Can 5ers use Aires? (1 Viewer)

Gonewiththewind

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Unfair or what !!
When all said and done a Motor home is one vehicle, and registered as such. A fithweeler is not, for all intents and purposes it is a caravan being towed by a specially adapted tow vehicle.

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scotjimland

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Unfair or what !!

Perhaps , but I've also seen undesirable "motorhomes"moved off ... :winky:

some won't let you park a car,.. others are more relaxed.

It really is at the discretion of the local police .. if they insist on moving a 5er they have every right.
It's like 48hr rule, rarely imposed, but it's in place, it also empowers the police to move on any 'undesirable' without being accused of prejudice.
 
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Tony Lee

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The layout of many aires within towns is such that a caravan or fiver (or even a large motorhome) just wouldn't fit without clogging up the whole place,
 

outlaw

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When I spoke to someone about taking my 5th Wheeler to the Isle of Man (they won't allow caravans), he lives there and says he declares his Celtic Rambler as an Articulated Motor Home. Seems worth a try!!!!

Steve

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MicknPat

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The layout of many aires within towns is such that a caravan or fiver (or even a large motorhome) just wouldn't fit without clogging up the whole place,

Tony,

The problem is, how would one check first?

We have a 39ft RV and tow four down a Jeep 4x4 making the total length about 59 feet which you cannot reverse and parking at the aire entrance whilst walking to take a look could cause problems.

Does the Aires book mentioned contain any plans of the aires listed ?

I think the only way would be on recommendation of previous visitors to an aire you had in mind or en-route.
 

Tony Lee

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Tony,

The problem is, how would one check first?

We have a 39ft RV and tow four down a Jeep 4x4 making the total length about 59 feet which you cannot reverse and parking at the aire entrance whilst walking to take a look could cause problems.

Does the Aires book mentioned contain any plans of the aires listed ?

I think the only way would be on recommendation of previous visitors to an aire you had in mind or en-route.

There would be very few village aires - effectively zero - that could accommodate that sort of rig and anyway, your first problem would be to get through the town to get to the aire. It will either be illegal to drive more than 4 tonne through or you won't physically get through. I would have thought much of UK off the multilane roads would be a good reminder of that fundamental problem.
Highway aires are OK of course because they are designed for trucks.
Drive that size rig in France or most anywhere off the freeways and you accept the limitations and consequences. Most van parks in Europe won't take your rig either. Will they in the UK? You could get into many of the club certified sites but whether you would ever get back out of the mud is another matter.

You can reverse a rig like that. Mine is nearly 60' long too and the MH has a turning circle of 28.5 metres - similar to that of the Queen Mary. I have been known to do a 28-point turn in a forest clearing rather than get out and unhitch in the rain.

Some Aires books have photos of some sites and all they ever show is small to medium motorhomes - 5 to 8 metres long.

If as you say, you can't reverse your rig, isn't it technically illegal to drive it.
 
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scotjimland

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There would be very few village aires - effectively zero - that could accommodate that sort of rig and anyway, your first problem would be to get through the town to get to the aire.

Hi Tony

We have been touring France full time for almost three years using aires, many are as you describe but there are over 3,000 aires and if only 10% (a conservative figure) were suitable it still gives you a vast choice..
If you haven't already done so, check out my Google map of RV suitable Sites ..(link in signature) one of my MHFun albums has pictures of some of the aires we have used ..
Germany is also very good, stellplatz are generally bigger than French aires as many Germans also have big rigs.
In the UK there are plenty commercial sites and Cls that are suitable.. but we generally only use CLs

No one can deny that the US and Canada are better suited to RVs .. but with good planning and research it is quite doable.

If we didn't fulltime I would have a much smaller van.. but we couldn't live in an 8 mt van so it's horses for courses.. whatever the size there is a trade off.

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Tony Lee

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Hi Tony

We have been touring France full time for almost three years using aires, many are as you describe but there are over 3,000 aires and if only 10% (a conservative figure) were suitable it still gives you a vast choice..
...

If we didn't fulltime I would have a much smaller van.. but we couldn't live in an 8 mt van so it's horses for courses.. whatever the size there is a trade off.

Agree Jim - although 300 sites in a place as big as france can leave a few miles between them. We also live full-time in our RV's and it is certainly easier to do in the big bus. The 7 metre one does stretch the friendship a bit. Our 40'er is in Australia and there are very few places I can't get into with a bit of care - but height barriers and hedges and stone walls and goat tracks are a bit of a rarity there so that helps a lot.

Mick & Pat asked the question and although we have a 7 metre one here in Europe, my comments were based on what I reckon the problems would be if I WAS driving my 12 metre plus toad here in Europe. It would certainly severely cramp my style in at least some parts of every one of the 14 countries we have travelled through over here. Places I go, I don't even see too many small MH's let alone bigrigs.

We have a book called Camps 4 in Australia and that does have special icons for sites that can accommodate big rigs - and generally a bigrig is one towing a 4WD behind like Mick and Pat and myself drive. Doesn't mean I can't get into all the others (because I usually can PROVIDED they aren't marked "small vehicles only") as it just means those special sites have been rated by bigrig owners. Here, and especially in France, big rigs are rare so it probably is a waste of time having a special classification.
 

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