Last checked November 2026.
Lincolnshire runs from the Humber to the Wash, with beaches from Cleethorpes down past Mablethorpe and Skegness, the chalk hills of the Lincolnshire Wolds, the cathedral city of Lincoln, the flat farmland of the Fens and Stamford and Grantham on the A1. There are campsites all over the county, so it’s easy to tour in a campervan. The catch is overnight parking. The car-park orders of all seven district councils, and of North East Lincolnshire, ban sleeping in a parked vehicle, and the county council’s beach car parks between Chapel St Leonards and Sutton on Sea are closed to all vehicles from 10pm to 6am. The exceptions are a council motorhome area at Cleethorpes, open from mid-March to October, and a paid stopover at Louth’s livestock market. Plan the rest of your nights on campsites.
Where you can and can’t stay overnight
There’s no general law in England against sleeping in a van that’s legally parked on a public road, but local rules are common and you have to read the signs. There’s no right to wild camp in a vehicle anywhere in England: you need the landowner’s permission. The National Trust doesn’t allow overnight parking at any of its places, and Forestry England doesn’t allow it in its car parks. A council can also direct people living in a vehicle on a roadside or other land to leave; ignoring the direction, or coming back within three months, can mean a fine of up to £1,000. More in wild camping and free camping.
Council by council:
- Lincolnshire County Council’s beach car parks at Chapel Six Marshes, Wolla Bank, Anderby Creek, Marsh Yard and Moggs Eye, and Huttoft Car Terrace: any vehicle parked between 10pm and 6am gets a penalty charge notice, and so does any vehicle over 6 m long, trailers included, at any time. Chapel Six Marshes, Marsh Yard and Wolla Bank also have 1.95 m height barriers. From Good Friday to the end of October parking costs £1.50 for an hour, £3 for two hours and £5 for longer, between 10am and 5pm; pay by phone or app, or at the machines at Huttoft and Anderby Creek.
- East Lindsey (Skegness, Chapel St Leonards, Mablethorpe, Sutton on Sea, Louth, Horncastle, Woodhall Spa and Spilsby): the council’s car-park order bans using a vehicle parked in its car parks for sleeping, camping or cooking. By day, motorhomes can use the car parks at Richmond Drive in Skegness, Well Vale Drive in Chapel St Leonards, Seacroft Road in Mablethorpe and Broadway in Sutton on Sea. A van that takes up more than one bay needs a ticket for each bay it uses, up to four.
- City of Lincoln: since 25 November 2024 sleeping overnight in a vehicle isn’t allowed in any of the council’s car parks. You can still leave a van there overnight as long as nobody sleeps in it. A van that fits a standard 2.5 m by 5 m bay pays the normal tariff, and Tentercroft Street and The Lawn have bigger bays.
- North East Lincolnshire (Cleethorpes and Grimsby): the council’s car-park order bans sleeping, camping, cooking or “any form of human habitation” in its car parks without its written permission. Camper vans that fit a normal bay can use most of its car parks by day. Motorhomes too big for a bay are kept out of most of them, but can park by day at Grant Street car park in Cleethorpes. The only council car park where you can stay the night is the motorhome area at Thrunscoe Land (below).
- North Kesteven (Sleaford and North Hykeham), South Kesteven (Grantham, Stamford and Bourne), South Holland (Spalding and Holbeach), Boston and West Lindsey (Gainsborough, Market Rasen and Caistor): all their car-park orders ban sleeping or camping in a parked vehicle. West Lindsey’s parking strategy for 2026 to 2031 suggests overnight motorhome bays at Riverside car park in Gainsborough, but its car-park order would have to change first.
If you do stop on a road, park facing the direction of traffic at night, use your parking lights on roads with a limit over 30 mph and in their lay-bys, and don’t block anyone.
Vans used to spend the night in Lincoln’s long-stay car parks, on the West Common, by Willingham Woods, at the Humber Bridge viewing area and in lay-bys off the A1. Lincoln’s car parks now ban sleeping and Willingham Woods closes at dusk, so use a campsite or one of the two stopovers below.
Motorhome stopovers
Thrunscoe Land motorhome area, Cleethorpes. North East Lincolnshire Council’s aire for motorhomes and camper vans, at the south-east end of Thrunscoe Land car park beside the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway. It’s open from 15 March to 31 October. It costs £12 for 24 hours, paid on arrival with the PayByPhone app (not at the machines); you can stay up to 48 hours and can’t come back within seven days. There’s an Elsan point near the toilets for water and emptying cassettes. Park in the middle of your bay and keep chairs and tables inside. A barrier closes the entrance every evening, so arrive in good time.
Louth Livestock Market Motorhome Stopover, Upgate and London Road, Louth LN11 9DF. Tel: 01507 350500 (option 3). Run by the market’s auctioneers, a short walk from the town centre. Book and pay online and you’re given the code for the gate. It’s about £13 a night, with fresh water and grey waste disposal, and black waste disposal for £3.50 more. There’s a busy livestock market every Monday, so watch out for lorries and animals.
Campsites
There are holiday parks with touring fields all along the coast, and smaller sites inland. Most coastal sites close for the winter, but several inland ones are open all year. Book ahead for the summer and bank holidays, when many have minimum stays. Seasons are for 2026, or 2027 where the 2026 dates are no longer shown.
| Area | Campsite | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Skegness and Ingoldmells | Skegness Water Leisure Park, Walls Lane, Ingoldmells, PE25 1JF | Tel: 01754 899400. 1 March to 31 October 2026. Small, medium and large motorhome pitches. Minimum stay two nights |
| Skegness | Skegness Sands (Caravan and Motorhome Club affiliated), Winthorpe Avenue, PE25 1QZ | Tel: 01754 761484. Open all year, non-members welcome |
| Chapel St Leonards | Eastview Caravan Park, Trunch Lane, PE24 5UA | Tel: 01754 875324. 15 March to 31 October. Caravans, motorhomes and tents; gated entrance |
| Anderby Creek | Manor Farm Caravan Park, Sea Road, Anderby, PE24 5YB | Tel: 01507 490372. Caravan and motorhome pitches, held until 8pm on the day you arrive |
| Sutton on Sea | Kirkstead Holiday Park, North Road, Trusthorpe, LN12 2QD | Tel: 01507 441483. 1 March to 30 November. Touring caravans and motorhomes; arrive after 12pm |
| Sutton on Sea | Sutton-on-Sea Club Campsite (Caravan and Motorhome Club), Crabtree Lane, LN12 2RS | Tel: 01507 441503. 16 April to 4 October 2027, non-members welcome. From Alford, avoid Ings Lane, which is too narrow |
| Mablethorpe | Mablethorpe Camping and Caravanning Club Site, Church Lane, LN12 2NU | Tel: 01507 472374. 22 March to 25 October 2027. Put “Church Lane, Mablethorpe” in the satnav, not the postcode |
| Saltfleet and Donna Nook | Lakeside Park, Warren Road, North Somercotes, LN11 7RB | Tel: 01507 358428. 6 March to 29 November 2026. Motorhomes and caravans on the touring pitches |
| Cleethorpes | Haven Cleethorpes Beach, Humberston, DN35 0PW | A touring field with 120 pitches for everything from tents to motorhomes. No continental tourers |
| Market Rasen | Market Rasen Racecourse Caravan Park, Legsby Road, LN8 3EA | Tel: 01673 842307. 8 March to 22 October 2027. Motorhomes, caravans and tents |
| Caistor | Caistor Lakes, 99a Brigg Road, LN7 6RX | Tel: 01472 859626. Open all year for caravans, motorhomes and campervans. Check in by 8pm |
| Horncastle | Ashby Park, West Ashby, LN9 5PP | Tel: 01507 527966. Usually 1 March to 30 November. Touring caravan and motorhome pitches |
| Alford | Woodthorpe Leisure Park, Woodthorpe, LN13 0DD | Tel: 01507 450294. Motorhome pitches, for up to 14 nights |
| Woodhall Spa | Petwood Caravan Park, off Stixwould Road, LN10 6QH | Tel: 01526 354799. 26 March to 17 October 2027. Caravans, motorhomes and campervans; no tents |
| Woodhall Spa | Jubilee Park Motorhome Site, Stixwould Road, LN10 6QH | Tel: 01526 353478. Motorhomes only, 2 January to 23 December 2026; from November to March only vans with their own toilet and shower. Arrive between noon and 6pm |
| Woodhall Spa | Woodhall Spa Camping and Caravanning Club Site, Wellsyke Lane, Kirkby-on-Bain, LN10 6YU | Tel: 01526 352911. 22 March to 25 October 2027 |
| Lincoln | Hartsholme Country Park Campsite (City of Lincoln Council), Skellingthorpe Road, LN6 0EY | Tel: 01522 873578. 1 March to 31 October. Vans up to 8.2 m. Arrive between 1pm and 6pm; book ahead, as it can’t take bookings on the day |
| Grantham and the A1 | Wagtail Country Park (Caravan and Motorhome Club affiliated), Cliff Lane, Marston, NG32 2HU | Tel: 07814 481088. Open all year, non-members welcome. Hardstanding pitches 10 m by 10 m |
| Grantham and Sleaford | Woodland Waters, Willoughby Road, Ancaster, NG32 3RT | Tel: 01400 230888. Open all year. Caravans, motorhomes and RVs; no tents |
| Stamford | Tallington Lakes, Barholm Road, Tallington, PE9 4RJ | Tel: 01778 347000. Open all year. Motorhomes, caravans and tents; arrive after 2pm |
| Holbeach and Long Sutton | Delph Bank Touring Park, Old Main Road, Fleet Hargate, PE12 8LL | Tel: 01406 422910. Open all year, adults only |
| Spalding | Lake Ross, Dozens Bank, West Pinchbeck, PE11 3NA | Tel: 01775 761690. 20 pitches by the lake for tents, caravans and motorhomes |
Members of the Caravan and Motorhome Club and the Camping and Caravanning Club can also use the clubs’ small certificated sites, which take up to five vans and are often on farms; Decoy Farm in Lincoln is one of the Camping and Caravanning Club’s members-only sites. Since 2023 pop-up sites in England can open for up to 60 days a year and take motorhomes and campervans as well as tents. Brit Stops members can stop a night at farm shops, pubs and other hosts that take self-contained vans.
Getting there and driving
The A1 runs down the west side of the county past Grantham and Stamford, and the A46, A52 and A57 come in from Nottingham, Leicester and Sheffield. Inside the county, the A15 runs north from Peterborough through Bourne, Sleaford and Lincoln to the Humber Bridge, and the A16 from Peterborough through Spalding, Boston and Louth to Grimsby. The A158 goes from Lincoln through Horncastle to Skegness, and the A52 from Grantham through Boston to Skegness and up the coast to Mablethorpe.
There are no clean air zones in Lincolnshire. Campervans and motorhomes up to 3.05 tonnes unladen have the same speed limits as cars: 60 mph on single carriageways and 70 on dual carriageways and motorways. Heavier motorhomes are limited to 50 mph on single carriageways and 60 on dual carriageways.
Know your height. Three of the beach car parks have 1.95 m barriers (above), and Network Rail has named Grantham’s railway bridges on Barrowby Road, Harlaxton Road and Springfield Road among the most often hit in Britain.
The Humber Bridge
The A15 crosses the Humber into East Yorkshire on the Humber Bridge. Since February 2026 there are no toll booths. You pay online, in the Humber Bridge Toll app, by phone or at a PayPoint, either in advance or by midnight the day after you cross; miss that and a £25 admin charge is added. Cars and small vans under 3.5 tonnes pay £2, or £1.50 with an account, and the Act that sets the bridge’s tolls puts motor caravans in the same class as cars. If your motorhome is over 3.5 tonnes, check the bridge’s website before you cross.
Skegness, Ingoldmells and Gibraltar Point
Skegness is the seaside town where the A158 from Lincoln reaches the coast, with a sandy beach and the holiday parks of Ingoldmells to the north. By day, Richmond Drive car park takes motorhomes, and it has the council’s coach parking too. From 1 May to 30 September dogs are banned from the main beach and must be on a lead on the promenade, and the same goes at Sutton on Sea and Mablethorpe.
Gibraltar Point, Gibraltar Road, Skegness PE24 4SU, is a national nature reserve run by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, a stretch of unspoilt coast from the edge of Skegness to the mouth of the Wash, with a visitor centre and café. Parking costs £2 for two hours or £5 for the day, covering both car parks, and the car park closes at dusk. No dogs on the beach from 1 April to 1 September.
Chapel St Leonards to Sutton on Sea
Between Chapel St Leonards and Sandilands, at the south end of Sutton on Sea, is the Lincolnshire Coastal Country Park, with beaches and nature reserves, circular walks from Huttoft, Anderby Creek and Chapel Point, and the England Coast Path along the shore. The county council’s car parks along this stretch are for day visits only (above). In the villages, East Lindsey’s car parks at Well Vale Drive in Chapel St Leonards and Broadway in Sutton on Sea take motorhomes by day.
Mablethorpe, Saltfleet and Donna Nook
Mablethorpe has a sandy beach and promenade, and Seacroft Road car park takes motorhomes by day. North of Saltfleet, the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust’s Donna Nook reserve covers over 10 km of coast. Every November and December grey seals come ashore here to have their pups by the dunes, and the seal viewing area is open from late October to early January, from dawn to dusk. The main car park, in a field, opens only in the seal season and charges £5 a car for the day; the small free Stonebridge car park is for blue badge holders at weekends. Go on a weekday if you can, as the lanes are narrow and get very busy. No dogs in the viewing area, and Donna Nook is an active Ministry of Defence air weapons range, so obey the warning signs.
Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes is the resort at the mouth of the Humber, next to Grimsby, with its beaches and the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway. From March to October, stay at the Thrunscoe Land motorhome area (above); Haven’s Cleethorpes Beach park at Humberston has a touring field. By day, bigger motorhomes can use Grant Street car park.
Barton-upon-Humber and the Humber Bridge
A picnic place with a fine view of the Humber Bridge. From the A15, take the exit for Barton and follow the signs to the Bridge Viewing Area. It’s run by North Lincolnshire Council, next to Waters’ Edge, a nature reserve on the shore. It’s a lovely place to stop by day.
Lincoln
Lincoln’s cathedral and castle stand at the top of the hill, with the city centre and Brayford Pool below. The council’s car parks near Brayford Pool are ideal for visiting the town, cathedral and castle, though it’s a very steep climb up the hill. Tentercroft Street car park (LN5 7DB), below the hill, and The Lawn (Union Road, LN1 3BU), at the top by the castle, have bigger bays and no height barriers.
Leave Lincoln on the A57 Carholme Road and, as you pass the last houses, you come to the West Common, which used to be the racecourse. There’s parking at the Grandstand, and the city centre is about 10 to 15 minutes’ walk, past several bus stops. The common is open grassland with views of the cathedral, and has its own byelaws, displayed on site.
For the night, Hartsholme Country Park in the south of the city has the council’s own campsite, with buses into the centre. The Lincolnshire Show is at the showground on the A15 north of the city on 23 and 24 June 2027.
Waddington and Scampton
South of Lincoln on the A15, the lanes past RAF Waddington are recommended for aircraft spotters, but if Waddington is flying you’re at the end of the runway, so be warned. The RAF has a car park just off the airfield that’s open to the public for watching aircraft, and most flying is between 8am and 5pm.
The Red Arrows moved from RAF Scampton to Waddington in 2022, when Scampton closed, but they still practise in the skies over Scampton, north of Lincoln off the A15. If the Red Arrows are flying, it’s spectacular.
Market Rasen, Louth and the Wolds
Most of the Lincolnshire Wolds has been an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, now called a National Landscape, since 1973: 216 square miles of chalk hills, woodland and grassland, roughly between Caistor, Market Rasen, Louth and Horncastle.
Market Rasen has its racecourse, with a caravan park inside the grounds. On the A631 towards Louth, just beyond the racecourse, there’s a picnic area on the left at Willingham Woods, run by Forestry England. If you’re narrow enough you can get into the car park, which is free and open from dawn to dusk; the lay-by beside it belongs to the county council.
Louth, on the A16 on the eastern edge of the Wolds, has the stopover at the livestock market, and Woodhall Spa, south of Horncastle, has three campsites.
Grantham, Stamford and the A1
The Ram Jam Inn, by the A1 at Stretton just over the border in Rutland, whose big car park made a handy stop, has closed. For a night off the A1, Wagtail Country Park at Marston, just north of Grantham, is open all year and says it suits “a weary traveller who needs an overnight stay”. Woodland Waters at Ancaster, between Grantham and Sleaford, is open all year too.
Stamford, at the southern tip of the county on the River Welland, has Tallington Lakes just east of the town, open all year. Bourne Wood, a Forestry England wood off the A151 from Bourne to Corby Glen, has free parking from dawn to dusk.
Boston, Spalding and the Fens
The Fens fill the south-east of the county around the Wash, with the market towns of Boston, Spalding and Holbeach. Delph Bank at Fleet Hargate, between Holbeach and Long Sutton, is open all year for adults, and Lake Ross at West Pinchbeck is a small lakeside site near Spalding.
More on England
- England by campervan
- Norfolk, across the Wash
- East Yorkshire, across the Humber Bridge
- Cambridgeshire and Leicestershire, the neighbouring counties to the south
- Campsites
- Wild camping and free camping
- UK campervan hire
Sources: Lincolnshire County Council (coastal country park and car park pages, planning and regulation decisions, 2024 to 2025 parking report, Visit Lincolnshire); East Lindsey District Council’s off-street parking order (2014) and public spaces protection order (2024); City of Lincoln Council’s off-street parking order, car park and campsite pages and notice on overnight sleeping (2024); North East Lincolnshire Council’s off-street parking order (2022, amended 2025) and motorhome parking notices; the off-street parking orders of North Kesteven, South Kesteven, South Holland, Boston and West Lindsey, and West Lindsey’s parking strategy 2026 to 2031; Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape; Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust; Forestry England; National Trust; gov.uk (speed limits, clean air zones, Highway Code, Red Arrows); Royal Air Force; Lincolnshire Agricultural Society; Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994; Humber Bridge Act 2013 and the Humber Bridge Board; Network Rail; the Caravan and Motorhome Club, the Camping and Caravanning Club and campsite websites; checked November 2026. Know of a change? Tell us in the comments below.