Motorway Services
Comments
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It is not good for c/vans in most m/way service areas ,even though the overhead gantries advise to take rests and the sat nav pings at two hours to take a rest ,,and as mentioned the coach and bus bays are never full, but the ones for c/vans are, by anything except c/vans and m/vans,
It needs both clubs the ccc and the "new one" to get involved,and until,there is communication between them on this and any other problems for leisure vehicles ,then it will be dead in the water,
another thing i have noticed is the ammount of laybys that are being taken out of use,possibly because of original poor design (to close to live carriageways)
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The Operators of the services don't need to do too mch, merely instal CCTV pointed at the relevant bays with warnings of fixed penalty fines. Send them off and word will soon get around. They don't even have to do this themselves but could quite easily sub-contract it out.
It is a safety isuue David. Last year I had to skip 2 lots of services on my way up the M6 and as I was tired by the third wasn't best pleased. Also always had problems at Cambridge on the A14 and they're very infrequent on that road. I have in the past asked that the club get involved but they don't seem to want to be a "championing club".
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I've often found the "caravan only" bays full of cars, when the car park area is nowhere near full.
Seems to be people wanting a quieter spot to eat lunch, walk the dog etc.
Really annoying when you then have no choice but to rejoin the motorway and hopefully find a vacant space at the next services.
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For risk of a backlash, wouldn't it be more sensible for caravans and trucks to share? We both prefer easy drive through parking bays, and generally there's more caravans on the roads at weekends, and more trucks in the week, so would't it be beneficial for everyone if there was more spaces, but they were to be shared? generally speaking truck drivers are steadier drives than cars on there own, i've never felt worried when we'd stopped in truck areas
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The big negative to using a motorway lorry parking area with your caravan is the smell of urine during summer time, I don't think the parents of many lorry drivers toilet trained them when they were young.
Currently, I drive an articulated lorry, when I'm in a motorway service area, I use the toilets, hence military discipline, it never leaves you!
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It is strange why cars go for the caravan spaces (if provided!) when they are usually the furthest from the shops. toilets etc.
When we stopped at the new Gloucester South services last year, there was a car parked right in the middle of the caravan parking - which is a long way from the amenities.
Incidentally, Gloucester services are an example of how all motorway services should be done - clean, attractive, good parking. They put most other providers to shame.
The services on the southern bit of the M25 (near the M23 Brighton turn off) are pretty good too.
South Mimms services (on the northern bit of the M25) are not bad.
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Like most of you, we do not leave the van unattended, and we always use our own toilet and eat in the van.
At the 12-1.30 lunch time, parking our outfit is very difficult especially in the warmer months when more caravans are around.
If there are caravan signs, we always follow them, but sometimes the signs suddenly stop and you are left not knowing where to go. In that case we would use the HGV area, but as has been said, it can be an unpleasant experience!
Many services do have several caravan spaces, but we too have found white van man, AA/RAC vans and even Police vehicles occupying the spaces. And cars too of course. Cannot say we have ever seen a lorry in the caravan spaces. Often the caravan spaces are a bit short for our outfit.
On a few occasions we have had to drive on, but sometimes you just have to stop, then we have stopped on a wide stretch of the exit road, as we have seen lorries do, and quickly used our toilet.
There is a requirement for the operators to provide parking for all types of vehicles, the problem is that often there are not enough of them, and the use of them by only the designated vehicles is very rarely enforced.
We now try to stop either early or late and avoid the busy period.
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Motorway services parking! no-one cares it's a free for all with no-one overseeing it. I have joined the club and until it changes I will park anywhere I see fit, be it in with the lorry's or at the side of the exit roads as many others do.
It doesn't raise my blood pressure and only use them for a stretch of the legs etc before heading onwards, but still in favour of dedicated parking for M/homes and caravans if policed by the staff.
Dare I say it
but this country could learn a lot about areas of parking from the services abroad although there are some bad ones there, and the Club should certainly champion the cause.1 -
Dare I say it surprised but this country could learn a lot about areas of parking from the services abroad although there are some bad ones there, and the Club should certainly champion the cause.
Agree with every word, Dave. We don't mind stopping in the lorry sections on German or French service stations, although as you say there are some bad ones.
Actually don't mind leaving the van and spending some money in these places after securing the van. Mind you will only leave it if we can see it and definitely don't leave it in Spain. Don't even like stopping on them in Spain at all. Will head off the motorway and look for a supermarket instead.
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Some to avoid -
Pease Pottage on the M23 - rude staff, difficult access, severely limited parking for caravans.
M1 - Every Service Station - always busy, some have no caravan parking or it's full of other vehicles, smelly lorry parks, mostly scruffy.
M5 - services at southern end (near Exeter) - terrible access, totally unsuited to caravans.
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"M5 - services at southern end (near Exeter) - terrible access, totally unsuited to caravans."
Agree. Try Cullompton instead, only a dozen miles or so earlier - large caravan specific area at opposite end from HGVs. Standard food/coffee, petrol always cheaper than Taunton Deane or Exeter. If travelling south you have to leave the M5 and travel across the bridge, but it'll only add 5 minutes on to your journey.
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Taunton Deane southbound is very good for caravans. Exeter services are to be avoided at all costs.
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Also on the M5 Sedgemoor northbound has a big overflow parking area at the far end of the site which is usually empty in the daytime.
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Yes, we've used that many a time with Cvan and MH. It's usually possible to park at the edge alongside the grass which makes it ideal for dogs.
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Wetherby has come in for some stick on this thread, and I was thinking of aiming for that: we're new to caravanning, and are taking ours from Northants up the M1/M18/A1M route North soon, travelling on a Friday. We're anticipating a lunch & loo break somewhere between Pontefract & Scotch Corner. I'm still unused to estimating how far we'll get in how long with the van on the back.
It's 5m long, and the pop-top goes down to marginally under 2m high for towing, so it's less of a problem than some, but it's still big enough to need space to park & turn! Any suggestions of good places to stop within that stretch, please?
... and any suggestions for ones to use / avoid further South on that same route in case of requests for a loo break would also be welcomed too!Thanks,
Richard
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I agree that there is a problem with there not being enough spaces on motorway services. What I try to do is stop on one of the newer ones which seem to be better. I don't have a list but the M40 ones seem OK and I avoid all the older ones on the M1 and M6
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We have very mixed results on motorway services. Some have specific Caravan parking but you often find others using it and some put you in with the lorries which in most cases works but some can be a problem.
If we need to stop and we do not know the ones ahead we would take one slightly early and check it out and move on if we do not like it. We have done that a few times as it looks the only way for us.
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as a hgv driver I find safe and good parking a real problem the don't drive tired thing as been going on a while but nothing gets done we have to take breaks by law I see more hgvs parking on hard shoulder just outside motorway services because there is no room to park it will get worse not better in my opinion
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I put on a previous motorway thread that we drove into Stafford North caravan parking area at lunchtime last year to find the area chock full of HGVs in fact we got hemmed in and couldn't leave. We could see there was a big problem for the drivers, not their fault and one of them apologised to us.
For us with our motorhomes or caravans it is probably better to time stops away from the main break times for drivers. I realise HGVers are driving 24 hrs but perhaps someone with HGV experience could suggest times to avoid, obviously 12-1pm is one of them!
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I would say that might depend on whether there actually IS designated caravan parking (HGV free) as it seems to me the majority of MWay Services don't have caravan parking. I wouldn't complain even if I might spit! But I would SO like to get those small cars banned from the caravan park!
So apart from 12 - 1 are there any other busy times for us to avoid if possible?
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Last year I stopped at Taunton Deane (no designated Cvan spaces) at about 12.45 and it was totally chockablock lorries double parking and all sorts - I squeezed into a small space - but by 1.15 it was virtually empty. Same applies at Leicester Forest too - but I realise they have staggered stopping times to a certain extent.
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