Should Caravans be allowed on motorhome parking places ? (2 Viewers)

Should caravans be allowed to use motorhome overnight parking places

  • yes

    Votes: 21 26.6%
  • No

    Votes: 58 73.4%

  • Total voters
    79

vwalan

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i have been on aires used by the french . have seen caravans etc on them . i have used them with my truck . also in summer at la tranche surmer .i was on my m,cycle the campsite was full so i put a tent up at the back of the aire there . some french i spoke to kept their eye on it whilst i went into town on a nights drinking . does any one over there really care ?i think uk folk care but the french dont care. i know afew aires that some have lived on for years . french as well . even had post delivered there. i lived on the old roscoff aire by the chapel on the rock ,near the viviers for two months once because of having a dog wioth us . my wife had to come home . i stayed there had a great time . mind that was in spring of 1999. not there now its been moved .
 
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Landy lover

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A couple of points

Surely aires are a place for people who camp to have a safe place to stop in their travels to get a nights sleep - they are not a freebe for motorhomers to avoid paying site fees for days on end.

Whether you are in a tent - a small motor home - a larger motor home - an RV - a caravan - a fifth wheeler or what ever you should be able to stop in a place of safety for a night

As Scotjimland so elequently put in his post there are many variations on length due to toads and trailers etc - And lets face it the Euro motorhomes are getting bigger and bigger by the year !!

This is showing up an US AND THEM situation which should not exist we are lets face it doing the same thing - CAMPING - we are just doing it in a way of our choice that suits our indiviual life style or pocket and that should have no relevance to whether or not you can stop on a Aire

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pappajohn

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Theres also the other thing of power, not many caravans have solar power, so they are going to want to run gennys :Sad:.


As long as they are self sufficient and have fresh water/waste water tanks fitted which most caravans don't,

POWER....same can be said for many motorhomes Dave....no solar panels...so what do they do ?

Many new/almost new caravans are now equipt with onboard grey and fresh tanks...albeit rather small ones
 
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Snowbird

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POWER....same can be said for many motorhomes Dave....no solar panels...so what do they do ?

Many new/almost new caravans are now equipt with onboard grey and fresh tanks...albeit rather small ones
Point taken John............BUT, by there very design motorhomes have an on board charging system, ie an alternator. As most aires only allow 24-36 hr halts this can be done in a motorhome without solar if the occupants are frugal with there power needs. As I said earlier am not in the them and us camp and never will be, but by there design trailers are not suited to aires. Thats why the French in there wisdom don't allow them on aires.
I use aires myself as well as wilding as I now tour as opposed to staying in one place for long periods and I know that some caravaners would use aires responsibly, but others would just use it as a cheap campsite and that's when the problems would start. Trailer left in bay and owners gone off for the day in the car and expect to park the car next to there trailer on return knocking on my door expecting me to move.........SORRY...GO AWAY :shout:.
 

pappajohn

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Point taken John............BUT, by there very design motorhomes have an on board charging system, ie an alternator. As most aires only allow 24-36 hr halts this can be done in a motorhome without solar if the occupants are frugal with there power needs. As I said earlier am not in the them and us camp and never will be, but by there design trailers are not suited to aires. Thats why the French in there wisdom don't allow them on aires.
I use aires myself as well as wilding as I now tour as opposed to staying in one place for long periods and I know that some caravaners would use aires responsibly, but others would just use it as a cheap campsite and that's when the problems would start. Trailer left in bay and owners gone off for the day in the car and expect to park the car next to there trailer on return knocking on my door expecting me to move.........SORRY...GO AWAY :shout:.
Sorry Dave...still no argument. :RollEyes:

a caravan is towed by a car, a car has an alternator....and a 12S towing socket to run the fridge and charge the battery when driving,
12S = split charge + fridge
12N = road lighting.

I'm not standing on the caravan side of the fence, but most caravans are not vastly different to motorhomes except it has to be towed by another vehicle.

in fact, many caravans are far more spacious and airy than equivalent sized motorhomes

but i agree, they should not be allowed on aires...but neither should toads.

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darklord

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There's no "them and us" situation, a lot of motorhomers have done other types of camping. Myself ive done it all, from small tents to big tents, trailer tents and three caravans before settling on this, my third motorhome.
It would be interesting, to be able to see the result of aires being open to all campers, myself, i just dont think it would work.

Instead of discussing watering down a very good system for the majority of forum users, perhaps motorhome owners could discuss ways to make sure that aires were not abused, ie for camping,.....and caravan owners could lobby site owners to get fees reduced,...so that they would,nt have to use aires.
 
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There's no "them and us" situation, a lot of motorhomers have done other types of camping. Myself ive done it all, from small tents to big tents, trailer tents and three caravans before settling on this, my third motorhome.
It would be interesting, to be able to see the result of aires being open to all campers, myself, i just dont think it would work.

[HI]Instead of discussing watering down a very good system for the majority of forum users, perhaps motorhome owners could discuss ways to make sure that aires were not abused, ie for camping,.....and caravan owners could lobby site owners to get fees reduced,...so that they would,nt have to use aires.[/HI]

Are you saying that these poll results 54 to 19 on a majority motorhome forum would suggest an overall majority in favour of the mixed use of Aires. I agree :thumb:
 

magicsurfbus

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Surely aires are a place for people who camp to have a safe place to stop in their travels to get a nights sleep - they are not a freebe for motorhomers to avoid paying site fees for days on end.

Most aires are not free, and most allow stopovers of more than 24 hours so they're not intended to be temporary pull-ins for travellers en route. In some you can buy tickets for up to a week. They're intended as a low cost alternative to campsites that offer more expensive facilities that motorhomers neither want nor need, like pitches with privet hedges, hookups and bloody bleeding Club Bingo Bongo subjecting the entire locality to thumping continental disco hits 'til the wee small hours.

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vwalan

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but most were free and many do have privet hedges . i,ve been using them since the early 90,s . many have always had restricted days for using some are huge 200 vans . some with free leccy . i know some near biaritz used to be used all winter by french m homers .
but then it doesnt really matter you can just ask at a police station if you can stop outside never been turned away . they have showers and toilets and water . very usefull.
they arent a new idea . we used to stop in church carparks when i was a kid in the 60,s still use some of the same ones now . mind you can do similar here . just directed some friends to cheltnham race course as a park up tonight . seems the fair is in town . they have been made welcome by the fairground workers already .
 
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scotjimland

scotjimland

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Instead of discussing watering down a very good system for the majority of forum users, perhaps motorhome owners could discuss ways to make sure that aires were not abused, ie for camping,.....and caravan owners could lobby site owners to get fees reduced,...so that they would,nt have to use aires.

As a caravan user I have no need or desire to use an aire in the UK, we are well served by an excellent network of CLs. ..

It is NOT about cheap camping.. but having a facility to stop overnight while travelling in France when most sites are closed..
 

callumwa

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Aires are governed by the Rules of those who provide them.

In France the number of French touring caravans is a fraction compared to the number of "Camping Cars". Watch the Tour de France, you don't see many touring vans along the route. The French love their Camping Cars and French (owned) touring caravans are few and far between.

So the French accommodate the majority within their country, with their Aires system. As posted above, many people do see caravans on Aires, but they are mostly "etrangeres", not French. To see a French touring van is a rare sight indeed.

Who are we to decide whether the French should change their system to accommodate touring vans as well as Camping Cars. That is surely up to the French. In France they have created a system for motorhomes, it is brilliant and works well.

We hardly set an example, as we can see from the many threads about difficulties in finding official permitted public overnight stops for Motorhomes in the UK.
If the French tried to interfere in the way we run things in UK, just to suit their needs, we can imagine the DM reports.

I love the Aires system, and I would leave it as it is. It works for the French and it works for us lucky Motorhomers too............

Why screw it up.......

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spitfire

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Very well put. French tend to take their caravans to a site for either their holidays or the whole of the summer. They do not normally tour with a caravan . Aires were designed to allow camping cars to tour with ease and to visit towns as their vehicle is usually a little large to facilitate visits in towns ie parking is difficult. It ' should ' bring revenue to the towns which they would normally miss.

I live in France as you can see and use the aire system as it should be used. It is not thought of by the French as a way to avoid camp sites and so have a cheap holiday. You may note they also use the aires to stop for lunch and then continue on their way. How would that work if the aire was full of caravans with the owners out touring with their cars!

Reference vans towing cars staying on aires. You do see a few French but very few. They are usually en route to a site. Thet drive their motorhomes and use them like their cars. Touring vehicles . We took 17 french motorhomes to
Scotland in September last year and no one took a tow car they just expected to tour and visit with their camping car. 3 even took the Applecross road with no fear . This is true if all the members of my ACCCF club here.

There are some occasions when the aire rules are flouted but they are few and far between. And quite often it is by 'etrangers'

I am sure we would be annoyed people from another country wanted to change rules to suit them so leave the French to decide as they have. The sign shows camping car and means camping car .
 

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