# Water & toilet when wild camping



## Delores (Feb 21, 2010)

Only me/ us! Well we're two weeks in now and still having a fabulous if somewhat soggy time. Spent yesterday on the amazing Farne islands and today on the equally fantabulous Lindisfarne.

Anyway, the question that occurs to me as I sit here listening to the rain beating down on the roof is what do you do about chemical loo disposal and water top ups when wild camping? We're planning to wild camp around Dumfries & Galloway next week and could use some pointers.

Ta everso - and hope it's drier where you are!


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## Andysam (May 10, 2005)

I've always avoided emptying black waste when wildcamping but got "caught short" once in the Black Mountains. We did what thousands of hiking wildcampers do- we dug a hole emptied it in there and filled in in. (Away from watercourses etc) 

For water we use garages in exchange for filling up fuel (and often emptying the toilet) and have never needed to fill up the water when in the stix.

I have however used toilets, graveyards etc. If you are desperate clean looking streams can be used to fill by hand but boil the water.

ATB.


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## aultymer (Jun 20, 2006)

This question has always bothered me when the joys of free camping are aired.
Someone has to pay for the treatment of black waste!
Someone has to pay for the provision of not just clean but polished water.
I am afraid that the proliferation of motorhomes and the reluctance of a few to use sites when possible will lead to a blanket ban on wild-camping to the detriment of all.
Digging a hole is the accepted method for one persons waste but is it acceptable for 3 days waste from 2 people?


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

:?: surely our **** is no different to animals, we're no different apart from some degradeable loo roll and some bio chemical accelerant. Good for the land surely. Dont dump it in the street :!:


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## aultymer (Jun 20, 2006)

The difference is in the amount (2 people x 3 days for example dumped in one place) and the paper as you say - looks bad and some chemicals are bad for the land.


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

Have you seen how much 1 pig or 1 cow produces :lol: better get your wellies 8O


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## grizzlyj (Oct 14, 2008)

Its not too big a deal to use a zip lock bag for the used loo roll, if you think you may have to empty a bit of waste before reaching suitable facilities 

Another capacity saving tip would be to bottle the no 1's, making that part more easily disposable. Ladies could use a http://www.shewee.com/newstore/ to assist


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## autostratus (May 9, 2005)

Delores said:


> Only me/ us! Well we're two weeks in now and still having a fabulous if somewhat soggy time. Spent yesterday on the amazing Farne islands and today on the equally fantabulous Lindisfarne.
> 
> Anyway, the question that occurs to me as I sit here listening to the rain beating down on the roof is what do you do about chemical loo disposal and water top ups when wild camping? We're planning to wild camp around Dumfries & Galloway next week and could use some pointers.
> 
> Ta everso - and hope it's drier where you are!


You could get a second cassette for the loo and store the full one until you find a suitable emptying point be that a fuel stop or toilet block.

The full one can be stored in the garage if you have that type of van or as an alternative there is a cassette storage box that can be mounted underneath the van.


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## Hobbyfan (Jul 3, 2010)

I do a bit of wild camping, interspersed with sites, a lot depending on where we are.

I must say though that this is one part of wild camping that's always glossed over by its more zealous aficionados.

Water and sewage disposal can be a big problem and having to scurry backwards and forwards with a bucket from a cemetery tap isn't my idea of fun. Neither is going without showers and having rubdowns with a flannel every morning in order to save your precious water.

We get all these posts talking about the beautiful, lonely spots that they find but no mention of the inconvenience and worry of wondering where your next fresh-water tankful is coming from.

Using sites occasionally can come as a luxurious relief!


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

We are self-sufficient wild-camping for three days and nights.

After that we find a camp-site, aire or are back home for the necessary emptying/refilling.


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## greenasthegrass (Oct 27, 2007)

You could always use a C&CC site motorhome stopover for around £5-6 you can dump, fill up and use showers for couple of hours we have done this twice its brill. Even had hook up on one so could vac up the dogs!

Greenie


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## Andysam (May 10, 2005)

That's what we did too. (We've now got a campervan- no shower, so always flannel wash or solar shower!)

If councils are reluctant to provide Aires how about just a disposal point. £2 a throw for waste disposal and to fill up on water? To make them secure they could be sited at main town tips?

Now I know retro fitting them is a no no- too expensive, but local authorities installing them in suitable locations during renovations or new builds should be financially feasible?


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

We have a 120ltr fresh tank and 100ltr waste tank and carry a spare cassette as mentioned by Gillian.
When on a willdcamping stint abroad in Greece where facilities are sparse we carry a couple of spare 20ltr water cannisters to top up the solar shower and we can last ages without refilling the tank but it's 5 - 6 days before both loo's need emptying. Waste water is covertly transferred to hedgerows etc by bucket as and when.
We also keep a small flip bin in the toilet and put our folded up bits of toilet paper there instead of down the loo, no actual proof, but it seems to make the toilet last longer when wildcamping.

Pete


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Andysam said:


> If councils are reluctant to provide Aires how about just a disposal point. £2 a throw for waste disposal and to fill up on water?


There's a neat idea.

I wonder too why fuel stations in many European countries have a MH service point- provided I imagine by the petrol company- but never in UK ?

What if we wrote to major fuel companies and suggested they at least install an "outside loo" type disposal point and fresh water tap and think about proper MH service points at garages and service stations on main roads. They could charge- by making a key necessary to access- so would recover costs eventually.

G


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## NeilandDebs (Aug 28, 2008)

*Wildcamping toilet disposal*

We have wildcamped all over Europe and we have never had a problem with emptying the cassette. Find a public toilet, or a large shopping complex, it will have pubic toilets. Put the cassette in a Ikea bag cover with old towel, go to toilet ,empty cassette down bog, clean up any splashes, leave. Simples. I would reccommend a Sog. Saves money on chemicals and there is no smell when in use.

Grey water, just empty tank in countryside. Does not hurt the grass at all, washing up water never does.

Fresh water can be tricky but we have always managed to find some water. On one occasion , in Portugal, we bought 100litres from a supermarket!


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## clodhopper2006 (Aug 13, 2006)

aultymer said:


> This question has always bothered me when the joys of free camping are aired.
> Someone has to pay for the treatment of black waste!
> Someone has to pay for the provision of not just clean but polished water.
> I am afraid that the proliferation of motorhomes and the reluctance of a few to use sites when possible will lead to a blanket ban on wild-camping to the detriment of all.
> Digging a hole is the accepted method for one persons waste but is it acceptable for 3 days waste from 2 people?


When I was in the army it was common practice when a squadren was camped for any length of time to dig a communal latrine. This would take the black waste of 30 blokes for several days. Once covered over I'd defy anyone to know where it had been.

Personally I'm struggling to see why the _ reluctance of a few to use sites when possible_ would lead to a blanket ban. As I would have thought more than a few would cause any problem and only the if they behaved irresposibly.

Our solution to the waste/fill up problem is to spend every third or so nights on a CL. This allows us to do this and often with electric sites allows a good battery top up too.


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

I do not follow the reasoning of who question of who pays for the treatment of black waste. What about places like Blackpool with thousands of visitors who need a loo?

If you live in one area and work in another area a few miles away, then you are not contributing to that areas costs when using the loo. It seems a bit daft to me to think of costs.

Some motorhomers take 2 showers a day. 8O Is that really necessary? How long have some of us had this obsession with ultra cleanliness? I do not regard myself as a scruffy, smelly individual but if I do not shower every day, nobody has ever told me that I need to.

Hi delores, try Sweetheart Abbey. Quiet car park and friendly pub (motorhome owners). Water available in graveyard and public loo.


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

We wild camp a lot. Never had any difficulty with disposal or filling with water. We just go to a a petrol station and say we are going to buy fuel and can we fill with water and empty our toilet, never had a refusal. A couple of tips, only put as much fuel in as will last you till you need to fill and empty again so that you can buy fuel next time too and always check that the tap actually works before filling with fuel, Alan.


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## Westbay (Mar 15, 2008)

Hobbyfan said:


> We get all these posts talking about the beautiful, lonely spots that they find but no mention of the inconvenience and worry of wondering where your next fresh-water tankful is coming from.


We're dead keen wilders, but couldn't agree more with Hobbyfan. In the UK there seems to be NOWHERE to fill up with drinking water - the idea of asking at your friendly garage ended with water meters.
Emptying is easier, using public toilets in car parks. Mind you after once emptying a particularly full cassette in Princetown visitors' centre loos, I felt the need to assure the bloke listening in the next trap that I was quite alright and there really was no need to call an ambulance.


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## jhelm (Feb 9, 2008)

An essential topic. We do what many here have suggested. We have two tanks, dump the gray water in the countryside when we have to and use bottled water for drinking so we are not too concerned with the quality of water we find where we can. Cemeteries seem to be one place where one can often find an available water tape. And putting all but the first wipe of toilet paper in a plastic bag seems to save a lot of space in the toilet cassette. Also don't flood it with water every time you just pee. We started not flushing with water every time.


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## JeanLuc (Jan 13, 2007)

Fit a Sog, don't use chemicals then you can dump in public toilets in remote places. (These often drain to a septic tank and must not be dosed with blue chemicals. Green is better but no chemicals is best.) Choose a time when the toilet is not being used by others - late evening perhaps.
Don't dump the toilet on open land, or in a hole, despite arguments about human excrement being little different to that of animals - it is in the main as we are omnivores and the majority of farm animals a vegetarians.

Fresh water taps are often available at the following:
Public toilets
Cemeteries
Garages
Village Halls (sometimes)
In May this year we filled up at the yachting pier in Tobermory.

Be prepared to put a donation in any honesty box - or offer it to anyone running one of these facilities.

Philip


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## Yorkshirefreckles (Jul 22, 2010)

Technoo 100 and I intend to do some wild camping over time. We've checked out how long we can last without having to dump sh** or refill our water tank and we reckon we can get 3 days clear. The idea is to do a max 3 days and then spend 4th on a fully serviced site to fill up, get showers etc and then possibly set off wildcamping again. I think this will work for us.


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## cypsygal (Dec 19, 2009)

Hi Delores

no suggestions for your predicament, but do hope you are going to make one of your lovely posts when you get back! We're planning to go up the East Coast of the UK in September - we'd be really interested to hear where you went, how you did it etc. Other people have made really good suggestions. This is such a helpful site


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## gromett (May 9, 2005)

In my last van I had a thetford with electric flush and 4-5 days was the most I could go without emptying. In the Bus I am temporarily using a porta potty with a manual flush and I can't be bothered to fill the flush tank all the time so I have a jug in the sink which I use.
This has proven to be a handy trick as I can now last 8 days. When I get my bench thetford fitted in my new van I will stick to using the jug when wild camping and only use the built in flush when on sites. Makes one hell of a difference.

I think the electric flush clears the whole pan whether it needs it or not whereas the jug can be aimed at where it is needed.

I always carry a spare cassette also. So with the spare and the jug I reckon I should be able to manage 2 weeks.

Karl


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## Annsman (Nov 8, 2007)

We wildcamped in several places on the Outer Hebrides earlier this year. There were quite a few places to empty toilet waste and top up with water for free. However I was somewhat surprised to discover that these toilet emptying points in a few places emptied directly into the sea! I stress they were "officlal" dump sites and open and available for use.

I personally would NEVER knowingly empty a toilet cassette into the sea myself, but obviously I have, as has anyone else using the CDP's in the Hebrides.

Point to ponder or what?


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## Mick757 (Nov 16, 2009)

Andysam said:


> If councils are reluctant to provide Aires how about just a disposal point. £2 a throw for waste disposal and to fill up on water? To make them secure they could be sited at main town tips?
> 
> Now I know retro fitting them is a no no- too expensive, but local authorities installing them in suitable locations during renovations or new builds should be financially feasible?


How expensive can an access point to a sewer drain be? They MUST have a foul drain/loos for the operatives already. Ditto fresh water!

That said, given how bloody complex local councils have made tipping anything nowadays, im guessing youd have to sort out the liquids from the solids before you dumped it! :roll:


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## grizzlyj (Oct 14, 2008)

Ask the ferry workers for a tap. One of the waiting rooms with a loo has a tap and elsan point outside behind the wall next to where you'll queue for the ferry. Can't remember which ferry tho, but one of the smaller ones!

O.S. maps show slipways, and there are plenty in the Hebrides! Slipways nearly always have a working tap to sluice your boat of saltwater


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## Eisbaer (May 1, 2005)

When wild camping I would look at it like this: 

Urine - either male or female - is more or less harmless to land. Ergo, we would (where decency permits) "go behind a bush" to urinate, leaving the toilet cassette for the more delicate operations.

Grey water ditto - once we've made sure to use biodegradable soaps/detergents - goes (discreetly) into the ground. I say discreetly because some locals won't believe you! 

The solid contents of the toilet cassette we donate to a filling station. They don't mind once you've bought some of their fuel and are willing to wipe down their toilet afterwards. 

Clean water is usually available from filling stations. Failing that, we carry a plastic 25 litre water container and a small suitcase cart. It's often possible to fetch water from a nearby source and fill our tank manually. Alternatively, we also carry a 12v submersible water pump and can pump water from a trough or stream. 
Note: we NEVER drink "clean" water from our tank, not even if we've filled it from our kitchen tap. Bottled water is better for drinking. 

When washing-up/showering we don't run the water all the time rather just enough to lather and rinse. This way we've managed nearly 5 days on one (100 litre) tank of water. 

Lastly, whenever we wild camp in an area, if possible, we find a local charity/collection box/community centre and slip them a contribution when leaving. Works wonders!

Hope this helps!


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## C7KEN (May 27, 2005)

I do meet many full timers or wintering Mh'rs down here and this is the practise of more than 50%. The toilet is lined with a polythene bag to collect solid waste which is then disposed into skips or bins. No different from doggy poo or kids nappies. The liguids are then no so bulky so the emptying interval is extended. and are disposed of at gas stations, manholes, bushes. Before you all get pompous about this. I know members of this site who use this practise and most Belgians, Dutch, Germans, French,Spanish. I understand there is a portable toilet product for sale in the UK which folds up and has a bag inside for tenters. So no differerent. Just look for the husband going to the bin in the morning with a poly bag which includes more than left over food a regular chore.  Water? gas stations are favourite but most parks here have drinking water fountains The water here is perfectly drinkable from the tap unless there is a sign saying no potable but most beach foot washing taps are not good enough so I would never use one unless I knew where it came from. Finally the wintering MH'rs all know what to do so if they have found a manhole leading to sewers then use the cassette and dispose of down the drain as they will do. Discretely of course


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Never found it a problem. Water is dead easy to get. Service stations, garages, all sorts of places have outside taps. Loo emptying the same, public loos in most places. In the sticks you often find a public loo (particularly in Scotland and the islands) will have an outside tap for walkers etc to fill up from. For example, we are currently on the Isle of Arran. We always wild camp here. there are at least 3 places I know of where I can easily fill and dump. There are a few tents dotted about but apart from us and a couple of other vans everyone else is on sites. Their choice I guess but the island is never overwhelmed with wild campers in tents or MH's so I guess its not an issue. Strangely you get more wild camping Tuggers here than motorhomers. 

The last two nights we were parked so close to the sea I could have almost dived out the window for a swim. This morning we had a visit from a great big Basking shark that was litterally swiming around right behind the van. Bet you dont see that often on a campsite.

Cheers
BD


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## Mick757 (Nov 16, 2009)

> ="Eisbaer"
> Clean water is usually available from filling stations. Failing that, we carry a plastic 25 litre water container and a small suitcase cart. It's often possible to fetch water from a nearby source and fill our tank manually. Alternatively, we also carry a 12v submersible water pump and can pump water from a trough or stream.


I also have the large container and the pump....and have to ask you why you dont (seemingly) also use the pump to empty the container into the van?


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## Seeker (Dec 26, 2005)

What we've done: 

Black waste: use green chemicals, dig a hole and bury it (it's usually liquid after a couple of hours sloshing about). Little and often is easiest.

Fresh water: garages often have taps - just buy your fuel there in return, alternatively car-washes have taps and hoses - a quid or a can of beer in exchange.

Harry


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## Eisbaer (May 1, 2005)

Hi Mick757......jeez - I never thought of doing that! 

Eisbaer


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi.
Wild camping in the UK is not a problem, water is available just about anywhere, and if you drink bottled water, mountain streams are a source of water when in the sticks, drunk by our forefathers straight out of the streams for hundreds of generations.
As for black waste part of the kit in my outside locker is a spade with a cut down shaft that is easy to stow, and when we are in the wilds in the middle of nowhere a hole soon gets rid of the waste and when covered up and the grass sod replaced it is as if nobody had been there. If we are near civalisation there is usually a convenient sewage manhole somewhere about to tip it down.

Wild camping abroad is a different matter especially when we have a month in Spain at the side of the river Ebro fishing.
In this case I got friendly with the local fishing tackle shop and he lets me fill containers with clean? town water and as we take the car on the back of the van transport is not a problem.
Black waste I looked round the town found a sewage manhole cover near the sewage treatment plant, I carry manhole lid keys so I just lift the lid and tip it down there. Failing that its a trip up into the mountains to dig a hole, trouble is the ground is very hard and rocky, so its a good job I am a builder used to digging. Another thing if you are a bloke find a tree out of the way for a pee, leave the inside bog for the ladies, then its amazing how long the cassette lasts.

Failing all that go to a campsite every 4th day, trouble with Spain where we go they are all shut for the out of season so we couldn't find one even if we wanted to :roll: .


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## rubyvan (Feb 19, 2009)

look at millarmedical web site they sell products ideal for wild camping which can be disposed of in the rubbish bin and save the hassel of seaching for places to empty the toilet :? (or driving around with it overfilled)


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## HiDeHi (Nov 27, 2019)

you really frightened him then lol


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