By motorhome to Britain and Ireland: entry, driving on the left, tolls and overnighting

This guide is for drivers from EU countries with an EU-registered motorhome. Great Britain and Northern Ireland are outside the EU, the Republic of Ireland is inside it, and the rules differ on each side of the water. Some figures below come from secondary sources or press reports; they are marked as such, and everything marked should be checked on the official site before departure.

Entry and papers

EU citizens need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) for the UK. GOV.UK gives the fee as £20 and allows a stay of up to six months; each traveller needs one, including children. The page does not state how long the ETA itself stays valid. According to press reports the fee rose in April 2026 and the ETA is valid for two years, but treat that as reported, not confirmed. Apply only through the official app or GOV.UK, which warns about look-alike sites. Whether an ETA is needed when you drive from the Republic of Ireland into Northern Ireland could not be confirmed, so check GOV.UK before you go.

Carry passport, driving licence, vehicle registration document and proof of insurance. We could not confirm whether a Green Card is required for EU-registered vehicles in Great Britain and Northern Ireland: ask your insurer in writing and keep the answer with you. For Ireland, the Road Safety Authority lists valid insurance documents among the papers to carry.

Driving on the left and narrow roads

Traffic keeps left and roundabouts are driven clockwise, giving way to traffic from the right. The driver sits on the right, so the kerb side is the passenger side, and judging the left edge takes practice; a co-driver who calls the distance helps. The dipped beam of a vehicle built for right-hand traffic dazzles oncoming drivers, so check the manufacturer’s advice on adjusting or masking the headlights.

Rural roads in Scotland and western Ireland can be narrow, with passing places or no verge at all. Drive at a speed that lets you stop in the distance you can see, and pull in to let faster traffic by. Our article on single-track roads in Scotland covers the passing-place rules in detail.

Speed limits and dimensions

In Great Britain the limits are in mph, and Northern Ireland also uses miles per hour. GOV.UK gives motorhomes up to 3.05 tonnes unladen 60 mph on single carriageways and 70 mph on dual carriageways and motorways. Above 3.05 tonnes the figures are 50, 60 and 70 mph. A car towing a caravan or trailer is held to 50, 60 and 60 mph. Built-up areas are 30 mph, and in Wales 20 mph has been the default in residential areas since September 2023, although councils may raise roads back to 30. Local limits are signed and take priority.

The Republic of Ireland uses km/h. The Road Safety Authority gives 120 on motorways, 100 on national roads, 80 on regional roads and 50 in towns; with a trailer or caravan the maximum is 80. We found no separate limits for motorhomes over 3.5 tonnes. The alcohol limit is 80 mg per 100 ml of blood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 50 mg in Scotland and in Ireland. For size, UK rules allow UK-registered motorhomes up to 12 m long and 2.55 m wide, with a cab notice from 3 m in height (NI Direct); how this applies to foreign vehicles is not confirmed, and we found no Irish maximum dimensions. Know your height before every low bridge or car park barrier.

Tolls and low-emission zones

At the Dartford Crossing you pay by midnight on the day after crossing, otherwise a penalty charge notice follows (GOV.UK). For the M6 Toll we could not confirm the payment deadline or the surcharge; check the operator’s site before you drive. On the Tamar Bridge only the eastbound crossing, towards Plymouth, is charged. Durham charges a road user charge, reported as £5 per day between 10:00 and 14:00 (check durham.gov.uk/ruc). Newcastle’s Clean Air Zone exempts private cars, but how a motorhome is classed is unclear, so enter your registration on GOV.UK.

On the Irish M50 you can pay without an account until 20:00 on the following day, after which a surcharge applies (tii.ie). The Jack Lynch Tunnel in Cork is toll-free. Scotland has low-emission zones in Glasgow, Edinburgh (since 1 June 2024), Aberdeen and Dundee. Petrol vehicles need at least Euro 4 and diesel Euro 6; penalty amounts, early-payment discounts and any registration rules for foreign vehicles could not be confirmed, so check lowemissionzones.scot for each city. Look up the Euro class in your registration document before you plan a city route.

Overnighting and wild camping

England and Wales have no general right to wild camp. On Dartmoor the Supreme Court ruled on 21 May 2025 that the right covers only backpack camping on certain commons; the national park authority does not allow overnight stays in motorhomes or other vehicles. In the Lake District, camping in car parks or at the roadside is never permitted; parking that obstructs nobody is usually tolerated, but the police can ask you to move on. Wales plans a visitor levy no earlier than 1 April 2027, reported as £0.75 or £1.30 per night; Conwy has postponed it.

In Scotland the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and the Outdoor Access Code apply, but access rights reportedly do not cover activities that depend on a vehicle (a weak 2015 source, so ask the local authority). In March 2025 Highland Council dropped a proposed overnight ban for campers in car parks at Durness and Golspie, according to the Northern Times. A Highland levy was put to consultation in August 2026, with a draft of £2 per night for campsites from March to November; a decision is planned for December 2026.

Ireland has no right to wild camp, and counties can impose bans and bye-laws. Mayo County Council reportedly banned overnight stays in vehicles at Keem Bay on Achill in 2021. In Cork, access controls and bye-laws were discussed in summer 2026; no decision could be confirmed. Obey local signs and use campsites or designated spots where in doubt.

Gas, food and pets

Le Shuttle accepts at most 47 kg per cylinder and 50 kg in total, and fixed tanks may be filled to 80 percent at most and must have a level gauge. We could not confirm Stena Line’s gas rules, so ask Stena and every other operator directly before booking. Foreign cylinders are generally not exchanged in the UK, so plan your supply for the whole trip.

GOV.UK allows fish, poultry, eggs and honey from the EU into Great Britain, but not pork, beef, lamb or goat, including sausages, nor dairy products. Exceptions are up to 2 kg of milk powder and baby or special medical food in unopened branded packaging. Dogs need a microchip, rabies vaccination and a travel document; GOV.UK says a valid pet passport issued by an authorised vet in an EU country is still accepted for entry to Great Britain. Dogs must also have a tapeworm treatment 24 hours to 5 days before arrival, recorded in the passport; check on GOV.UK whether an exemption applies to your route. Verify all of this on GOV.UK before departure; rules for pets entering Ireland were not established here.

Ferries and the October season

Brittany Ferries sails Cherbourg to Rosslare, and Irish Ferries Cherbourg to Dublin; Brittany Ferries’ Roscoff to Cork service is seasonal. We could not confirm whether the Lough Foyle ferry runs in October, as it is a seasonal service, and the same goes for CalMac’s Mallaig to Armadale crossing, whose winter timetable is thinner; check both operators’ current timetables. Book vehicle spaces on all routes.

Many campsites close between September and October. One example is a site in Inverness that stays shut until a week before Easter. Call ahead and confirm opening, hook-ups and waste disposal before you commit to an itinerary.

Sources

• Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) (GOV.UK)
• Speed limits (GOV.UK)
• Pay the Dartford Crossing charge (Dart Charge) (GOV.UK)
• Advice for using the roads in Ireland (Road Safety Authority)
• Bringing food into Great Britain: meat, dairy, fish and animal products (GOV.UK)
• Gas used for domestic services (Le Shuttle help centre)
• Pay a Toll (Transport Infrastructure Ireland)
• Bringing your pet dog, cat or ferret to Great Britain (GOV.UK)
• Bringing your pet dog, cat or ferret to Great Britain: before you travel (GOV.UK)