Stealth camping is where you sleep in your van but not on a campsite. I wanted to try it out and thought I’d better get on with it before the weather got too autumnal, so the other week I made a plan!

I did quite a lot of planning. I wanted to stay somewhere I was fairly nearby, so I could drive home in the night if I decided to abort. But I wanted to go far enough away that it felt like an adventure – I didn’t want to sleep round the corner from my house!! I wanted to stay somewhere that was quiet, but not remote from other people. I was thinking a residential street felt safer than a car park, but I wanted to feel I was in the countryside.

In the end I had my dinner on Epsom Downs, with an amazing view of the London skyline. I then drove down to the edge of Epsom Common where there was a quiet residential street, with houses on oneside, but open to the common on the other. I arrived after dark, parked up by a property with a hedge, shut all my curtains and locked myself in. I didn’t pop my top in order to be more stealthy! I had a cosy time with a cuppa and a cake, doing my crochet while listening to a podcast and then I made up my bed and went to sleep!

I slept pretty well, considering, just waking the once. I got up reasonably early, made my morning cuppa and took it with me for a walk. I was curious as I had seen another van the night before and I wondered if I perhaps wasn’t the only person sleeping stealthily! I’m pretty sure I wasn’t – indeed there could have been two others, but I couldn’t quite decide.

I then set off for Horton Country Park where I squeezed under the height barrier and then popped my top and made my breakfast. A quick wash up and I was home in time for the morning church service!!

L