Will C&MC now be supportive of Motorhome Aires?
The Caravan Club has hitherto never been in the least supportive of Motorhome Aires (overnight parking stops as distinct from campsites) seemingly because the Club was an operator of campsites and therefore didn't want any type of alternative overnight stops in UK for motorhomes competing with them.
But now the Club has become the Caravan and Motorhome Club, so will the position change?
No downside for campsites in supporting Motorhome Aires as I see it, we still need lots more overnight accommodation for both caravans and motorhomes in UK, simply to satisfy demand. Motorhomes make widespread use of Aires (in France) and Stelplatz (in Germany) as well as most other European countries so why not in UK too? They can be located in places which are too small or unsuitable for a proper campsite (no toilet block, just parking, water and a waste dump) yet still do a useful job.
Developing Motorhome Aires in UK would add another string to the Club's bow and help to cope with increasing demand for overnight space for caravans and motorhomes, so why not?
Edited for typos
Comments
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Good idea, should help take the pressure off "proper campsites".
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Great idea and one I'd get right behind normally but my current preference is for the club to try a bit harder to keep sites on the network, maintain the ones they already have and replace the ones they've lost.
After all the sites are open to all members.
If you mean campaigning for them rather than providing them then absolutely they should. They need to raise the profile of the hobby more than they do
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I didn't dare ask the question but glad you did StuartO. It is an excellent idea but I doubt we will get and answer from the Club. As you say all that is required is a service point and with todays technology they can be barrier controlled and unmanned. Many sites in France have them as annexes to their main site but that of course requires more land at an existing site. The one part of Camping St Claire in Neufchatel is superb but a bit OTT in my view. See attched pic
peedee
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+ 1
At the present time I feel the club needs to prioritise the upgrading of some sites and acquisition of others but campaign by all means.
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Back in 2004/2005 the Club claimed it had investigated the posibility of establishing stop overs with the operators of the service areas on the motorways and claimed it was the operators themselves who were against the Club doing so. I have since seen signs saying you can stay overnight on service areas for an exhorbitant charge although it would not be my choice even if it were cheaper, too noisy with the coming and goings.
They also said the did not rule out the posibility of establishing Aire type facilities and said,
"We have recently looked at this possibility in a variety of formats and have concluded that it is not a feasible proposition at the present time. As in all aspects of network development, the concept will be kept in mind, to be reviewed in the light of any changes to the current situation."
That was in February 2004.
The only visible change I have seen is the increase in the number of motorhomes on the roads, up over 17 percent in 2016.
peedee
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Designing night halts for use by caravans as well as motorhomes adds to the challenge but I don't see why it couldn't be done.
Good to see so much positive support from members.- come on C&MC and committees, get your thinking caps on and show some initiative! A pilot location to try this idea out would do no harm at all.
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Mention is often made of the provision here, the UK, as opposed to the continent, in the main France.Whilst I would welcome a greater provision, for all not just MH owners, there seem to be two main issues.
We don't have the space and how would you decide, apart from say locations as AD suggests, where to put them and, in France, communities have long catered for MH owners in a bid to get them stop and spend.
When we were considering a MH the image in my head was the ability to tour more with lots of stops in convenient and free 'aires'.
My wife was opposed to the 'touring and lots of stops' and our MH owning friends that holiday with us have commented that increasingly aires are not free to use.
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I think you have to accept their is a cost in their provision and therefore there will be a charge. I'd love to know what the Club's current thinking is. There are always plenty of platitudes but little action. I am sure there must be opportunities in partnership with others.
peedee
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DEFRA did set aside over £100m to help local communities in growing their local economy so why hasn't the club used this initiative (about 18 months old) to discuss the benefits of tourers bringing money into these areas by setting up Aires or small sites, maybe having a maximum stop of 48 or 72 hours?
I assume this is the sort of thing that Sites dept would get involved in. Once again it would be nice to know.
I agree with Jayess though that we need new sites to replace those lost and those about to be lost. Remember your existing clientele and don't throw the baby out with the bathwater springs to mind.
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There are already a few Aires in the UK, there is a list >here< one of the first was Canterbury. Looks like the Lake District is giving it some thought. See >this article<
peedee
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Oh! Moneymaking in the Lake District how grubby and unusual, whatever next!
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There is facility to overnight at the Roodee car park in Chester. The car park is obviously little used at night and has lorry and coach parking bays and of course the coach parking is little used as such overnight. Other car parks have similar arrangements. This is far away from providing a dedicated aires type facility as in it is making additional use of a slack period and presumably bringing trade to the city.
Presumably pubs that do similar have the resultant benefit of increased trade.
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I had too smile PD when on the one hand you say that the provision of aires in the lake district is sorely needed and on the other hand state that you think twice about touring because of the narrow roads and lack of parking.
Having a cheap place to stop over night with limited facilities will not make the roads wider nor the general parking any easier. If some wish to offer the facility however then why not.
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As a matter of interest why does designing an aire suitable for caravans add to the challenge ? I assume all aires have fresh and waste water provision which is all a caravan needs - just the same as a motorhome.
In respect of the club perhaps they would say the CL network serves this need.
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Unfortunately local papers seem to report things in a sensational way because they find reporting things factually boring. Because Councils are now so cash strapped I think it would be unreasonable to expect them to provide facilities and not to charge for them. In the Lake District that charge will be at a premium rate!!!
On the wider point of the petition I somehow doubt it will be successful because there always seems to be an expectation that "someone else" should pay to provide the facility. Far better to try and convince the likes of the two Clubs and Visit England to encourage local authorities to provide such facilities on the basis of what they are doing in the Lake District. If parking and water/waste/toilet disposal was also provided at say £10 a night it might be worthwhile for Councils to consider it as a local amenity.
David
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As a matter of interest why does designing an aire suitable for caravans add to the challenge ? I assume all aires have fresh and waste water provision which is all a caravan needs - just the same as a motorhome.
I think that there are a number that do not have such facilities. Some may have a public toilet available but many are closed before 6pm
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As a matter of interest why does designing an aire suitable for caravans add to the challenge ?
Because they will have to be "drive through" since the general trailer caravan public just do not do reverse parking, even when not towing.
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Not a contridiction in terms ET, to a certain extent I accept narrow roads after all many a Club site is accessed via a narrow road. If I want to tour the Lake District today I have to stay on campsite paying for facilities I don't need even just for a night stop. Much better to have parking places available so that it is possible to hop from one place to another with ease and if there are passing places on the narrow roads, so much the better.
The Trossachs National Park was another area planning to introduce areas for motorhomes to park overnight. May have even done it by now, it was certainly in their development plans a few years ago.
peedee
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I think you have hit the nail on the head with your second sentence Peedee, it is up to the tourist areas to do this not the Club. It will always come back to local councils who often do not want to encourage random caravans parking up anywhere if they can help it. They prefer actual sites because they will not have to worry about getting enforcement orders to move on any that think they can stay as long as they wish.
There is also the issue of Aires not just providing night halts for us but being used by lorry drivers too, how often do we all complain of them using the caravan parking areas now !?
Apparently we do have an Aire-type facility in Canterbury, not sure how that is going, anyone used it?
Alison
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FD, but if the Club does not make it easier and cheaper for motorhome owners to tour I can see a scenario in the not too distant future where less and less owners will have an incentive to join the Club. The rebranding exercise will then have proved pointless.
peedee
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Considering the cost of land & the fact that councils are constantly required to provide more housing [amongst other things] I guess providing Aire type stopovers wouldn’t be something on their list especially as many do not even provide M’home parking for visitors to their towns.
Perhaps the club may consider providing this type of facility at the entrance to any new sites they develop from scratch in the future. If the location is in a popular area & chargeable overnight stays were limited to 1 or 2 nights it would probably be well used.
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Lots of Motorhome Aires in France were set up by local councils - but that won't happen here because local councils are starved of cash for even their mainline operations.
Lots of campsites in France have set up up Aires too - designated cut price Motorhome overnight parking on tarmac with white lines at two metre spacing - but that won't happen here on Club sites because they are locked into six metres spacing.
So it seems the best that Motorhome owners can hope for is that private enterprise might come to the rescue - allowing overnight parking at pub car parks, sports clubs, garden centres, out of town shopping centres, theme parks, and the like.
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Lots of Motorhome Aires in France were set up by local councils - but that won't happen here because local councils are starved of cash for even their mainline operations.
Not sure that a great outlay is necessary. Many towns have Coach parks. These are under used at night. No need for additional provisions. At Roodee in Chester you go through a barrier and buy a ticket. Other provision is existing public toilets that close around 5pm
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Yes I take your point about councils perhaps tolerating overnight parking in their car parks, but some of the better Aires I see overseas have card operated and metered power bollards, fresh water supplies again with a charge, and proper waste dumping points - and there are set up costs for all that as well as on going costs for refuse bin emptying. I can't see UK councils having the funds to go as far as that.
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