Its Getting Harder

Okie dokie, let's get back on track a little bit here and back to the primary reason I started this blog in the first place, in what seems like forever ago now - an attempt to portray the reality of living nomadically in a van, rather than the "look how amazing my life is" social media version. Reminder to self; not a diary, dickhead.

Let's get back to basics a little and talk about "boondocking", my favourite term for parking up in public locations - towns, villages, industrial estates, wherever - I use this term in favour of "wildcamping" as for me that projects connotations of more scenic locations away from the grind of civilization - and as we all know, or at least, as much as I would like you all to know, living full time in a van is vastly different to traveling in a van, and for many that means finding tucked away spots in less romanticised areas. Reminder to reader (hi mum!); it's not all beaches and mountains. For a few reasons, it's getting harder, and I fear is yet to get even harder.

I wasn't going to write about this next bit, it's been mentally added in, as I don't necessarily think my personal experiences of this vanlife thing are always generalisations shared by the many. But actually, sometimes they do, so it's made the edit. Anyway, recently I was parked up for the night in a spot I frequently use, close to my hometown whenever I'm over this way - a little lay-by type side road to nowhere just off the main carriageway separated by a wide grass verge. It's usually quiet on a night time, the odd passing car, now and then there'll be a lorry driver getting his head down for the night, and occasionally another car will pull up but usually keep their distance and themselves to themselves, and bugger off again after a bit. On this particular night though, a car pulled up directly alongside me, at midnight. Bit weird to park up literally next to me, blocking the road, when there's room for 20 cars in front and behind me - I was awake anyway and curiosity got the better of me, so was trying to look out of window by my bed to see what they were up to, but could only see their rear lights. Right then, a huge bang on the side of the van - not a knock, a bang hard enough to shake the van and have it swaying on its suspension. I immediately sprung off the bed and ran to hit the floodlights, and just as I lit the world up another enormous bang on the van followed by the sound of a door slamming and a revving engine - I initially thought they'd intentionally reversed their car into me! By the time I had swung the door open to greet my guests, they were already doing a rolling burnout halfway up the lane - this all happened in under 5 seconds so in hindsight I'm disappointed I didn't get out of the van when they originally pulled up, rather than waste my time trying to see out of my tinted window at night with no lights. Turns out that the bangs were actually boots - I found a visible full size shoe print on my door and a bit of a dent. I'm really not sure of the motive or particularly what I'd done to invite a bit of casual midnight vandalism - nothing, I suspect, just mindless wankers looking for an adrenaline kick, probably the same type of teenage shitstains that used to egg houses and throw stones at cats, "for a laugh". Hopefully they wrapped their three hundred quid dodgy MOT shitbox round a tree the same night.

Now I'd like to think that examples of unprovoked attacks and intimidation on vandwellers and their homes, are rare. I'd like to think that. In my own personal experiences, they are rare - I'm almost three years in now and can count the number of instances where I've actually had something happen, on a couple of fingers - I have only had my van touched three times, a couple of encounters with hostile locals, and the odd passing car honk. My circumstances are quite unique though in the sense that in the three years I've been living in a van, for the large majority of that time I've been parked up on the private land of whichever customer/client I've been working for, either for the odd night or for weeks at a time - perk of the job I guess. But the majority of vanlifers boondock constantly, either a night here, a night there, or for longer static stints, so I have no doubt that these instances of harrassment are a common encounter.

In the same week as my "incident", I couldn't help but notice a number of similar tales on the handful of Facebook groups I'm on in the same week - someone had their van windows smashed, another poor family were minding their own business when someone in a stolen car deliberately crashed into their motorhome several times, causing a lot of damage and unimaginable distress - last year one of my close friends had her back window shot out with an air rifle, and someone else had their trailer set on fire on Brighton seafront, completely gutting it and rendering the owner homeless with nothing more than the clothes on his back. I can't comprehend the mentality of attacking or harrassing someone completely unprovoked just minding their own business, it's insane. Unfortunately these stories are far more common than I'd like to admit - sometimes the "incentive", for lack of a more rational word for these attacks, is militant locals with a grudge against motorhomes/campervans being a blight on the area, occupying limited parking, increasing traffic, littering or emptying waste (I'd like to point out that in my experience, this is usually weekend warriors and daytrippers, rather than full-timers), or just simply, being there for longer than they're happy with, or more frequently. I'm on a Facebook group for - or rather, against - the North Coast 500 route, and the vitriol from locals is pitchfork worthy. In some cases I can understand the upset and anger towards whom they perceive to be a problem, it's a sad fact that many do not do us any favours or paint us in good light, especially with littering, emptying toilets, and having fires etc - I've seen it personally, and as a fulltimer it is embarrassing and does not do the rest of us any favours, the damage is done - but as much as I can understand the motive to take matters into their own hands, that does not excuse causing damage to people's vehicles or personally attacking them. It is becoming harder and harder to find suitable locations to park up, with each passing week comes the installation of a new height barrier, parking ban, or local bylaw prohibiting sleeping in a vehicle, with whole regions effectively becoming no-go zones for campers and ultimately concentrating full-timers into fewer and fewer spots or trespassing on private property hoping to get away with it. Which leads me to a related point...

The newly introduced Police Crime and Sentencing Act, (if you're interested) which passed through parliament earlier this year despite many efforts to have it quashed. This Act of Legislation effectively makes "tresspass" a criminal offence in which the police can action, rather than the previous civil offence, specifically highlighting vehicular tresspass or "unauthorized encampments", giving police the powers to arrest owners and seize vehicles where residing or intending to reside in said vehicle is suspected, and damage is likely to occure. The full Act with all relevant subsections is quite exhaustive while simultaneously quite vague in terms of whom or which groups of people it is specifically aimed at - although quite transparent too when you read what's not written. As well as being a direct fingerpoint at travellers and the traveling community, it also specifically makes mention to acts of protest and protesters, giving the police the rights to make arrest and vehicular seizure for simply being there. Future HS2 / XR protests will see these new powers in effect, I'm sure. Now specifically regarding us vandwellers, it's easy to say "well don't tresspass then". The simple matter of fact, is that all land and property is private property, irrespective of whether public access is granted or not. All land in the UK is owned land, either by a private individual, private organisation, or local authority - including highways and byways. So if you are asked to leave (by anybody in the correct capacity to do so) and refuse, you are in effect committing the act of trespass, and the police can be called to action appropriately. It also changes, or rather, invalidates the requirement for signage prohibiting overnight parking. Pre-bill, a privately owner public-designated carpark (we'll use Foresty Commission for example here) would have to display signage specifically stating no parking and what, if any, penalties were in effect. Now, if a park ranger or police officer asks you to leave, you are suddenly tresspassing, and refusing to leave will dredge up sub-sections of the Act determining that you are, in some way or another, in breach of the law. As my man Bob Dylan put it, times, they are a'changin'. For the worse.

Oh and while we're at it, lets mention the poverty clusterfuck grenade thats primed for detonation - the current cost of living crisis that's drybumming many already on the 2022 post apocalyptic shitshow breadline. I'm already seeing a surge in posts from people looking to buy a van and go full time as an act of escaping crippling household bills and pushing the JAMs (just about managing) into Destination Fucked status, and that's before the actual recession kicks in like a Tory hangover. Policing or outright criminalising "residing in a vehicle" will always be hard, thanks (said sarcastically) in part to grass roots nature of vandwelling and moving around coupled with fewer police on the streets, but increasing numbers of people adopting the lifestyle out of a sense of need, will not make it easier to live under the radar.

It's getting harder out here, and I fear harder still is yet to come. It's not all doom and gloom though, sometimes we have parties! 🫖 

Oh and my van passed its MOT again, so I think I'm going to fuck off to live on a farm in Wales and let this allll blow over...

As always, be good, be kind, and behave. ✌️