Aussies Budget Guide to Touring the UK with a Motorhome/Camper

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With so many castles, stately homes, pretty villages, old pubs and ruined abbeys, the UK is a historical chocolate box that is a joy to explore with a motorhome/camper.

Compared to its continental neighbours like France and Germany, I must confess it’s not the cheapest country to travel and certainly one of the least motorhome friendly places we have encountered, second to Croatia. Thanks to some clever schemes I’m here to tell you how you can travel the UK without burning too much of a hole in your pocket.

Driving Rules

The UK drives on the Left and if you are driving a left-hand drive vehicle then you might find it a bit of challenge especially on the small country roads where you can’t see what is coming around the corners.  In our 5 months so far of travelling, the scariest driving experiences have been in the UK.

Speed Limits

Remember UK is in miles per hour and not kilometres. 

• Build-up areas: 30 mph  (48 km/h)
• Single carriageways: 50 mph  (80 km/h)
• Dual carriageways: 60 mph   (96km/h)
• Motorways: 70 mph   (112km/h)

If you are unsure of how fast you are going because you are used to Kilometres then make up a sticker with the conversions and add to your dashboard.

What to Carry

UK does not have any compulsory items only has recommendations as follows:

• First Aid Kit
• Hi Viz vest
• Bulbs
• Fire Hydrant
• Hazard Triangle

If you are driving a left-hand drive then you must purchase headlight deflectors and stick them on your headlights. These can be purchased from the duty-free shops on the Channel Crossing Ferries.

Parking

The UK is strict on parking and provides very little in motorhome parking bays in car parks.  Shopping centre and retail car parks are stringent, and you will be fined if you don’t park as outlined on the car park signs.   Most often you will need to pay for each space you take up. This can add up if its £3 per hour, per space.

Read every sign in car parks and make sure you park between the lines in the bays. Don’t assume it’s OK to park the way you think. We had one inch of our tyre over the line in a retail car park in Reading and was fined £100.  If it’s your first offence, then very often they will dismiss it if you politely contest it.  We were able to do this online and was let off paying the fine!

Tolls

There are some roads in the UK (not that many) that are tolled and given the extensive road network toll roads can be avoided.  The following websites have information on toll roads:-  

• RACV UK  
• GOV.UK 

Ferries

Ferries are quite reasonable between the continent and the UK but quite expensive to Ireland. The following websites will give you the best deals.  It’s good to compare the prices to secure the best price.

• www.directferries.com – We used this website mostly
• www.aferry.com
• www.ferries.co.uk

The department of transport has a good interactive map to show you the different crossings and their times between the UK and the continent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The earlier you buy your tickets the cheaper they will be. Also avoid weekends and school holidays if possible.

Service Points

Countries like Denmark impressed us as petrol stations were thoughtful in providing free dedicated motorhome service points. In the UK however, the most you can get is water which you have to pay for. To put in bluntly, Service Points are non-existent.  If you want to dump (grey and black water) then you need to go to a campground and it doesn’t come cheap.

LPG (Autogas)

The UK favours Swap and Go as opposed to LPG refillable.  LPG is not as common in the UK as on the continent, but you will find service stations, you just need to plan a little more and fill up whenever possible. 

The UK uses the Acme and Bayonet adapters.

We use MYLPG.EU website/app to find where the LPG stations are.

Camping and Overnight Stops

Wild Camping

The law states that wild camping with a motorhome or touring caravan is not permitted in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland without explicit permission from the landowner. Scotland it is OK to wildcamp and once we have explored Scotland in 2019 I can update this blog on our experiences.

 In saying this there are places you can camp and if you have the right type of vehicle you can camp discretely.  The website section below list handy websites showing you where you can camp without being bothered by the local council and law.  Britstops is a great way of free camping around the UK, I discuss this in more detail in the Money Saving Tips section below.

• Search for Sites – We used this one all the time!  also shows you where the camp grounds and Britstops are
• Wildcamping  
• Pitchup 
• Cool Camping 

There are also some good Facebook groups that I joined where you can get some good tips on places to stay. These are:

• Motorhome Fun (not madness)
• Free Motorhome / Camper Overnighting UK
• Cheap or Free Campervan Overnight Parking Spots
• Free Motorhoming UK
• Motorhome Sleepyspots
• Campervan Overnight Parking

Plus, many more!!

Campgrounds/Caravan Parks

Dedicated motorhome parking’s like you get in Europe seem to be a rarity in the UK, mostly non-existent.  The closest we came to a “motorhome” parking is the King Arthur Car Park in Tintagel.

Your options for paid camping are:

• Camping and Caravan Club Sites
• Caravan and Motorhome Club Sites
• Private Camping Grounds

Camping and Caravan Club and Caravan and Motorhome Club Sites

The Camping and Caravan club has been around ever since I can remember.  The Caravan and Motorhome club used to be just the Caravan Club but with the growing popularity of motorhomes the club has renamed itself. Both clubs have been around since the early 1900’s and.  both offer similar services.  The advantage of club sites is all sites are a cookie cutter standard and facilities will be the same wherever you go so you know you will get that washing machine/dryer.

There are two types of sites: 

Club owned sites – These sites are owned by the clubs and will be of excellent standard

Approved sites – These sites are privately owned but approved by the clubs so will have the same good standard.

The advantages of being a member of one of these clubs are:

• Access to a wider range of camp grounds
• Discounted rates – Being a member means you pay less for your pitch. An average stay costs about £22
• Access to their facilities for a fee.
• Access to their knowledge base and other services like insurance, advice etc.

For example, if you are wanting to dump/fill then for a fee of £7.20 thereabouts you have access to a club site for 3 hours and can use all their facilities.  We took advantage of this which meant we could wildcamp/Britstop and stop at a site to service the motorhome as well as shower and do laundry.

Not all club sites offer this service. To find out which sites offer this service then you need to call the clubs central help desk  number and they will tell you which is your nearest.

 

Membership lasts for 1 year.   Not all club sites require you to be a member to stay but you will pay more for your pitch if you are not a member.

Camp Grounds in the UK are expensive even with discounts but with a serious lack of dump points then your only options are calling into a campground.

We joined the Camping and Caravan Club as it’s a little more relaxed and friendlier from what we were advised compared to the Caravan and Motorhome club which has far more rules and regulations.

Both clubs have their own websites:

Camping and Caravan Club 

Caravan and Motorhome Club

Private Camp Grounds

Not all camp grounds in the UK are club owned there are several private owned campgrounds which do not require membership of any sort.  These can be either cheaper or more expensive depending on the campsite. Many are attached to farms.  We stayed in a couple, from farms to one of our favourites which was attached to a marina right on the Thames.

Our experience with UK Campgrounds

• You are given a pitch, maybe in off season you can choose
• Open all year – Sites will vary will need to check
• Bathrooms all seem to have the same configuration, showers are normally on a timer arrangement (push button)
• Guarantee of a washing machine/dryer
• Staff are informative and helpful, the reception has good information on local activities, things to see and do in the area, bus time tables etc.  As well as a small shop selling food basics, sweets, ice creams and drinks.

Overall, I thought the UK club campgrounds were very good, of high standard and well equipped compared to some of the ones we visited in Europe!

Internet

We bought a MiFi unit to use in the Motorhome. The make and model we bought was a 4g-Huawei E5577 which worked very well, we chose this model as it had an external antenna for better signal.  Its possible there are more up to date models out now as we bought ours in May 2018.

We purchased the unit from Motorhome WiFi as they had the best deal at the time and their customer service is excellent.

We bought EE sims while in the UK but found this network to be woeful, we had more black spots than signal although it might not be EE it was most likely the UK mobile network which personally I found to be the worst I have ever encountered.

For Europe we bought Vodaphone sim cards which worked really well.

Things to Watch For!

Country Roads

               Of all the driving we have done in Europe no roads have scared Vaughan more than England’s country roads!  Some are only as wide as a car and very often you will meet tractors. What makes them worse is the unkempt high hedges and stone walls or the lethal stone walls hidden by hedges! Talking to other motorhome folk, more wing mirrors have been smashed in the UK than any other European country.

 When travelling on the small country roads pull in your mirrors.  We learnt quickly when our passenger side mirror collided with a tractor’s hay stack. After that we pulled our mirrors in and left with them still in one piece!

Parking

As mentioned already, be careful with where you park and more importantly how you park as councils are quick to come down on you.  Councils seem to have a vendetta against motorhomes and campers!

Winter Regulations

Some countries on the continent have rules regarding winter tyres and/or snow chains to be carried during the winter months.  The UK does not require you have either!

Money Saving Tips

If you plan on travelling the UK for a while then with some careful planning beforehand, you can save a significant amount of money by free camping and having discounted entry to tourist sites.

We have already spent 5 weeks in the UK this year (2018) and plan on spending at least another 5 weeks in 2019 so for us joining a couple of the schemes listed below has been a money saver.

Britstops

This must be the best thing that has happened to the UK for motorhome/camper tourism. Britstops is a scheme based on French Passion where hosts, mostly pubs, offer a stopover for free on their property, usually the attached car park.  The majority of Britstop hosts are pubs but you will also find hosts such as restaurants, farm shops, breweries, vineyards, Craft Centres etc.  There is no obligation to purchase anything from your hosts, but you do anyway even if it’s one pint to show your appreciation for their hospitality. If you stay at farm shops and Vineyards you will be able to buy some tasty local produce.

Country pubs are our favourite, having a pint and/or Sunday Roast in an old 14^th century pub was a real treat and the best thing is you didn’t have to drive home!

Most hosts just offer a spot to park in their carpark, but some may also offer free water and use of their bin to empty trash.  Also, if you are staying in a pub you have access to their bathroom during opening hours.

By joining you receive a book which lists all the stops plus a map, you also get a sticker for your windscreen. 

Membership lasts for 1 year and costs £27.50 and I personally think it is worth it.

Remember though there are rules which are listed in the book and website. You can only stop for one night and no camping behaviour is allowed.

More information about Britstops and joining can be found on their website

Joining the Caravan and Camping Club or Caravan and Motorhome club

By joining one of the clubs that I discuss further up this post, can save you money.  Not only does it open up a large database of places to stay at discounted rates but also you have access to facilities like service points, showers, laundry and WiFi.

Website addresses:

Camping and Caravan Club 

Caravan and Motorhome Club

Joining National Trust

If you love visiting stately homes, parks and gardens, nature and coastal reserves and plan on visiting a lot of these places during your visit then it’s worth joining National Trust. This gives you free or discounted entry to National Trust places as well as use of their car parks for free.

Joining fees range from £69 for individual to £114 for joint. Membership lasts for one year but really only worth if you plan on visiting many National Trust sites.

For more information on National Trust  website 

 Joining English Heritage 

If you are more interested in historic sites like castles, ruined abbeys, stone circles etc. then consider joining English Heritage. We joined as it’s more of interest to us than stately homes.

English Heritage offers an Overseas visitors pass up to 16 days.  Or if you have a UK address to send the membership pack to then you can take out an annual membership (which for us worked out cheaper).

 

English Heritage is only for England if you are visiting Scotland there is a separate Scottish Heritage. We looked at this and saw it wasn’t worth it.

 

For more information visit the English Heritage website.  

All the information I have provided has been from our own research and experience.  In 2019 we will return to the UK and will be touring mostly Scotland where I can update this post with more information.

Date Posted: October 30th 2018