After many years with caravans, we are now in the process of acquiring a motorhome. Our plan is to use it for short periods in the UK and to tour abroad - mainly France - at times.
Our plan in the UK is to try to park within walking or public transport distance of towns, attractions and so on.
We are well acquainted with touring in France and have used ACSI for many years.
We are no longer CAMC members and have no plans currently to rejoin.
What are the best websites etc. for finding stopping places in the UK? We want to try things out before we start paying subscriptions.
------------- Freedom is a light caravan and an open road.
If I were you, I would rejoin CAMC so that you can use CLs. Plenty of them near towns, most have EHU and a good many have loos and showers if you need them.
I agree with Mrs B above; we're still members of CAMC, but mainly for the CLs, hardly use their main sites now. Well worth it for that.
Also this year, we used them to buy a return journey on LeShuttle, as I only had enough Tesco vouchers for the outward journey to be free, and they were cheaper than going directly.
What about the "other club"? They have 5 van sites the same, and also some main sites near towns, cheaper than CAMC overall, as you get a useful discount for being over 60 (not assuming you are, but just in case ) One of their sites we've used is Cambridge club site, with a busstop about 5 minutes walk from the site into Cambridge.
Park Farm near Stafford has good access from the M6. It's on the A518 Uttoxeter road so I assume on a bus route. Has EHU but no loos or showers. Loads of space, grass and hardstanding, a huge field for dog walking if you have one. Has been £20 per night for years.
We always use the UKCS database / site search map; our favourite sites are all independent : just as good (if not better) and can be £10 pn cheaper than Club sites. We choose sites with toilets & showers - with a MH, having a en-suite shower means unhooking more often to refill the water tank, and our loo is for night time pees only. CLs tend to lack toilets & there are very few CSs (take tents, have loos) where we tend to go in rural Scotland.
All the Scottish CCC club sites bar Moffat are now closed for winter until after Easter; we haven’t recouped the membership fees in lower pitch fees for several years & we’re thinking of leaving.
If you’re looking for somewhere to park off site in or near towns, legally, safely & responsibly for one night, there are 2 apps that show places, with reviews. We have one (free version, fewer locations than subscription version) in case we have to abandon a drive home due to dangerous driving conditions.
Quote: Originally posted by Fiona W on 01/11/2025
We always use the UKCS database / site search map; our favourite sites are all independent : just as good (if not better) and can be £10 pn cheaper than Club sites. We choose sites with toilets & showers - with a MH, having a en-suite shower means unhooking more often to refill the water tank, and our loo is for night time pees only. CLs tend to lack toilets & there are very few CSs (take tents, have loos) where we tend to go in rural Scotland.
All the Scottish CCC club sites bar Moffat are now closed for winter until after Easter; we haven’t recouped the membership fees in lower pitch fees for several years & we’re thinking of leaving.
If you’re looking for somewhere to park off site in or near towns, legally, safely & responsibly for one night, there are 2 apps that show places, with reviews. We have one (free version, fewer locations than subscription version) in case we have to abandon a drive home due to dangerous driving conditions.
Hi Fiona,
Coud I ask which apps you have please?
------------- Freedom is a light caravan and an open road.
Some pubs allow you to stay in the car park after having a meal, though I read recently that a popular one in the Lake District has stopped that because it’s been abused. Britstops might be worth buying in February: lists places like farm shops etc where you can stay one night for free, with all or no facilities (eg some have EHU).
I have the free version of park 4 night app (all one word). The reviews say which campsites allow you to empty your grey waste & toilet for a fee, and which don’t. You’ll probably have to stay on a site every 3-4 days (UKCS site search might be familiar to you already).
The app also lists Aire equivalents, usually Council run, which may be free or require a donation, may or may not have toilets that may or may not be card operated.
Check your rights & responsibilities in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC): “wild camping” only applies to camping in a tent without a vehicle, so we’re just parking overnight in a MH. We can all sleep in a lay-by for safety reasons, but within the vehicle itself: no awning. You’ll need a permit to camp outside a site in Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency classes discharging grey waste in unauthorised places as pollution, so one can find a FPN in the post if 2 witnesses report the incident with a photo. Not the case in England & Wales, as far as I know.
A designated MH park-up not far from me (where there were 12 MHs midweek recently) has pitches marked out to ensure MHs are 6m apart, Scottish Borders towns have these in the town centre car parks; on undesignated popular locations on the app, you may find yourself in touching distance of the next vehicle with privacy & fire safety concerns.
Just a further question - who do owners use for insurance and also for breakdown cover (UK and/or France)? The motorhome we are thinking of buying is 25 years old, although has low mileage and is in good condition. Once again, we don't particularly want to rejoin the CAMC.
------------- Freedom is a light caravan and an open road.
Insurance isn't something that can easily be compared; what's a good policy for one person isn't necessarily equally as good for the next.
Last year we were with Comfort Insurance, which included breakdown in UK and abroad. This year we changed to Safeguard, whiich also includes breakdown in UK and abroad. Their quote and cover was more competitive this time.
I don't know about insurance for MHs 25 years old, but I know that many "standard" companies have a cut-off point for MHs over a certain age, so you may need to contact a specialist insurance company. No doubt our friend Google will throw up some answers, which may or may not be 100% correct.
You could also have a look at search for sites (all one word) a bit like , all types of stops/parking on there. We tried Britstops for a year, but with Facebook groups for pub stopovers, alot were on both so didn't seem worth the subscription cost, although there are other types of stays besides pubs on there - vineyards/farm shops etc. And we found we don't particularly like pub stops.
We are insured with CaravanGuard ( have been for years, cannot seem to do better elsewhere) and basic breakdown with them included.
Quote: Originally posted by Mrs. Bonce on 06/11/2025
Can I ask why you don't want to rejoin CAMC?
Nothing particularly against them, but we found that, with a caravan, we used them very little and there do seem to be a wide range of stopping options available outside of the two clubs. Our main use of them in recent years has been Red Pennant for our trips into Europe. That's probably a reason to join again, but I don't know if they would cover a 25 year old motorhome and we don't want to join and find that they don't!
------------- Freedom is a light caravan and an open road.
Quote: Originally posted by JoannaLesley on 07/11/2025
Quote: Originally posted by Mrs. Bonce on 06/11/2025
Can I ask why you don't want to rejoin CAMC?
Nothing particularly against them, but we found that, with a caravan, we used them very little and there do seem to be a wide range of stopping options available outside of the two clubs. Our main use of them in recent years has been Red Pennant for our trips into Europe. That's probably a reason to join again, but I don't know if they would cover a 25 year old motorhome and we don't want to join and find that they don't!
I could be wrong but I don't think they cover vehicles of that age.
Also part of their T&C's is maintaining the vehicles service intervals as per the manufacturers guidelines.
------------- XVI yes?
As well is two words!
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via mobile 01/11/2025 at 9:34am
) One of their sites we've used is Cambridge club site, with a busstop about 5 minutes walk from the site into Cambridge.
