More grief about motorhomes

mikebeaches

mikebeaches

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From the West Country to the Highlands, the media seems full of moaning about inconsiderate motorhomers. :(

The attached article in the Daily Telegraph today is about Minehead; and the link below is to the John O'Groat Journal and Caithness Courier.

IMG_20200801_182812.jpg



www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk

Caithness councillor says wild camping is 'out of control' and action must be taken

Wild camping is "out of control" in Caithness and action has to be taken to deal with it, a local Highland councillor has said.
www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk
 
Why not send them comment suggesting they develop facilities rather than moaning about it ... I just did ...link to their contract page here, really easy to do ...

<Broken link removed>
 
We all knew it would happen, but hoped it wouldn't, thats why we stayed away this year, it was bad enough in spring 2019.
As always its the few spoiling it for everyone, which seems to occur in every walk of life these days, including lack of SD, and littering everywhere you get any size of gathering.
But they do need to invest more in facilities up there in the north coast, then perhaps the problem would improve, but I wont hold my breath on that.
Bloody shame on them that spoil it for the rest of us.
LES

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Just been on the phone to our friends who live in Halkirk ( we lived there for 14 years)

They drive to Wick to shop and took a tour along the coast as they had been self isolating as his wife has breathing problems so was a chance to get out a bit .

10 vans wild camping at John O Groats with no distancing and rubbish around . Along the coast litter including Human Waste . Camp site at Thurso rubbish etc also as toilet blocks are closed .


Such a shame . Not the beautiful place I remember from my 14 years if living there .

There is a pandemic . What little facilities there are are closed . Why choose to visit at this time .
 
It beggars belief, I wonder how many ‘Travellers ‘ are amongst them. I have just booked a few days at a CL nr Maldon. Thought I was lucky to get in, but transpires they are not fully booked, despite all the CMC reports. No facilities block just water and waste and leccy on meter. Suits just fine!
 
mikebeaches said:
From the West Country to the Highlands, the media seems full of moaning about inconsiderate motorhomers. :(

The attached article in the Daily Telegraph today is about Minehead; and the link below is to the John O'Groat Journal and Caithness Courier.

View attachment 412152


www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk

Caithness councillor says wild camping is 'out of control' and action must be taken

Wild camping is "out of control" in Caithness and action has to be taken to deal with it, a local Highland councillor has said.
www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk
Click to expand...
Same old bollocks blaming Motorhomes for everyone else's rubbish & waste.
The sensible thing would be to provide facilities for Motorhomes but if they did that they wouldn't be able to blame the Motorhomes.
 
Larrynwin said:
I’ve had no trouble booking sites so it could be there are many that want to wild camp , trouble is the services are limited.
Click to expand...

I think the problem is caused by those that are not prepared to pay for sites. Youtube has many channels by 'van lifers' who seem intent on free loading and there are members of this forum that have in the past highlighted how their aim is to avoid paying for sites . Sadly there is a danger that in the UK motorhome owners will be linked to the 'traveller' community with all the problems they cause. I am a member of a boating forum where cheap boats are seen as a form of cheap accomodation I suspect an element of that is creeping into motor home living .

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Trev45 said:
I think the problem is caused by those that are not prepared to pay for sites. Youtube has many channels by 'van lifers' who seem intent on free loading and there are members of this forum that have in the past highlighted how their aim is to avoid paying for sites . Sadly there is a danger that in the UK motorhome owners will be linked to the 'traveller' community with all the problems they cause. I am a member of a boating forum where cheap boats are seen as a form of cheap accomodation I suspect an element of that is creeping into motor home living .
Click to expand...

True ..dont disagree, but the complete lack of simple, cheap, aire-like spaces in the UK is contributory factor. If we're restricted to expensive fully equipped campsites or free-loading, with nothing in between, its not surprising that people are behaving this way
 
Trev45 said:
I am a member of a boating forum where cheap boats are seen as a form of cheap accomodation I suspect an element of that is creeping into motor home living .
Click to expand...
An unemployed relative (black sheep) lived with three others for a couple of years on a damp old rented wooden boat in Brighton marina and the Council paid the rent.
 
I really cannot see why taking on water or emptying a cassette into a publc toilet is a problem. The failure to provide designated overnight parking is a loss to these coastal authorities. Never mind, if things ever improve, I shall revert to getting out of this miserabilst country as often and for as long as possible! Meanwhile, there are some excellent CL's in Wales.
 
tony_g said:
I really cannot see why taking on water or emptying a cassette into a publc toilet is a problem. The failure to provide designated overnight parking is a loss to these coastal authorities. Never mind, if things ever improve, I shall revert to getting out of this miserabilst country as often and for as long as possible! Meanwhile, there are some excellent CL's in Wales.
Click to expand...
But they are closed !
 
Ernesto said:
Why not send them comment suggesting they develop facilities rather than moaning about it ... I just did ...link to their contract page here, really easy to do ...

<Broken link removed>
Click to expand...
Done! Thank you for posting the link. (y)

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Ernesto said:
Why not send them comment suggesting they develop facilities rather than moaning about it ... I just did ...link to their contract page here, really easy to do ...

<Broken link removed>
Click to expand...
Done.
 
spitfire said:
The visiting is a problem when there are no facilities !
Click to expand...

In France, facililities in campsites, aires, picnic sites, towns etc. are in the main open. Thank god. Because where there aren't any facilities there is human waste littered about everywhere. I know because our young puppy loves it!!!!!

So why aren't the facilities open in the UK because looking at the photos of the beaches on the TV what is happening there........
 
Ernesto said:
Why not send them comment suggesting they develop facilities rather than moaning about it ... I just did ...link to their contract page here, really easy to do ...

<Broken link removed>
Click to expand...
Message sent.
Come on everyone it takes two minutes to leave a message. Lets stop complaining and fight our corner.
 
WJACC said:
In France, facililities in campsites, aires, picnic sites, towns etc. are in the main open. Thank god. Because where there aren't any facilities there is human waste littered about everywhere. I know because our young puppy loves it!!!!!

So why aren't the facilities open in the UK because looking at the photos of the beaches on the TV what is happening there........
Click to expand...
Certainly in the north if Scotland which is very sparsely populated it is the locals who take care of the public toilets and with Covid they have closed them .
The showers and toilets are closed on the Thurso campsite so you have to use your own facilities but can fill , empty etc
Someone broke into the toilet block on site !
If you have visited the north coast after Thurso there is very little till Cape Wrath And not a lots there !!
 
To be fair to Minehead Town councillors they are not Party biased (unless they had other interests before becoming Independents)..... Looking at all the moaning and groaning bigoted councils....they are all the same political party (so far) who don't want motorhomers due to litter/fouling/taking room/etc ...delete as applicable yet want the tourism. Yes....2020 is a strange year for tourism and there are probably 40% of us or more who would be over the channel just now if it wasn't for the virus. It is a pity these councils, including my own here in Cambridgeshire, who think motorhomes only are used for a few weeks in the summer....yet a great number either go all year round or use their vehicles when visiting family members during the year. I have tried locally on more than one occasion to encourage 6 spaces in a Riverside car park at £5 a night and visitors would use the local supermarkets and eating establishments....... I usually get the "Campsites locally" & "The town needs footfall" arguments.....but there is only one site open all year and it floods in the winter, whereas the riverside car park doesn't...... I'm going to have another go now since the lockdown and also push the merits of linking this with the Town's 5 yr plan which includes boat moorings with hook ups...

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It looks as though this is the spot in Minehead - about half a dozen vans visible in the Google satellite view:

tinyurl.com

Quay W

Minehead
tinyurl.com tinyurl.com
 
Real issue is there is no joined up thinking. We’re told to staycation (and many people haven’t been as lucky as a lot of us and have been cooped up in cities). But hotels and B&Bs are fully booked and astronomical, campsites fully booked so they take to the road and ‘wild camp’. Have to say, the small part of the Highlands we are seeing - from Loch Carron to Torridon is differing both from at least double the number of MHs but more do from tents. The facilities (loos) are shut ... some cafes shut and others at reduced capacity. There isn’t the infrastructure here to deal with a sudden increase in tourist numbers.
 
Its not just free-loaders. On a C&MC site, washing up facility with a large note saying only one person at a time or two from the same household. Quite a clear protocol to keep people safe. Waiting patiently outside overheard two people washing up clearly not from the same household in close proximity. One leaves and the other one beckons me to come on in - it’s okay. The next thing is they will have to close the facility. Some really do find it difficult understand still.
 
sgl5gjr said:
I'm going to have another go now since the lockdown and also push the merits of linking this with the Town's 5 yr plan which includes boat moorings with hook ups...
Click to expand...
Councils love 5 year plans. I've seen no end of them; 5 years is soon enough to satisfy the residents that there is a plan but sufficiently far off that they don't have to be seen to be actually doing anything now. A lot changes in 5 years.
A local town is two years into a 5 year plan. They have demolished the first stage of the 60's pedestrianised shopping centre to make way for a modern shopping development. Since the virus has struck demolition work has stopped and M&S, Argos, Asda, and Next have withdrawn their interest. The council is trying to get smaller businesses interested but they say the units are far too large for them. It's a more or less deserted eyesore.
 
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One more article from today:

"Call to end the promotion of the NC500 route".

www.google.com

Call to end promotion of North Coast 500 route

A campaign has been launched calling for a halt to the promotion of the North Coast 500 route amid growing concern about its effect on local communities.
www.google.com www.google.com

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