Hawick Help please

irnbru

irnbru

LIFE MEMBER
Joined
Jun 27, 2013
Posts
13,566
Likes collected
31,401
Location
Glasgow
Funster No
26,684
MH
Benimar 264
Exp
11 yrs
I have been asked if we can comment on this article. The common good fund wanted it to be free but a few of the 6 councillors oppose this. This is what I've replied. Please can you take a few minutes to write supporting the installation of an elsan point. Emails to be sent to jason@thehawickpaper.co.uk

I am writing regarding your article regarding the possible installation of the campervan elsan point in The Haugh car park.

As a motorhomer myself I think this is a fantastic idea and will be an added bonus to entice more motorhomers to visit your lovely town. It is a well known fact that the vast majority of visiting motorhomers try to give something back to the town they are visiting by spending in shops/.restaurants etc and helping to contribute to the local economy. So to install an elsan point would be a win win for both the town and the motorhomers. Motorhome aires are provided in almost every town centre abroad, most are free with bought token service charges for fresh water and toilet emptying ranging from 3-5 euros. Tokens create less theft opportunities.

As a motorhomer that frequents Hawick often I would be happy to pay the equivalent or up to £5 for services provided.

Campsites out of town are more suitable to caravaners who can use their car to visit towns, whereas motorhomers cannot so it is important to be able to park up inside a town.

In these unprecedented times I can tell you most campsites are being booked up now in anticipation of Stay At Home Holidays taking place this summer , therefore it really would be great if Hawick could install this facility sooner rather than later.

IMG_0929.JPG
 
Lenny HB said:
I'll write tomorrow, I think if it is £5 for servicing very few will use it, so they would never get their money back.
Click to expand...
Please write and just suggest what you would pay. I suggested up to £5as we go there often so to empty once every few days will still be a pretty cheap weekend but please give YOUR views.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
irnbru said:
It is a well known fact that the vast majority of visiting motorhomers try to give something back to the town they are visiting by spending in shops/.restaurants etc and helping to contribute to the local economy.
Click to expand...

It's great that you're actively doing something to promote facilities for us motorhomers - well done & thank you

Personally, I see very little evidence on this forum of people spending money in the local economy, some on here think buying a cup of coffee and a newspaper should give them a right to free camping and facilities for the weekend 🙂

Many others on here will share their cost saving ideas and how they stock up at budget supermarkets

Last week on this forum, there was a post about Blackpool and motorhomers spending money in the local economy - the next 4 posts were about how to do it cheaper!

Threads on the potential for the National Trust to provide facilities for motorhomes overnight, normally result in posts of 'I wouldn't pay that much'

In the past, when motorhomes came with limited cooking facilities and little or no refrigeration, it may be that motorhomers stayed on aires, ate out in local restaurants/bars in the evening and purchased their croissants & something for a picnic lunch the next day in local shops - but I'm not sure that's the case these days

Now, I have nothing against those who due to necessity or desire are thrifty - good for them. I'm also sure that there are motorhomers who do indeed spend a lot on their travels - but I would suggest not a "vast majority" and certainly a hard to prove "fact"

With social media (and that includes this site) motorhoming information is mostly visible to all, so my observations could just as easily be made by non-motorhomers (and indeed anti-motorhomers)

Please don't let my ramblings put you off, but I just think a bit of tempering may prevent negative feedback to your comments on the article

I'm probably gonna get flamed for my views, but most of them have been formed from being a member of this forum🙂
 
Last edited:
Thanks for your input Nasher. Hawick do know how much motorhomers spend, the aire has been going for years. We actually took a count on expenditure between the motorhomers there last July and it came to a pretty penny over the weekend.
 
Hi, will write to them tomorrow, this is a fabulous initiative that needs to be encouraged. Quite happy to pay a fiver if it helps, will be cheaper than the twenty quid I usually pay to stay in Melrose! Well done to you for achieving this. Nasher, some of us eat out all the time when visiting and like nothing more than supporting local business! Each to their own I guess.
Bill
 
I have to point out that the councillors suggested a pound or 2. I said I'd pay up to £5, would hope most folk wouldn't offer more than that , its still a cheap weekend (y)

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
I am afraid you only have to read on here how little people want to pay, be it campsite price, motorhome show, what people charge for doing repairs etc to vans. I think free is what they would expect.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Ill do the same, thanks for bringing it to my attention.

I always make sure I spend where i go, even down to getting my "van shopping" locally on arrival where possible. Even more so at small rural places, esp farms, villages that produce there own local products.

Sure as in life its personal circumstance and choice and not everyone will as its not a "requirement" but its something I like to do.
I have a static in North Wales and was explaining in simple terms to my son about the loss to welsh tourist economy and local businesses at the moment by saying just imagine, each time I drive out of England, I have x amount of money in my pocket for fuel, food, eating out, shopping / clothes etc, I spend all that in Towyn/Rhyl and the likes.

Then when I come back to England its a few hundred quid spent in Wales and not England, Imagine all the 1000s of tourists doing the same, it soon adds up and helps businesses.

Every little helps as mary said when she............
 
Ivory55 said:
I am afraid you only have to read on here how little people want to pay, be it campsite price, motorhome show, what people charge for doing repairs etc to vans. I think free is what they would expect.
Click to expand...
I dont think sweeping statements work, There are always different types of folk with different circumstances. Nay saying doenst work either.

I hope they give it a go and it gets done, sitting around saying it wont work never got us anywhere. Ill be adding myself to the list anyway :)
 
Tombola said:
I dont think sweeping statements work, There are always different types of folk with different circumstances. Nay saying doenst work either.

I hope they give it a go and it gets done, sitting around saying it wont work never got us anywhere. Ill be adding myself to the list anyway :)
Click to expand...
I was only observing the posts on here. If that’s what they want to do I am not objecting, just pointing out what seems to be the price that they want to pay.
 
Personally I think public toilets would be more welcome in any part of the Uk by everyone, but I cannot see that happening either.
 
I’ve sent an e mail this morning supporting the proposal and I agree £5 would be acceptable to me.
Hope to get north of the border when restrictions lifted.🤞
 
Nasher said:
It's great that you're actively doing something to promote facilities for us motorhomers - well done & thank you

Personally, I see very little evidence on this forum of people spending money in the local economy, some on here think buying a cup of coffee and a newspaper should give them a right to free camping and facilities for the weekend 🙂

Many others on here will share their cost saving ideas and how they stock up at budget supermarkets

Last week on this forum, there was a post about Blackpool and motorhomers spending money in the local economy - the next 4 posts were about how to do it cheaper!

Threads on the potential for the National Trust to provide facilities for motorhomes overnight, normally result in posts of 'I wouldn't pay that much'

In the past, when motorhomes came with limited cooking facilities and little or no refrigeration, it may be that motorhomers stayed on aires, ate out in local restaurants/bars in the evening and purchased their croissants & something for a picnic lunch the next day in local shops - but I'm not sure that's the case these days

Now, I have nothing against those who due to necessity or desire are thrifty - good for them. I'm also sure that there are motorhomers who do indeed spend a lot on their travels - but I would suggest not a "vast majority" and certainly a hard to prove "fact"

With social media (and that includes this site) motorhoming information is mostly visible to all, so my observations could just as easily be made by non-motorhomers (and indeed anti-motorhomers)

Please don't let my ramblings put you off, but I just think a bit of tempering may prevent negative feedback to your comments on the article

I'm probably gonna get flamed for my views, but most of them have been formed from being a member of this forum🙂
Click to expand...
That was no the point of my reply lost in interpretation! Where to stay if allowed in Blackpool was the question I think. Yes you can stay in a motorhome and spend money in Blackpool but due to the seafront looking like a refugee camp some mornings the council banned it overnighting on the roads but Fleetwood and St Annes, neighbouring towns provided what have proved to be very successful motorhome parking and attracted the trade to their towns. The majority of Blackpool councillors have business interests in the town and can appear a little bit short sighted at times. A prime example is Blackpool Zoo and the hotel and Golf complex, The Disney Corporation approached the town in the 1960's with a view to building Eurodisney there, The council rejected it as they thought it would detract trade from the hotels in the town! That is the mentality that prevailed!! It was only in last couple of years they have permitted overnighting in the car parks however it was the fact that the Council motorhome places are near the centre of town and you will get *hens and Stag* parties plus clubgoers till 4 or 5 in the morning not conducive to a good nights sleep, that was the point of the other locations, much quieter less chance of some drunk *issing up the side of the van and less vomit to tread in in the mornings. If you stay in the adjacent towns Blackpool Transport and trams service them, jump on enjoy Blackpool spend your cash and go back for a restful night in the Fylde/Wyre area. Both sites are less than 2 miles from the Blackpool boundary, Or as other have mentioned use the Hampton Road site with all the facilities, close enough to the Town Centre and more secure .
 
Just sent an email with my opinion 👍.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
If the public toilets are free, or a very small cost compared to the charge for using an elsan, inevitably many will realise that and use the toilets to empty their cassette, as probably already happens now without the elsan point.

There probably needs to be a moderate charge simply for any basic maintenance and that sooner or later there would be some cleaning. And these days water is usually metered, so anyone filling their MH tanks is incurring a cost to the facility provider. I do think many will baulk at a £5 charge, you see too many posts on here that £20 for an overnight stay on a site including EHU is excessive. Any charge made will need to be sufficient that it makes the cost of collection alone worthwhile.
 
Hi Sandra irnbru will send e-mail as we used Hawick for one night last time we were up that way, and it was very good, felt safe enough, with a fresh water tap if needed.
I would have no objection to paying a fee to use the Elsan point, with cash or tokens. I feel it has to be that way to stop people taking advantage of using the facility en-route and not staying to use the local shops.

Maybe I read the car park rules incorrectly on the very late night we arrived, thick fog &very dark, but I thought it was a max 24 hour stay, so we left after lunch the next day having had a walk up the high street visited W spoons, and my first ever trip inside a B&M shop! we dont have any down south, strange place seems to sell everything:giggle:

The next stop was a set back from the road lay bye off the A9, where I was on litter picking duty as I could not bear to look at it.:swear: mind you the bins were over flowing which didn't help much.

Am I correct in thinking there are some MH parking spots in Jedburgh to see the Abbey and visit the town?
I think a couple of funsters mentioned they stayed there on their travels heading North.?

Hopefully we Funsters for the most part, dont take advantage of any generous offering by any council, and leave no trace, along with thanks on the councils website for providing any overnight facility, we use the local shops, pubs & cafe's, as much as we can, you get a better feel for a place that way, and some good conversations to boot.(y)
I just hope some people dont abuse, or overstay their welcome

Thanks & Best wishes.
LES & TinaL
 
Hi irnbru Sandra, any further news on the councils planning decision at Millport?
Maybe that needs some support also, PM me if you like.
LES

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top