Overnighting at motorway services.

[Pete B]

Have seen caravans and motorhomes do it, but have many folk on here done so in their bus? My thinking is that if you just want to park up and kip overnight, then service areas have to be a good thing. They are well lit and have cameras so hopefully it should be fairly safe, there are toilet facilites, food (of sorts...) shops etc and right on the main route so no hunting for elusive campsites in the dark on country roads. Have done a bit of digging (mainly on caravan web sites) seems to be no blanket rules, every services make up their own. Charges seem to be from £5 to £25 after the initial free 2hr period.
All I want to do is park up and sleep safely then get on my way in the morning, a service area seems ideal in theory, be interesting to hear others views and experiences.

 

[Clem]

I have done it in the past, but all the signs etc seem to put people off with the charging regimes after the initial free period.

I guess it depends if the place is manned by the usual service station staff who are invariably minimum wage disinterested yoofs etc, or whether they employ private security clamping firms who work on commision?

The rules they employ seem to be overridden when you get some services housing a row of caravans with washing hung on the hedges and electricity provided from the street light bases! :lol:

 

[mattyd72]

Watch out for those lonely lorry drivers too

:-o

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[rockandrollcamper]

Done it once. I didn't get any hassle but for the quality of sleep I got I really wish I'd took the extra time coming off the motorway and relaxing 'properly' at a campsite or a nice pub car park.

France...... Different story

 

[Ryanmck1984]

I've done it once when I was driving up from down south after buying my bus.
Stopped in services next Blackpool at midnight then hit the road again at 5am.
I did see the signs about paying but just woke up and left and no-one tried to stop me or didn't get any letters through the post :lol:
Wasn't a bad sleep either!

 

[dodge6x6]

our first night camping me, Gail and the dog, was bristol services, non the way to brean sands last year, £10 for over 2 hrs to 24hrs,
got there at 10 at night and paid at shop till, its all done on cameras so no one comes around looking, Gail loved it for the capachino in the mornig but the grass cutters did come round a bt early in the morning, wouldnt have a problem with doing it again,

 

[Scutch]

Have a look at this http://www.britstops.com/welcome.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; You pay a yearly fee of £25 and they give you a list of places all over the uk to stay for FREE, Vineyards, Farms, pubs etc etc...... whack a sticker in the front of your bay and you can stay :lol: ive not joint yet but i deff will be!

 

[Mickey Sam]

Scutch, did you ever join and , if so, would you recommend it ?

 

[lobie]

Scutch, did you ever join and , if so, would you recommend it ?

I just join and am planning a weeks road trip in april staying at some of the site, I will get plenty of photos and put a thread up

 

[subheatadey]

Sounds interesting for £25.00 I would be interested in knowing how it goes.

 

[Pickles]

Scutch, did you ever join and , if so, would you recommend it ?

I just join and am planning a weeks road trip in april staying at some of the site, I will get plenty of photos and put a thread up

Again interested to hear how you get on, am also intrigued as to the types of places … is it mainly pubs or are there lots of other places perhaps once you have the book you could let us know. Considering joining myself as off to Scotland with the dog in June and just need some places to kip on way up.