Britstops (1 Viewer)

[joe and sue]

Every one of us here has at least two things in common: a love of motorhomes and the ability to get online. However, you would be amazed at how many motorhome owners (of a certain age) who wouldn't know what an app is. An unbelievable 2 and sometimes 3 in 5 of the people who turn up at our tea tent at a showground and ask to join motorhomefun, use their son's or a friend's email address! "Our Kevin will deal with that for us" All these people would prefer a printed guide and probably yellow pages over google. To be honest, I love eBay, but not as much as I loved the Exchange and Mart

As these people die or embrace technology, I imagine Britstops, if they wish to continue will have to look at an app. But it's a massive investment, our magazine app was straightforward and cost thousands to develop. And the biggie, people don't expect to pay too much for apps. That said Progressive Web Apps are making great strides and can be cheap; and I'd be surprised if Britstops wern't looking at them, as they could control access to data for their subscribers just like we can on a forum.

I like Britstops, the team work hard to produce a very useful collection of stopovers, printed or digital I hope survives and thrives, with so many new motorhome owners we need every pitch we can get.

I agree with Jim, it will have to come, but personally i like to have an actual book to look at, for me a phone is there for convenience, not to rule my life.
I wonder what would happen to some people if the internet worldwide were to go down, some i know would lose at of their reading material, music, address book and everything else,
I would never download music, i like to have the actual CD,
I never want to be in the situation where my every action is via an electronic device, our grandson now never reads a book he listens to audio books!!
That's just my opinion
Joe

 

[CamperJack]

If app development is a lot of work and money I wondered in the interim if BritStops had considered offering a kindle version of the paper book?

Making an app is quite a costly business, especially if you're not able to make it yourself and have to employ a developer.

A kindle version isn't a bad idea, except I bet Amazon take a hefty chunk of profits.

 

[Jaws]

but not as much as I loved the Exchange and Mart

Here ya go Jim .. You can print it out if you like

Exchange & Mart: New & Used Cars for Sale Near You

With 83,861 vehicles for sale, Exchange & Mart makes it easy to find the perfect car near you. Try out our brand new and used vehicles, which have been provided by trusted dealers and private sellers alike.

www.exchangeandmart.co.uk

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[glenn2926]

We bought the book, once, but didn't use it. In fact, we never use books now - only apps. They're so much easier and more convenient.

Britstops is a good idea, and we may subscribe again if they did a reasonably-priced app.- certainly not if they stick with a book. When we're looking for a pub stopover, we use Search for Sites or Facebook. We always phone ahead, eat in the pub, and we've never had a problem in finding somewhere.

The main problem with stop overs in the UK, though, is lack of emptying facilities. Particularly, in times of Covid, we don't use anything but our own facilities, and we can't go more than 2 days without emptying the cassette. This would prevent us from making extensive use of stop overs without frequently alternating with campsites.

Do you go home every two days to use your own facilities? If not whose facilities do you use for emptying your cassette?

 

[Winger]

Do you go home every two days to use your own facilities? If not whose facilities do you use for emptying your cassette?

Some Britstops that I have used had all facilities and unlike some campsites they are glad to see you

 

[Jaws]

Do you go home every two days to use your own facilities? If not whose facilities do you use for emptying your cassette?

I think it depends on how experienced you are and know whats what..
Cana say I have dumped black anywhere even slightly iffy yet the only time we use camp sites is when travelling with others who have not got the facility/ ability to stay off grid as we do.

Sometimes it is a mission to get sorted in the UK, but while travelling the continent ( apart from Croatia ) there have always been several places available

As I say .. it is maybe down to experience and or possibly dumb luck

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[glenn2926]

Some Britstops that I have used had all facilities and unlike some campsites they are glad to see you

Aye we’ve had a couple that have insisted we have hook up. They don’t advertise it. We didn’t need it but it would have felt rude not to. There are quite a few with facilities and some even do breakfast.

My question was in regard to the poster saying they don’t use any facilities other than their own and can only manage two days.
Maybe they’re still working and that’s why. If not two day maximum trips is a bit short for me.

 

[bellabee]

Do you go home every two days to use your own facilities? If not whose facilities do you use for emptying your cassette?

We go to a campsite for a couple of nights.

 

[glenn2926]

We go to a campsite for a couple of nights.

i see, I thought you meant you won’t use any toilets or washing or Black waste facilities except your own. There are some britstops with black waste emptying facilities. Just not very many. We use one that has an outside toilet which I have used to empty the cassette down.
Edit, it might not be a britstops only place as they never bother asking about membership.

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[CamperJack]

i see, I thought you meant you won’t use any toilets or washing or Black waste facilities except your own. There are some britstops with black waste emptying facilities. Just not very many. We use one that has an outside toilet which I have used to empty the cassette down.
Edit, it might not be a britstops only place as they never bother asking about membership.

I don't think many accept only members. I think the business just use the book as an opportunity to advertise themselves and promote the fact you can stay.

If you're a pub and you're open to Britstoppers staying why would you turn down similar business from someone who wasn't a member?

 

[glenn2926]

I don't think many accept only members. I think the business just use the book as an opportunity to advertise themselves and promote the fact you can stay.

If you're a pub and you're open to Britstoppers staying why would you turn down similar business from someone who wasn't a member?

Maybe not, one of the pubs local to me allowed motorhomes to overnight if eating and drinking. I did ask them if they would like to be in britstops. They didn’t as they were under the impression that if they were they could only allow members to stay.
I do think they also didn’t want to allow people to stay that wouldn’t be eating and drinking which is a britstops rule I think.

 

[DangerMousy]

We've been members of France Passion for the past few years and love the system, but as we're unlikely to be able to go to France for a while (and assuming we're going to be allowed to travel at all!) we're thinking of Brit Stops instead.

So I'd like to ask advice from those of you who are members.....Everyone talks how many pubs there are to stay at, and though we like pubs, we usually prefer to stay on vineyards or artisan food producers (bonus points if there's a pub in cycling distance ). Are there enough of these kind of places in the South and South West to make it worthwhile?

Yes I know we could wild camp somewhere without paying to join....but its not our style. We're happy off-grid, but would prefer to be somewhere where parking is encouraged/approved rather than just tolerated.

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[joe and sue]

We've been members of France Passion for the past few years and love the system, but as we're unlikely to be able to go to France for a while (and assuming we're going to be allowed to travel at all!) we're thinking of Brit Stops instead.

So I'd like to ask advice from those of you who are members.....Everyone talks how many pubs there are to stay at, and though we like pubs, we usually prefer to stay on vineyards or artisan food producers (bonus points if there's a pub in cycling distance ). Are there enough of these kind of places in the South and South West to make it worthwhile?

Yes I know we could wild camp somewhere without paying to join....but its not our style. We're happy off-grid, but would prefer to be somewhere where parking is encouraged/approved rather than just tolerated.

Hi there, the majority of Britstops are pubs, but we have found some excellent farmshops and a vineyard on the Isle of Wight, so yes we think it would be very worthwhile,
Have you also considered the Caravan & Motorhome Club network of CL's we find this together with Britstops and the occasional cheeky request at all sorts of places results in an excellent touring holiday.
Tintagel has a pub with a large car-park where MH's are very welcome at £5 per night, excellent stop-over,
Have fun,
Joe

 

[DangerMousy]

Hi there, the majority of Britstops are pubs, but we have found some excellent farmshops and a vineyard on the Isle of Wight, so yes we think it would be very worthwhile,
Have you also considered the Caravan & Motorhome Club network of CL's we find this together with Britstops and the occasional cheeky request at all sorts of places results in an excellent touring holiday.
Tintagel has a pub with a large car-park where MH's are very welcome at £5 per night, excellent stop-over,
Have fun,
Joe

Thanks for replying.....sounds promising.
We're members of the C&CC (rather than the C&MC) but yes CL/CSs are on the list too. But I guess I'm just trying to replicate France Passion as best we can...though I'm not expecting UK vineyards to supply the super-cheap vin de pays you can often buy from French ones ;-)

 

[bigtwin]

Thanks for replying.....sounds promising.
We're members of the C&CC (rather than the C&MC) but yes CL/CSs are on the list too. But I guess I'm just trying to replicate France Passion as best we can...though I'm not expecting UK vineyards to supply the super-cheap vin de pays you can often buy from French ones ;-)

C&CC are great for their Temporary Holiday Sites (THS) too - cheap as chips and no requirement to book either.

Ian

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[DangerMousy]

C&CC are great for their Temporary Holiday Sites (THS) too - cheap as chips and no requirement to book either.

Ian

Yep, we're aware of those thanks. I'm specifically trying to get feedback on Brit Stops though.

 

[kevenh]

I do think they also didn’t want to allow people to stay that wouldn’t be eating and drinking which is a britstops rule I think.

It’s not a rule that Britstops members don’t pay for food, etc.
Britsops say it’s discretionary to buy at the pub or from farm shops (depending on the site) and some members trumpet that into their norm that there’s no rule/obligation to spend a penny at the pump.

That is feedback from this very forum on the Britstop’s scheme.

edit: Britstop ethos are good search words.

 

[glenn2926]

It’s not a rule that Britstops members don’t pay.
Britsops say it’s discretionary to buy at the pub or from farm shops (depending on the site) and some members trumpet that into their norm that there’s no rule/obligation to spend a penny at the pump.

That is feedback from this very forum on the Britstop’s scheme.

I think you need to re read my post. I never said that members don’t pay. I meant that the rule for the pub etc to be a member there must be no obligation for the visitor to buy anything.
My point re the pub near me was that I think they only want motorhomes to stay that will be eating/ drinking in the pub. Which is why they do not want to be members.

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[kevenh]

I think you need to re read my post. I never said that members don’t pay. I meant that the rule for the pub etc to be a member there must be no obligation for the visitor to buy anything.
My point re the pub near me was that I think they only want motorhomes to stay that will be eating/ drinking in the pub. Which is why they do not want to be members.

I made a late edit.
Not sure if it brings us more into alignment or not
From “eating and drinking which is a britstops rule I think.” it didn’t read like you thought Britstops were expecting their members to give their custom to the owners of the land allowing them to park their Motorhome.

My understanding is that there is an expectation but not an obligation that it’s a 2 way exchange.

 

[glenn2926]

I made a late edit.
Not sure if it brings us more into alignment or not
From “eating and drinking which is a britstops rule I think.” it didn’t read like you thought Britstops were expecting their members to give their custom to the owners of the land allowing them to park their Motorhome.

My understanding is that there is an expectation but not an obligation that it’s a 2 way exchange.

Ah I see, yeah we’re basically both saying the same thing.

 

[Langtoftlad]

The obligation is to go and say hello, to peruse their offering but no obligation to buy.

Obviously they hope you will.
They get a 'free' advert in the Britstop guide in exchange for offering a free parking space.
But no advertising has a 100% hit rate.

Nothing to do with hospitality or morality. Just a commercial decision.

Personally I love Britstop because I love eating out so its perfect for me.
Get a pub meal, which I probably would have had anyway, plus a free park.

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[CamperJack]

If

The obligation is to go and say hello, to peruse their offering but no obligation to buy.

Obviously they hope you will.
They get a 'free' advert in the Britstop guide in exchange for offering a free parking space.
But no advertising has a 100% hit rate.

Nothing to do with hospitality or morality. Just a commercial decision.

Personally I love Britstop because I love eating out so its perfect for me.
Get a pub meal, which I probably would have had anyway, plus a free park.

Exactly, I save money on site fees. But probably spend it on real ale and good pub food. Free meal? Because, if it wasn't for the BritStop, I would have paid for a site and probably gone to a pub anyway.

Love BritStops and can't wait to descover more of them when BoJo and Co say we can all play outside again.

 

[glenn2926]

If


Exactly, I save money on site fees. But probably spend it on real ale and good pub food. Free meal? Because, if it wasn't for the BritStop, I would have paid for a site and probably gone to a pub anyway.

Love BritStops and can't wait to descover more of them when BoJo and Co say we can all play outside again.

We’re exactly the same. We would go out for dinner and beers/wine anyway so the money saved on not paying for the site helps cover the food and drink. Plus my bedroom is right outside the door.

 

[CamperJack]

We’re exactly the same. We would go out for dinner and beers/wine anyway so the money saved on not paying for the site helps cover the food and drink. Plus my bedroom is right outside the door.

Not too far to stagger home is it?

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[joe and sue]

The obligation is to go and say hello, to peruse their offering but no obligation to buy.

Obviously they hope you will.
They get a 'free' advert in the Britstop guide in exchange for offering a free parking space.
But no advertising has a 100% hit rate.

Nothing to do with hospitality or morality. Just a commercial decision.

Personally I love Britstop because I love eating out so its perfect for me.
Get a pub meal, which I probably would have had anyway, plus a free park.

Plus we have also met some wonderful people, and found some great places to visit local to the pubs.
All part of the adventure for us

 

[ceejayt]

Hi there, the majority of Britstops are pubs, but we have found some excellent farmshops and a vineyard on the Isle of Wight, so yes we think it would be very worthwhile,
Have you also considered the Caravan & Motorhome Club network of CL's we find this together with Britstops and the occasional cheeky request at all sorts of places results in an excellent touring holiday.
Tintagel has a pub with a large car-park where MH's are very welcome at £5 per night, excellent stop-over,
Have fun,
Joe

If you have a bigger van as we have at 9m and 7.2t, a Britstop is often a better bet for us than a CL because it is almost certainly (although not always from experience) on hard standing. Need nice weather before we venture too far into a field

 

[Gixer]

Have given my email on website but heard nothing

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[Silkcut1105]

yes its a great book ,just ordered mine

 

[Nanniemate]

Its arrived
spent a lovely hour looking the the route I will take to freedom

 

[glenn2926]

Thanks for the reminder. Just ordered it.

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