New to touring
Hi All
Advice please,
we are looking to head to York from Horsham in West Sussex during the half term holidays, is it best to pre book sites for stays on the way there and on the way back or do i just take a chance, any recommendations for site will be apprciated.
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If there is somewhere special that you want to see and do on the way then one of us will advise. Otherwise 235 miles in one day to your destination is within most people’s capability with a motorhome.
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At half term, I would book in advance in case sites are busy. Good idea to break the journey so that you arrive with part of the day left and have time to spare if you encounter hold ups but don’t forget to check the arrival times at the sites. Club sites are generally 1pm.
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I would be planning a route (as I'm sure you have) and looking at possible sites, club, Cls or otherwise. As someone who's had to do half terms for all his working life then I would book ahead if you have an idea of where you want to be and what to look for. Having said that it does spend on what sites and also (again sorry if you've considered this) type of pitch you want, is it just a hardstanding (good idea perhaps for a MH) or a service pitch.
If you want please give us an idea of the site and areas and I'm sure someone will have been there and can give further help and details.
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If by half term you mean October half term I would certainly be looking for hard standing. Much as we prefer small off grid all grass sites we find October just too much of a risk weather wise. You indicate you are new to touring so I would definitely break the journey. Google suggests five hours, which even as experienced motorhomers we wouldnt do unless we had to. If you just have the week presumably you would be looking at overnight stops at both ends.
Is there somewhere you want to see? Maybe you can park up there on the way to a site (that's what we do) and arrive at a site late afternoon.
One other thought, depending on when you can get away, if you pack up the day before, may be you can do 1 to 2 hours on the Friday (?) evening? Depends on what time sites will let you arrive. I think CAMC sites are 8pm This allows you to break the journey and "get on the road" and not have too long a journey the following day.
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Depending on your route up, both the A1 and the A64 will be very busy. There are roadworks on the A1 at Darrington. We saw roadworks on the M1 as well where it joins the A1 just before the A64.
If you like Club Sites, maybe Ferry Meadows Site might be a good stopover, as it’s not far from the A1. Going up, and coming back. Not sure when FM is open this Winter, they will close one area, so you might be best booking ahead. You can check motorway holdups as well. It’s not a huge distance in miles, but if traffic is heavy, it can take longer.
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We are planning Glasgow to north Wales in one hop next week, even at 82 that is fine for me as pretty much all motorways or dual carriageways. Looks like it is around 225 miles, we have done it several times before.
We will have a lunch stop, and maybe a couple of comfort breaks en route.
If on slower roads I might have an overnight stop.
Both sites we are using are now booked, one CL and one CCC site in the lakes on the way home, as we like to visit the area.
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Great but that’s not where the OP is going. He/she has their plans and wants a night halt in a completely different place.
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Yes, of course, but all input as to what is sensible and doable can be useful.
The older we get the less distance we like to do in one hop. The OP looks a lot younger than me, and has a MH, so should be able to progress faster than we do. So a longer distance in one go may be possible.
Totally up to them what they prefer to do.
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Exactly!
It's my guess that they may, like most MH-ers, want to enjoy the journey and take in sights along the way.
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I would think neither, they just want to take their time and not spend all day behind the wheel.
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ET….I am in the very old category, but find 200-250 miles towing to be OK if on motorways. We decide where we want to stop and see things, so may do as little as 100 miles, or even less, if in an interesting area. We have no set aim.
At Easter we did Glasgow to York easily in one go, fortunately no delays.
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Unless you really have somewhere you want to visit as a mid point I'd do the journey in one go. Leave after an early breakfast, have decent loo stops and put something decent on the radio. Relax, don't rush and enjoy the journey. You'll be there by late afternoon and all set up to enjoy your evening.
Colin
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Im another one who would prefer to do a journey of that length in one go and have more time at my chosen destination.
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Tezza, some folk would break the journey, some not. With a MH, getting there becomes much more a part of the holiday than when towing a caravan and I completely understand your plan.
If you give us an idea of your route, people may have suggestions for overnight stops. I can’t really help with that as I’m well off your flight path.
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I am guessing that the OP might just have the M25 to contend with, or if not then the Thames crossing at some point. They will have a good idea of state of traffic around London, those of us who don’t are merely summising.
We did a journey to York on Sunday. Normally a 45 minute drive. It took us 90 minutes. Traffic conditions, hold ups. We live 37 miles from Manchester, so you would think🤔 an hour? Think again, it took us two and a half. (Not the M62)
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We have just returned from a few miles north of York. We arrived last Friday afternoon and the A1(M) had hold up with slow moving traffic for a while and the A64 around York was its usual slow crawl up to the A19, Thirsk turn off. If going around the south of York there is repair work going on to a crash barrier just before the Designer Outlet where one of the lanes is closed heading anti clockwise.
Returning today we encountered no hold ups but it was early(ish).
If Tezza is planning on staying at Rowntree Park in York then he will almost certainly have to book and I doubt if he will get a full week there.
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If you want to stay in a specific place then booking would be advised for the half term week. Visiting York with a motorhome the most convenient site is the Club's Rowntree Park as you can walk into the city. However we have stayed at Rowntree a number of times but on one occasion we stayed here, its a small site with no toilet block but regular buses from near the entrance into the City and one of the stops is right outside the Railway Museum. Hopefully you have not left it too late to book.
David
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I agree with DK's alternate site, if you done mind walking 150m or so to catch a bus. An added bonus is there is a lot less of a chance of you having to abandon the site should there be a threat of flooding!
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I know we have a caravan but have just come back from Beechwood Grange. It is a very nice site on the edge of the city and easy to reach with a good Park and Ride just down the road, with free parking for motorhomes. It is far easier to get in, Rowntree Park seemed to be fully booked most days when we looked. Worth considering.
We have also used Naburn Lock a good site on the South side of the city near the Outlet Centre, again with a park and ride. Nice site but if things get really bad part can flood I believe the bottom end . If you risk Rowntree Park this is slightly better as the land rises from the river and the top end is safe.
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I live just a bit further south than Horsham and have family in York. I go there by car, solo, a number of times a year and I always go Dartford crossing, M11, A1. OK there is a risk of holdups near Dartford but overall this is a much easier route than the A1 which can be a nightmare. Leave Horsham about 9am and you have a good chance of missing the holdups. Plenty of places to stop for a break; so my basic question is: on a 235 mile journey, do you need an overnight stop? Towing a caravan, on motorways, doing 6 hrs driving I would expect to do 235 mile in a day (2 hrs coffee, 2 hrs lunch then 2 hrs in the afternoon). However, if you want an overnight stop I would strongly recommend booking. Can't help on sites; but Stamford/Peterborough would seem the area to look.
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I regularly do Newhaven (for the ferry) to Bolton and the reverse in my MoHo - Distance 275 miles and that involves using the M25 between M42 and M23. Typically my journey takes 5 hours non-stop and I always allow a buffer of a few hours before ferry departure. So most recently I set out at 09:00 and arrived at 14:00 for the 17:00 ferry.
I also recently crossed from Zurich to Dieppe using non-toll roads in France (so no motorways) in two days.
However I am on my own. You may have a partner/children/dogs to take into account.
I would say book ahead wherever you are going at half term but it is a matter for you whether you do the journey in one go. In fact the bookability of sites is likely to determine whether make overnight stops.
P.S. Most Club sites have an overspill section for if you arrive very late. You can park there overnight (often with an EHU) and be shown you pitch in the morning. You just need to phone and warn them of your expected late arrival.
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If you are travelling north with kids (I assume that’s why you are going at half term,) both Peterborough and Clumber Park, going up the A1 would give them plenty of opportunity to let off steam. Clumber is easily reached from the M1 too,if you leave it at Leicester and go up the A road via Ollerton. It doesn’t take any longer than the Motorway.
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