Grand theft in the SW
We were enjoying the last week of our excellent 5 week tour of Devon and Cornwall having found a rare dog friendly beach we decided to make an early visit to let our dog run freely 30 minutes or so without interfering with families etc. Having spotted some free parking in passing the previous day we thought we would be early enough to find a free space. Our luck was in so we were the first to arrive at where there have be 20 or so cars parked the day before. A few hundred yards away was the official beach car park at a fixed fee of £7 a day. Just as we were getting the dog from the back of the car a chap took the trouble to pull up in his van to berate us for "stealing from the Cornish economy". Interesting, maybe he had shares in the car park company!
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Which Beach was this? Just wondering if it was suitable for parking or wether it was a passing place. I am not having a dig just trying to get some context.
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Be interesting to know if the OP would have been happy to use the pay car park had they had a sliding scale of charging rather than a fixed daily charge? I have a particular dislike for fixed fee parking charges as I am unlikely to maximise the value (?) as I am unlikely to stay for more than an hour or two.
David
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I don't get the "rare dog friendly beach" which was mentioned. Cornwall has 138 beaches (listed on line) where dogs are allowed all year round without restriction.
And the way round parking charges down here is National Trust membership and a map of their free car parks - you just need their card and badge.
No doubt someone else can speak up for Devon.
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Seven quid? Bargain! I was going to stop off at Cotswold Water Park on the way home the other day. They wanted £20 so I just turned round in the approach road and left, as did a couple of other cars in the queue. I mean, twenty quid to park at a tarted up gravel pit! What planet do these people live on?
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No it wasn't a passing place and I never intentionally park illegally.
Yes I would have paid to go in the car park if there was a sliding scale £7 for a 30min run on the beach was a bit steep.
There were 2 dog friendly beaches within striking distance one was restricted to dogs on leads. Also many have time or lead restrictions so the 138 beaches figure is rather misleading.
The National Trust have many fine beaches and car parks but only 6 dog friendly beaches in Cornwall
Ah but CY you must have parked elsewhere and could have been open to the accusation of possibly stealing from the Cotswolds economy.😉
Don't get me wrong we love Cornwall and visit our Cornish relatives every year. Now we are home I am keeping an eye out for interlopers stealing from the Malvern's economy😂
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I’ve every sympathy with you, Via. I wouldn’t pay for a full day just for a dog run either. It’s usually privately owned car parks that charge for the full day. I know of one that does that where there is also limited street parking available and a Council pay by the hour car park not far away. No brainer.
I bet the guy who berated you was an incomer rather that a local😂
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Maybe he was upset that you'd pinch the only available space that he was going to use.
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Ah but CY you must have parked elsewhere and could have been open to the accusation of possibly stealing from the Cotswolds economy.
Yes, a brief stop of about 20 minutes in a lay-by on the A419 for a quick sandwich. Had I stopped where originally planned that would equate to £60 per hour.
We are told to take periodic breaks on our journeys but often the provision for them is decidedly sparse.
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Actually I think the accusation of stealing from the local economy could be easily laid at the councils door. If they had a sliding scale then perhaps more people would use it but their extortionate demands mean more people will search for lay-bys, just like yourself. In addition how many people will be put off from returning to that area as the council will gain a reputation for profiteering? I certainly would avoid it. It's not like the UK is short of beauty spots.
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In the case of the Cornish incident, WN, I very much doubt it was a council car park.
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Maybe so TW, you know the area better than I, but as it would reflect badly on the area I think the council should have a say in the matter. I know it's not that easy but most councils would have some sort of pressure to apply on the owners. I know for myself I would avoid the area, which is a shame.
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We have just had a fortnight in Devon, mainly on Dartmoor, but we have been into towns and beauty spots as well. Our new car is around same length as our MH, but not as wide. I don’t think we have spent up to £10 on car park fees the whole fortnight, and we have used at least six different pay to park car parks. It was noticeable that Cornwall was a lot more expensive last year for parking. Northumberland and Scottish Borders are great, mainly free. If you want total rip off try parts of North Yorkshire.
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I thank you for your contribution Via😀.
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