Skip to content
George talking here about the best motorhome wild camping app so you get free overnighting in UK + Europe
Just in case you’re asking yourself this question silently in your head…
What is wild camping in a motorhome?
…here is my answer.
Wild camping in a motorhome is when you park overnight somewhere other than an official motorhome campsite.
Before we picked the motorhome we were going to use for our epic full-time 18-month motorhome adventure, we put a lot of hard yards into our research. I hate to put a number on it because it will probably depress me to come face to face with the number of life hours that I will never get back. I hope this post shaves some time off your research.
If you’re wild camping, you will be staying in some fairly tight spots sometimes, and you will need to venture into town every week to buy supplies and park in carparks. That automatically rules out any motorhome over 20 feet, which makes your search for a suitable motorhome for wild camping a lot easier. It’s a bit like being a vegan. When I go to the supermarket, 95% of the shelves is a no go zone for me. So, I only need to visit 5% off the shelves, which makes shopping so much quicker.
With a motorhome under 20 feet long you have the flexibility to go wherever you want, but if you’re tempted to get a larger vehicle wild camping will become a pain in the ass, and you’ll end up going to the official motorhome campsites.
Even when you restrict your search to motorhomes under 20 feet, it’s mind numbing how many chooses you’ve got, which will inevitably lead to paralysis by analysis. There’s just way too much choice even when looking fo small to medium-sized vans, to pop-top and high-top motorhomes.
Putting your thinking camp on before making the purchase will pay dividends. For guidance and reference, you might like this post I wrote called Best Motorhomes For Wildcamping.
There is really only one viable option on the market for motorhomers and that is the one at WildCamping.co.uk.
It’ll only cost £25 per year!
Once you’ve joined the Wildcamping.co.uk Location App, it can be used as a normal app on Apple and Android devices. Below is the getting started guide.
Installing on Apple
The app requires IOS 12.2 onwards. Apple devices released from 2013 onwards will be able to install the app. If your device Is running an older version of IOS you can use the app in a web browser.
1) Open the app in Safari (https://wildcamping.co.uk/app.php).
2) Click on the menu icon which looks like a box with an arrow coming out of it.
3) Click on “Add To Home Screen”. You will now find the app icon on your home screen.
Installing on Android
By default, the app will install with a minimal Andriod user interface to support devices that do not have physical navigation buttons. If your device does not use software buttons then you turn on fullscreen PWA install in the app settings. This must be done before you install the app as it has no effect afterwards.
1) Open the app in Chrome (https://wildcamping.co.uk/app.php).
2) Click on the menu icon which looks like three dots.
3) Click on “Add To Home Screen”.
You will now find the app icon on your home screen.
The top three buttons are:
Filter: This allows you to choose which location categories you want to display.
Key: Displays the marker key descriptions.
Cog: Displays the app settings menu.
The bottom 5 buttons are:
Map type: allows you to choose from Road Map, Satellite Map or Hybrid Map.
Near Me: focuses the app on your current location.
Add Location: walks you through adding a new location to the database.
Favourites: toggles between showing all locations and when the heart is red it only shows your favourites.
Street view: This allows you to switch to street-view when the man is orange and to close street view when the man is red.
You can use the intelligent search box to search google places for anything near the location that the map is showing including; vets, doctors, shops and campsites.
Below are some FAQs for the wild camping app that is available at WildCamping.co.uk.
Class B motorhomes are small, streamlined, and cute.
Nimble and more fuel-efficient than Class C motorhomes, they are perfect for wild camping, or long road trips. Most Class B motorhomes have all the luxuries that provide a home from home including galley kitchens, beds, and restrooms. The length varies from 19 to 24 feet and usually is a two birth (sleeps 2 people).
Most Class B motorhomes can be parked anywhere you can park a car or van. Be aware, however, that Class B motorhomes are taller than a van or SUV and will require more clearance height. Only once on our trip did we came to a very low bridge, that we couldn’t go under. You will, of course, not be able to go under those height barriers on lots of beach, town, and city car parks.
All you need to know about Class A and C motorhomes is that they are too long for wild camping.
They range from 23 to 30+ feet long. If, however, you want to waste a few hours researching Class A and C by all means go ahead, but if wild camping is the thing that rocks your boat, you’d best avoid buying one.
Length: 19.8 feet (606 cm)
Width: 7.5 feet (227 cm)
Height: 9.5 feet (290 cm)
Class: B
Overview
It’s a nice 2 berth model with an amazing rear lounge layout. A rear “U” shaped lounge is ideal for relaxing during the day with a good book and during the evenings, and it quickly converts into a double bed.
Storage is not a problem with plenty beneath the rear seating and even access from outside in order to store those chairs, etc.
The front side washroom has all you need with a vanity sink, toilet, and shower.
The mid kitchen is functional with a combination oven/grill, 3 burner gas hob, sink, and large fridge, everything you need for your meal requirements.
Over the cab, you will find a large pull-down double bed. We added solar panels to ours so that we didn’t need to bring a generator (which is loud, heavy, and smoky).
The gross vehicle weight is just 3100Kg, therefore it can be driven by anyone of any age with a full UK driving license.
Positive
This is the motorhome we eventually choose to do our full-time motorhome trip in 2014. The rear “U” shaped lounge was a big positive for us because of the amazing views it gave us. Though, the biggest positive was the roll-down bed. Having the bed above the cab effectively made the motorhome 5 feet longer. We never felt like we were cramped, and that’s bearing in mind we had a young, highly active collie dog with us.
Negative
The wing mirrors were easy to snap off when going off the beaten track. We broke the same wing mirror three times on our trip. For some reason, Hymer made the wing mirrors on the B534 immoveable. That meant when you thud into a tree that you didn’t see at the side of a narrow road, the thing would rip off, and we’d sheepishly have to stop the motorhome, and spend the next few days trying to find a mechanic to reattach it. On most other motorhomes, if you hit the wing mirror it closes up and no damage is caused, other than your pride for hitting another tree.
Length: 18.5 feet (564 cm)
Width: 7.5 feet (227 cm)
Height: 9.1 feet (280 cm)
Class: B
Overview
It’s a nice 2 berth model with an end kitchen and washroom. Large drop down double bed above the cab. Swivel captain seats. Some models are 4/5 berth. L/shape dinette. Dinette has two seat belts. Speaker system. Large hymer skylight. Loads of storage lockers and a wardrobe. The kitchen areas has a 3 way fridge, 2 gas burner hob, sink and drainer, extractor fan, skylight, ample storage, and a clock. The washroom is a wet room style washroom with a cassette toilet, vanity units with mirrors, sink, shower with tray, and skylight. The heating system is a Trauma boiler hot water system and has a Truma hot air blown heating system (great for cold winter nights). The windows are double glazed with nets and blinds throughout. The extras usually include an awning, gas bottle with hose and regulator, 240 hook-up lead, roof rails, and ladder.
The gross vehicle weight is just 3100Kg, therefore it can be driven by anyone of any age with a full UK driving license.
Positive
This is the second motorhome we purchased, and our current one. We liked it because it was 1.3 feet smaller than the B534 (our previous motorhome). This made it easier to drive and to park. It was had a much better engine which made driving up hills a lot quicker.
Negative
The B544 we purchased was a bit of a lemon when we got it. We had to spend a small fortune to make it roadworthy, including redoing the gearbox, which was a specialist job and took the guy 6 months! That’s 6 months of no motorhome trips. Nightmare. The brakes were also a bit dodgy. But, if you buy a 30-year-old motorhome, you must expect it needs a bit of working doing on it.
There are other wildcamping Apps. One that has good reviews is Park4Night.com. It’s available on iPhones and Android. Just like WildCamping.co.uk, it’s a database of parking spots created by wildcampers for wildcampers , and it’s constantly updated daily.
We’ve met so many different wildcampers while out and about on our travels, and almost everyone that we’ve met has either WildCamping.co.uk or Park4Night.com (or both of them) downloaded on their phone.
Most of us swear by the Apps for all our parking needs and are constantly amazed at how scenic many of the wild spots are. This is all thanks to users of the Apps who add new wild spots on a daily basis.
Say goodbye forever to stressful parking!
There’s no better feeling than getting something for free! Each time you rock up to a new location that you found on the wildcamping.co.uk app, you would be able to resist a little smile forming across your lips.
If you like this post, want to support my site and would like more time to spend in your motorhome, take a quick peek at Become A Time Millionaire.
