Beginner's Guide to Motorhome Etiquette

[Jim]

This thread is for the general discussion of the Article Motorhome Etiquette

 

[sueandjohn]

I had to laugh about the birds / dogs comments . We used to have a guest house in Coniston and a few years ago we got a bad review on the wonderful (not) trip advisor because the birds woke them up early.? They wanted a lie in cos it was Sunday ….. enough said

 

[DDJC]

This is good stuff.
I agree with everything you have said, but could you also include dog barking & and putting them on leads and hogging the waste dump point while you wash your van.

Many of the things that annoy us on sites aren't things that motorhomers do. Tents have guy ropes that stretch across to the next parish and tugger cars are parked on roads leaving it difficult for motorhomes to pass.

We do use a breathable groundsheet, simply because most sites do not sweep their ground of small stones. I prefer grass, but that little sharp stone that embeds itself under your instep is bloody painful. We always use a groundsheet on gravel.

 

[Jim]

I had to laugh about the birds / dogs comments . We used to have a guest house in Coniston and a few years ago we got a bad review on the wonderful (not) trip advisor because the birds woke them up early.? They wanted a lie in cos it was Sunday ….. enough said

Yes, some people do love a moan. At our place I've had two moans about the Muntjac deer calls. (it can sound a bit like a murder) And someone asked if our owl calls every night as it kept them awake!

 

[Adtan]

Some great tips Jim it’s a pity that MH dealers don’t put them in the vans they sell might make everyone’s life a bit easier certainly noticed not as many people wave now as when we first got our van enjoy Germany loved the thread on the salon show

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[Swifter]

“They can be big two handed epileptic waves, a salute, a royal wave or just a nonchalant lift of a finger from the steering wheel.”

 

[Kannon Fodda]

Would someone explain the finer points of etiquette to the New Forest ponies and donkeys that don't respect pitch boundaries, that braying (equivalent if the loud good morning greeting) at 6:30am, and of course having a dump next to your van isn't good form

 

[nicholsong]

Would someone explain the finer points of etiquette to the New Forest ponies and donkeys that don't respect pitch boundaries, that braying (equivalent if the loud good morning greeting) at 6:30am, and of course having a dump next to your van isn't good form

I was staying with a friend a few miles out of Castlemaine, in Victoria, Aus, on her rough property. She had borrowed a caravan for me to stay in. One night I got up at dawn for a pee in the bushes and a great big kangaroo started bounding around - fortunately away from me, obviously did not like the smell of the beer I was p*ssing from the night before.

New Forest ponies are pussies in comparison. Anyway they were there first. Just like some airports before people moved near to them.

 

[eddie]

When I wrote the rules for my campsite in 2005 all my staff laughed and said I'd be banned if I didn't own it lol

 

[SpeedyDux]

I agree with the points covered by the Beginners Guide, well done.

Birds ... I love sites where I can hear a Tawny Owl at night. Not so keen on the dawn chorus, and my pet hate is a Woodpigeon that decides to tapdance on the roof at 5 am.

Kids repeatedly kicking a football against the MH - luckily for them I didn't bring a shotgun. Next morning that family (all of them were antisocial to a high degree) were asked by the wardens to leave the site.

I am quite territorial so kindly don't take shortcuts across my pitch. It's protected by African Juju so watch out! Mysteriously your fridge will stop working. Or something else will happen to restore the balance in the universe - karma, innit.

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[Otter Spotter]

Jim, is it worth creating your post as a PDF that can be printed off by Funsters and given to the great unwashed( by that I mean those not in the know)

 

[Jim]

Jim, is it worth creating your post as a PDF that can be printed off by Funsters and given to the great unwashed( by that I mean those not in the know)

I could do something, I've sent something similar to over 25 motorhome hire companies, not a single acknowledgement.

 

[MarionK]

There's a typo . . . "late light noise"

 

[Mike123]

Alas - not just newcomers are the issue….

 

[Otter Spotter]

I could do something, I've sent something similar to over 25 motorhome hire companies, not a single acknowledgement.

I would be happy to take a ream of printed PDFs and drop them off at camp sites on my travels.

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[L' Hobo]

I was staying with a friend a few miles out of Castlemaine, in Victoria, Aus, on her rough property. She had borrowed a caravan for me to stay in. One night I got up at dawn for a pee in the bushes and a great big kangaroo started bounding around - fortunately away from me, obviously did not like the smell of the beer I was p*ssing from the night before.

New Forest ponies are pussies in comparison. Anyway they were there first. Just like some airports before people moved near to them.

Your lucky you didn't go for a dump in the dunny and find a Redback under the seat, they like a bit of dangling fresh meat for breakfast!

 

[CumbriaPaul]

If you pass me and I don't wave, please bear in mind that I use hand controls to drive so I either have to take my hand off the steering wheel or off the accelerator and brake to do so, not sensible with our size bus. My partner will though, and as it's LHD you'll probably think it was the driver!

 

[DDJC]

If you pass me and I don't wave, please bear in mind that I use hand controls to drive so I either have to take my hand off the steering wheel or off the accelerator and brake to do so, not sensible with our size bus. My partner will though, and as it's LHD you'll probably think it was the driver!

Cheers, I now know to not follow you and at 2 in the morning, chuck a few handfuls of breadcrumbs onto your roof to entertain the birds...



Doesn't bother me if folk don't wave. If I fail to wave, it is because I haven't seen you, and been focused on the road. Usually I am a first waver as well. This year in France, we were waved constantly by French moho pilots. Fewer in Italy, but still plenty. Great to see the international moho camaraderie is back post-covid.

 

[Pechris]

You don't own the pitch, you are only borrowing it for the night. Campers can go where they like to a certain degree.

 

[steve69]

I had to laugh about the birds / dogs comments . We used to have a guest house in Coniston and a few years ago we got a bad review on the wonderful (not) trip advisor because the birds woke them up early.? They wanted a lie in cos it was Sunday ….. enough said

Quite right too!
Years ago I was camping in the forest of Dean in May. At 5 a.m. a Cuckoo parked itself very near my tent and cuckoo'd away for an hour!
At first I thought "wonderful"!........ But half an hour later I was wishing I had a gun!

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[CazPaul]

Quite right too!
Years ago I was camping in the forest of Dean in May. At 5 a.m. a Cuckoo parked itself very near my tent and cuckoo'd away for an hour!
At first I thought "wonderful"!........ But half an hour later I was wishing I had a gun!

Well the way Cuckoo numbers are seriously declining you will count yourself lucky to hear one at all going forward.
So sad for a beautiful bird.

 

[Wildbill]

Well the way Cuckoo numbers are seriously declining you will count yourself lucky to hear one at all going forward.
So sad for a beautiful bird.

We have one near our home a wonderful thing to hear.
Never mone about natural things in life only to soon ther gone.
Or age makes them disappear as you do deff
Bill

 

[jess12]

We have one near our home a wonderful thing to hear.
Never mone about natural things in life only to soon ther gone.
Or age makes them disappear as you do deff
Bill

Good day one and all
Do not really mind what others do its far to easy to winge all the time kids playing, dogs ,etc yes somethings can be a bit of a pain but that i am afraid is life ,We take our african grey parrot with us ,if the weather is ok usually put her outside we then have loads of kids and adults walking through our pitch to see the parrot usually ends in us talking to loads of nice people lifes to short to be a hole all the time enjoy what you have and were you go
Take care and most of all enjoy

 

[Widge]

Not motorhoming, but when I was younger and camped a lot, i would arrive at a site and pitch my tent at the furthest point from all the other tents, go for a meal at the local pub, come back, and there would be a second tent pitched so close you had to step over guy ropes to pass between them. Why!!!!

 

[Dodgey]

Jim, don't kill the grass, you missed don't empty hot water tanks or place or pour anything hot on said grass?

......and for those that don't realise, three to five days the grass is dead and takes two to three YEARS to recover without excavation and resoiling (is that a word?) and either seeding or turfing.

We have some interesting patches round here....

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[Gina M]

Can someone please explain to me how I can stop my dog from doing a poo in areas where people will be walking etc. I always pick up of course I do but when they want to go you can't stop them or can you? I suppose I could tie one of the dogs to a tree and then stand with a bag at my dogs a"""e and catch it as it falls or carry wet wipes and wipe the ground after

Gina

 

[Jo662]

Not motorhoming, but when I was younger and camped a lot, i would arrive at a site and pitch my tent at the furthest point from all the other tents, go for a meal at the local pub, come back, and there would be a second tent pitched so close you had to step over guy ropes to pass between them. Why!!!!

Same with car parks. I always park as far as possible out of the way in my motorhome,but when I come back there is always cars parked next to me,even though there are lots of spaces.

 

[TheBig1]

Can someone please explain to me how I can stop my dog from doing a poo in areas where people will be walking etc. I always pick up of course I do but when they want to go you can't stop them or can you? I suppose I could tie one of the dogs to a tree and then stand with a bag at my dogs a"""e and catch it as it falls or carry wet wipes and wipe the ground after

Gina

you train the dog to toilet on command and as you give the command, lay out toilet tissue behind to catch the poo. You may laugh but I have seen it done

 

[Gina M]

you train the dog to toilet on command and as you give the command, lay out toilet tissue behind to catch the poo. You may laugh but I have seen it done

No, not laughing. I remember from years ago my stepdad trained his two dogs to go in the garden before he took them for a walk. I just never gave it a thought as I always pick up, but I get the point that some can be left behind.

Gina.

 

[Widge]

Same with car parks. I always park as far as possible out of the way in my motorhome,but when I come back there is always cars parked next to me,even though there are lots of spaces.

Same with car parks. I always park as far as possible out of the way in my motorhome,but when I come back there is always cars parked next to me,even though there are lots of spaces.

I have to admit, when I parked in toulouse airport long stay carpark I parked with a small group of vans that were parked out in the open underneath one of the security camera pilons.

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