Motorway parking spaces
Comments
-
"On the way home we stopped at Gloucester Services for lunch and had to circle the caravan parking area three times"
Judging by what I see on site, I thought this would be normal behaviour for club members!
0 -
Never realised that about low limits. The traffic calming seems epidemic in this country, some of the road cushions are shockers. We can normally straddle most in Jeep, but noticed some places are now using HGV sized ones. Not good for tow hitches. I see France has just declared a natural disaster for agriculture in SE, extreme weather down there. Seems our little jaunt to Wales was relatively dry compared with this. We will have a lot to learn if we take MH overseas.
0 -
Being the lazy kind I tend to use motorways just to get there with as little stop/starting as possible. Gloucester's great for farm foods (albeit a little pricey) but their coffee is rubbish! As for petrol prices - astronomical - but the guy next to me at Gloucester had the right idea, carry a jerry-can to top up enroute.
0 -
Thanks TDA, have found the stop on Google. Will have to give it a go. When not in a hurry and heading to Bristol, we useually use A46 to Leicester, northern bypass, M1/ M69 to A5, then onto the Fosse Way. Not ever so good for stopping though if towing, unless your lucky with the lay-bys.
0 -
We used to do the Fosse Way Steve, sometimes still do. It’s a good route to break up a journey, but we found the road condition so appalling a few years ago, we decided to take caravan another way. We used to go right down and pick up the M4, then across to M5. Occasionally, if not in a rush, we would turn off just after Agricultural College in Cirencester, and take other route through Frome and Trowbridge, and cross over M4, and meander through Wiltshire and Somerset, taking in Glastonbury and Wells. We have found some lovely places to stop off doing this, CLs I mean. OH did a few months on courses at old Fire Service College in Morton, so he got to know the area quite well. did you know you pass Prince Charles home Highgrove on the Fosse route? It’s not far from Badminton House, think village is called Doughton
Here’s image of CP. we drive right round and park in area that says “Twyford”. It’s not usually busy, straight out into dog walks, but a short stroll down to main retail area.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.1159632,-1.9383077,17z/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en-gb
1 -
PLEASE STOP THE THEM AND US COMMENTS. Most M'homes are too long for the car park areas. It is not that that p....s me off. Has anyone tried to use the 'Caravan Only' parking area in the services on the M20 near Folkstone the space just in front of the services? Every time I have tried it has been full with white vans. I pointed this out to the management last time and said that if he did not police it I would park my 13m outfit on the sign which said 'Caravans Only' and go for a long comfort break. He just shrugged his shoulders so I am very tempted to do it
. 0 -
Perhaps one ought to direct the invective at the authorities who set down the rules and regs. relating to such spaces?
A similar situation exists with regard to parking on our crowded streets, these days. this all points back to the days of Harold Wilson who decided that the provision of car parking spaces should be limited on all new builds.(particularly offices so as to stop people driving to work) this in turn translated to M/way services , public car parks, on street parking
It got me riled up at the time and I still have not calmed down
0 -
M'way services are private land and it is the owner who sets the rules and policies them, or should, not the 'Authorities'. I have a pic somewhere showing what I found at the Folkstone services. I will try to find it then try to post it - it will be a first for me if I manage
0 -
Our response is if they aren’t providing what we require, find somewhere else that does. It’s like turkeys voting for Christmas🤔🙂
0 -
-
Send the pics to the companies that own the lorries. I had a post on here a while ago, it happened to me there was an Eddie Stobart lorry parked in the caravan bay I sent the pic and the lorry driver got sacked for this. We should all do this I don't see any Stobart Lorries any more parked in caravan only places.
0 -
I think that sacking people is a bit extreme!!!!
1 -
Northbound going out of Cornwall I park with lorries as in Briang's photo at both Exeter and Taunton services - I don't think there are any other options and it has never troubled me greatly.
0 -
Just for the record I asked him if he new he had parked in a caravan space and the answer I got was so what, and refused to move. So I told him I was taking a photograph of his lorry parked in the reserved for caravan space and would send it to his employer to which I did. The result was justified. I will do it again if it arises.
0 -
The photo was actually mine, which I used earlier in the thread. The parking is actually caravan only. Although there is often the odd HGV in them, on this occasion the HGV park was full and they were also overspilling into the Coach area.
Personally I think sending photos to the companies very extreme. HGV drivers have to stop after a certain time and may have had no choice other than to use the caravan bays.
2 -
Quote:
Personally I think sending photos to the companies very extreme. HGV drivers have to stop after a certain time and may have had no choice other than to use the caravan bays.
This is the service area. Magor Services M4 and the pics attached. the lorry park was further away and it was more convenient to park where he did. He had his choice but his attitude was horrible. It is not very extreme
0 -
HGV drivers are required to stop at certain points aren't they ? Did you check if any spaces were available in the HGV area? What would he be expected to do if there were no spaces?
So a driver out of work and a family deprived of their breadwinner simply because you were inconvenienced. I'm sure you're very proud of that and I hope that if you ever park in an incorrect place or position the consequences won't be so drastic for you.
1 -
This is the service area. Magor Services M4 and the pics attached. the lorry park was further away and it was more convenient to park where he did. He had his choice but his attitude was horrible. It is not very extreme
I did put Personally I think it very extreme Briang.
0 -
I very much doubt the lorry driver was sacked just because of your complaint, Briang. If he was an employed person with a contract, it would need a series of warnings before dismissal.
However, I’d not have done what you did. It has the appearance of vindictiveness.
0 -
We were once completely jammed in by large lorries in the Stafford N services caravan area. We were annoyed but knew the lorries had to take their legal break (we needed ours too.) However one of them apologised to us and we would not have reported anyone. Since then we've avoided the main lunch hour times for stopping.
The original OP was about Gloucester services which must be one of the best regarding caravan/motorhome space with the lorries totally separate in another area. There is normally lots of space for leisure vans. Possibly not in the main school holidays but we've never come across a problem there. Regarding caravans and motorhomes together (large or small) there in no priority for either in these spaces.
We've had many threads about motorway service parking, the general feeling is the parking is often inadequate exacerbated by inconsiderate parking by other users. If you are concerned ask a staff member from the services to intervene. Or, as at A1/M Wetherby Services expect a parking official to move vehicles on, this seems to work well too.
0 -
I would never crow about taking someone’s livelihood for such a minor infraction, then again I’d never be bitter enough to try☹️
4 -
I think it fair to say the Gloucester services heading north are much better than those heading south. Not many cars or lorries use the north ones as the walk is further plus there are more bays there than the southbound one.
We've had no problems coming north but have had to circle a couple of times coming south.
The services at Chester on the M56 have recently changed. The former caravan only parking area has now been given to coaches and the caravans have been moved further away into the lorry park area. When we called there 4 weeks ago the new coach area did in fact have 3 coaches there, plus 2 HGVs. Plus ça change.
0
