If we actually want aires where do we really want them? (1 Viewer)

GJH

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This thread is prompted by the one about Little Roodee at Chester. I was struck by the fact that few other councils have the combination of the attraction of Chester and a car park with the attributes of Little Roodee.

It struck me the other day that whenever we see calls for aires, they are always for a network blanketing the country with little or no thought as to whether people would actually wish to visit a particular place.

Perhaps identifying places which would be popular and concentrating on them is the way forward.

So come one, lets have some suggestions of towns/villages, why an aire there would be popular and which car park (or maybe ex industrial site) might be suitable as a location.
 
Jul 29, 2007
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In towns or city's or close to regular public transport, like in
Manchester, in between the canal and the pomania metro stop is some derelict land, this would be ideal for a aire or campsite.

Most towns have areas that could be used for Aires.

Ian
 

DBK

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My answer to the question in the title would be France. The problem with the UK is we are a crowded island. France has a similar population but much more space. I just don't see UK aires working in the popular tourist areas as space is at such a premium.

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Feb 16, 2013
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Just can't see it working in any way, ok if the council fork out a load of money to set one up, if they were to be free, and we say the town would benefit from campers shopping , but would it, the only people to benefit would be tesco and the like, no benefit to the town just stand the chance of loads of travelers stopping and no benefit to anyone but them.
If they charge for them would anyone use them, don't think so unless they were somewhere picturesque but then you would have locals complaining, no way can you compare England with France, different laws and vastly different supply of land.
 

vwalan

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i think the ideal thing is just half a dozen larger places for m,home parking or one night staying . on the edge of various car parks . possibly a toilet dump with cover on the outside of already public toilet block. and a tap inside for water container filling . the tap is very often already there if you look hard . cleaners etc use them . might be hidden under a sink .
forget ehu . just basic items that already there with a bit of altering .
many of the original aires if france were just that . the bournes came abit later .
could be close to recreational centers then a small charge you can use the showers etc .
it was how it was in the early days in france .
 

laneside

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nowhere near long enough
A nice example was the one at Ambleside, no problem to anyone but the idiots in supposedly power shut it. There must be lots of similar corners that are suitable and to be fair no one abused Ambleside

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Carol

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They do not necessarily have to be Aires as such, I think any large car Park like the one in Chester and also Pitlochery are great, I would like to see one on a large car park in Liverpool, so much going on there but absolutely no where to park within miles of the City any of the Park and rides would also be good.

To me the UK has so much beautiful countryside and Historic beautiful towns it's such a shame there potential can't be used by far more Motorhomes from the UK and Europe.

The need is there when ever I go past the Roodee and that is usually a couple of times a week, there is often as many foreign vans as those from the UK .
 

Allanm

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There are two in Canterbury. One inside the city centre, and one just outside, in an enclosed part of the Park and Ride car park ( and a very nice pub), and very popular it is too.
Cost for the second one is £3 a night and for that you also get free use of the Park and Ride into Canterbury.
If Canterbury can do it with all the cuts in Council budgets, then any forward thinking council can.
We used the Park and Ride 5 weeks ago. There were about 15 vans in the aire. Thats £45 for the council, some would have used the pub, others used the Park and Ride and spent money in the shops.

I always feel sorry for foreigners turning up in their vans looking for somewhere to stay. We met a couple of Dutch vans in Tenterden a few months ago, they asked if there were any places to stay nearby, I was embarrassed to say there wasn't, but told them about the aires in Canterbury and a few other free parking places I know that don't mind motorhomes staying there.

Allan

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GJH

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In towns or city's or close to regular public transport, like in
Manchester, in between the canal and the pomania metro stop is some derelict land,
this would be ideal for a aire or campsite.

Most towns have areas that could be used for Aires.

Ian
Any idea who owns it Ian?
 
Feb 24, 2013
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not long enough
We are regular travellers to Scotland, in recent months we have stopped in both Jedburgh and Dumfries town car parks, where there is no restriction on overnight parking

Both good locations, the former even has free wifi from the town (Borders WiFi)

Why formalise it, just allow overnight parking, but with a time restriction, making all move on each day, even if they return

A few will soon probably spoil this amenity and have already prejudiced the opinion of many who are in control of the decisions by selfish actions

Shame on the few, it really could be so simple

Complicating things by creating specific MH parking options (aires) in tourist areas I think will cause alienation and massive friction where parking is already at a premium

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GJH

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I'm in touch with a couple of councils regarding use of P&Rs in a similar manner to the one at Canterbury - using our own experience and photos of it plus our spending as evidence.

It would do no harm at all if others were to write in similar vein to councils about using their P&Rs in a similar way, always assuming the place was suitable. I may be wrong but, somehow, places like Basingstoke and Coventry don't have all that much attraction as tourism venues :)
 
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GJH

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We are regular travellers to Scotland, in recent months we have stopped in both Jedburgh and Dumfries town car parks, where there is no restriction on overnight parking

Both good locations, the former even has free wifi from the town (Borders WiFi)

Why formalise it, just allow overnight parking, but with a time restriction, making all move on each day, even if they return

A few will soon probably spoil this amenity and have already prejudiced the opinion of many who are in control of the decisions by selfish actions

Shame on the few, it really could be so simple

Complicating things by creating specific MH parking options (aires) in tourist areas I think will cause alienation and massive friction where parking is already at a premium
Why not? It doesn't have to be something formal. Similar schemes work in Powys and St Annes. Once again, though, it probably wouldn't work for somewhere like Slough or Accrington.
 
Feb 24, 2013
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not long enough
My own town, a small market town in an ex mining area of Derbyshire, has a castle, a decent Italian, nice shops

There are 2 car parks that have no obvious signs restricting parking overnight, I have never seen a MH in overnight though

Most towns have some appeal, even Slough :D people would stop because they are in the area, as in France I guess

The key to it might simply be imposing maybe an 18 hour limit, to ensure people move, with clearly signed penalties, can easily be camera monitored these days

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GJH

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My own town, a small market town in an ex mining area of Derbyshire, has a castle, a decent Italian, nice shops

There are 2 car parks that have no obvious signs restricting parking overnight, I have never seen a MH in overnight though

Most towns have some appeal, even Slough :D people would stop because they are in the area, as in France I guess

The key to it might simply be imposing maybe an 18 hour limit, to ensure people move, with clearly signed penalties, can easily be camera monitored these days
The official position throughout Bolsover District (stated last September) is "All our car parks have been designed for, and are set out for, cars only - i.e. parking bays of 4.8 metres by 2.4 metres and therefore generally not suitable for parking of motorhomes due to their size. However, I appreciate that some smaller versions like the older 'VW Caravette' and similar models may be able to park in these bays."

If there are car parks that are underused, though, it might be worth contacting the council (possibly through your local ward members) to point out that there may well be a chance to gain extra revenue by allowing the use of multiple bays overnight.
 

vwalan

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it really is so simple .
railway stations etc many have carparks with toilets all ready and waiting .
as it is i dont find aone night stopover hard to find .
 
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GJH

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it really is so simple .
railway stations etc many have carparks with toilets all ready and waiting .
as it is i dont find aone night stopover hard to find .
I agree Alan. As has been shown by some of our full timing colleagues, there are thousands of places for a one night stopover. What I was trying to ascertain, though, was whether there are particular places which would be viable for a more formal arrangement (be it like Canterbury or, as David has suggested, simply allowing usage of existing car parks overnight).

We are never going to get anywhere demanding (or even asking politely) that all councils set up aires but it may be possible to achieve some success by concentrating on viable places.

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Feb 4, 2010
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So come one, lets have some suggestions of towns/villages, why an aire there
would be popular and which car park (or maybe ex industrial site) might be suitable as a location.

Lyme Regis seems like a no-brainer - either the car park down by the harbour, the one half-way up the steep Hill Road a few minutes walk from the center, or even better the long stay one coming in on the A3052 from the west. A good selection of shops. You could wake up in your motorhome in the morning, go for a lovely walk along the beach, buy some freshly caught fish from the Old Watch House and be on your way before lunchtime (y)

Bath seems like a good location too, particularly if the local campsites continue switching from touring pitches to statics.
 

vwalan

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there was one at lyme regis a few years ago. might have been one of the first attempts in the uk.
graham yes your right i also agree with you .
think most car parks could accomodate say three m,home parkings .
 
Feb 16, 2013
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Don't think car parks are any use, other than purely for an occasional stop, what about boy racers all night and if you are talking only three, who's going to police it, if they park up at eight at night and gone for eight in the morning, what are they going to spend, nothing, non starter in my opinion

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vwalan

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start small and later you may get more .
boy racers arent that much of a trouble . dont think i have ever had a problem with them .
 

Easyliving

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We used the Holmbush car park in Lyme Regis a few weeks ago. An email to the town council got me a quick response saying this was the one to use. No overnight parking though.

I also emailed Norwich City Council a couple of months ago about using their park and ride sites. The one at Costessey allows motorhome parking apparently and has no height barrier. Again no overnight parking allowed alas.

As has been mentioned I don't think its likely that purpose built aires are going to start appearing in popular tourist spots but just a couple of motorhome spaces in some car parks would be a good start then build from there.

Paul
Lyme Regis.JPG
 
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GJH

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I don't know whether most car parks could accommodate parking for motorhomes as it depends on their construction and accessibility by large vehicles. However, it is clear that there are several which bear closer scrutiny.

If each of us who identify potential locations were to contact the councils/landowners concerned then you never know what might be achieved :)(y)

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Feb 4, 2010
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Don't think car parks are any use, other than purely for an occasional stop, what about boy racers all night and if you are talking only three, who's going to police it, if they park up at eight at night and gone for eight in the morning, what are they going to spend, nothing, non starter in my opinion

All of those arguments could apply to aires in other countries, no? But they work, so why not here?

I've stayed overnight in Powys on carparks in Hay-on-Wye and Knighton several times. On one occasion the boy racers turned up around 11pm and I feared the worse. But they were gone within 10 minutes. No other issues so far.

Last Wednesday I decided to stay overnight at Hay, to see what the weekly market was like the following day. Result: I've discovered a great source of goats cheese, and the local stall vendors (cheese, fruit & veg., cakes) got my money. Two other motorhomes turned up in the evening, left before 9am the next day and I'm not sure the occupants ventured outside the car park on foot. But those 2 hardly cost the council anything and I'll be going back.
 
Feb 16, 2013
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Parking is one thing, not many car parks we can't park on as long as we keep to the side and overhang grass or something, overnighting is a compleatly different kettle of fish and as for working in France most, if not all are not car parks as well.

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vwalan

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thats because in france they have moved on . most were just carparking originally . then got bigger as time moved on . the last twenty years as seen a big difference .
 
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we are at white haven it's £6.50p to over night park there isn't any no camping signs but even disabled parkers have to pay so those bays are empty and apparently very rarely use the bay's are big enough to take my 24ft van
asked the local plod abut staying over night no problem enjoy it and if you have any problems with dick heads just give us a ring but no one get's bother her he says he
 

wellsprungalice

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Stirling would be good. We spent an unhappy 2 hours in the gathering gloaming trying to find somewhere close by, and went through some pretty places - Dunblane, Bridge of Allan etc - nowhere to park up, no laybys, no car parks, no suitable side streets. Ended up paying £10.50 to park at the first services on the A9M.

Now, that's a real bugbear for me. Most motorway services let motorhomes buy parking for the night, and that's useful to know if you're in a pinch like we were, but precious few have designated motorhome or caravan parking, and no thought has been given to motorhomer or tugger needs. None of the staff on the site knew where we were and were not allowed to park; the lorry park was full anyway (and most of them had their refrigeration units running - deafening) so we ended up in the car park shared between Burger King and Travelodge, with people getting in and out of their cars and going for food or the loo or moving their suitcases in and out of the hotel all night, many of them being very loud about it. Both car and lorry parking was on a really bad camber. A very poor night's kip was had by all, and we wouldn't go on another service station unless we were utterly desperate.

At £10.50 I guess it's cheap for a night with access to a loo and food, but for £10.50 you want someone to have put a little thought into what a motorhomer will need. If enough of them did sort their act out, there's no reason they shouldn't operate as a network of Aires of a kind and bring in extra revenue for the site owner.

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