We are Britstop members and have used it a few times with great success.
We are planning on using it more especially over the winter when you don’t need any outside space.
You only need to use it a few times for it to pay for itself and it helps you to make more use of your MOHO.
------------- It's only an expensive hobby when it's parked on your Drive....use it, love it , live it.
Of course the britstops book and many Apps showing pub stops etc may be superseded by the government white paper seeking to ban all of this type of overnight parking.
They are doing this on the back of controlling travellers/Gypsy's and health and safety due to most of these stops not having the proper facilities for waste disposal.
We decided it wasn’t really worth paying for as a lot of pubs will let you stay overnight if you ask nicely and buy a meal, which you would probably do anyway. I know there is more to it than pubs but you can still ask.
If you do go down the Britstops route, though, be awar that the subscription is from February to February so not really worth buying at this time of year.
I had a look at this app, & compared it to Britstops. Only based on a dummy check in my own area, NC500 and a Yorkshire city (that I need to go to) I'd say this:
It has both Club sites on it, which doesn't add to UKCS info & these sites aren't free like Britstops sites.
Unlike Britstops, the unofficial (not club campsite) spots largely seem to need your unit to be ok totally off-grid: Britstops (from memory) are more likely to have a water tap, toilet, CPD, EHU.
Only based on the areas that I checked, you mustn't mind being in a car park. Knowing the 2 car parks listed in my area, knowing what goes on at night there (courting couples, drinking, late night fish n chips), they wouldn't be my choice. There are pubs in Britstops, but also farm shops etc and you're supposed to go into the owners / managers to say hello - there's a sense of a bit more security than a promenade car park.
I'll keep the app, I might stay at one of the car parks for one night but as a last resort. But that's just because of my own comfort zone. I'd suggest OP tries the free app as suggested over the winter, and if it works well, that's great. If OP misses a tap & toilet & EHU then try Britstops.
Friends of ours use Britstops a lot, as they are able to "tour" around.
But as we are constrained by annual leave, our time away has to be quite "targeted", so we usually book, or aim for, a campsite of sorts.
If we had the time to "bimble" around we would certainly add Britstops to our armoury, especially for use during the times of the year that some 'sites shut.
I'm unsure what it costs nowadays but if it's suitable for someone's intended usage, then it's got to be worth a punt for a year.
(and it isn't just a list pubs or of laybys and car parks, as some have said of it in the past.. )
Claire, I am in the same boat as you I do have Britstops for 2018, and lots of other site books and guides, but I think we need to consider what type of camping you will be doing, some might like big sites, small, wild off grid, near beach, pub, towns etc, there will, is a guide out there to meet all needs, so it’s as we say in Derbyshire a thinking job first.
we find ours invaluable for overnight stops whilst travelling, but not for use as a "campsite".
Can usually get a meal and an overnight stop for about same price as a meal alone, and met some characters along the way.
We have also discovered some wonderful areas to either return to or find a site and stay for a couple of days exploring an area we would otherwise drive past.
If you see Steve at a show stop and have a chat with him and tell him how useful it is.
Joe & Sue
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Brit Stops Book/Membership
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