The TRUTH About NEW VANLIFE LAWS in the UK

Is vanlife in the UK over? New restrictions and more beauty spots being shut down

We are in Scarborough UK this week and discovering more about what's happening with van life #VanLife #Scarborough

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RIVER MOTORHOMES
We rented the Pilote Camper in the video from these guys and they have a range of rentals and motorhomes to buy, based in Warwickshire (tell them that you watch our videos 😉)

NEW VAN LIFE LAWS AFFECTING YORKSHIRE
- Its not just Scarborough that will be effected by the new campervan restrictions, but other parts of the coast (as far down as Filey)
- We understand from news articles that the ban is an 18 month trial starting on 21st October
- the law prohibits motorhomes & camper van conversions parking-up overnight (but they still can in the day time

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[eliotgoodfellow]

Bigger question, "is it even worth being in the UK anymore".

[dawnross]

No one may be permitted to live outside of the control grid....

[Elijah_Dove]

Is it worth doing anything in the UK anymore? Totally miserable hell hole.

[ideosound]

As a local resident I fully opose the ban, totally short sighted and bound to do more harm than good for the town.

[markplenty]

It’s been a time tested problem, people do something, a small number ruin it and then it’s completely ruined for everyone.. in every activity in life, there’s always a small percentage that has ruined it for everyone. It’s so frustrating. Especially as the bigger percentage are responsible..

[janvander]

As a local resident we have watched this situation develop over the years until it has become swamped with vans, motorhomes etc, recently in the height of the season we counted approximately 120 vehicles parked-up up for the night. Assuming 2 people per vehicle thats a lot of money supporting the local economy, shops, cafes, pubs, attractions, buses etc. I have read the reports about littering and unsociable behaviour and whilst I have never parked-up up in the area I have not seen or heard of any such incidents. An Elsan point for black waste has been provided by the local council to address any waste problems.

For a wider context, in the last couple of years the Forestry authority and the North York Moors National Park authority have both banned overnighting in all of its carparks across North Yorkshire, additionally any free or donation carparks are now Pay & Display. We have also found that the Canal Trust has banned overnighting in some areas across Yorkshire.

Ultimately the individuals do have a personal responsibility to respect the area and behaviour responsibly, but I believe that the cause of the problems is the local authority and the lack of management by them to deal with the situation effectively. The area affected is not just the town of Scarborough, but the whole Borough of Scarborough from Whitby in the north to Bridlington in the south and the parking ban extends across all this area. All the spaces you could quietly park-up, enjoy the area and contribute to the local economy are covered by this ban. Furthermore, due to "residents concerns" who live near to areas where vans are known to park-up overnight a ban will be introduced to stop overnighting, essentially 1 complaint and that quiet wide street will have an overnighting ban applied.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that van owners should only use a campsite when they visit the Borough of Scarborough, despite the fact that there are no campsites which are in a reasonable walking distance to the North or South Bays at Scarborough and further afield there are few if any campsites which are open all year round if you want to visit the coast, the forest, the moors or even the canals.

As this video has stated the van marketplace has settled down and there are a lot more vans on the road since Covid. There is also a large shift in how people enjoy their leisure time and their living arrangements. This needs to be seriously considered by local authorities if they want to take advantage of these year round visitors and allow all people who want to visit the area to do so, no matter how they travel.

[serephiamccabe]

They don't want you to be happy. You must obey

[PaulL-hf]

We still do short breaks in our van in the UK but choose to spend our longer breaks in France or Spain, Holland or Belgium so far. They are much more welcoming and have the right set up for vans and motorhomes. It’s a shame, as it means most of our disposable income goes abroad rather than to UK businesses.

[sallywalker]

I live in Aberystwyth mid wales, the exact same council reaction to camper vans happened here 3years ago. It’s a plan to stop us being free. It’s started off saying it’s locals in reality it’s the council trying to kill off small businesses too

[journeytakesatrip]

Really glad to hear that you’ve found a new van, can’t wait to see it next time.
Park ups being closed down is a symptom of a society that’s taught people to look at others around them and feel threatened about who might be getting “something for nothing”, something they believe they aren’t getting themselves. Some people living in houses don’t like the idea of people living in vans “for free” ie not paying rent and house-based bills, because they themselves resent the high cost of living. We need to collectively look at the system that teaches us to pit us against one another and squabble over who seemingly gets more scraps, rather than placing the focus where it should be, on those in power who benefit from keeping all of us down with restrictive freedoms and financial inequality in society.

[deanbrown]

I never understand the very British knee jerk reaction to a very small problem! Press run a story, people overreact and morons in council/government punish everyone not thinking about long term implications of their actions and repeat...

[Htdobbe]

The obvious solution is for all local authorities to adopt the french aire system. The council gets an income and the vanlifers have somewhere safe to stay. Win win

[PupRavenJasmine]

I live in Scarborough and did sign the petition to revoke the council decision to ban vanlifers. I totally get where some of the locals get frustrated especially over the double parking but yes it doesn't seem fair that the small majority ruin it for all

[CheGypsyWay]

They just don't want people to be free... and not hooked into the system.. It's all about control over people.

[pixiemoo]

I’m a big fan and love seeing how people live in their vans. I appreciate most people are respectful but I’ve also see the other side. We live in a small lane and a van pitched up with 2 adults, 2 small kids and a dog in the summer. At first it didn’t bother me….but as time went on they were getting messier and messier. They used to empty their grey tank along with waste food under their van which attracted lots of flies. The concrete is still stained with cooking oil /grease. They kept some of their belongings outside the van ..like bikes, table chairs etc. to be honest it was an eyesore. They stayed for about 6 weeks and were eventually moved on by the council.
Unfortunately it’s those inconsiderate few that ruin it for the majority.

[seanoreilly]

This happened in the 80’s, when thatcher trashed “The Convoy” heading to Stonehenge.

[Peacefulgrace-]

I’m glad they are doing this. We are motorhomes and we always pay for proper campsites. We have noticed that locals especially in Scotland they have became hostile to motorhomes, and we have been going for years, this year so many vehicles were aggressive on the roads. It’s such a shame that only a few people are ruining a wonderful way to get around the uk and enjoy its beauty…..

[FRUITSWITHROOTS]

Now in my early 60’s and had a camper for the last 42 years, unfortunately there are people that just don’t get the leave no trace etiquette. I have witnessed people emptying toilets into the hedgerow, bagging up rubbish and leaving it on the side of the road, dumping grey water on the road etc.
I can understand why locals would be concerned.
We now try and use basic campsites that cost very little and once a week pay extra to use the facilities of a more expensive site.

[cliveburks]

I often visit Exmouth they are very accepting of campervans. I stayed on the seafront at the West End near the new marina. Free parking from 6pm very quiet night facing the sea. Public toilets within easy walking distance. Friday night and no noise whatsoever. Park for the night mentioned also.

[amyblyth]

So excited to hear more about your new van and plans for the USA! My partner and I quit London life in 2013 and have been travelling the world full time ever since, finding ways to work remotely. Our best trip was 2022-2023 when we bought an old RV in Canada and drove it across the USA and Canada, stopping at as many national parks as possible. At the end, we sold it for pretty much the same price we bought it for.

I still dream about the wild park-ups in the middle of the desert on BLM land and nestled in the National forests of Washington or on the coast of California. RV life gave us the most freedom we've ever had. You guys are going to love it in North America; there's (obviously) so much more space for van lifers than in the UK and so many more options for park-ups. I feel like it's way less constrained than the UK with its busy-body mentality.

We're currently in Africa but are contemplating buying a campervan when we return to the UK in the spring and using it to travel there, with the goal of eventually shipping it over to the USA again. So, we're so pumped to follow your journey. We had been wondering how easy vanlife would be for us in the UK but despite the news you shared in this video we still think it's worth a shot and that's partly down to following your positive vanlife experiences in the UK, so thanks for sharing. Can't wait for the next update!