Supermarket Parkups #1 - Stealth Camping at Tesco!
As my name, The Urban Motorhome, suggests, I park in some unconventional places. I’ve parked in some random places in my time, including supermarkets and fast food chain car parks.
I always film my experiences so I can take my viewers along for the ride, showing everyone how I find urban park ups and what I look out for.
In this edition of my supermarket park up series, I attempt to park overnight at Tesco in my motorhome!
If You’re New Around Here, Welcome
My name is Darren and I've been living in my motorhome in the UK, full-time, for over 6 years. I very rarely go on sites, I just find park ups as and where I can.
The twist is I like to park where most wouldn’t dare! Nothing phases me, I will literally try anywhere. As I mentioned above, I film my life, park ups and all, and post the videos on my YouTube channel.
Come And Find An Urban Park Up With Me
This was my first attempt at a stealth supermarket park up back in 2020, I have I since managed others. The video is below, so you can come along with me as I attempt to do my first overnight supermarket stop at Tesco.
Below is the transcript for the video:
'A lot of people have been asking me for more park up videos and I'm going to do them. I'm going to explore some different areas that I've never been to before and we'll drive around and then we'll, we'll find out what's, you know, we'll find out if we can we find in a parking space. What's good, what's not, what we look for, what we don't.
Um, but I thought I'd do a bit of a spin [on it] because I've done a little search on YouTube, see what parking videos there are, and I haven't really seen one about supermarket car parks, so I'm at Tesco's.
But, and there's a big but, a big wobbly but. Few Tesco's lately, I mean, this is just my local Tesco's so, if you're gonna stalk me, don't kill me. A lot of them are along with these [view of parking restriction sign]. So, they've got Wardens patrolling and they, they, they mark you down, if you're here for more than three hours, you're getting a ticket.
But this one, as you can see here, [there is] Tesco's, then over here, I don't know if I'm pointing rightly, but over here there's B& M, there's Next, then there's Costa Coffee and then there's Pets at Home. On that side of the car park, it's for everyone. And there's no parking restrictions, just park at your own, your own risk. Is that what they say? Yeah, park at your own risk.
So, I can't park here. I mean, I don't know about parking here throughout the night. There ain't gonna be wardens during the night, I know that. Um, now I am right next to the A1M, just over there, which is quite a busy road. It's now five, twenty to six, twenty to six at night.
So people are on the way home, they've finished work. Um, I've been popping around here, there and everywhere today. So I'm going to head over there now and find somewhere to park in the area that I can park, so I don't have to wake up super early and run away from the traffic warden.
Yeah, I thought, uh, over the next couple of weeks I'm going to film myself parking up and sleeping at night time at first, so on my days off, at a supermarket car park. Why not? I can't see them being that bad, I mean I might get a knock I suppose, I don't know. Let's find out shall we? So let's crack on with Tesco's.
So I've decided to park, and as you can see we've got Tesco's there, the petrol station there, B&M next and Pets at Home there. And yeah, this is where I park.
Um, I've decided to park here, because I can overhang on the grass, so I'm not in anyone's way there. And these spots, they, not very level, not as level as anything, as, as that.
So you can probably hear that there is still a slight rumble of noise, but once you're in the motorhome, there ain't that much. Um, like I say, I'm not in the actual main car park of Tesco, so I'm not restricted to parking restrictions. So let's see how it goes, shall we?
I'm just doing a bit of cooking, watching a bit of, uh, watching Sully. You know, when he lands on the Hudson, man! Great film! Then I just watched Luke's live stream as well. So cooking a bit of dinner whilst in Tesco's car park.
Now four cheese chicken, yeah four cheese chicken, that's cooking nicely. Done some cooking for work so my meals are ready for work at lunch and let's just have a look outside.
So it's now quarter to eight at night. There we go, it's pretty quiet now. So as you can see, there's still a load of cars, people coming and going, [there's a] van next to me but uh, it seems alright. I'll get out, uh, when I'm, you know, [in] a couple of hours time and then have a little walk around to show you, uh, what it looks like.
Obviously you can hear the noise from the motorway or the, uh, A1 out there. I'm used to that, it doesn't bother me in the slightest. And obviously some Tesco's will be closer to, you know, rural areas or quiet towns. And others are going to be closer to, other stuff.
It's, uh, there's a few people going about, few noises here and there, but, so as you can see there's Next. There's the motorhome, someone, that car, that car's running. And there's Tesco's. We will see what happens really. We'll see if I get a knock, see if we get moved on. Um, yeah, I'll see if it's a busy night, loud night. Busy night? I'm not touting business or anything, am I? I meant like, comings and goings. That sounds even worse. See if there's a lot of boy racers or anything in the car park. But there it is motorhome, motorhome! Alright. Catch you in the morning. Or later tonight if something happens.
Morning. Alright, so, that was parking in Tesco's car park. Not a bad night's sleep at all.
Um. It's now 8 o'clock in the morning. I went to bed about 1, 1.30. Um, I was watching, I was watching the new Rambo haha, um, and doing a, doing a video, so, [I] put that out this morning. That went live, and, yeah, I mean there's a rumble of the road now, you can hear the road, but that's because we're next to a busy road, like, traffic's picking up.
I can hear people moving around out there, as in cars. I don't know, I don't think the car park will be that busy yet but, I don't know if people are parked here beside me, so I'm gonna have a look. I might walk over to Tescos. That's the beauty of parking right next to these supermarkets, you can just go to the shop straight away. So yeah, it's alright. I mean, to be honest, even, I know it's gonna get a bit noisier during the day, but I don't think I'd have a problem, because I could just put an earplug in, and then bed down, and I could sleep through, through that noise of the road and then obviously [they'll] be people clamouring around trolleys and kids screaming and whatever, but I don't think they'll have a problem, but that'll be in another video.
All right, let's have a little look and see, see who's parked next to me. Okay, car parks are pretty much empty over this side. So as you can see Tesco's there, so that's that.
Let's have a look out the front. Right, here we go. Has anyone parked to the side of me? Nope. There's like a little bit of condensation but, pretty easy night really. No one, no one bothered me. No one knocked. No, no, uh, no major loud exhausts or anything. You've got the odd one. That just 'grrr' [engine noises], just because they've got an open car park and they can speed a little bit, you know, without getting a ticket. Which, I understand that, it's cool. But, yeah, no, uh no problems, so, that was cool.
I'm noticing on the ground, you can see there, and then there and there, that, uh, gritters have been in. So, chucking some grit down in the car park. So, I don't think that would be an employee just walking around with a bag, it looks like a bit of a machine, so that means people were in, of [an] official kind of nature, should we say, and they didn't bother me. They didn't, they didn't knock or anything, so yeah, no problems. But as you can see, [I'm] parked where I was last night, [and] there's Tesco's. All right, time to grab all my rubbish and go put it in Tesco's bin. Thank you Tesco's!'
End of transcription.
If you have ay other suggestions of places you would like me to do a park up, drop them the comments below!