During the August 2023 mid summer season I somehow ended up doing a Vanlife stealth camp in Skegness, north Lincolnshire of all places. Somehow a quick overnight stop over turned into 4 night stay. Here’s my experience of Vanlife stealth camping in Skegness
To set the scene I’d been on a bit of a life trek, after loosing my job due to the highest form or Nepotism (thanks Synergy technologies) I decided on a road trip. From Pembrokeshire to Aberwystwth would be my first leg, venturing up to Southport for a job interview, an unexpected long stay in Blackpool, bouncing across the UK to Hull for Slumber on the Humber, finally resting at Skegness via Ingoldmess, which in hindsight I wish I’d spent a night there too see what thats like.
Stealth camping in Skegness is it possible?
Absolutely! You can park on the promenade for free from 6pm to 8am with no return between 2 and 4 hours depending on location. Technically this means if you were to arrive after 6pm you wouldnt have to leave your spot till either 10am or 12pm (location dependant) as the count down only starts from the moment the parking wardens first notice you are parked up. A tactic I employed a couple of times but making sure to park in different spots near the sea front so as not to draw attention to myself.
Down the end of South Parade there is the Princess Parade car park which net’s you all day parking for £6.
At night South Parade was quiet apart from the occasional howl of exploding exhaust from a boy racer. From my week there there was no noise from late night revellers as the night life was non existent, partly due to how Skegness has changed due to “the immigrant issue.”
Now hold up before you start flaming me for using this as an excuse. Walking along the seafront, I was genuinely shocked by the number of “ no rooms available” signs with frosted windows protecting the privacy of their occupants. It didn’t take long to see that the majority of guesthouses were being used for immigrant housing. This shift has meant fewer tourists, which in turn leads of fewer evening crowds, less noise and a noticeable change in the vibe of a seaside town evening during peak season.
If you are hoping for a holiday, summer season vibe – lively bars, pubs buzzing past sundown calling you in for one last drink – you will be sadly disapointed.
High street restaurants nestled amongst the shops or aka, the road that leads to spoons were closing at 7 – 8pm, even on weekends. Pubs on the seafront catching the sun rays all day, ripe for watching the sun go down were barren not long after. All of this lead to a strange void, leaving a feeling of oddly hollow.
Food Offerings.
During the day you’d be pretty well sorted so far as you’re into those cheap burgers, with even cheaper rolls and all day breakfast which all hover around the same price. A handful of places will proclaim 10% or 20% and give a handy discount if you are feeding a family but the prices are a little higher before the discount.
Being Skegness Fish and Chips is a given, after all it is the seaside, ideally go for a small drive inland to save some money and get a better quality of fish and chips. Personally if I see someone cooking who’s a teenager working on serving up fish and chips I’ll walk away. I never did find a chippie that seems to house the locals even with a bit of walking to explore the area.
Other than that theres the KFC, standard chains of Marston’s and the Mcdonalds but be wary of the Maccies. Avoid this place between 7pm and 9pm. Not only can it take up to 30 minutes to get your food just to the sheer business of it all but they will stop entry into the building as it hits capacity.
My budget didn’t allow for checking out a couple of the bistro’s in Skegness sadly but like I say, unless I missed something most places were done early.
Back To Stealth Camping – Facilities
When out on the road, water is bloody precious. Honestly you have no idea how much you use when until you it’s not on tap. YouTubers would have you believe that water is always accessible and easy to get to. Not so in Skegness. On the beach and a good 8 minute walk from my park up was a tap usable for washing sand off feet and that was that. No taps outside public toilets for washing water. Speaking of which going to the bathroom will cost you 40p which was a gamble on a sunny day, pub toilet’s didn’t fare much better.
My tip is to go into one of the many arcades which have a cafe on the 2nd floor. It won’t be perfect but at least you know they won’t be as well used as who really want’s to deal with stairs when you “have to go”
Bins are plenty and thankfully lacking a the whole nonsense of what can and can’t go into a bin that most people ignore anyways.
For the posh ones who have a toilet in their van there are no elsan points anywhere so those toilets will need to be emptied if you planning to be there for a few days
Things to do in Skegness.
This really depends on who you are and who you’re with. If you’re a solo stealth camper, a couple of days will probably do you. You’ll get the gist of Skeggy pretty quickly.
A stroll along the prom on a sunny day is pleasant enough, but don’t expect much from the town centre—most of the shops shut by 4:30pm. That one caught me off guard. In peak season, you’d think there’d be more life in the high street past mid-afternoon.
The fun fair kind of sets the tone for Skegness as a whole. I was hoping to catch that classic shot of the big wheel lit up at night, but most evenings, the whole promenade was winding down by 7pm, with the wheel switched off by 8. Not exactly the lively seaside buzz you’d hope for.
The pier itself also disappointed, I get the lack of arcade machines now in place of slots or push penny machines (yes I’m that old) but when walking out on the back 3/4 of the lights were faulty. This was in peak season when it couldn’t have been any busier.
For families or couples, you can stretch it into a long weekend, but be warned—it gets pricey fast. Hitting the fairground and the promenade with kids will cost a small fortune. Everything is geared toward quick turnover and short stays.
Demographics-wise, it was mostly young couples aged 18 to 25, or grandparents with the grandkids in tow. The 25 to 45 crowd? Practically nonexistent while I was there.
Skegness Van Life Nightlife.
It was genuinely bizarre to see a seaside town so dead, so early, right in the middle of summer. The kind of pubs you’d expect to be spilling out with sunburnt revellers and weekend drinkers were eerily quiet. A “busy” night seemed to mean maybe a dozen people watching the football.
The barometer of any British town, Wetherspoons, was also deader than my love life. When a Spoons can’t pull in a crowd you know something is up.
After chatting with a few locals and bar owners looking decidedly bored and forlorn, the general consensus was that this has been the most off-season “peak season” in memory. Gone are the days when arcades stayed open past midnight and the seafront buzzed with families and night owls. There’s this strange, lingering sense of “when does the season actually start?”
Yes, the cost of living crisis plays a part. But more than one local pointed out the ongoing immigration situation—many hotels and B&Bs now house asylum seekers, which has drastically changed who’s in town and why. It’s not hearsay—it’s been well covered in the news, including this BBC article from July 2023 that highlights growing concerns about crime, public safety, and the impact on tourism.
So what’s this got to do with vanlife?
For one, locals told me they’re too wary to go out late at night—especially since the street lights are switched off to save money. One bar owner even mentioned an incident involving people being chased with machetes, believed to be drug-related. There was also a report about a body being found behind a Tesco. Whether or not that kind of thing is a one-off or part of a wider pattern, it adds to the feeling of a town that’s struggling with bigger issues under the surface.
That said, from a vanlifer’s perspective, I never felt unsafe parking up along the seafront or on nearby roads. Seeing other campervans nearby helped, as did the overall quiet. If you don’t mind a short 10-minute walk, there’s even a The SeaView Family Pub that welcomes vanlifers—just grab some food while you’re there and they’re happy to have you.
Is Skegness Worth a Van Life Visit
That really depends on where you’re coming from. If you’re only a few hours away, then sure—Skeggy is worth a stop for a long weekend. But from my perspective, a couple of days is enough to hit the peak of what’s on offer. If you’re within a three-hour radius—realistically, that means you’re already in Lincolnshire, and let’s be honest, options are limited.
As part of a wider road trip? Absolutely—Skegness makes for a decent stop-off. Pull in, see the sights, grab some chips, and take in the prom. But as a destination in and of itself? Sadly, it just doesn’t deliver.
Shops shutting by 4:30pm, the town’s signature big wheel sitting unlit at night, and that missing buzz you’d expect from a seaside town in peak summer—it all left a bit of a void. The energy just wasn’t there.
That said, for vanlifers, it’s an easy, no-fuss place to park up for a few nights. No hassle, no drama, and a few other campers around to give you that bit of reassurance. The only real question is… where’s next?
Update 1st May 2025
This blog was written following my visit to Skegness in summer 2023. Since then, the BBC published an article (Jan 2024) confirming that many B&Bs in the area have been repurposed to house asylum seekers—something I noticed during my stay. The local council has raised concerns about the impact on tourism and the town’s economy.
