Aires in the UK
Comments
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By a strange coincidence I almost ended up in the Dee and it would have been similarly embarrassing. I was courting my wife to be at the time. My car was in need of a repair and I borrowed a mates mini - he probably felt he owed me for all the work I done on it. Sometime either late one night or early one morning we drove down to a quiet spot on the river Dee just outside Chester. I do recall that at some point either my foot or knee or something ended up on the floor mounted starter button. The car was in gear and handbrake off. We were very nearly in the river before I got clear. Dangerous place by the Dee
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Yes, can fully understand all those reasons. Have no experience of touring overseas, but we have found that down our 30 years of touring (and I do mean touring, hopping from place to place) we have somehow managed to do this quite successfully, without actually booking sites ahead. And it’s actually so much easier now than it used to be. Ok, we might phone a CL on our route to see how late we can arrive, but we are seldom not welcomed. (10pm arrival setting off on one tour) We have called into a pub, asked if we can park up if we have a meal, we park up in beauty spots in day to stretch our legs, have a nap. We also have a mental catalogue of wild camping spots we could use and never be found if we just wanted to have an overnight rest say 10pm to 8am, leaving nothing behind.
We did Devon and Cornwall two years ago, a two week tour. We used around eight sites, nothing pre booked. Mix of CLs, small private sites. We averaged £12.50 per night. We had one night on a ClubSite, the disastrous choice of the whole holiday, which put our nightly average up by £1 per night. All but one site choice had loos and showers, let alone a black waste dump, and all were in stunning countryside.
It is perfectly easy to tour spontaneously in this country, and it can be done cheaply.
I do concede that there are places that are Site black holes, where more stopovers would help. It is also easier if your outfit isn’t huge, and you don’t mind grass. But it is easy. Honest, we do it all the time.
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I don’t doubt it, a way of life on Continent. It was only the campervan culture here when we started, and caravans were King here.
Its a World we have yet to explore, although we’d still be choosy. I like picturesque charm rather than dirt cheap and rammed together😁
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Yes please
we've recently bought a PVC and this time around we mean to try harder at finding those lovely Aires that we keep hearing about.When we had the MH a couple of years ago we probably didn't persevere with Aires as the ones we had seen didn't appeal to us. Really would like to find some suitable for stopping overnight in lovely peaceful surroundings.
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It is disappointing for Corners to focus on the perception that MHomers requesting aires are looking for "subsidised stops". We aren't but we often get the feeling that, like Danny Kaye's ugly duckling, the message is "get out of town". A little more provision of somewhere for us to stop can but help local economies, possibly better than anything dreamt up by Rishi Sunak and certainly cheaper for the taxpayer. I do sympathise with the point raised by TDA over conduct near Marazion which has resulted in an "own goal".
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They might help local economies, CY, but they also need financing. As was said last night, a sound business case will be needed before local communities will be willing to commit.
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It is disappointing for Corners to focus on the perception that MHomers requesting aires are looking for "subsidised stops".
CY I do wish you would not make stuff up. I have been through every post I have made in this thread and no where have I posted anything about "subsidised stops" yet you post that phrase in speech marks to imply I wrote that, I have not and it is disingenuous (at best) of you to infer that.
You were the one to mention subsidised, Can I remind you of what you posted:
In the public domain, provision of cycle lanes serve only a specific sector of the community as do 'subsidised' bus routes. All these things are seen in the context of a wider public good. Cannot the provision of aires be seen in the same context?
Now who provides those cycle lanes and buses and their funding? where does that money come from, from local and national taxes? You are asking for a similar arrangement are you not in your post I have re-posed?, ie using public money to provide these aires, now isn't that a subsidy? You certainly didn't say lets a private provider get the money, you wanted similar consideration as subsidised buses and cyclists, oh and dogs and children.
A little more provision of somewhere for us to stop ..
So I ask you again who will pay for you to have somewhere to stop?
Why should those people who use buses and cannot afford your lifestyle of apartments in the sun at how many thousand per month did you say, or your ownership of a motorhome help you to have somewhere to stop?
You have misrepresented my views entirely. Have as many aires as you like just don't take money away from public funds that could be used for social housing, the NHS... to help you have somewhere to stop, use your own money like anyone else for their holiday choice.
Or use a CL?
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We had also camped and caravaned for years. However, when we switched to a MH in March 2019, it was with the intention of utilising Aires for some stops when we went to France in the September. We had no idea if they would appeal. However, our first night off the boat was on a lovely rural Aire and we were sold. So much so that we used them for the next 3 nights before using a standard site.
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That's how we are thinking, hoping to travel over the winter months to Spain (maybe not this year) travelling through France stopping overnight working our way down to the Border. I know sites are available but it would be nice to try some of the Aires in the prettier towns and rural villages. We already have the Camping car park scheme which we got when we had the MH before. I think it has many more places now though.
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Excellent, go for it. The various Apps are an excellent resource, but they often lack useful detail and subjective information about what makes aires special. In particular as a motorhomer, I’m always curious to know how far is the nearest shop, where can you walk to and is public transport nearby?
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We have only used them in France so far. We signed up for a CampingCarPark.com card before we left (about 5€) and charged it with 30€, more than enough for two nights. You can recharge it online, or in the machine by the barrier. They have a website and app. Plus they send you a paper map with your card showing their sites. You can check online if there is space, which is a useful feature.
I also purchased the Aires add on to the ACSI App, which proved useful for locating Aires in areas where CCP didn't have any. This App works offline.
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We are lucky enough to live at the seaside. One of my regular morning strolls takes me past Scarborough Sealife Centre where there is a car park which has a sea view and both a pub and a cafe within a very short walk. There are no facilities whatsoever, just a car park, but during the months November to March the meters are covered over and it is free. Every Friday and Saturday night there are many vans parked there overnight, I have counted well over twenty at times and there is still room left. I have also often seen people walking to the pub from their vans or eating ice creams etc... To me that gives a clear message, those towns and villages who accommodate or allow motor homes to park either during the day or even better overnight have accepted the fact that motor-homes exist, and want local business to benefit from their spend at whatever outlets are nearby. I can only assume that the opposite is also true.
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Each time this issue is raised its met with hostility from those with no intention of using such a facility
I don't think that to be true David. Or at least not of the majority of posters. What is I believe true is that those those who use CMC sites are against the CMC providing such a facility believing it a job for entrepreneurs or local authorities etc.
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Can you actually tour in this country with a caravan or motorhome without pre-booking? Take a look at the Club’s reservations for the next two months; it’s a challenge to get anything. We are an overcrowded and congested country with a holiday season of eight weeks. The weather is not conducive to out of season touring and even for the hardy ones the weekends are still often booked out. So, why have aires when you can’t tour? Anyway, they would probably be full when you arrived.
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Any hostility seemed to be centred around those with very expensive outfits wanting something for nothing, or very minimal fee. I don't see this as ever being viable in this country and is becoming less so in France. If you base it on campsite fees here as opposed to over there, I would expect the typical cost of an Aire to be £10 / £12 without EHU, £15 / £18 with 6amp provision. We would happily use them at those sort of rates
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Anyway, they would probably be full when you arrived.
If the set up was like the CampingCarPark.com ones you can check online how many spaces are left. Also for an additional annual payment (bit like the club) you can reserves one. Not sure who ever bothers with that though, except perhaps in July and August.
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Each time this issue is raised its met with hostility from those with no intention of using such a facility but who are at the same time desperate to get club site pitches
That is just not true, especially my part in bold, plenty have posted with no intention of using aires but are not desperate to get a club pitch.
But this is the third time I think you have missed the point again Dave.
The hostility, and that word is emotive and really OTT and certainly not correct in my view is not towards aires at all. (find one poster who has said that?) but to the fact that is these times where councils are saying they do not have enough money, where nationally there are money shortages, the OP and others are asking for public money to be spent on providing these. As I have previously said have as many as you like just not from public money.
As I said you appear to have not picked up on this point, what is your view, do you think that public money should be spent on providing them?
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Removed by me - double post
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