One Night Stands - TranSiTion

There are several ways to find places to stay for the night with a camper van. Databases like park4night or iOverlander contain plenty information about overnight places, service stations, gas and water supply etc. But to get to the real cool and abandoned places the satellite images of google maps are still unbeatable. Look for gravel roads and dead ends and you will find a remote, quiet place to sleep.

On this page we like to share sites we really enjoyed and where we even stayed more than one night.

Bom Sucesso – Portugal

Location: 40.264388,-8.867796
Altitude: 10m
Date of visit: 2018/08/24

Nice site at the ocean 15 km north of Figueira da Foz.

Quinta Cabeca do Mato – Portugal

Location: 40.343221,-8.054530
Altitude: 250m
Date of visit: 2018/07/30

Eco farm run by an English couple.

Torre – Portugal

Location: 40.321407,-7.614564
Altitude: 1.993m
Date of visit: 2018/07/29

Highest point of Portugal. Easy to access.

Serra da Estrela – Portugal

Location: 40.446065,-7.566887
Altitude: 1.500m
Date of visit: 2018/07/24

Pretty lonesome place in the middle of the mountains of Serra da Estrela.

Sao Martinho das Chas – Portugal

Location: 40.971594,-7.541956
Altitude: 600m
Date of visit: 2018/07/21

Site on the banks of a reservoir.

Vila de Prado – Portugal

Location: 41.592903,-8.475193
Altitude: 100m
Date of visit: 2018/07/19

Site on the river bank of Rio Cávado next to the city of Braga.

National Park Peneda-Gerês – Portugal

Location: 41.743046,-8.170866
Altitude: 950m
Date of visit: 2018/07/16

Little parking spot next to a lookout. Only accessible by cars with sufficient ground clearance. Overnight stays tolerated by rangers.

Vilar do Monte – Portugal

Location: 41.830400,-8.539894
Altitude: 800m
Date of visit: 2018/07/14

A site on a mountain next to a natural reserve with an nice view on the city of Ponte de Lima.

Chaos – Portugal

Location: 41.921459,-8.700555
Altitude: 600m
Date of visit: 2018/07/12

Another site located on one of the steep mountains next to the ocean. This one is close to the border between Spain and Portugal.

Lira – Spain

Location: 42.788447,-9.094589
Altitude: 450m
Date of visit: 2018/07/11

Located on one of the steep mountains next to the ocean.

Fisterra – Spain

Location: 42.961031,-9.273108
Altitude: 20m
Date of visit: 2018/07/02

Super site on a cliff next to a fabulous beach.

Fonte Diaz – Spain

Location: 42.867493,-8.288753
Altitude: 300m
Date of visit: 2018/07/01

Parking spot on a field close to a pick-nick area.

Matavenero – Spain

Location: 42.533848,-6.377817
Altitude: 1.200m
Date of visit: 2018/06/29

Parking spot next to the eco village Mataverno.

La Pola de Gordón – Spain

Location: 42.889128,-5.616782
Altitude: 1.400m
Date of visit: 2018/06/28

Site next to a pass in a former mining region. Quite okay for one night.

Picos de Europa – Spain

Location: 43.177046,-4.795108
Altitude: 1.800m
Date of visit: 2018/06/27

This would have been a very nice place for the night, if the ranger had not chased us away. So we ended up at a pick-nick site next to a road down in the valley late that evening.

Punta del Poyo – Spain

Location: 43.413527,-4.132080
Altitude: 50m
Date of visit: 2018/06/25

Small parking spot at the end of a narrow and bumpy road. A few climbers come here to do rock-climbing. Calm during the night.

Nanclares de Gamboa – Spain

Location: 42.897483,-2.560948
Altitude: 300m
Date of visit: 2018/06/24

Parking spot at a lake next to the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz. Frequently used by locals and quite a lot of mosquitoes there.

Ruesta – Spain

Location: 42.588992,-1.075992
Altitude: 600m
Date of visit: 2018/06/22

Located in the ruins of an abandoned village. A few houses are still in use as a hostel along the Camino de Santiago. The warden and his staff are very friendly.