How to plan an overlanding route with reliable overnight stops to measure your vehicle with the tent fitted. Related paths: [/camping-rules/sleeping-in-your-car-uk/], [/camping-rules/wild-camping-rules-uk/], [/roof-tents/campsite-booking-checklist/], [/roof-tents/first-roof-tent-weekend/].]*
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The short answer
Choose each night's stop before you set off: a booked campsite, a members' site or land where the landowner has said yes. A lay-by or car park is not a campsite. Some councils let you leave a vehicle overnight but ban sleeping in it. Check each site takes your roof tent and vehicle height, note its arrival and reception times, and keep a backup for every night.
Decide each night before you set off
Work out where you will sleep for every night of the trip before you leave home. A stop is one of three things: a campsite you have booked, a members' site, or private land where the landowner has given permission.
Members' sites have their own rules. The Camping and Caravanning Club says its Certificated Sites are for the exclusive use of members, and non-members must join before they camp on site. Camping and Caravanning Club: Certificated Sites facts. Check whether a site is members-only before you plan around it.
In Scotland, the Scottish Outdoor Access Code says byelaws restrict camping in some areas, and that access rights do not include motor vehicles. For wild camping, read the wild camping rules before you plan a night without a site.
Why a lay-by or car park is not a booked stop
Being allowed to park somewhere does not mean you can sleep in your vehicle there. City of Lincoln Council says vehicles may be left in its car parks overnight, but "overnight sleeping in vehicles is not permitted", citing fire risk and a lack of facilities. City of Lincoln Council: overnight sleeping in car parks.
Northumberland National Park's car park list shows the same split. At The Sill, cars and motorhomes may be left overnight but "camping and overnighting in motorhomes is not allowed"; at Housesteads, the listing says "No overnight parking". Northumberland National Park: car parks. Read the sign at the car park you plan to use, and check the sleeping rules in sleeping in your car in the UK.
Check the site takes your roof tent and your height
Roof tents are not accepted everywhere. The Caravan and Motorhome Club says all its UK campsites welcome roof tent campers, but "At present roof tent camping is not permitted at our CLs", meaning its Certificated Locations. Caravan and Motorhome Club: roof tents. When you book with that club, its FAQ says to click the Touring icon so you can see availability and choose the right pitch.
The Camping and Caravanning Club's Certificated Site pages do not mention roof tents, so ask the site directly before you book. The Caravan and Motorhome Club's before-you-travel page lists no height limits, so do not assume a height is fine. Measure your vehicle with the tent fitted, and check the vehicle height calculator before you choose a stop.
Arrival times and reception hours
Arriving at the right time matters. The Caravan and Motorhome Club says the earliest arrival time at most of its campsites is now 1pm, and that reception may be closed if you arrive after 5pm. Caravan and Motorhome Club: before you travel. Times vary by site, so check each site's own page.
If you might be late, the Camping and Caravanning Club asks you to phone the site when you are delayed and expect to arrive after the last attended arrival time. Its policy also says arrivals should check in with a site team member, so keep the contact number with your booking. Camping and Caravanning Club: Certificated Sites policies.
Set a backup stop for every night
Plan a second option for each night, because routes slip and sites fill up. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code advises: "Use a car park and have a backup plan to go somewhere else if car parks are full." Scottish Outdoor Access Code: camping. Check the backup against the same questions as the first choice: permission, roof tent, height and arrival times.
Keep your booking details offline
Keep a copy of every confirmation, the site address, the arrival instructions and any gate or access code somewhere that works without signal, such as a printed sheet. Save the phone number for each site and its backup in the same place. For the wider booking steps, see the campsite booking checklist. If this is your first trip, a first roof tent weekend is a shorter trip to practise on.
FAQs
Can you sleep in a lay-by if you are allowed to park there?
Not necessarily. City of Lincoln Council allows vehicles to be left overnight in its car parks but does not allow sleeping in them. Check the sign and the rules in sleeping in your car in the UK.
Can you stay at a Caravan and Motorhome Club Certificated Location with a roof tent?
Not at the moment. The club's roof tent FAQ says roof tent camping "is not permitted at our CLs", although its other UK campsites welcome roof tent campers.
Do the Camping and Caravanning Club's Certificated Sites accept roof tents?
Their pages do not say either way, so ask the site before you book.
Do you need permission to camp on private land in Scotland?
The Scottish Outdoor Access Code says byelaws restrict camping in some areas, and that you must respect landowners' parking restrictions. Check the rules for the area before you plan a night there.
Next: work out your vehicle height
Measure your car with the tent fitted, then check it with the vehicle height calculator before you choose any stop.
More in Camping rules
Sources
- Caravan and Motorhome Club FAQ: all UK Club campsites welcome roof tent campers; roof tent camping not permitted at its Certificated Locations; click the Touring icon when booking to choose the right pitch (checked )
- Caravan and Motorhome Club: earliest arrival at most campsites is now 1pm; reception may be closed if you arrive after 5pm; no height limits listed on the page (checked )
- Camping and Caravanning Club: Certificated Sites are for members; site operators set whether advance booking is needed; roof tents not mentioned (checked )
- Camping and Caravanning Club policy: arrivals should check in with a site team member; phone the site if delayed past the last attended arrival time; roof tents not mentioned (checked )
- Camping and Caravanning Club: Certificated Sites are for exclusive use of members and non-members must join before camping on site (checked )
- Scottish Outdoor Access Code, camping: byelaws restrict camping in some areas; access rights do not include motor vehicles; respect landowners' parking restrictions; have a backup plan if car parks are full (checked )
- City of Lincoln Council notice: vehicles may be left in its car parks overnight but overnight sleeping in vehicles is not permitted, citing fire risk and lack of facilities (checked )
- Northumberland National Park car park list: The Sill allows cars and motorhomes to be left overnight but not camping or overnighting in motorhomes; Housesteads has no overnight parking (checked )