worry that I'd be lazy and never use it if the journey to collect it was too onerous :(
Jack&Jon - That would be my preferred option - nearby and hidden away, I'll get the tape measure out tonight!
Gaz - I have considered Bongos, but we recently hired a VW California for a week and fell in love with it.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Campervan parking in East London
