camping

[Les Reay]

Yes, I expected to see a couple of thousand tents. There is no easy car access, so people are put off.
Took me a while to find a good spot .

[Matt_R]

I have to laugh at the thought of being turned away - when you want to pay to camp!

[meic]

I think in my case the site manager thought he had us over a barrel and thought he could take advantage. As both of us were more than capable of coping without his campsite, we just left.

[graymee]

I did a bit of research on-line before our tour of Scotland this summer. Sue sometimes struggles to do more than 35 miles in a day if it's hilly so we planned our route based on that. The main problem was finding a site near where we planned to stop. We tried to book most nights but a lot of sites said to just turn up because they'd always find space for 2 cyclists with a small tent.

We did wild (ish) camp one night. I had a MAJOR blow out and after walking 7 miles decided enough was enough, it was another 5 miles to Boat of Garten. We camped on the playing field in Carrbridge tucked away behind a hedge by the bowling green.

[Vorpal]

Just turning up, I've been turned away a couple of times in popular walking areas (near Hadrian's Wall and the Penine Way) during tourist season, where they said they had to give priority to walkers. At one of them, I could see they had already squeezed in a few extra campers. Both times, I found alternatives without too much hassle. Once at another camping pitch, and the other time, 'wild'.

[Doris]

We never book campsites, and generally have no problems. We did JOGLE without booking in June last year finding sites using a road map. Only had a problem one night when 'Tea in the Park' seemed to have taken over all the local campsites- even then, I think we could have got a pitch, but chose to cycle much further. This summer cycling from Biarritz to St Malo in August, we had quite a bit of trouble finding sites that would fit us in (tried 5 sites one evening), but we always found somewhere in the end. It was an experience! I wouldn't choose the first two weeks of August again, because all of the French rush to the southern beaches. By the third week of August, things were much quieter.

I find that the freedom and flexibility of not booking makes it worth the odd problem, even in high season.

[horizon]

Actually being full isn't really the problem of not booking. The problems I have faced are:

1. There not being a campsite (especially in Spain).
2. The campsite having closed down.
3. The price of the camping being based on a large pitch and therefore a no go (mostly in Spain and France).
4. The campsite having closed for the season.
5. The camspite being a caravan site only.
6. The campsite having pitches only suitable for vehicles i.e. not grass.
7. The campsite not having a shower.
8. The campsite being next to a pub.

I have faced all of the above. But what really moves me on to the next one is the other campers.

[vernon]

Hi,
I've yet to dip my toe into the whole cycle/camping thing.
What is your experience with camping, do you have any trouble finding a pitch if you just turn up at a site? (I'm thinking height of summer/july-august)
I've done motorcycle camping and the odd time where I've struggled to find a pitch its no great hardship to 'drive' some more miles down the road - It's not always possible or desirable to do this on a bike if you've run out of steam.

I like the idea of freedom and don't want to be tied down to - must be here/there by such a such a time and so I prefer to fly (ride) by the seat of my pants

Am I too concerned? Is it an issue? any advice?

Thanks

I have only been churned away from three camp sites in the past six or seven years:

One was a caravan site only with no toilet block.
Two were in Cornwall in mid-August and were full.

In addition I turned myself away from a camp site - Cornwall five years ago with a pitch fee of £22!

I there have been occasions when camp sites were closed or caravan only and the next camp site was too far away to contemplate. Here I have wild camped. I look for places that have no direct lines of site from occupied buildings or roads and I've rarely had any problems finding somewhere suitable. When wild camping I arrive at dusk and leave at the crack of dawn leaving no evidence that I've been around other than a patch of flattened grass.

I've wild camped the length and breadth of the UK and in France where it is frowned upon.

In France camp sites are not as wide spread as some folk would have you believe but I've never been turned away from a camp site there. Camp site owners/wardens have gone out of their way to find somewhere for me and like another poster in thread, I've found myself sharing a pitch with an unoccupied caravan.

I always make sure that I have sufficient water with me towards the end of the day to allow cooking to take place and have enough left over for an evening and morning cup of tea.

My final advice is go for it. Throw caution to the wind. I regret not doing it sooner.

[Fleetfut]

I'm planning on doing Jogle next year between the end of May and beginning of June. Mainly camping with a few B&B's thrown in. Can't wait. I've already started looking at campsites and will phone them up well in advance. The quieter the campsites the better.

[irc]

go for it. It's nice to have full facilities like toilets/showers every few days but other than that just pitch at dusk, somewhere out of sight of houses where nobody will be likely to pass by during the night.

[vernon]

go for it. It's nice to have full facilities like toilets/showers every few days but other than that just pitch at dusk, somewhere out of sight of houses where nobody will be likely to pass by during the night.

P1010140_camp.jpg

It doesn't always work out. I camped in a similar spot to you in France and was woken by a procession of 4WD vehicles in the early hours of the morning. God knows what the occupants were aiming to do. They never returned.

[horizon]

Just before taking up cycling again (and one of the reasons for doing so) I backpacked across Ashdown Forest (I know, not the Hindu Kush). When night fell I put up the tent on the soft grass of a pleasant meadow having carefully ascertained that the gate was open and therefore no animals were present. The field being far from habitation, the winds slack and the night warm, I contentedly settled down for a peaceful night's sleep.

What followed in all its alarming suddeness was the crashing of a Land Rover through the field with enough lights on its front end to illuminate a football stadium. On top of its roof perched a man with a huge shot gun firing wildly in all directions. My first reaction was to surrender but my shouts eventually brought the Land Rover to a halt as its lights caught sight of my tent. I wasn't sure at that stage whether I had survived death from being run over in my sleeping bag or being shot several times over or indeed whether a worse fate awaited me at the hands of these intruders.

However in the peace negotiations that followed, they politely explained that of course they were after rabbits (I think the practice is called "lamping"), that they would find some other fields and that they would happily leave me to my further undisturbed slumber. The senior member of the hunting party also attempted to reassure me that since there were no animals in the field I would have nothing to worry about it, for which I thanked him profusely.

My reason for taking up cycling after this trip is that I concluded that a bike carries the weight of overnight camping gear much better than a rucksack.

[melon]

horizon- thats much the same conclusion i came to. love camping but its hard to cover a good distance with all the stuff to be self sufficient in a backpack. i had also been riding road bikes for a while so it made sense to bring the two together.

ive had alot of weird times wild camping but its the only way id ever do it. cant stand camp sites with all the annoying people, naff showers and [inappropriate word removed] views. for me alot of the enjoyment is finding the perfect view to enjoy when i set up camp and escape into the wilderness. i only enjoy camp sites if its at a festival.

wild camping paranoia can get to me occasionally, although it diminishes with every extra person with me at the time.

[Les Reay]

I was only once ordered off land when wild camping, and that was on a small woodland near a public footpath not far from Oxford. This confirmed all my prejudices about anally retentive southerners. The alternative was high prices on muddy fields next to busy roads, so I'll put this down to experience and steer well clear of the area in future.
No, give me the far north every time, where the right to wild camp north of the border gives a real sense of freedom.

The picture shows the view from my tent while camping on the Isle of Eigg last year. That's Rum over the sea.

[rollinbone]

Please be aware that in mid-July to end of August most campsites increase their charges.
You can pay up to double. This is because the school holidays start about mid-july.
Also because of same reason most can be unpleasently full, screaming kids etc.
I did find a 'adults only' campsite in Lincolnshire and that was quieter in both senses.

Best campsite for me was a NT campsite that was'nt even on the OS map, charge £4 (without shower)
At foot of Snowden and only two tents on site ~ great.