Whilst our campervans are designed to provide you with freedom and adventure, it’s important you are aware of where and where you are not allowed to park overnight.

Contrary to popular belief, you cannot just park up a campervan anywhere and sleep there for the night. Like cars and other motor vehicles, campervans are still subject to local authority regulations and land-use regulations. Depending on where you travel, these rules will be different.

To help you understand where campervans are allowed to park overnight, we’ve provided information about typical locations below.

On your drive

As our campervans are all built on VW T6, T6.1, T7, and Ford Transit Custom base vehicles, they are no bigger than an estate car or larger 4×4. This means they are suitable for parking on most driveways, and provided the driveway is yours or you have permission from the landowner, there are usually no restrictions from parking a campervan there. This also goes for sleeping in your campervan whilst it’s parked on a driveway.

On-street parking

Just like a car, there are no explicit rules in the UK to stop you from parking on the street unless the street is permit controlled, subject to parking restrictions, or is marked with double yellow or double red lines.

However, whilst you can park a campervan on the street unless it’s subject to any of the previous points, you won’t always be able to sleep in it. Whilst there is no national law preventing you from doing so, different streets will be subject to different regulations. This is because most roads are owned by local councils who set their own rules about what is and isn’t allowed. For the most part, sleeping in your campervan on the street won’t be allowed. There are exceptions to this though, with places like lorry parks and laybys allowing you to sleep overnight. To find out for sure, you are best to check with your local authority.

Whether or not you are planning on sleeping in it, if you are intending on parking your campervan on the street you will need to ensure it has valid tax, MOT, and insurance.

Parking in motorway services

In the UK, you are generally not permitted to sleep or camp at motorway services. However, this may differ from service station to service station. Usually though, motorway service stations are designed for short stops such as refuelling, using the toilet, and for purchasing and consuming food and drink. You will usually be able to find signs at the service station indicating whether or not overnight sleeping or camping is allowed.

Public carparks

Public car parks are also generally covered by Traffic Regulation Orders which vary across the UK. These generally forbid sleeping, camping, and cooking.

Wild camping

Before parking up and wild camping, it’s important to check the rules in the region you’re planning on staying in. We should note that it is not permitted to wild camp across the majority of England, Wales and Northern Ireland unless you seek the landowner’s permission.

Things are slightly different in Scotland where wild camping is legal under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, meaning you are free to wild camp in most areas. However, this is most areas not all areas. For example, recent rulings have placed restrictions on specific areas such as Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park where a camping permit must be sought before wild camping can take place. If you are planning on wild camping in Scotland, you will find that places where you need a permit are well-signposted.

Other options

There are of course numerous designated campsites to just from throughout the UK. Whether you to choose to use a campsite from The Camping and Caravanning Club, the Caravan and Motorhome Club, or one of the many independent campsites, you will always be to find somewhere to stay. Whilst if you’re looking for something a little different, apps such as Park4night and Brit Stops provide all kinds of alternative places to stay across the UK.

Looking to learn more?

Get in touch with our team and they will be happy to answer your questions. You can call them on 01327 703371, or email them at sales@redline-campers.com