Should pub stops charge? - A landlords perspective
- TheCampervanBible Admin
- 15 hours ago
- 3 min read
We like pubs. The history, the tradition. The alcohol! But they’re disappearing, at an alarming rate. In the first quarter of 2026, one hundred and sixty one ‘locals’ called time, for the last time. That’s almost two every day; a trend which, if continued, would see more than six hundred and fifty lost in the year. And continue it almost certainly will. For pubs, the future, and many thousands of livelihoods, are in the balance.
Pubs have always adapted to bring in customers. Capturing passing trade has long been a necessity. Coaching inns, road-side resting places and, latterly, motorhome stopovers.
We recently saw a very interesting online post from the owners of the Boat Inn at Stockton in Warwickshire, in which they explained their approach to welcoming our community into their pub.
You often see discussions about pub motorhome stopovers — what pubs charge, whether you should have to eat in the pub, electric charges and so on. So we thought we'd explain it from the other side of the bar.
With the permission of the Boat Inn, We want to share their view.
“For most pubs, offering motorhome stopovers isn't about trying to become a campsite. It's about making use of some available space and hopefully bringing additional customers through the door.” An exercise in ‘back scratching, then!
“At The Boat Inn, we ask for a £25 deposit to reserve your stopover, which is fully redeemable against food in the pub. For the vast majority of people, it works brilliantly. You get somewhere convenient to stay. You enjoy a meal in the pub. Maybe a few drinks too! The pub gets some additional business. Everyone wins.” Couldn’t be more simple, could it?
And yet, there seems to be a misconception floating around in the campervan community - that if you sign up to certain books, apps or maps, you are 'entitled' to stay at a venue for free without making any purchase. The Campervan Bible is at pains to point out, this is - false! We can’t ever stress this enough. It is solely at the owner's discretion on what basis stopovers are permitted.
So why the £25 deposit at The Boat Inn? “Quite simply, experience. We only have a limited number of spaces. Without a deposit, people can reserve a space and simply not turn up — meanwhile, we may have turned somebody else away. And yes… we've even had the occasional person arrive, buy half a pint, then use our pub tables and chairs to eat their own food before leaving their rubbish behind for us to clear up. Thankfully, they're very much the minority.”
“The overwhelming majority of motorhomers who stay with us are lovely. They support the pub, enjoy their evening, respect the surroundings and quite often come back again. And that support is perhaps more important today than ever.”
So when a pub offers a motorhome stopover, there's a very simple reason behind it: they are hoping for your support. They are providing somewhere convenient, welcoming, and safe, for you to stay. In return they hope you'll enjoy something to eat, have a drink and put a little money across the bar. Everything in balance.
We spoke to James who is a member of the management team at The Boat, he explained, “Different pubs do it differently. Some charge for parking, some ask you to eat in the pub, some charge for electricity and some simply ask that you buy a drink. There isn't a right or wrong system — it has to work for each individual pub. Our system is £25, fully redeemable against food, because we've found that's what works for us. It's not about charging someone £25 to park in a car park. It's about creating something that works for the motorhomer AND makes it worthwhile for the pub to continue offering it. With almost two pubs disappearing every day, we'd much rather see motorhomes in pub car parks and customers sitting inside enjoying themselves than another set of pub doors close for the final time.”
So next time you use a pub stopover, support the pub with a kind heart. The arrangement is mutually beneficial and, if there is a charge for EHU, remember that the owners have an energy bill to pay, just as you do. Enjoy a meal, have a drink knowing that your bed is in the carpark, leave them a review and tell your fellow travelers about them.
Our thanks to James and all at The Boat Inn. Support the pub. Respect the stopover. Help keep both going and enjoy your journeys.
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