Parking and being a scardy cat (1 Viewer)

Gaynor369

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Hi, we are new to motor homing and so far we are having a great time, the only limiting factor I am finding is confidence when going into town and parking up.

We have always managed to park either pay and display on street or in flat car parks but always return with a feeling of trepidation in case we have a parking ticket.

What are peoples experiences of parking, not to wild camp or anything, just to visit a town for shopping etc.

All advice greatly received as the whole point of the motorhome is you can take your home with you and go anywhere And I really want to get over my parking feeling.
 

aba

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hi and welcome

i understand where you are coming from on this and basically i either find a coach park or just try park away from other vehicles but if i take up 2 spaces i will normally pay for both as i see its only fair to do so.
 
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Gaynor369

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hi and welcome

i understand where you are coming from on this and basically i either find a coach park or just try park away from other vehicles but if i take up 2 spaces i will normally pay for both as i see its only fair to do so.


I think it's a perception but have read about that, paying for two spaces and that works for width how about length?
 
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aba

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width wise i can fit between the lines on a standard parking bay but length wise at 28 feet i take up 2 or if i park across the bays 6 but its very rare i park across.
even an rv should fit widthwise in a standard parking bay.

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GJH

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I think it's a perception but have read about that, paying for two spaces and that works for width how about length?

It varies from place to place but "difficulty" depends on how often you will actually want to park in towns with the van. Check the web site (below) - and council parking pages on their web sites - in advance to alleviate concerns.

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slobadoberbob

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sure not easy

It is sure not easy.. I with the trailer on come in at 45' long.. so if it is food type shopping it has to be a supermarket like Tesco's .. normally get the fuel at the same time.. but you do get some dirty looks.. aim for coach parks and see what the score is.... Hastings used to be OK, but they now have done away with the coach park. Tend to try and leave the RV on site and use the car to go into town. If a bus can get in to town I can.. 9'11" on the mirrors so I take a lot of care.. the mirror heads come in at over £400 each with the top Valvec wide angle and the indicator units I have added. Normal on street parking tends to be a no no.

But places like Canterbury in Kent have a dedicated motorhome parking site with a bus service to town... I am sure there are others about.

Bob
 
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JayDee

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Welcome to Morrisons Asda tesco Aldi etc :thumb:

Just so, Paul. :thumb:
Problem with supermarkets is how often they are a bit of a hike from the town centre. :Sad:

We're not quite 24 feet long. If we need to use a paying car park we try to pick a space on the edge, where we can back in with the rear overhanging a grass verge (but not a footpath). This often possible and nobody seems to worry.


John
 
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MHVirgins

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I let hubby do all the driving/parking around the towns. I had a few minutes driving the mh around a Homebase carpark recently and survived, mainly because it was half empty:roflmto:

However, we had to park in a Morrisons carpark recently and that was ok, took up the usual 2 bays lengthwise and then the same in a large Sainsburys/Aldi car park. No problems with the petrol station there, height loads of room and width too.
We tend to go for the furthest away vacant spaces in the usual supermarkets and don't have any problems.

We saw signs recently in the carp park in Largs (Ayrshire) when we were there recently saying "NO MOTORHOMES". So we thought, stuff that, we'll find somewhere else and parked at the end of the prom.......no problems, but wouldn't think we'd be as lucky in the height of the summer:RollEyes:

Good luck with everything:thumb:

Bill & Margaret

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EthnGeoff

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Of course it's a problem and those who say it's not are kidding nobody. Every ding and scratch on our car is the result of someones carelessness in a town car park. Hence with the van I tend to look for out of town shops for stocking up on provisions and find a quiet corner of the car park. If going into a town then we look for large open car parks on the outskirts and walk or cycle in as necessary. You're right to be cautious no-one wants their pride & joy damaged.
Geoff.
 
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GJH

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aim for coach parks and see what the score is....
As Bob says, see what the score is before using coach parks. Make sure MH parking is allowed before using a coach park or you will receive a fine.

Never use coach bays at motorway services. Apart from any other factors they take account of the fact that coaches are often carrying elderly passengers who need to be dropped off close to facilities.
 
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estcres

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We have found parking both easy and awkward on occasions.

In Plymouth, we had to park about 15 minutes walk from the City Centre as a lot of their car parking is Multi Storey, but in Bath, parked in the Coach Park right in the City Centre, no problem.

We always try and park sensibly and not annoy other drivers, that way we seem to get away with an awful lot.

In Devizes, parked for 48 hours in a 2 hour parking place next to the pond. Not so much as a sniff of a ticket.

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Terry

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Get a sub 20 footer :thumb: no probs at all ::bigsmile: The Iveco has fantastic lock on it and is less trouble than the 14/15ft L200 pick up -crap lock
terry
 
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Of course it's a problem and those who say it's not are kidding nobody. Every ding and scratch on our car is the result of someones carelessness in a town car park. Hence with the van I tend to look for out of town shops for stocking up on provisions and find a quiet corner of the car park. If going into a town then we look for large open car parks on the outskirts and walk or cycle in as necessary. You're right to be cautious no-one wants their pride & joy damaged.
Geoff.

I have always parked mine where I want. I know its worth a lot of money but if I had to worry about it then I would sell it.
It all depends on how feel. Some people will worry it might get damaged but then again it may not.
 
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dryad

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quite a few years now, and loving every minute..
quiet corners of supermarket car parks seem to fulfil a need although if you want to have a look around town too, then time limit restrictions can be a pain in the backside in a lot of them nowadays..
there also seem to be more and more car parks that have height retrictions/barriers.
mine is only a lwb hi-top renault trafic and i do need to use it sometimes as my everyday vehicle and being disabled means that i can't always access and park near to where i want to be, although thats when my blue badge can come in mighty handy. :Smile:

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slobadoberbob

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it does amaze me...

It does amaze me.. when in France we pulled in to a super market on the edge of the town.. empty.. large car park.. so I still parked at the furthest point and sat with engine running (air con on) it was a hot day... Sue went off to get some supplies I am long way's across a good 6 bays with two in front of me empty then the curb and grass bank.. left myself enough room to turn out back in tot he internal road..remember this place is empty....

Within a couple of minutes one car turns up and parks in front of me.. so I have now only one bay to get out.. I could not believe it then another car does the same and has a job opening there door as it is touching my bumper... remember engine is running.. so I sound the horns.. yes the person jumped.. I made an expression with my hands trowing them in the air... finally they got the message and move the car.. still had the other one that had gone off to the store.. so I back the rig up.. RV and trailer.. and said to my self sod this.. I then drove down and round to the front entrance of the store and parked across the back of other cars and waited for Sue to come back.. which was only a short time as she had gone for milk...

But it does not matter how much care and thought you take.. there are some real idiots about.

Bob
 
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Parking and being a scardy cat.

We thought about this parking in car parks and out of curiosity emailed a council near to where we were to stay. The reply was very quick. Yes there was parking for MH but it was well outside the town area and we would have to catch a bus to the centre. No problem we have bus passes. They also said that we could park in a normal car park providing we payed for two places. We also found out that a local bus goes directly into the town centre. Guess what? Lil is having a rest day.::bigsmile::ROFLMAO:
Mike
 
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