Aires in the UK
Comments
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i certainly agree with the first sentance but with the increase in motorhome ownship I think it is slowly dawning on many councils that there is an income to be made by providing day time and overnight parking for motorhomes. Certainly in my 20 years of ownership I have seen many councils do just that albeit with limited facilities. It sounds as though Scotland has been forced to take action by the huge influx of tourers in recent years.
One of the big problems of touring without booking in the UK is pitch availability. I have certainly done it in the past but it has become increasingly risky in recent years to just turn up on spec. Its a great shame that this is the case but if I don't cross the Channel I may well decide to risk it next year.
peedee
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In the OP's second post it is stated that overnight parking is required for MH-ers who wish to tour at will without booking. My objection is to public funds being used exclusively for this group. Caravanners and tenters seem to be overlooked in this desire to meet the needs of a few. Sites already exist but this group chooses not to use them.
If a case is made showing the viability of such a venture, then fair enough but should it really be this exclusive? Should it not be be like the successful Shetland system and open to all? I think I have made my points clear by now.
WTG explained how to go about making such a case to present to bodies who might be in a position to provide such facilities and it involves far more than petitions. Good advice from her I think.
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I don't doubt that you wouldn't have stayed on a European club site, David🙂
One reciprocal arrangement I recall was with a Dutch organisation.
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I think this is what happened in Helmsley. It has a big car park, two areas, one for cars another for coaches, and there are now MH overnight parking spots in the coach area. There are no other facilities, although the (clean and well maintained) public loos are close by, but locked dusk till dawn. As far as I am aware, it works very well and I don’t think there have been any issues. This is Ryedale Council, and they do police the car parks in the area and are severe on any transgressors. Pickering’s little Aire type stop is private, in town centre, provides water, hook up, possibly waste disposal. Last time I looked, I think it was £12 per night, but that was probably for all day. It’s never full, we have seen a couple of MHs in there at most. Safe enough though, and quiet at night. But it’s not graced with a view or even plants, a concrete apron.
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Sometimes exclusions are the workable solution eg are caravans self contained enough to use public car parks, should commercial vehicles be allowed overnight etc etc.
The sites in Shetland are specific to Shetland and the islands have had a lot spent on infrastructure due to the oil and gas industries.
I'm neither for or against the use of car parks as aires but car park owners could possibly bring in more revenue if they considered the idea.
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Yes, CAMC members can use Netherlands caravan club sites without extra charge, we have used 2 such sites, and very good they are too. More informal than CAMC sites, quite a lot of organised activities, especially for the children in the summer, and amazingly inexpensive, most seem to be between 12 and 15 euros per night. On many, this includes EHU, on some the EHU is metered.
I think quite a few countries have caravan clubs, but the only ones we have experience of are in Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
They do have some sites, but in Germany and Scandinavia these seem to be club run but open to all with a small discount for club members.
On our travels in UK we have chatted with quite a few Dutch caravanners, one couple we met last year were members of both UK clubs, they had joined so as not to have to pay non member charges, but still found UK sites expensive compared to the rest of Europe.
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Agreed, Brue, but the exclusivity should surely not be a given from the outset.
I quoted the Shetland example to show it is a, probably, unique case as there are no other sites and they had EU funding. It's not something that's likely to be replicated elsewhere.
I said early on that I also do not have an issue with the use of car parks or provision of aires but it needs to be self financing and fair.
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Perhaps that might have been a source of funding to consider for other places, the EU? They funded/part funded huge projects up here in the North of England. History now though......
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Its almost impossible to do as you suggest WTG, there are just too many variables. A business case for a locations in a tourist hot spot will be very different to one not and as for visitor expenditure, how long is a piece of string? Some will spend just the parking fee others will buy a take away and some might even use a restaurant that is if these facilities are close by. There are just too many variables for any single template.
To me the very best you can do is make targetted councils and organisations aware of the growth in ownership and what motorhome owners are looking for and why they are used differently to campers and caravaners with an emphasis that full facilities are not necessary. It would really be down to the councils and organisations to decide whether it is worthwhile making any provision of facilities. If you could get hold of some facts and figures from somewhere where facilities have been provided so much the better but these would have to equally apply to a location or any differences explained.
peedee.
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You might just have answered why there are few/no Aires in Uk PD. The business model doesn’t stack up, at least not to make any interested party think investing would be a good idea. Might work somewhere with few Sites (Shetlands) but most tourist areas have a network of little sites already there with the taps, waste disposal and loo dump. So are they likely to be enamoured if local authority attempts to dilute their businesses?
Somewhere for a quick overnight park up? Yes, required. Somewhere to spend a couple of nights? Mainly catered for, with exception of inner cities.
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Most Motorhome Aires in France for overnight stays in France are car parks.
Here in Cornwall and Devon there are already similar car parks where overnight Motorhome stays are allowed - they include Bideford, Appledore, Westward Ho, Holsworthy, Torrington, Tintagel, Mevagissey, Clovelly and JennyCliff at Plymouth.
CMC members may not know of them, but freelance Motorhome owners certainly do. Some even call them Aires.
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I know that eventually anticipating usage is always going to have an element of guess work
Bit like the motorways it took years for local highway engineers to convince the Dept Transport (as was) that if you build a motorway network up the length of UK from A to B it will attract many who would not have contemplated the drive from A to B on the old trunk road network
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Just been looking at Campercontact. There are more stopping place in the UK than I thought, even some near where I live and I did not know about! Interestingly most of the reviews are done by visitors from across the channel. That seems to point to they are the ones who most use them?
peedee
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Many regular European LVs seen on both club sites are because they are members of the UK clubs
i am not sure if a reciprocal arrangement is still in place with some overseas clubs
Some years ago OH and I were made members of the "red hen caravan club" from Holland ,as recompense for some work and help we gave to them ,when working out a tour of England ,we still have the little clog car/caravanmodel we were given as well
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I was looking at a web site earlier too PARK4NIGHT there's a lot of info out there for those that want it. Whether this goes down well with the locals in some places is another matter as it includes any type of van used for sleeping. We've discussed Exmouth in the past, where provision has been made in certain spots, but some are like encampments if you actually see them with no safe distancing.
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On the contrary. Many CMC members are totally blind to the opportunities outside the range of Club sites and CLs.
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I personally doubt that. We are a small forum in terms of actual numbers but many post to say that they use other sites beside CMC. But I do think that many are content with what CMC offer with regards to their sites because it suits their requirements.
52% of last years touring nights were on CMC in my case because I also find them suitable. If you consider many CMC site and CL users to be blind then maybe you could enlighten them with what they are missing ..... and it is not all about money.
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I have just been looking at one or two Facebook pages dedicated to motorhome stopovers and I am staggered at the number of followers.
Pub Stop Overs 72,831 that is just about a third of UKs motorhome ownership!
Wild Camping UK 59,069 another not insignificant mumber
Even accounting for those who want everything free, it seems to me there is a large untapped number of owners, maybe who are not Club members who would use Aires in the UK.
peedee
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Indeed with the first one, but of course why haven't they done anything about it? Of course they might just like stopping overnight at pubs
I think the second group is spurious at best, why would people who are following a wild camping page, I mean that is people who do not use, or like to use, any sort of campsite and stop anywhere but, want to use an aire?
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We have done "over there" sites in the past and in the UK have done both CLs and Comercial sites all have been very varied with their standards
As we have got older we like to have things as easy as possible ,with no adverse supprises ,So we have stuck to CC main sites with the ease of booking and changing bookings
When arriving at our destination the knowledge that also we will have clean facilities and a tidy site,
The only other site we use each year is a Comercial holiday site where we have for several years met with family and friends ,and we know is to a decent standard
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Whilst I would quite like to use Aires in this country, it would only be if similar ones to those we have used in France were developed. So some sort of barrier control to stop overcrowding. Minimum services of water / grey / black waste. For this sort of set up I am happy to pay a reasonable fee. Except in an emergency, I would not be interested in so called Aires in the back of car parks, without facilities, even if they are free.
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