Short answer: In a campervan in the UK you can stay on campsites (with or without electric hook-up), at Caravan and Motorhome Club and Camping and Caravanning Club sites, at pub, farm and vineyard stopovers through schemes like Brit Stops, and at the few council and park-run motorhome areas. Wild camping in a vehicle needs the landowner's permission almost everywhere, Scotland included. Check local signs and rules before you go.
Your options, roughly from easiest to hardest
We are Josh and Jenny, and we have slept in our van in most of the ways you can in the UK. The first lesson was that the UK is not France. There is no national network of free aires, and a lot of the "free spots" shared online sit in a legal grey area. That does not mean you need a campsite every night. It means you need to know which kind of place you are pulling into, and who owns it.
- Campsites. The simple choice. Toilets, water, waste, often electric hook-up. The two big clubs run their own sites and also list smaller, simpler ones.
- Stopovers. A night at a pub, farm shop or vineyard car park, usually as a member of a scheme. Brit Stops lists more than 1,200 hosts. Cheap, sociable, no facilities in most cases.
- Motorhome areas. A small number of councils and national parks run paid overnight areas. Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, for example, runs motorhome permit areas for short stays.
- Car parks and streets. Legal in some places, banned in others by a council order or a landowner's rules. Read the signs at the entrance.
- Wild camping. With permission it is lovely. Without it, the access rights people quote usually do not cover vehicles.
Roam's places to stay map is coming. It will show campsites, stopovers and van-friendly places, filtered by your van's size. It is not in the app yet. Join the waitlist to hear when it lands.
Guides in this section
How we pick a night's stop
Our rule is simple: know who owns the ground. If it is a campsite or a scheme host, you are a guest and the rules are clear. If it is a car park, the owner's rules are on the sign or the council website. If you cannot work out who owns it, that is usually the moment to drive on. Pair that with water, waste and a plan B before dark and you will sleep far better. Our first trip guide covers the rest.
Questions
Can I sleep in my campervan anywhere in the UK?
No. There is no general right to sleep in a vehicle on land you do not own. Many car parks and some streets allow it, many do not, and on private land you need permission.
Is wild camping in a campervan legal in Scotland?
The Scottish access rights that cover tent camping do not include being on land in a motorised vehicle, under section 9 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. Roadside parking is a separate question of road and parking rules.
What is the cheapest way to stay overnight?
For many people it is a stopover scheme membership, paid once a year, used alongside occasional campsite nights for showers, water and emptying the toilet.