Touring the UK? - you deserve a medal ! (1 Viewer)

[scotjimland]

You have missed the bit i said on the end everyone is different what suits 1 person does not suit another

indeed ..

I was replying to your comment about being bored after 5 days .. I said there is no rule .. in other words , each to their own..

 

[The Wino]

Didn't mean you were wrong to want to stay for several days its just we don't. Each to their own thats why some on here love France some don't. If you don't want aires don't use them some do we love them they suit the way we want to tour. France suits us the UK often doesn't if we were in France we could set off at a moments notice and except in very peak periods in popular areas just stop at an aire without booking at usually no cost and explore.

 

[Blue Knight]

We've been motorhoming for only 2-years (not long eh) but we are already considering a caravan for many of the reasons that @scotjimland and friends has mentioned.

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[DuxDeluxe]

Drove to Bath and back from Derby yesterday, left after rush hour.........heavy traffic - expected, no surprise

On the way back M4 accident...........30 minutes in queue, then queuing on M42, no particular reason

Signs said A38 closed, take diversion........more queues....got home knackered even in a comfortable automatic car..

Driving in the UK is rarely a pleasure for me unless planned - early start or Saturday/Sunday, as I said getting to and from a ferry point spoils the beginning and end of a trip to France or Spain......

..............Off the ferry scanning the road for potholes, we're back in the UK !

.
.

Try driving in the netherlands from Amsterdam to Rotterdam, or just about anywhere to Utrecht..............

 

[simbadog]

France may have better roads with no traffic & loads of places to stay, but: The Beer is carp

 

[The Wino]

We've been motorhoming for only 2-years (not long eh) but we are already considering a caravan for many of the reasons that @scotjimland and friends has mentioned.

If that suits your type of holiday why not theres no right or wrong. We knew we wanted to tour most days thats why we bought a 6m long m/h not something more unwieldy

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[The Wino]

France may have better roads with no traffic & loads of places to stay, but: The Beer is carp

Sounds fishy to me but have to agree!

 

[mfw]

indeed ..

I was replying to your comment about being bored after 5 days .. I said there is no rule .. in other words , each to their own..

I do get bored very quickly and 5 days is enough for me to look round and then move on irrespective of where i am uk or europe and i'm not knocking people that do enjoy sitting somewhere for weeks on end be it in caravan or motorhome it is their lives and their choice

 

[buttons]

I agree with the beautiful places bit, but it's getting there that's ruins it..

Went to the Essex coast yesterday, we hopped on the M25 at Junction 19 clockwise and off at Junction 29 only complaint was huge French lorries hogging 3 of the 4 lanes, even taking this into account it still took just 55 minutes from coming off the drive in Watford to sitting on the golden sands of Southend-On-Sea. I have spent longer than this getting out of Calais...

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[mike mcglynn]

I can’t ever remember an aire costing as much as €15 anywhere, the most expensive we have seen are run by private companies and can be up to €12 a night with free services, but we rarely use them.

Hi,Allanm ,We came back from Spain in late May and drove through various parts of France and we found that aire costs are creeping up for example the aire at Carcassone next to the campsite was 15 euros a night . We saw people coming in and when they saw how much it was they backed out and a few parked outside on the road .Athough having said that we found a few very nice campsites for less than 15 euros with full facilities so its just a matter of looking around.

 

[Blue Knight]

If that suits your type of holiday why not theres no right or wrong. We knew we wanted to tour most days thats why we bought a 6m long m/h not something more unwieldy

I can see the whole point of changing to a 6m long MoHo as it gives (IMO) so much extra versatility to travelling the countryside.

.......but as you mention we are all different and it would be boring if we were all the same.

This thread has been very useful to me, cheers guys

 

[tonyidle]

I agree with the above.

We have occasionally stayed in the UK but much prefer elsewhere.

Two thirds of the UK is North of Manchester and travelling is easy.

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[busby]

France,

aires are overnight parking places.. not sites and certainly not destinations. Popular ones are rammed out by late afternoon.. parked so close you may not be able to open your windows or get access to a garage .. has happened to us on many occasions.
There are many lovely rural aires by canals etc .. great if you love fishing. Many aires are free and for good reason, no one wants to spend more than a day in a deserted French village with two shops . Aires near tourist attractions and coastal towns are rarely free and many are now quite expensive.. €15 or more in some of the most popular

Camp sites in France near resorts are expensive and many are only open for the summer season.. Easter until end of August ..

Autoroutes are very expensive.. avoiding them will save money but you will spend hour after hour going through villages, endless roundabouts, traffic chicanes and the local traffic is not in a hurry.. after half a day and having covered less the 100 miles you submit and hit the Autoroute

Fuel is now more expensive than the UK

Getting across the channel is not cheap either.. ferry fares are now quiet expensive and if you have a pet that's another added cost, we have two dogs, so that's £68 ferry fare (£17 each dog each way ) and another £60 for worming coming back

Don't get me wrong, we have toured and enjoyed France for many many years but it's now so busy and expensive that we plan to spend more time in the UK..


UK.. don't go away on Bank Holidays or during School holidays .. avoid these times and it's a lot less busy.. CLs are a fantastic way to tour the UK, average £12 -15 .. many less than a tenner ..
There are no toll on Mways (except M6 bypass)
Avoid the over- hyped NC500 .. find your own secret places away from the tourist traffic ..

Don't go to the West Country July and Aug .. Wales is closer and has as many lovely coastal towns and villages and rarely packed out , even during summer.

Just returned from 8 weeks in France and Belgium,,,hardly saw any traffic,,only had to park on one aire that was crammed,,,,we don't mind deserted villages as long as we can cycle to a small town for a day out,,Didn't pay a toll until we returned to uk..Its a good job we are all different,,,BUSBY,,

 

[scotjimland]

Just returned from 8 weeks in France and Belgium,,,hardly saw any traffic,,only had to park on one aire that was crammed,,,,we don't mind deserted villages as long as we can cycle to a small town for a day out,,Didn't pay a toll until we returned to uk..Its a good job we are all different,,,BUSBY,,

glad you enjoyed your trip..

and that's one less motorhome cramming the UK roads ..

 

[Allanm]

I must have an automatic sensor that helps us avoid these expensive aires. We spent a month going down to Perpignan and back in February, luckily, my Sister lives in Carcassonne, so we avoided the need to park in the aire there.

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[tacr2man]

I am a little surprised how polarised some of the opinions expressed here are , as I think its a lot less clear cut. There are pluses and minuses in both choices , the variety of road conditions vary as much in Europe , as in the UK . There is probably more traffic in the England part of UK than the majority of any European country, but
if the dice rolls against you , you can sit in traffic jam on German
Autobahns, or main road in Poland, same as M42 . Much the same with mode of transport , whats an asset in some situations is a PITA in others .

 

[iandsm]

Compared with Europe how does the UK compare?

Roads - here full of potholes, sunken manhole covers............Europe, most roads smooth

Traffic - here, so much congestion........... Europe, apart from big cities, roads are quiet

Where to stay - here, sites and CLs..........Europe, sites, Aires in most towns and villages

In France for example you can enjoy driving at almost anytime of the day or any day of the week......

Here you have to plan your journeys to avoid rush hours and roadworks

Travelling in France and Spain is a joy, the UK is a pain, needs so much more planning

.

I love France and Germany but both have some really crap roads also sometimes extensive roadworks and you have obviously not driven a Motorhome in Belgium or Poland. Had you done so you would be praising dental services in Bulgaria where you have your teeth replaced and Italian Motorhome mechanics who could put tight the damage to wheels, tyres and suspension.

I love the U.K. as well by the way

 

[Northernraider]

I can say there are some really shitty roads in spain too ...yeah the autovia are good but I've been in some that loosen every filling in my mouth

Some are like driving on a corrugated roof.
I've also been in a few traffic jams ....try heading towards the coast on a Saturday or Sunday lol

In the UK I've spent most of my camping time north of Perth with occasional ventures to the lakes , dales, Cornwall and wales

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[Barclaybasher]

I can say there are some really shitty roads in spain too ...yeah the autovia are good but I've been in some that loosen every filling in my mouth

Some are like driving on a corrugated roof.
I've also been in a few traffic jams ....try heading towards the coast on a Saturday or Sunday lol

In the UK I've spent most of my camping time north of Perth with occasional ventures to the lakes , dales, Cornwall and wales

It's true some of the roads in France and Spain are bad.....but here it's most of them,including motorways

 

[Just smiffy]

Some great posts on this subject and no one been banned yet for having a different opinion....

When I said earlier that I just don’t feel welcome at sites in the uk, it feels that the owner/management are doing you a favour and if you don’t fit in or follow the rules your out..! And any service they offer, we should be grateful for it.... and we pay a hefty price for it... “shut up and put up”

We’ve only been motor-homing for just over 3yrs now not very long compared to most but we’ve done well over 35,000 miles now and been pretty much all over uk and Europe which equates to around 15 months away from home..!

Most times we arrive at Calais and we have no idea where we’re going or what we’re going to do for the next
two months... Europe may be getting more expensive now but it’s by far better value for money.....

But most of all, everyone keep doing what YOU want to do and have a great time, it’s the diversity in us all that make this a wonderful world....

Happy travels.....

 

[gus-lopez]

after half a day and having covered less the 100 miles you submit and hit the Autoroute

I onlyuse the n roads and usually average 400 kms per day

I have only one comment for the Britain bashers, mind the ferry ramp doesn't hit you on the arse as you leave
D.

I sometimes sit in Bergues aire and have to stop myself from crying just at the thought of entering the uk

In my view, simply just driving day after day to see service stations and stopping on aires for 24 - 48 hrs is not what 'travelling' is about. If it were I would never do it.

for

As you say we are all different. I only stay anywhere overnight usually, and gone in the morning

Two thirds of the UK is North of Manchester and travelling is easy.

I've seen it on a map

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[dave newell]

I sometimes sit in Bergues aire and have to stop myself from crying just at the thought of entering the uk

That's fine, stay where you are if Britain holds such little appeal for you. Leaves more room for those of us who can manage with the potholes and congestion and nowhere to stay.

Interestingly we are currently on holiday in uk, just spent three lovely relaxing days at Winchcombe in Gloucestershire and there were also French and Austrians staying there, we've just today moved to the c&c c site at Oxford and it's busy but we got a pitch despite only deciding yesterday to try here, we arrived and found German, Belgian, Swiss and French motorhomes among all the others here.

If Britain is such a terrible place for motorhomes why are so many mainland Europeans coming over here?

D.

 

[scotjimland]

I onlyuse the n roads and usually average 400 kms per day

fair enough.. I spoke as I found .. some N roads maybe ok for making good time.. many I've tried were not, and D roads are just a joke... but ideal for cycling ..

As you say we are all different. I only stay anywhere overnight usually, and gone in the morning

so you just drive and stop overnight , day after day.. you never actually visit anywhere for more than a few hours ? As you said.. each to their own

 

[Lenny HB]

Two thirds of the UK is North of Manchester and travelling is easy.

Maybe but have you tried getting there from the south coast, not worth the effort.

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[dave newell]

We've just had a walk round and approximately 25% of motorhomes and caravans present are foreign registered, latvian, Czech, dutch, german, swiss, french, belgian, englandshire must be better than you lot think.

D.

 

[Nasher]

We British have a major advantage over the rest of the world. We are the only ones who aren't foreigners

Plus the cost of living in the United Kingdom is cheaper than France, Belgium, Italy, etc

Link here: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings_by_country.jsp?title=2018&region=150

 

[scotjimland]

We British have a major advantage over the rest of the world. We are the only ones who aren't foreigners

Plus the cost of living in the United Kingdom is cheaper than France, Belgium, Italy, etc

Link here: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings_by_country.jsp?title=2018&region=150

a lot cheaper as is fuel now..

and you don't need to shout to be understood

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[Langtoftlad]

Emigrate if Britain is so awful
What's stopping you, work, family, language???
Can't be that bad then.

As for having to plan or book - not so, done quite a few trips just Britstopping...

 

[busby]

glad you enjoyed your trip..

and that's one less motorhome cramming the UK roads ..

You admit the roads are crammed then,,,Good job lots off us clear of abroad then,,BUSBY

 

[busby]

We've just had a walk round and approximately 25% of motorhomes and caravans present are foreign registered, latvian, Czech, dutch, german, swiss, french, belgian, englandshire must be better than you lot think.

D.

But will they comebacks went to Sweden once,,would not go back,,,France is the most visited country in Europe by foreign tourists,,mind you i much prefer Spain,,BUSBY,,,

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