Roads to Dorset - are they ok for touring?
We have never been touring in Dorset and the reason is because my husband says that the roads down there are really narrow for our motorhome. Our motorhome is an 18ft McLouis Lagan.
Does anyone have any recommendations / info?
Comments
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Some of the A roads seem a bit narrower than the norm but are adequate. As with any area once you stray onto the more minor roads, these are very variable. If you want to avoid any potential problems pick a site close to major roads with the minimum of narrow access. If you are using CC sites you can check where they are on Google maps and then use street view to check on access widths etc. Some private sites take a little bit of hunting out on occasions, but then Google and street view can be used to check them.
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go for it, i used to drive coaches down in dorset and never had a issue. All i say is plan your route and you will be fine.
Things get a bit tighter cornwall and devon, yet i still managed a full size coach in those areas to.
Now ring of kerry in ireland before it was one way was a different matter........
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Without hijacking this thread , but we are looking at going to Luworthcove in August , is there a better road to follow down in to the cove ( once you are off the main A road) and what's the parking like when you are there?
appoliges to OP for jumping in with a question
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Without hijacking this thread , but we are looking at going to Luworthcove in August , is there a better road to follow down in to the cove ( once you are off the main A road) and what's the parking like when you are there?
appoliges to OP for jumping in with a question
Use Google Earth or Google maps and get the little man out and have a look what the roads are like. You can do the whole journey from your armchair or you can be brave and just turn up and see what it's like.
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We spent 2 weeks down there in a 2.3m wide 7.5m Motor Home without any problems. You can even park in Sandbanks and go to Rick Steins. If you have a dog then you can also get morning coffee as well. Cannot tell you about camp sites because we didn't use
any. We did park outside a very very very expensive house in Sandbanks for a night after visiting Rick Steins. Really nice beach but you have to be there early if you want to park for free. They even let buses on ther ferry so a MH is no problem. As for narrow
roads yes there are some and the locals get really upset when they have to back up but we pay taxes like everyone else. Lots to do down there. We had a great 2 weeks.0 -
Without hijacking this thread , but we are looking at going to Luworthcove in August , is there a better road to follow down in to the cove ( once you are off the main A road) and what's the parking like when you are there?
appoliges to OP for jumping in with a question
Write your comments here...Do not worry we have been to. Lulworth Cove when we dabled with the "Dark Side" and the car park is a destination for the "wrinklys" and most other coaches ,there is no vehicle access to the cove itself
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I can recommend the coast road between Weymouth as far as Seaton (in Devon) for spectacular views of the Jurassic coast with plenty of interesting places to stop along the way The main roads in Dorset are fine but there are lots of very narrow lanes too. Have a look at street view if you are in doubt about access. The roads around Poole and Dorchester can be very busy but all have good access. Lyme Regis is tricky, I'd recommend using the two big car parks at the top of the town, the Charmouth side and the Seaton side. If you have NT membership there are some free car parks along the coast.
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Some roads are narrow but that tends to be the way in the Westcountry as a whole. I don't think Dorset is any worse than other counties.
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Without hijacking this thread , but we are looking at going to Luworthcove in August , is there a better road to follow down in to the cove ( once you are off the main A road) and what's the parking like when you are there?
appoliges to OP for jumping in with a question
Write your comments here...HD both roads down are OK, bit tight in palces but we ahd no issues, a bus and lots of coaches go down. There is a big car park at Lulworth cove which has dedicated M/H spaces but these were full wheen we arrived and the attendant
put us on the end of a row so there is no isues, its levely by the way ans if this forum allowed I would uplaod some photos..0 -
I would have thought almost all roads to Dorset are suitable for touring, after all it is in the relatively civilised UK and not some innaccessible third world backwater, otherwise their tourist trade will be a bit limited! I do wonder if someone
so concerned may need the benefit of some specialist driver training to improve their confidence and skills to better cope with any unexpected problems...........0 -
Without hijacking this thread , but we are looking at going to Luworthcove in August , is there a better road to follow down in to the cove ( once you are off the main A road) and what's the parking like when you are there?
appoliges to OP for jumping in with a question
Use Google Earth or Google maps and get the little man out and have a look what the roads are like. You can do the whole journey from your armchair or you can be brave and just turn up and see what it's like.
Write your comments here.oking at going to Luworthcove in August , is there a better road to follow down in to the cove ( once you are off the main A road) and what's the parking like when you are there?
appoliges to OP for jumping in with a question
Use Google Earth or Google maps and get the little man out and have a look what the roads are like. You can do the whole journey from your armchair or you can be brave and just turn up and see what it's like.
Aword of warning, the car park at Lulworth cove is £4.00 per hour as of last week.
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Without hijacking this thread , but we are looking at going to Luworthcove in August , is there a better road to follow down in to the cove ( once you are off the main A road) and what's the parking like when you are there?
appoliges to OP for jumping in with a question
Use Google Earth or Google maps and get the little man out and have a look what the roads are like. You can do the whole journey from your armchair or you can be brave and just turn up and see what it's like.
Write your comments here.oking at going to Luworthcove in August , is there a better road to follow down in to the cove ( once you are off the main A road) and what's the parking like when you are there?
appoliges to OP for jumping in with a question
Use Google Earth or Google maps and get the little man out and have a look what the roads are like. You can do the whole journey from your armchair or you can be brave and just turn up and see what it's like.
Aword of warning, the car park at Lulworth cove is £4.00 per hour as of last week.
Write your comments here...We paid £7.50 for up to 6 hours I think it was!!
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Kimmeridge has a nice car park overlooking the bay but the downside is that the lanes to it are a bit narrow. I often wonder how visitors to the CC site there get on.
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Not Motorhomers, but have a large single axle caravan and I'm realtively new as a returnee to towing. We are going to St Leonards next month and have definitely put Google Maps/Earth to good use. If I'd purely followed the AA Route Planner I'd have taken
a route that appears to have the worst possible stretch of a hilly Z Bend I've seen.0 -
Avoid peak holiday periods if you can. Avoid the A350. There are stretches where the A350 carriageway narrows and there's little room to pass a vehicle coming the other way. There are sharp bends, high hedges, and HGVs. Not all the road is tight, there are
some good stretches.We've just done a week at Swanage in our 6m long, 2.74m wide [including wing mirrors] and it was OK. Slow down when a lorry or coach is coming the other way and be prepared to stop. Some of the unclassified roads are good as are the B roads in general.
We watched a new, full sized double decker negotiate its way into and out of Worth Matravers on its regular service without any serious problems and that part of Dorset is as bad as it gets.
We view roads on Google Maps to see which are suitable.
Take your walking boots!
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You have to remember that the roads in the southwest have to be smaller to make the foot of England look bigger ,its like show homes on new build estates,where the furniture is specifically made small to make rooms look bigger
Watch it! Our roads are purpose designed to keep out undesirables from the Home Counties.
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