Glastonbury - motor home owners beware
I thought it may be useful to share my recent experience visiting Glastonbury.
I have a small, 2 berth motorhome and visited Glastonbury to look around the town in April 2021. I followed Council signposts to their Car & Coach Park but on arrival found that they did not allow motorhomes in the coach spaces.
The signs mentioned motorhomes but none of the marked bays were larger than a normal car. I parked neatly in the corner of a virtually empty car park and paid for parking.
On my return I received a parking fine because I was not entirely within the bay marked. I overlapped the marked space by about 12 inches.
There was only one other car in the entire car park.
I challenged the fine but the challenge was rejected by Somerset Council.
So this is a warning for motor home owners - I would not recommend visiting Glastonbury.
Comments
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Hi, We don,t have a MH but it seems from the picture that had you parked nose in all 4 wheels would have been within the box and, maybe, that would have been OK?
I am sure other MH owners will be able to comment on if this would have been acceptable.
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I'm sorry, Richard but your MH overhangs that bay by a lot more that 12 inches. At a busy time you would have made access to the bay opposite very difficult. If it says park within the marked bays, that's what it means and I would not have parked my van in that way.
I'm afraid it's a case of pay up and learn from the experience. Hard luck.
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Good point A&J, Originally I thought jobsworth Council employees. I have a pickup that is 18’ long, I prefer to reverse in to ensure easy egress but all spaces are not created equal & like r3 I also have been fined. So yes I now drive straight in & check the wheels-once bitten etc. It happens r3, thanks for the heads up, it may help someone👍🏻
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Glastonbury is no worse than many other places in providing MH spaces, so I wouldn’t single it out for special avoidance. ‘Park inside the marked bay’ is a simple enough concept and adding one’s own interpretation isn’t always wise. I wouldn’t park like that and expect to get away with it. The only exception might be where I was overhanging a perimeter verge behind the van therefore not obstructing any part of the car park. Glastonbury has for many years had an ongoing and serious problem with campervans which is a legacy of its ‘lifestyle’ appeal. Consequently transgressions may be dealt with more robustly than some other places?
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on the contrary, Bill.......youre doing it all wrong, Richard....
you just need to park your van (not in a car park) but adjacent to one of the several 'clutches' of vans in various areas of the town....such as Beckery behind the shops like poor Aldi and Screwfix.
as we are (still) in a Covid situation (and with the festival not happening, these poor folk have, apparently, nowhere else to go....) the council has a duty of care to ensure they are all OK....so, sit tight and a large container of fresh water will be delivered (and replaced periodically) along with a portable toilet...
stay as long as you like....they have.
a 'council official' gave me all this gen when i enquired about why they were allowed to completely take over this road (and a number of others) resulting in the obstiction of the local cycle lane..
still, you should be all right for a spare tyre or a pallet as they are available from the middle of the road...
im looking forward to the 21st when Covid 'excuses' will no longer be valid and they need move on.
vist Glastonbury?....i agree, dont bother...its (small) 'spiritual' attraction waned many years ago and is now just a dirty place trading on a past 'connection'.
Wells is far nicer.
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I agree with SB, it is just as bad in other areas. I also recently picked up a PCN for similar reasons but I sucessfully challenged it because I had tried to pay for two spaces but the systems in place would not allow me unless you had sufficient coins to put in the meter to obtain two tickets. Who uses money in the current environment?
The simple solution for all the councils is to provide parking for motorhomes at an appropiate tariff.
peedee
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I know for a fact that Glastonbury has more than one car park, so a bit more research, and finding somewhere the rear could overhang a verge rather than the front being a good two feet outside the box (including the front wheels🤷♀️) would have been prudent. That parking would have made a traffic warden’s day anywhere frankly.🥳
Our main vehicle is a big one, so we know just how frustrating some tiny sized parking spaces can be, but you learn to pick your spot carefully.
We still find Glastonbury interesting. The Abbey is well worth a visit, and the walk up the Tor is worth it for the stunning views alone.
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+1, it’s a beaut place is Glastonbury👍🏻. It is friendly with a great vibe & welcomes all comers with open arms. I’ve spent many, many good times there. What the Council does is no reflection on the folk trying to survive🙂
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Bad luck, Richard 333, I sympathise. But one of the reasons I never even looked at a motorhome, even a small one, is the problem of parking it in places I want to go to.
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Don’t like it anymore than you, but the Council have taken the only action available to them pre & post Covid, that is contain and manage the problem. You should be thankful, if they were aggressively moved on they might chose your town/village/street next!
Yes, do visit Glastonbury, it’s a unique and interesting place. It’s not to everybody’s taste, but an experience apart from the more twee parts of Somerset (which are also worth visiting)
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If we go to Glastonbury (car) we use the St Johns car park, there's probably a bit more room there. I sometimes go with my daughter as she uses a local printer for her art work and we park in some tighter spaces near the centre. I think if you're going with a motorhome check out the car parks via google satellite because some of the central parking is quite constricted.
I'm sure there are other locals on here who could help out too.
I checked out the parking in general and Mendip Council welcomes motorhomes.
By the way, if anyone hasn't been there for awhile the whole area has changed greatly, but the central ancient parts and the Tor are really worth seeing and there are some nice cafes etc.
And yes, Wells is very nice but parking can be just as fraught there if it's busy and nearby Street has it's visitors too at Clarks factory outlet where they'll be glad to take your money and motorhome in the carparks.
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