Scotland Embracing Camper vans with their 'STAY THE NIGHT' Initiative

 Scotland Embracing our Camper vans....

We are Loving this new Initiative From Forestry and Land Scotland  

 Wild camping in the Highlands Nc500 

We recently returned from the wonderful Scotland, and once again are in awe of its beauty.

So when I recently done my CAMPERVAN CUPPA AND CHAT with the Lovely Lisa from 

Olaf t6 campervan , she started chatting about how they have a new initiative , where they are trying to create a more Camper van, wild camping friendly environment. I really sat up and started to think about this, and done some research.  Why hasn't this been a 'thing' for longer, and when will England and Wales start doing this?

Let's start from the beginning...

  As we are all aware Wild camping in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is strictly illegal. Apparently a new bill is coming out from June whereby it will be illegal to wild camp for more than one night. And the police have the power to move you on, and in severe cases you may even receive a fine or prison sentence , now as severe as this sounds, I actually think it would be extremely rare, and would be after a court appearance.

 Yet as we all know it is definitely not adhered to, i'm sure we have all done it at some point. And yes to be honest we prefer it.  Our set up is that we can embrace nature without worrying about electric, plugging in, and we always have enough water, and have our trusty toilet. So for us wild camping is our fave, we use the park4night app and have a paper map so can always find somewhere remote.

Now why is it illegal?

It seems that it's illegal to wild camp for more than One night in any one dwelling. It also seems that there are different views as to why?

Now I assume it's the obvious one, that people wild camping may leave rubbish, and ruin the local area. I totally understand this, as sadly not everyone is responsible, and we have on many occasions come across  rubbish on our travels, which we have picked up and taken away. Also the use of wild fires is illegal, now this is to me an obvious one, as if you light a fire there will be an amount of debris, which you probably won't get rid of?  And if you owned that land it would be very difficult to get the, ruined area back to its original state, so I totally understand.  I think if there were more guidelines people would hopefully adhere to them and it could be policed better.

Something that we have recently been made aware of is how European countries seem to have it all sussed. We are planning our trip to Scandinavia in 2022, and when we watched Various You tube videos, the thing that stood out to us was how they really embrace us Wild campers.  They have areas on the side of the road, purely for Campervans/Motorhomes. They have an area to dispose of your waste, water on tap, literally.  and even shower/toilet blocks. Throughout the woodlands they have little cabins which supply wood and show areas for campfires. 

Image from' Wildcamp Scandinavia' 

Now I realise this isn't an easy task, but if other countries can do this i'm sure in time we could?

This brings me to the wonderful Scotland, which holds a very special place in our hearts, Mr P is Scottish born and bred, So we've done many a 'Thomas Tours' around this beautiful land. And what better way than in our Georgie, We have wild camped lour way around the North Coast 500 which to be honest was actually a breeze. And we were extremely mindful at every stop to leave as we found, if not better.

When we travelled to the Isle of Skye, we saw signs that said...

" Wild campers are Welcome, but please keep tidy and leave as you find"

This was a sight for sore eyes, and we felt really welcomed.

So now Scotland has taken this a step further and the 

Forestry and Land Scotland

Have a new 'Stay The Night' initiative , whereby they explain how to wild camp, and have an amazing map on their site which shows clearly where you are welcome to camp the night. Now these are mainly car parks, And some may incur a small overnight fee, But to be honest it will still be cheaper than a campsite.  And you will have a great place to stay, which is legal. It Also has a clear and precise guide on the etiquette of wild camping.  This is a great start for all Campervans/Motorhomes, as we really want to be made to feel welcome wherever we travel. 

 Especially us responsible travellers who enjoy the freedom that Wild camping brings us, How we can interact with Nature and feel part of it. there is no better feeling than waking up in a remote place with the sounds of birds, opening your door to see the sun rising over the sea or distant mountains.  drinking your morning cuppa watching a deer or sheep wander past, simply listening, 'being' in that amazing moment when you can take it all in and create a memory.  

Let's hope this is the start of something good, and England, Wales & Northern Ireland will follow suit. We are responsible and we want this to work.  

Nb... all the points I have set out are from my research, and I have put some links on to guide you.  I Also want to point out that some of the information is of my own experience and opinion.