Busy, Busy, Gone...

[steve 6644]

Peace and quiet that is.

Are the days of a quiet week away in the van going to become a thing of the past do you think ??. I am a miserable old sod with a noise/ inconsiderate behaviour intolerance that I am increasingly struggling with. The current explosion in van sales added to the previous steady growth in sales pre covid, the instant promotion of a new wild location via social media and the trend in white knuckle lycra clad extreme countryside activities...

HELP!

Should I soldier on hoping things will die down or call it a day and hang onto those golden memories of that lovely old polite, organic, analogue world? or should I hang up my kahki shorts, beany hat and kite and stop feeling like Frodo and Sam in Mordor?

 

[maison]

Peace and quiet that is.

Are the days of a quiet week away in the van going to become a thing of the past do you think ??. I am a miserable old sod with a noise/ inconsiderate behaviour intolerance that I am increasingly struggling with. The current explosion in van sales added to the previous steady growth in sales pre covid, the instant promotion of a new wild location via social media and the trend in white knuckle lycra clad extreme countryside activities...

HELP!

Should I soldier on hoping things will die down or call it a day and hang onto those golden memories of that lovely old polite, organic, analogue world? or should I hang up my kahki shorts, beany hat and kite and stop feeling like Frodo and Sam in Mordor?

Take your motorhome into mainland Europe. It’s a totally different atmosphere.

But, there again, if you have been there you already know that.

We found motorhoming in the UK, even before CV-19 caused the lockdown, becoming more and more restricted. Sites largely closed in winter and fully booked in summer. No”Aire” type facility and wild camping frowned on. Many CLs and CSS are grass only so not suitable for motorhomes when wet during winter.

We have tended to use our m/h in the U.K. during the winter when things are quiet but finding sites open in the areas we want to visit is difficult. We are members of both main clubs and are also willing to use privately operated sites too. We find mainland Europe much more welcoming.

The U.K. doesn’t seem too welcoming for our pastime.

 

[Podney]

Peace and quiet that is.

Are the days of a quiet week away in the van going to become a thing of the past do you think ??. I am a miserable old sod with a noise/ inconsiderate behaviour intolerance that I am increasingly struggling with. The current explosion in van sales added to the previous steady growth in sales pre covid, the instant promotion of a new wild location via social media and the trend in white knuckle lycra clad extreme countryside activities...

HELP!

Should I soldier on hoping things will die down or call it a day and hang onto those golden memories of that lovely old polite, organic, analogue world? or should I hang up my kahki shorts, beany hat and kite and stop feeling like Frodo and Sam in Mordor?

Just carry on,you’ll get over it.

 

[steve 6644]

I've never been outside the UK and having seen some of the pics on here of aires where they park right next to each other, its put me off to be honest. I'm a bit choked with it all, the buying experience was horrendous and the whole thing has had the complete opposite effect to what we badly needed. I was struggling when we bought it and feel much worse now. What with covid on top, I don't feel confident that I can enjoy van life like I used to.
Bummermungus!

 

[Hollyberry]

I've never been outside the UK and having seen some of the pics on here of aires where they park right next to each other, its put me off to be honest. I'm a bit choked with it all, the buying experience was horrendous and the whole thing has had the complete opposite effect to what we badly needed. I was struggling when we bought it and feel much worse now. What with covid on top, I don't feel confident that I can enjoy van life like I used to.
Bummermungus!

There are busy Aires and there are quiet Aires. I drove to a lake, less than 20 kms from home. Yes, during the summer daytime it’s full of families enjoying the swimming, free kayaks, lifeguard supervision, restaurants etc.. You can still find a quiet spot though, it’s so huge and after 8 pm I was the only vehicle there.
Even down by Pyla Dune I found quiet places to stay. Brantome is a tourist spot but drive a few kms to the next large castle on the hill village and you’ll have a quiet riverside Aire with village facilities on your doorstep.
Venture into France, it’s a different world, Motorhome-wise.

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[FIDGET]

There are busy Aires and there are quiet Aires. I drove to a lake, less than 20 kms from home. Yes, during the summer daytime it’s full of families enjoying the swimming, free kayaks, lifeguard supervision, restaurants etc.. You can still find a quiet spot though, it’s so huge and after 8 pm I was the only vehicle there.
Even down by Pyla Dune I found quiet places to stay. Brantome is a tourist spot but drive a few kms to the next large castle on the hill village and you’ll have a quiet riverside Aire with village facilities on your doorstep.
Venture into France, it’s a different world, Motorhome-wise.

Agree with Hollyberry completely , I am like yourself Steve 6644 , I/we( thats me the wife & dog) like rural aires in France that are quiet , no frills & by water , i.e. rivers lakes canals etc . and a lot of them free or very cheap no more than 10 euro's , We've been over quite a lot over the last few years , a month at a time & usually costs about 40 / 50 euros total for 30 nights stops . Not quite a FLT ( free loading traveller) but economical challenged !!

 

[claude et maude]

I still consider myself a noob despite having had our MH for 2.5 years now but I’m not convinced there will be as massive a difference as people think.

Firstly I’m sure a lot of the sudden surge in MH purchases will be families with cancelled holidays who will still be restricted to school holiday times (we may well hunker down at home during half term just in case). Secondly, it is unlikely everyone (apart from the above) will go away at the same time so a fighting chance when we go away in the MH many of the others will be a) parked on their drive/in storage, b) at work, c) heading in a different direction. There is almost certainly going to be an increase in MH traffic but I feel it wont have the impact that many think.

There will always be less than positive experiences, there always has been, like our rookie mistake of heading to a seaside aire in Royan last year, mid-afternoon during a 35 degree heatwave, but we found this 45 minutes away....

And this just 8 days later in another part of France

I’m confident that we can still find those gems that make touring so very enjoyable.

 

[maison]

If you travel to the French seaside or the German rivers during peak season, July to mid August, you will find the Aires/Stellplatz busy. If you visit outside that period they are much quieter.

If you move inland in France you can find real gems even during high season. Quiet rural Aires in pretty villages, some on riverbanks or lakes.

Our area has at least three Aires within 15km of our place where you are almost guaranteed to be alone, high on a hillside overlooking vineyards and a pretty village.

If we find an Aire that is crowded we move on.

 

[maison]

One of the “crowded” Aires near us in high season.

 

[FIDGET]

One of the “crowded” Aires near us in high season.

View attachment 399567

Please Where is that
Terry

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[chaser]

I've never been outside the UK and having seen some of the pics on here of aires where they park right next to each other, its put me off to be honest. I'm a bit choked with it all, the buying experience was horrendous and the whole thing has had the complete opposite effect to what we badly needed. I was struggling when we bought it and feel much worse now. What with covid on top, I don't feel confident that I can enjoy van life like I used to.
Bummermungus!

That's where your problem lies, a month in France and you will never want to stay here again, if you really want piece and quiet, have a look at France passion sites, about 20 quid to join then free camping on farms and vineyards all over France, usually you are the only ones there.
A couple of years of that though and you will want to venture out to Aires.
No comparison to here.

 

[Lenny HB]

As said get yourself over to France or Germany fabulous for Motorhomes, plenty of nice Aires that aren't crammed and loads of mountains & forests you can wild in.

 

[Lenny HB]

An expensive French one here, marked pitches, EHU, super fast wifi we don't normally pay this much, €6 for 24 hr.

 

[TerryL]

We rarely use the larger commercial/club sites, much preferring the smaller quiet places like the CLs/CSs in the UK or aires/stellplatz abroad.

In France when we're getting ready to stop we look for aires well off the main roads and have rarely been disappointed. But, as everyone says, there's always another not very far away.

 

[maison]

Please Where is that
Terry

It was taken about three/four years ago so I have forgotten the name, but I will look through my diary and try to find it for you.

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[FIDGET]

An expensive French one here, marked pitches, EHU, super fast wifi we don't normally pay this much, €6 for 24 hr.

View attachment 399588

Please Lenny give me a clue where it is (perhaps even a name)
Terry

 

[maison]

FIDGET
I have checked my diary and it is not an Aire but a parking area next to the canal at Sornay. A village just outside Louhans in Burgundy. Overnighting is no problem. There are no services there but a “proper” Aire with water etc is available in Sornay itself about 1.5 kilometres away. We topped up our water there then moved onto the parking area as it was prettier. One other m/h joined us for the night.

The parking is next to a small park area with picnic benches and a lock is right alongside. The white sign to the right of the photo is the lock. We spent the evening sitting by the lock, with a glass of wine, watching the boats.

Louhans, if you have never visited has a Main Street with arched arcades and a fantastic market, (Monday I think).

If you are thinking of visiting South Burgundy I can give you info on the area and some comment on some of the Aires.

Co-ordinates, taken from Google Earth are

N 46* 38’ 17”. E 5* 10’ 39”

although the satellite picture doesn’t do it justice. The street view gives a better idea.

 

[Lenny HB]

Please Lenny give me a clue where it is (perhaps even a name)
Terry

Lenny's going for a ponder around France

What a great thread, I just love the pictures and giving us so many ideas for a tour...thank you! Just been googling some of the places you mention. Does your camera give you a map with the pins showing the locations so we can see where you have been and the rough route? Thanks for the nice...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[FIDGET]

Many Thanks maison , I might take you up on that offer , nearer the time , we should have been over this week ,originlly booked on the 9 June till 30th , but cancelled due to both of us being reasonably high risk , So put it off till next late May for 4 weeks. Our original approx plan was Bourges area , but who knows where next year.

 

[maison]

Many Thanks maison , I might take you up on that offer , nearer the time , we should have been over this week ,originlly booked on the 9 June till 30th , but cancelled due to both of us being reasonably high risk , So put it off till next late May for 4 weeks. Our original approx plan was Bourges area , but who knows where next year.

Bourges is well north of us, (Burgundy is big region), but if you are heading further south to the Côte d’Or or, especially, the Côte Challonais I will help all I can.

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