Interesting Petition Part 2

Since the question of L/A's and "something for free" for Motorhomers has been raised -----  May I say that many Local Authorities are already favouring Caravanners by providing free camping to large groups, on land which is entirely unsuitable, -- without any urgency in moving them on. 

K 

I presume the idea is that motorhomes park up all day so that their owners can see the local sights and then return to their vans for the night, a 24 hr parking system for some. The limitations of this will be LAs in areas where there are attractions will benefit, not so much in more rural places or towns without visitor attractions.

Small villages in France often have an appeal, maybe some in the uk but I think many users would be heading for the cities or sites of natural beauty.

I refer to recent threads on the subject of facilities for motorhomes. 

We are club members, we have a motorhome, yet we hardly ever use club sites. Why? Our motorhome is fully autonomous, it has shower, toilet and washing facilities. It makes no economic sense to pay for sanitary buildings, for reception buildings and staff, large pitches capable of accommodating a caravan, awning and car. All that is needed is limited overnight standing space, tap and drain access. 

We use our vehicle for touring not staying long term. For medical reasons I cannot drive more than 1 or 2 hours on any day, often less, hence a typical trip involves lots of stops, sometimes often unplanned as the need or desire to stop arises. We are retired,  tours may extend up to 3 months by which means step by step we may still make long journeys we could otherwise never make. It is quite impractical to book far ahead, besides club sites are frequently fully booked. We need to be able to turn up and stay. Our needs are not unrepresentative of motorhomers in general. 

We travel throughout the year, most sites are closed in winter, many CLs unusable for motorhomes due to soft ground. 

We have largely given up on travelling in England where there seems to be a hostility to motorhomes and a dire lack of appropriate facilities. In France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, and others, even New Zealand, America and Australia, the rest of the world seems to have caught up onto the value of welcoming and providing suitable facilities for motorhome tourism. 

Indeed many of the facilities (Aires, Stellplatze, Aree de Sosta or whatever) are provided by LAs., but by no means all. Yes, it is in many ways improbable that many cash strapped UK LAs will be able to respond to the need, although a few have...most simply provide prohibitory signs moving the problem down the road. Many foreign LAs provide campsites, UK ones don’t. In UK Clubs have come to be the major providers of leisure camping facilities. If any club claims the name Motorhome it is peddling a fiction if it fails to accept a responsibility to respond to the needs of motorhoming members...both in regard of the services it provides itself and in its lobbying of others...if it doesn’t it should be come clean and drop the name.

Many European campsites have now in recognition of changing markets given over part of their sites to providing an adjoining motorhome Aire, with basic water and drainage facility and parking on a turn up and stay basis...not really all that complicated, and they seem to be working very well.

The CC&MC has done much to encourage land owners to establish CL caravan sites. Perhaps some thought should be given to also looking at doing so likewise for motorhome facilities...with a more appropriate set of rules and orientation, and perhaps in closer consultation with LAs and Tourist bodies, some of whom are already struggling somewhat clumsily with an inundation of motorhomes.

I find it incomprehensible that threads on this subject have been be summarily and arbitrarily closed, and as a member abhor any such attempt at censorship.