Van Life UK - Where Can I Park?

So, you've decided to give van life a shot and are interested in exploring the freedom and opportunities that come with being able to travel almost wherever you want, whenever you want. Waking up in a new location excites you, be that in a town, city or the countryside and you can’t wait to get started.

One issue that a lot of campers have to contend with is parking. This can refer to anything from finding a spot to sleep overnight to finding a place to park up during the day when you’re out on foot. After all, the majority of people who use the road network park their cars, or other vehicles, in their own driveways or next to their homes at night and so don’t have to think too much about it. But if your home is your van, things might get a little more complicated.

Finding Van friendly parking spots

It's not as difficult as you might think to find parking spots in the United Kingdom that are suitable for vans. You can check through online forums or use search engines to find locations to stay the night, but as the saying goes "there's an app for that"!

Consider installing something like the Park4Night app on an iOS or Android phone, or simply go to their website for the download link. Enter the address or postcode of where you will be travelling, and you'll gain access to a comprehensive list of places that you might be able to park, including those with user reviews and even photos to look at. This should assist you in gathering as much information as possible and allowing you to make an informed choice about where you are opting to sleep overnight or park during the day.

The best part about the app is that it covers the UK and most of Europe, meaning that it might also come in handy on your travels!

If you're a bit more old school, often the best source of information will be other mobile home users, many of whom like nothing more than to go into exquisite detail about their experiences and their recommendations.

But perhaps one of the best things to do is to consult the government or local authority's website, which normally has lots of information relevant to visitors. With the boom in mobile-homing since the pandemic, many authorities are now much more aware of the important contributions that visitors make to their local economies, and so are keen to attract tourists to their location with proper information about what facilities are available.

Parking restrictions when living out of your van

In the UK, wild camping, or camping anywhere you'd like, is technically only permissible if you have authority from the landowner to camp on their land which, of course, can be tricky to obtain.

Therefore, it's strongly recommended to only park up where you know you're allowed to, or have a permit to do so. Places such as pub car parks, village halls etc. can be used but still only if you have permission from the owner of the land.

Urban Vs Rural Van Life parking

Urban and rural van parking can be very different experiences from one another. When parking in urban areas, you can expect there to be more noise, more pedestrians, and more road users around meaning your van may be an obstruction to other people.

Whereas when parking in rural areas, you may find vast open countryside and plenty of places to park, but you may also find yourself in a spot of trouble if you unknowingly park up on someone else's land without their permission.

There are some major differences between the two environments, urban and rural, when it comes to parking.

Security

Urban areas typically have higher crime rates due to a higher population density and many other contributing factors, making you and your van a potential target at night for theft, vandalism, and break-ins. Therefore, if you choose to park in urban areas, ensure you are in a secure, well-lit area, preferably with other campervans, as there is more likely to be safety in numbers.

Rural areas also pose the same threat, but for different reasons. Despite having lower crime rates, parking in isolated areas away from the general population can still make you a target due to the lower risk of being caught; therefore, it's advisable to park near populated places.

Convenience and accessibility

Generally speaking, urban areas are more practicable due to a greater number of amenities and parking options, but they can be difficult due to traffic, narrow streets, and pedestrianised areas where a van cannot be parked and, increasingly, environmental taxes. The vast majority of light commercial vehicles (vans) and recreational vehicles (RVs) in the UK have diesel and petrol fuelled internal combustion engines, and it's well publicised how the government and local authorities are trying to improve air quality in urban environments by taxing polluting vehicles. It's always advisable to 'know before you go' when it comes to parking your campervan or motorhome in a town or city, so do your research.

On the other hand, rural locations offer significantly more space but have fewer services. This means that if you needed to take a shower or use the lavatory, it could be more difficult to find adequate facilities to use; however, you may find it easier to park your vehicle because parking is more often free and more easily accessible in rural areas as compared to urban environments.