Campervan and Motorhome Stopovers at Frugaldom

Checking for Donations

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this rather hectic past month that has seen us having to close the gate for a day here and there to allow for other things to be done. Sometimes, circumstances beyond our control simply take over and family stuff needs urgent attention. But we are now open again, ready to welcome campervans and motorhomes.

Meanwhile, back at the Frugaldom yard, we leave the cameras running and leave our woodland wildlife friends to keep an eye on things when we cannot be here. Unfortunately, in this instance, the box of eggs we had been left as a donation got scoffed by the pine martens and badgers in our absence. Oops! 

We are now into our 11th year of the Frugaldom project and 4th year of opening the yard up to campervans and motorhomes. We have been debating long and hard about whether or not to continue offering this service after the existing licence expires on 31 March 2025. The decision is not proving an easy one to make, for various reasons. We have ponies, goats and wildlife on site. Frugaldom is completely off-grid with no services and no human residents - we have recreational huts for use during holidays, weekends and whenever looking after sick animals or during woodland and wildlife habitat works. Our 'aire' (see 'What is an Aire' if you don't know what one is) is small, providing basic overnight parking for a maximum of 5 small campervans or 3 motorhomes up to maximum 7.5m, all within the yard by the barn. It is safe, secluded and is hard standing, so OK to drive over all year round. It is not 100% level - we need it like this for drainage purposes because out here in the countryside, there are no drains. Surface water has to run off somewhere so our yard is on a slight slope. If you need perfectly level ground so your fridge works then Frugaldom is probably not the stopover for you, although we do allow levelling ramps. WE DO NOT PERMIT HYDRAULICS, GENERATORS, AWNINGS, BBQs, CAMPFIRES, FIREWORKS OR FLOODLIGHTS and in or around all buldings / structures is NO SMOKING or VAPING. Do what you like within the confines of your vehicles but also respect our quiet hours - we have them for good reason. No walking around after dark with flashlights as these can startle ponies and result in accidents. We have elderly and infirmed animals on site - the yard is a stopover onlym not a mini campsite.

DOGS - we have had to factor in people bringing pets and owing to an incident whereby one of our hut visitors was attacked in the yard, we now insist ALL PETS are kept on SHORT LEADS and kept under full control at all times. We have rescued and retired animals, feral cats, snakes and busy wildlife feeding stations around the edge of the yard. When darkness falls, we are on lockdown so if you have pets that need walked after dark or people who expect to be outside after dark for any reason other than stargazing or wildlife watching then Frugaldom stopover is not the place for you. Likewise, if you expect spectacular views and the freedom to wander whereve you want, Frugaldom is not the stopover for you. We need extra insurance and appropriate signage (which very few seem to read), which costs money. Being completely off grid with no services means we have NO SERVICES - no electricity, no running water, no sewerage and no drains. We have a few tiny solar lights, sloping rain water run off, rain water harvesting off the barn roof and a chemical loo waste disposal tank, contracted to WC in Fields for emptying. As well as this, our main drive and fencing are in dire need of repair owing to more traffic drivers and careless who hit the fences while parking. (Not all were motorhomes, I should add.) Year to date, we have hosted 70 visiting campervans or motorhomes including those who return for subsequent visits. We do not want to impose a fee increase as many of our visitors return and are happy to support the Frugaldom project either by volunteering while her or else contributing what they can by way of donations, be it cash, fresh eggs, peanuts, wildbird food or other items suitable for the project. One of our fabulous campervanners donated a few saplings for planting in the new woodland and then returned with a handmade owl nestbox, which they also hung in the barn for us while here. We love people to get involved and help out. Those staying to do overnight photography and then sharing their photographs online is another bonus we have received, with some absolutely spectacular photos being posted of the night skies and our visiting wildlife. The project doesn't really lend itself to young children when we have no facilities and can't allow them near the rescue ponies for safety reasons but that does not make us 'not child friendly'. If your kids enjoy getting out into nature, there are miles and miles of woodlands, forest and lochside walks nearby plus mud, glorious mud - most kids love muddy wellie weekends. 

Our insurance is for overnight parking only so in that respect, we are risk averse. If the sign says no, then it means NO, no matter what. Rulebreakers can be asked to leave and that information may be shared with fellow aire owners without any breach of GDPR (data protection).

Rounding up now to say that despite rules, regulations, health and safety issues and the not so great Scottish weather, I do consider Frugaldom a fantastic place to visit for an overnight and let's face it - where else can you taje the famiy for a fiver and have to possibility of sitting in your van watching badgers and pine martens through your windows. If you have one, bring a trail cam.

If yu would rather just send us your money or join us from afar, see the various options on our page at www.ko-fi.com/Frugaldom or just paypal it to frugaldom@gmail.com 😃