Aires in the UK
Comments
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It’s down to individuals to do the research. The information is already out there (see a couple of examples in my post above), plus (in normal times) there are service stop-off points at C&CC sites if not available elsewhere.
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so, why constantly criticise?
comments about 'cheek by jowel' spacing only goes to show how derisory you feel about thrm.
the concept of parking a MH (in a town, on an aire) is something you will never be familar with.....i have no issue with that, continue to use sites, im delighted for you and how you tour.
but many others cant be doing with a regimeted 5 day 'program' of touring, its everything the spontenaity of how some people tour, isnt.
we make the stay fit the level of interest of the place we visit, not make the imterst fit the period weve booked.
we are all different but please have a little respect for those who find 'cheek by jowel' parking exactly what they require at the time they need it.
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...and as you say, that is exacly the point David, they arent campsites for spending your days....they are parking areas that serve the purpose of getting in close to a facility, visiting it, sleeping and moving on....
we spend days (weeks) at long term sites, nr towns/beaches where we can switch off and enjoy/explore the area, countryside, pools, restaurants etc...
however, whilst traversing large countries like spain, france or Germany, having the ability tp park up, visit, eat, sleep at thousands of overnight parking places makes sites redundant (for us) formthat part of the trip.
agreed, the Dusseldorf facility is fantastic.
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having a 24/48 hr enforceable overnighting rule is not living in a van. thats overnighting within the applicable parking regs.
id define 'living in' as unrestricted overnighting...
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We’re all white box dwellers but there are parallel universes at work here:
Big caravan turns up with equally big SUV, stressed by difficult access route, 1+ hour later after much argument and swearing with partner, equally big awning is erected and ready to receive enough provisions and homely comforts/furniture/provisions for several weeks. The territory is then demarcated with wind breaks and topped off with copious bunting and led fairly lights. Process repeated in reverse, possibly with very wet awning, for several hours on departure day.
Motorhome turns up, plugs into EHU (or not), swivels the front seats, gets a beer out of the fridge - 10 mins later, job done. Departs equally as quickly without fuss.
No wonder a lot of caravaners don’t get aires.
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Alan, youve not grasped it....i know you are trying but you still have your caravan blinkers on....
after your 'busy day' you will, no doubt, drive back to your lovely (more pleasant) campsite and do whatever it is you do at such places.
for an aire using MHer, they will have driven to the town/city they wish to visit, park up, stroll into this place, visit the things they wish to se, have a meal and a drink and then after their 'busy day' just stroll back to the van without having to drive anywhere....
and, at the end of a long day 'visiting' there's not a lot of point in being at a 'more pleasant' campsite if you're having a nightcap and then going to bed.
for us, 'more pleasant' campsites are for when we are staying a good few days at a place, where we can sit out as part of our relaxing, but when touring alomg from place to place (i gerspersed with longer stops) there is no requirement for 'more pleasant' campsites when a centrally located aire provides exactly whats required.
i realise that, as caravanners cant tour in the way ive described (except by using many municipal sites on a daily basis.....) its not easy to see beyond the way you tour....
MHs are designed to be used in a different way.
HTH.
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Quite, WTG. We talked about the need for a business plan and proper presentation rather than ad hoc petitions and letters to authorities.
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I can certainly see the appeal after a long run. I don't do long runs anymore. 3.5 hours is about my limit as by then the pain killers are wearing off and driving becomes difficult. So for me to leave home at 9am and stop on a site 180 miles away by 12.30 to 1pm is likely to be my limit for the tour proper to start. If travelling to Scotland that would get me to Dumfries area or Edinburgh depending where we are touring
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We were challenged about our intentions first time ever yesterday, parked up in MH. So there is definitely a less tolerant attitude towards off Site parking. We were out for the day, prior to heading into City Centre of Sheffield for a vet appointment. The park up place was on Yorkshire Water land, beautifully maintained linear car park overlooking a small reservoir, not far from a Holmfirth. It would make a good overnight stop (albeit it’s rural rather than urban) space, quiet and 200 metres away, now closed public loos, so services are there for such as water fill up and waste disposal. However, it’s gated off at night, and like many other places in UK, has no doubt been abused by others in the past, and rather than being a useful asset is now carefully monitored for anti social behaviour. By abuse I mean generally rather than by MH visitors. I think this is part of the issue for us regarding Aire type provision. Sadly such places are too vulnerable from vandals, thieves, knuckledragger types to feel safe overnight.
The “challenge” was done very politely. YW van, rolled past, had a look. We were the only camper van amongst 20 or so vehicles, but he decided to ask us if we knew the area, and in the course of the conversation, were we staying local😂 He went away happy when I said we had no intentions of being there overnight. We were more impressed that YW had a human being actually patrolling🤣
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I think the point about overseas is to show what's available. Some are local authority run / funded, others totally private, or private with the local authority taking a cut.
I certainly am not expecting local authorities to fund them. Private enterprise, possibly in conjunction with the local authority, could be the way forward in my opinion.
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imthink seceral aires users have given an opinion on this and have gone against the OP and suggested that the best (easiest, cheapest, moke likely) 'solution' is just the addition/conversion of a few parking spaces in town carparks, a change in the regs and an extra option ot two for MH parking/overnighting in the ticket machine software.
I'd say that is simply "a cost effective, feasible plan for providing aires that will not penalise local residents by way of encumbrance or Council Tax payers financially."
cheap to implement, cost neutral/positive due to charging and with (say) 6-10 spaces at the rear, no encumbrance to locals financially..
i dont actually think there is a requirement for LAs or, indeed, a third party to try and grow an aires network in the uk, most MHers would be more than grateful just to have some decent dedicated parking, even if its just an afterthough at the back of an existing carpark.
personally, i dont think thats much of an ask of any LA.
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Alan, youve not grasped it....i know you are trying but you still have your caravan blinkers on....
On the contrary I do grasp it. It is simply that and don't accuse me of being trying
What I don't think that you grasp BB is that everybody is different whether caravanner or motorhomer.
As I said, a long and busy day for me is 7 or at most 8 hrs. Which means that come 4 or 5pm (in the UK) I want to rest for an hour or so before preparing a meal. I have no desire on a nice day to spend this time inside an RV of any kind.
In other European countries I would tend to eat out of an evening but not in UK which is what we are talking about. Nothing to do with any difference between caravanners and motorhomers at all.
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I’m sure you’re the exception David. Bus stops is a good point tho’.
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That will be me then in a little over 2 weeks, nestled in the trees, you forgot , dog running wild, loud music, large screen in awning for late night movies, large flag flapping in the breeze 24x7, BBQ smoking everybody out, oh! the joys, who would want an aires/car park
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one simple point, despite your 'rapport' with the 'authorities', you've actuslly broken the number one rule....
by putting out your chairs you are camping not parking.
we cant have it both ways....we cant 'camp' in parking areas if thats what we want provided....that would be carte blanche for the knockers.
park but dont abuse the right by presuming its OK to camp.
once the chairs are out, the next van will be put with the table, followed by the awning....
this is why aires survive....no camping allowed.
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I think I’ve shared a site with you!
ps you forget the parrot in a cage.
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I am another who certainly doesn't arrive stressed at a site, I'm not sure who in your caravan cabal (your own words remember 🙂) tows like that.
But motorhomers get stressed too. The chap last Saturday who took his huge MH (I mean huge not being respectful in anyway but the type where the driver appears to be three feet behind the windscreen) along the road from Ambleside to Coniston (not recommended by the club) certainly got stressed.
He got stuck on a bend a third of the way over the centre line facing a long line of incoming cars, we were number two. He was guesturing and mouthing for us cars to come through but there was clearly no space and the car in front wasn't going to risk it. He got quite 'stressed' and eventually had to ask the cars behind him to move back. Luckily they did.
Just to show stress happens to all and really no relevance to Aires in any way that I can see?
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....but the point is no one is asking you to use an Aire...
if you want to sit down on a site in the evening then please (pretty please) continue to do so and enjoy it.
some folk dont, they want to do things differently and are more than happy to have an aire to return to.
you seem to be concerned that, if aires were ever brought into the UK ypud be foreced to use one, rest assured you wont.
why not leave them for those that do and continue to use the sites you enjoy...
in a debate about aires, no one really cares whether you get tired at a certain time, or your back aches or where you like to sit in the evening....
none of this has anything to do with the type of provision others are debating, which are (chargable) stopping/parking places for MHs.
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Depends a bit on where you are. Clumber Park (not the site) cars have chairs and tables out having a picnic. MH's have wind out awnings deployed. The NT is OK with it as long as you don't stop the night, don't light a BBQ and take all your rubbish home. We did the same in the large car park at Chatsworth the other week.
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I think you might have misunderstood the nature of where we were BB. It’s a private car park and picnic area, there so that folks can pull up, have a picnic, sit out in the sunshine, watch the yachts, go for a stroll, and as it’s a spur off the Trans Pennine Trail, go cycling. So yesterday we broke no rules around sitting out, in fact picnic tables and benches are provided in abundance. I am aware that it’s frowned upon on some Aire type stops to do other than park up, but on this occasion it was fine. I merely mentioned it as it would make a good overnight stop, with water and waste disposal if the owners could ever be persuaded.
Your point is relevant though, as it might very well have been its abuse by some in terms of late night dining, BBQ, too loud music and littering (of all kinds😱) that has made sure it’s locked up at night.🙂
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Ah you mean Park & Ride what a great idea, allow MH's to use the P&R and perhaps stay overnight so they can enjoy the town, eat out, maybe a glass or 2 of vino, exactly what I/wee have been saying, does not cost anything, attracts more people which means more income to the local economy.. And no we do not have a bus pass as we are still young enough to not qualify...
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and can you imagine how infuriating that is to a family who have just arrived to spend the afternoon on the beach only to find car park full and a couple of MH's buying up 4 parking spaces with MH/canopy/table/chairs, lots of complaints on our local FB page, and i dont think some MH owners do themselves any favours.
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agree Michael, Glastonbury is currently infested with caravans (but seemingly no tow cars) all over the place....heapes of rubbish everywhere (incl sofas, bikes) all along the river brue and behind the local Aldi..
there are even fresh water butts delivered and portaloos which have a regular vehicle to come and empty them..
i thought id ask the town clerk if id be welcome to park up anywhere and not move and wait until someone brought me fresh water and toilet facilities...
apparently, it takes about 5 organisations to 'work in partnership' to actuslly do anything about the state of things.... 'rest assured we are all working hard behind the scenes.....etc, etc...'
yet more and more arrive adding to mountain of scrap vans.
during the Coronavirus the LA has a 'duty of care' to ensure....etc, etc..
however the van owners have no such thoughts.
nothing really to do with aires but just another insight into the skewed logic we exist under...
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I am wondering how much of a cultural shift is required before UK could provide safe, secure overnight parking for MHs. Never stayed on a Continental Aire, so no experience of how safe they are in urban environments. Do you get folks hanging about? Do the facilities get vandalised? Do thieves target any pay facilities?
I ask because we have used semi urban locations in the past to pull in and overnight with our caravan, and at the time had no issues. However we are talking 10 plus years ago, and we would be super hesitant now about using most urban locations, simply because the signs of vandalism, litter, anti social behaviour are all around usually. Even Clumber Park, fabulous during the day, takes on a different disguise with badly behaved drivers and drug users at night time. We had to pack up smartly one evening mid way through a meal due to what occurred around us, tranquil to feral in 10 short minutes.
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