DUMB Parking Question (1 Viewer)

[John&Kate]

Hi fellow MH'ers

Our 1st French tour kicks off on Tuesday, and I am wondering can I park my 9m Autotrail Alko chasis in a supermarket carpark ? or do I have to park in an Aires and walk/taxi/bus to the nearest supermarket.

Excuse my ignorance, Ive never been to France and never toured Europe in a MH.

Im trying to be as prepared as I can .. .. ..

 

[sdc77]

Never had a problem parking m a car park... always park a bit away from the building though to cause least disruption and walk dogs

 

[Flamenca]

I have seen larger than that in French supermarket car parks. When I was a tugger I never had problems with 4x4 and caravan totalling 12 metres.

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[Badknee]

Far corner of car park using two spaces and when you come out with your shopping there will be a French Moho parked so close you won't be able to open your door.
I'm kidding but they do like to stick together it seems.

 

[John&Kate]

Thanks for swift responses .. Im carrying two young children and there is bound to be something forgotten to be packed in preparation

 

[Flamenca]

We always forget to pack some essentials but do pack loads of gear we never use

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[vwalan]

children are usefull you can eat them .

 

[Gromett]

I'm kidding but they do like to stick together it seems.

I asked my ex who is french about that and she thinks there are two reasons. One is security she thinks thieves like the isolated ones as there is less chance of a neigbouring van being occupied. And secondly for cooling, they try to get in the shade of other larger vehicles where possible.

 

[pyro]

I asked the very question of a French family who is parked next to us at the moment, who waived us in to join them where they were wild camping (disused car park) near Sesimbra (S of Lisbon), when two other vans joined us.

The answer was unequivocal; "there's safety in numbers".

As for parking in supermarkets, already answered. No problems but always best to park away from the main group of shoppers. Many French supermarkets (E. Leclerk especially) seem to actively encourage overnighting in their car parks,

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[scotjimland]

as above.. never had an issue.. even when we had the 36ft RV .. try to park with your arse over a grass verge..

also some French supermakets have motorhome facilities .. dumping and fresh water .. and you can also park overnight.. look for the Motorhome sign..

 

[Clarky]

Do watch out for height barriers though.
Quite a number of supermarkets seem to have installed them, the larger Carrefour ones seem to be the worst offenders.

Richard.

 

[DBK]

Lidl car parks can be very small in my experience and crowded, Lidl = Little. Best to pause outside and see if you can see if there is enough space before swanning in. Where there are height barriers, Carrefour seem keen on these, you may find there is another entrance tucked away to one side and not necessarily signposted, without a barrier. I think they need one for ambulances and fire engines.

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[scotjimland]

Do watch out for height barriers though.

yes.. good point..

a few we used this year had 3mt barriers.. although I know my height is less than 3mt., I had Jan watch as I crept through.. An auto sat dish is an expensive item to wreck..

.. Inter Marche at
Châteaudun

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@48.0...yVUg6qOBt3BA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1?hl=en

 

[WynandJean]

Thanks for swift responses .. Im carrying two young children and there is bound to be something forgotten to be packed in preparation

One of the kids, maybe!
I think I've seen the movie.

Wyn

 

[WynandJean]

Overnighting on supermarket car parks seems a sensible idea. They already have a large empty car park overnight. Some provide facilities for filling/emptying of the motorhome. I have seen them with a laundrette adjacent. The presence of the public overnight must improve the supermarket's security. In the morning guess where all those motorhomers go for their fresh croisants and other shopping? Oh and on the way out we might as well fill up with deisel. It shows the difference in attitude to motorhomes from good old blighty!


Wyn

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[FIDGET]

yes.. good point..

a few we used this year had 3mt barriers.. although I know my height is less than 3mt., I had Jan watch as I crept through.. An auto sat dish is an expensive item to wreck..

.. Inter Marche at
Châteaudun

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@48.0...yVUg6qOBt3BA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1?hl=en

@scotjimland
That's some heavy duty height barriers , certainly wouldn't want to hit that.

 

[scotjimland]

It shows the difference in attitude to motorhomes from good old blighty!

It's not a different attitude.. it's a difference in our laws..

The Caravan Act 1960 applies to UK supermarkets .. they cannot allow overnight camping unless they have a licence.. and stay within the law..

 

[scotjimland]

@scotjimland
That's some heavy duty height barriers , certainly wouldn't want to hit that.

It's taking no prisoners.. that's for sure.. I crept under it VERY slowly..

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[Clarky]

On the subject of supermarkets; they are the most popular and best value places to fill with fuel, like in the UK.
However, for the first timer there are some slight differences which the 'older hands' now just take for granted.
The forecourt is laid out differently from the usual UK style with pumps stretched across the width of the forecourt.
There is usually a section marked 24hr pay at pump (with credit card), usually to the RHS. This is the section to use when possible.
To the LHS is the section where you fill then move forward to the cashier who then raises a barrier to let you out after payment.
This is where the fun starts when you have a 9m van.
The exits are often very 'Micky Mouse' i.e. narrow and with very tight turns and high kerbs. To keep in the relaxed holiday mood it is always better to keep well away from these tests of manoeuvring skills.

A couple of different credit cards (Visa/Mastercard) is always a good idea as sometimes one may be refused by the machine for obscure reasons. It doesn't happen often but it is always when you are low on fuel or in an area with few alternative fuel stations.

Whatever happens enjoy your first trip to France, I will wager that it won't be your last.

Richard.

 

[WynandJean]

It's not a different attitude.. it's a difference in our laws..

The Caravan Act 1960 applies to UK supermarkets .. they cannot allow overnight camping unless they have a licence.. and stay within the law..

Exactly. The different attitude is dictated by the government.


Wyn

 

[Emmit]

It's not a different attitude.. it's a difference in our laws..

The Caravan Act 1960 applies to UK supermarkets .. they cannot allow overnight camping unless they have a licence.. and stay within the law..

They could, (BUT THEY WON'T) apply to an Organisation (Think CC or C&CC,) who could issue an exemption Certificate allowing 5 'vans to stay overnight. Thinking specifically motorhomes that are self contained, not needing grey or black dump.
I doubt that they would be able to think "Out of the box"

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[pyro]

Johnny foreigner's attitude to tourism seems way better than ours, if my experiences are anything to go by. There are many times we took our boat over the channel for a weekend, and very few times were we ever charged for mooring in French harbours on the basis that we would spend money supporting the local shops and restaurants, have a good time and return. In comparison, it cost us between £15 - £20 to spend a single night on a mudbank at the Isle of Wight. Same goes for flying a light aircraft into one of the many smaller airfields. Le Touquet is free to use, yet fly back to Blackblushe and it costs you £17 just to land to fill up on overpriced fuel.

Straight forward greed. Even when you do find somewhere to park your van in the UK, it is often out in the middle of nowhere, you are often greeted with little more than a thinly disguised grunt of "welcome" from a surly overweight warden who is more interested in his telly than customers, and often suffer bugger all privacy where you eventually do find a pitch level enough to use.

 

[Puddleduck]

I have found that some IKEA and ASDA stores in the UK (Scotland) will allow you to park overnight (but not "camp").

The manager of an ASDA store said there was no problem with me parking at the far end of the car park overnight if I used the cafe for breakfast as of course I would not be camping in his car park would I? (broad wink at that point). Always ask if you can park your van overnight before you do it and you will be surprised at how helpful some store managers can be.

Remember the store is in business to sell goods not to provide a nightstop. You have been given permission to park so don't leave steps, chairs etc out and don't have doors or windows open. Roof lights discretely on vent might be okay. Don't leave a mess or use their rubbish disposal for your rubbish, find somewhere else to dispose of it correctly. Use the store for your shopping. Just be aware that the store management needs to stay within the law and they are doing you a favour not the other way round.

Oh and when you leave a "thank you" card make sure the wording is vague. Something like "thank you for all your help, much appreciated" !!!!!!!

 

[Philiphall]

it would be very unusual to go to any local supermarket here in France at this time of year & not see a campervan in the car park never mind the size. Indeed a lot park up on a saturday night knowing the supermarket is closed on the sunday so its nice & quiet as the french motto seems to be "live & let live" they really dont care.

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[Deleted member 29692]

We've used several supermarkets on this trip both large and small with no problems at all.

Be aware that in a lot of them you have to weigh and label fresh fruit and veg yourself. If you get to the checkout not having done so you will be sent back to do it.

 

[The Wino]

Often have dedicated parking spaces sometimes black and grey dump/water refill and self service washing machines/tumble dryers a lot more civilised than the backward country we live in (when it comes to motorhoming)

 

[pyro]

In my view, supermarkets in the UK have a typical "jobsworth" attitude. They are worried about whether their insurance covers M/H parking, planning infringement, health and safety, fire safety, whether "travellers" (i.e. Itinerants) will turn up in their droves with their caravans, rubbish, sanitation, etc, etc. I'm not sure I completely blame the managers for simply refusing to accommodate M/H's.

Instead the sensible thing would be to turn a blind eye to occasional overnight use, but common sense seems to be in short supply in the UK at the moment

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[Langtoftlad]

yes.. good point..

a few we used this year had 3mt barriers.. although I know my height is less than 3mt., I had Jan watch as I crept through.. An auto sat dish is an expensive item to wreck..

.. Inter Marche at
Châteaudun

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@48.0...yVUg6qOBt3BA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1?hl=en

Perhaps I'm missing something, but swinging "Streetview" around, it seems you can just drive around the other barrier ?

 

[busby]

I asked the very question of a French family who is parked next to us at the moment, who waived us in to join them where they were wild camping (disused car park) near Sesimbra (S of Lisbon), when two other vans joined us.

The answer was unequivocal; "there's safety in numbers".

As for parking in supermarkets, already answered. No problems but always best to park away from the main group of shoppers. Many French supermarkets (E. Leclerk especially) seem to actively encourage overnighting in their car parks,

Some LE Clerks have a Flot Blue and a dedicated area for motorhomes,,BUSBY.

 

[scotjimland]

y

Perhaps I'm missing something, but swinging "Streetview" around, it seems you can just drive around the other barrier ?

yes.. looks like that .. but you would be driving on the wrong side of the road and going in the Exit.. maybe they didn't think on that

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