How do I plan a campervan trip in Britain?
Pick a loop rather than a line, and keep the daily drives short — two hours on British roads covers less ground and takes more out of you than the map suggests. Do not try to add Scotland to a two-week southern trip; it is a trip of its own. Book coastal sites for July and August, sort London’s emissions charge if your route goes near the city, and leave the narrowest lanes for the second week when the van feels smaller.
Can I wild camp in a campervan in Britain?
Not as of right, anywhere. In England and Wales there is no general right to wild camp, and sleeping in a vehicle at the roadside or in a car park is at best tolerated and frequently moved on; the much-reported Dartmoor ruling restored a right to camp on the commons, but only from a backpack. Scotland is the one people ask about: the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 gives real access rights, but they cover camping from a tent and explicitly exclude motor vehicles. In practice a van in Scotland is governed by parking law — permitted where no byelaw, traffic order or sign forbids it — which is more relaxed than England but is not the same thing as a right.
What speed can I drive a motorhome in the UK?
It depends on unladen weight, which surprises most visitors. Under 3.05 tonnes you follow car limits: 60 mph single carriageway, 70 dual carriageway and motorway. Over 3.05 tonnes it drops to 50 and 60, and motorways stay at 70. Towing changes it again: 50, 60 and 60 regardless of weight, and no outside lane on a three-lane motorway. One national difference: built-up areas are 30 mph in England and Scotland but 20 in Wales, which is easy to miss on a route that crosses the border twice in a day.
Do I have to pay to drive into London?
Almost certainly something. The ULEZ covers every London borough and charges £12.50 a day for a non-compliant vehicle; over 3.5 tonnes the LEZ applies instead at a much higher rate. There is also the separate Congestion Charge in the centre: £18 a day, 07:00–18:00 on weekdays and 12:00–18:00 at weekends and bank holidays. Check your registration on the TfL site before you drive rather than after.
What is a certificated location?
A small site, usually on a farm, licensed to take five vans at a time and open to members of one of the two big camping clubs. They are cheap, quiet, often beautifully placed, and frequently have nothing but water and a waste point. For anyone touring Britain by van they are the best-value part of the system.
How big a campervan works on British roads?
Up to about 6 metres is comfortable. Beyond that the motorways and A-roads are fine but the lanes stop being fun: high hedges, blind bends, passing places and stone walls with no give in them. Much of the best scenery in Devon, the Cotswolds and the Dales is at the end of exactly those lanes. The Highlands are the exception — the single-track roads there are wide, signed and built for passing, and a big van is less trouble on Skye than in a Cornish lane.
Do I need a permit to camp in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs?
From March to September, yes, if you want to stay overnight in the park’s camping management zones outside a campsite. A permit costs a few pounds a night, covers one motorhome from evening to morning, and has to be booked in advance — the zones are the loch shores where everyone wants to be. Camping or sleeping in a van there without one breaches the byelaws and can be reported, with a fine of up to £500. Outside those zones and outside those months, ordinary Scottish parking rules apply.
Are British campsites open all year?
A minority are. Most rural and coastal sites run roughly March to October and close for the winter, with a scattering of all-year sites near cities and on the main routes; in the Highlands the seasonal pattern is stronger still. A winter trip is perfectly possible but needs the sites checked individually and booked rather than assumed.
Do I need to book campsites in advance?
In July and August, yes, especially anywhere coastal and anywhere in the New Forest, Cornwall or the west of Scotland — those fill weeks ahead. Outside the school holidays you can usually travel on the day, though the small certificated locations often have only five pitches, so a call in the morning is worth the minute it takes.
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