[Closed] Turning up at campsites without booking?

If two weeks ago (i.e. before schools broke up) the fact that campsites in the New forest were rammed is anything to go by I'd say anytime from now to September especially after today's air travel news you'd better have booked or pray for a cancellation

Mmmm not what I wanted to hear!

I’ve never had a problem in 30 years just turning up (I’ve never booked) as I favour quieter farmy and/or off the beaten track type sites, no hookup reqd.

I once phone-enquired ahead with a favourite site to ask if it was going to be full as v small site. They just saved us a pitch on agreement, but we’d visited before and they remembered us, so there was sone trust established.

I called a few sites that I used with a view to touring in the caravan.
I ended up at inners for 3 months as all sites were telling me they were fully booked till September

I've found many full sites since beginning of June.

That said, more places than ever are doing X nights minimum stays when booking in advance, so you might find a fallow pitch for just a night on spec.

But even then may be easier to call in advance and save yourself a wasted journey.

In Killin at the moment paddled through the campsites last night it was packed To the brim. , the carparks in town are crazy with campers #wildcamping and the passing places all along the south of the loch single-track road are full of car campers going onto the loch side...... It's not a set of dice I'd want to roll just now....I guess if you want to go to east kilbride or somewhere less popular it might be ok

I’ve never had a problem in 30 years just turning up, and always do, but I favour quieter sites

This has been my attitude for the last 20....but the last 30years have no resembelence to the current situation

If two weeks ago (i.e. before schools broke up) the fact that campsites in the New forest were rammed is anything to go by I’d say anytime from now to September especially after today’s air travel news you’d better have booked or pray for a cancellation

You'd probably have better luck wild camping just off the SDW route, on the other side of Southampton!

I stopped at a couple of sites in June hear in Sussex and both owners said the same thing to me, quiet in the week and totally full every weekend. The first one had 2 fields and only me and a camper van there and the second had 4 very large fields with probably 12 - 15 pitches taken.

I stopped at a couple of sites in June hear in Sussex and both owners said the same thing to me, quiet in the week and totally full every weekend.

the schools have just broken up. I wouldn’t really compare a weekday in June with one in July

I’ve never had a problem in 30 years just turning up

How many of those years coincided with a Covid outbreak?

How many of those years coincided with a Covid outbreak?

Exactly, where’s the ‘like’ button?

Just pleased we did all our bookings back in January after last years cancellations. We’re alright Jack!

I'd try and find a friend with some land tbh

the schools have just broken up. I wouldn’t really compare a weekday in June with one in July

I asked about that and they both said it there were spaces in the week, one said it was still quiet in the week even in August.

To be honest I'm not wanting to be any campsite full to capacity anyway.

I wouldn't chance it. We've been away the last few weeks and sites got massively busier last night. Also spoke to a few other campers who'd tried to book various places for the coming weeks and were told they were full.

I've often just tooled up in the past but it's really not worth it with things as they are this year, I'd rather know I had a place than drive around for hours looking.

I know everyone's keen to secure their pitch, but tooling up isn't really in the spirit of things

Midweek in mid-wales three weeks back was a doddle but definitely would be making plans in the school hols and wouldn’t fancy my chances on a weekend until Sept. of course depends where you’re heading; looking at the edge / outside of the National Parks might be a strategy.

We’ve arrived without booking, on Saturdays, at two campsites, in our van, in the last month. One in Mid Wales, one in the Marches. Both in the middle of great mountain, gravel and road riding areas, both with great showers, nice pitches and with great pubs close by.
No issues at all, in fact, neither were even remotely full. Welcomed at both.

I’m on the Isle of Mull - not all the sites are open and some only taking ‘self-contained’ bookings. The ferries are pretty well fully-booked with a reduced capacity. Apparently, it’s a lot, lot worse over on the mainland in places like Arisaig.

just left one in cornwall that doesn’t take bookings or assign pitches. Was packed. Loaded up vans and cars circling like vultures as we packed up but some charming fellas who I think were extras from snatch had bagged it early as they spotted me starting to pack some stuff up and came over for a chat…

owner said it was the busiest they’ve ever been.

I’ve never booked in the past but this year we’ve booked all sites for our Outer Hebs trip at the end of August. We might have been OK but didn’t want to take the chance this year.

Hopefully next year things will be a bit more sensible.

.but the last 30years have no resembelence to the current situation

Good point, and that is true probably in most cases. I’m lucky in that I’ve found a few quiet sites and was just this month taking first camping trip in 3 years and had the place more or less to myself. OTOH, my once-reliable £5 pppn drop-in ‘wild’ camp (private forest/estate in Snowdonia) has now booking only and has gone up £20pppn just within a year. Gutted, but nothing lasts forever.

Fortress Britain for the foreseeable/captive staycation prices.

I saw a glamping tent in a field last week going for £750 a night (hampers extra) and it’s booked solid until summer 2022

#inthewrongbusiness

I’ve often just tooled up in the past

So an incursion rather than a booking?

What's tooling up a reference to?.

What’s tooling up a reference to?.

say hello to his little friend

What’s tooling up a reference to?.

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one to use it the same way as rocking up but it also means carrying a knife or gun.

While it might be busy this year we can all at least look forward to lot's of camping gear going cheap on eBay later in the year when thousands of those who've never been camping before discover why they never considered it before 😀

Nah, they'll just leave it in situ and drive away.

@avdave2

mrs_oab and I were having the same chat this week.

We were listening to couple camping in carpark just near our holiday cottage. They were not happy with how small thier T6 (natch) was, how there was no TV, no privacy (they had camped in a village, next to public loos), and no peace as every car rolled over the cattle grid next to them...The next morning they were getting breakfast at the village cafe - and telling everyone that camper vans, camping and Scotland was shite...

It's only going to take a few of them to sell up camper van, caravan or tent and there might be a bargain to be had...

I also do wonder if this summer has changed others the opposite way - they may discover the hills, camping and more...

In a van, I suspect you have no chance.

Mates daughter is 12 or 13 days into a post A levels cycle tour round the National Parks - she's on her own on a bike and seems to be doing OK turning up at sites and getting a space.

I managed it earlier this week (booked online on the day). Weekends we're already full, and there was the odd day with space for the next 6 weeks but not much!

And this was for a spot whose claim to fame was being the most remote spot on the Thames. Which isn't that remote, but not really a destination.

The key is finding unbookable sites and get there before Friday evening

I was at a large lakes one by 5:30 this Friday and got in no problems. Nice site, great location, got a bit fuller then they closed it. Few chancers let in but not too bad, they also had a large field set aside for DofE which was nice.

When I left it was barely a quarter full

£10 pppn, kids £5

The NT site down the road is booked out

As above over last 20 years we've generally been to sites you can just turn up at, or at least just phone ahead an hour before arriving to see if there is space.
All the planning / booking / not being able to be spontaneous /fighting in overcrowded sites for a pitch takes a huge amount of the fun out of it for me to be honest.
So we've had one planned trip (which was great actually) and another coming up.
But that'll be it this year apart from a bit of bivvying a think. Too much hassle.

I live in a honey pot in the Black Mountains (Brecon Beacons). the 3 farms around me all have basic field campsites. This past weekend with the best weather of the year so far and all three of them were less than a quarter of capacity. And none of them are advanced booking, just turn up and pitch and pay your fiver a night. OK, so they have almost no facilities, but from the way people are writing up there^^^, you would think they would be rammed. My theory is that everyone has gone to the seaside this weekend rather than the hills.

PS If anyone is short of a campsite I have now made my hay so have a flat field, next to a river, large firepit, completely isolated, and with a basic toilet block on site. And just a short walk across 4 fields to 2 pubs. Great walking and MTB from the field and only 4 miles to the Black Mountain Cycle Centre. I have 1 group staying between now and the end of the year, otherwise it is free. So if you can't find somewhere, let me know.

I caught this footage arriving on site last night

And none of them are advanced booking,

Could easily be the difference no? Certainly the site I was on last night was quiet but no advance booking but chatting last night and I'm hearing of "booked out" sites.

COVID isolation means that odd nights are popping up here and there. My parents got a late booking in the Lakes in the last week (though they said the site was definitely full) and we did similar in the Dales. No doubt that the ‘no advance booking’ sites will likely have some space in the week till about 5pm on a Friday. Personally I can’t be bothered driving around looking though.

Certainly the site I was on last night was quiet but no advance booking but chatting last night and I’m hearing of “booked out” sites.

Depends where and when obviously but given the situation and that fact that calling to check/book takes about 5 mins I'm quite happy to do that this year rather than winging it like I might have done in the past.

Nah, they’ll just leave it in situ and drive away.

Loads of people doing this at the site I was at this weekend.

On one hand, it's disgusting littering the countryside with unwanted camping gear just because you're too lazy to take it away with you.

On the other hand, I've now got a new Airbeam tent *and* a caravan, so it's not all bad.

^seriously!

Well we now are up and up and running as basic tent camping site in Dorset so hit me up if you're in need down this way. Fire pits, composting loo, no amplified music.

Ok with bagpipes?

lol! ok bagpipes ok if stuffed with a sock!

@welshfarmer would you be able to accommodate a motorhome for a few nights over summer? We dont need anything other than a spot to park....we're 6m long 2.35m wide.....

[strong][/strong] wrote:

would you be able to accommodate a motorhome for a few nights over summer?

If you are happy driving it up the lanes then I can find you a place to stay. My mate often visits in his motor home(s). I think the largest one he has brought here was 9 metres long! Just PM me and we can take it from there

Mark

Cheers for that, will do!

I've not had 7 consecutive days off since Oct 2019 as far as I can remember.....so I'm keeping a relaxed attitude to having most of the summer off. I'll definitely be in touch though 👍

Well we found an aire in Caithness that was completely empty last Sunday, nice quiet spot but with no toilet block or EHU. The owner had built the facility then found he couldn't put a sign up on the main road as it was someone else's land. Actually on the NC500 to boot. Found it by complete chance!

This is a useful site. It lists pubs and aires for stop overs.

https://sites.google.com/view/wildcampingmotorhomes/home

If anyone is after sites in Pembs I just saw on social media a campsite called clifftops camping (I think it was at druidstone) which was opening on the 24th for the first time so I guess has vacancies. I know nothing more than the post someone shared… but might be worth a look.