Aires feature on BBC Landward this weekend - please watch!

[Cie]

I think regardless of what we end up calling them they'll have Campsite Prices

We won’t have campsite prices, £5 a night for parking and water, and that’s only to cover the stupid insurance costs (opening a stopover in your home grounds affects house insurance as well as needing public liability for the stopover itself) and if we manage that then we want to invest in a waste disposal solution. We’re not in it to make money, but to provide safe parking and water. We’re sad to see some of our favourite wild spots now with No Overnight Parking; I realised yesterday both Dunnet and Duncansby Head have gone this way
I do worry though about pricing - there are definitely some new facilities that are more than CL/CS sites, but where investments for hardstanding, septic tanks, toilets etc have been paid out I guess they need to be recouped somehow.

 

[Cie]

We will be watching on Sunday.
But I am not surprised at your comments, Cie is a dedicated wild camper who has experienced wild camping in an unconventional van. Their van is large enough to party in, and is held together by cies husband who knows his way around motors. I was genuinely amazed when they let us have a look inside it.

Oh Bill, you’ve made me laugh - next time we have a party in Vanessa you’re on the top of the invite list!

 

[Cie]

Hi Cie
Brilliant! Well done for the TV appearance, good publicity, and for creating a safe stopover.
We'll be off to Scotland next autumn, and will hope to stay with you for one or two nights. Colin.

Thank you Colin. Will look forward to meeting you at some point

 

[Fisherman]

Oh Bill, you’ve made me laugh - next time we have a party in Vanessa you’re on the top of the invite list!

Cant wait

 

[barryd]

We won’t have campsite prices, £5 a night for parking and water, and that’s only to cover the stupid insurance costs (opening a stopover in your home grounds affects house insurance as well as needing public liability for the stopover itself) and if we manage that then we want to invest in a waste disposal solution. We’re not in it to make money, but to provide safe parking and water. We’re sad to see some of our favourite wild spots now with No Overnight Parking; I realised yesterday both Dunnet and Duncansby Head have gone this way
I do worry though about pricing - there are definitely some new facilities that are more than CL/CS sites, but where investments for hardstanding, septic tanks, toilets etc have been paid out I guess they need to be recouped somehow.

Its fantastic that you have done this. I watched the program and I think it summed it up well and hopefully others may follow in your footsteps but I wont hold my breath. We are in Dumfries and Galloway at the moment and heading to the Lake District on Thursday. I was also saddened when carefully going over the POI on here to see just how many have now gone there so we will have to use CL's and sites. Thats not a problem but it seems the CL sites have changed since we were last members many years ago. Most are £20 a night and offer pretty much the same facilities as sites now. What happened to just a field, a tap and an Elsan?

 

[Drover]

I got slated a little on the Campra site when saying £15 to £25 per night is too much for a Aire.
But being fair to campra they did tell me they did not set prices and wanted nothing to do with setting prices.
It was the members who collaborated to think these prices were right with most saying they would pay that.... my understanding is findings are sent to the local councils and authorities or business when trying to set up aires in their area.
I am speechless at the thought of it (prices).... to me an Aire is an off road parking facility that might have an elsan point and a water tap where you can legally stay for a night or two (mostly free). Anything more is a campsite.
To my knowledge In Europe the cost of setting one up is met by the local council who then pass on a very low charge on business rates to the local community.. who more than recoup the cost from increased shop sales.

The UK looks to be on another level.... and my £200 per week state pension wont stretch out to meet the costs.

 

[barryd]

I got slated a little on the Campra site when saying £15 to £25 per night is too much for a Aire.
But being fair to campra they did tell me they did not set prices and wanted nothing to do with setting prices.
It was the members who collaborated to think these prices were right with most saying they would pay that.... my understanding is findings are sent to the local councils and authorities or business when trying to set up aires in their area.
I am speechless at the thought of it (prices).... to me an Aire is an off road parking facility that might have an elsan point and a water tap where you can legally stay for a night or two (mostly free). Anything more is a campsite.
To my knowledge In Europe the cost of setting one up is met by the local council who then pass on a very low charge on business rates to the local community.. who more than recoup the cost from increased shop sales.

The UK looks to be on another level.... and my £200 per week state pension wont stretch out to meet the costs.

Totally agree. Free or a fiver sounds about right. I wouldnt use them if they were above a tenner. May as well pay for a CL which chances are will have more space and a view.

 

[Debroos]

Excellent interview. Well done!
I do hope we make it up there sometime.

 

[Cie]

I got slated a little on the Campra site when saying £15 to £25 per night is too much for a Aire.
But being fair to campra they did tell me they did not set prices and wanted nothing to do with setting prices.
It was the members who collaborated to think these prices were right with most saying they would pay that.... my understanding is findings are sent to the local councils and authorities or business when trying to set up aires in their area.
I am speechless at the thought of it (prices).... to me an Aire is an off road parking facility that might have an elsan point and a water tap where you can legally stay for a night or two (mostly free). Anything more is a campsite.
To my knowledge In Europe the cost of setting one up is met by the local council who then pass on a very low charge on business rates to the local community.. who more than recoup the cost from increased shop sales.

The UK looks to be on another level.... and my £200 per week state pension wont stretch out to meet the costs.

We’re just £5 including water. Have to charge to cover our insurance costs, as this is at our home so has affected house insurance costs as well as needing public liability (and so is private so no council funding). We hope to invest any extra income into a waste point. I understand your viewpoint - we’ve always travelled on a very limited budget. Give us a try if you’re in the area.

 

[Cie]

Excellent interview. Well done!
I do hope we make it up there sometime.

Thank you. Would love to meet you.

 

[Mick H]

Interesting, but, unable to watch because don't have a tv licence, and don't engage in social media. Wish the new aire owners every success, though, and would certainly stop there, when in the area.

 

[Fazerloz]

Interesting, but, unable to watch because don't have a tv licence, and don't engage in social media. Wish the new aire owners every success, though, and would certainly stop there, when in the area.

I always thought a internet forum was a part of social media.

 

[Biggarmac]

I got slated a little on the Campra site when saying £15 to £25 per night is too much for a Aire.
But being fair to campra they did tell me they did not set prices and wanted nothing to do with setting prices.
It was the members who collaborated to think these prices were right with most saying they would pay that.... my understanding is findings are sent to the local councils and authorities or business when trying to set up aires in their area.
I am speechless at the thought of it (prices).... to me an Aire is an off road parking facility that might have an elsan point and a water tap where you can legally stay for a night or two (mostly free). Anything more is a campsite.
To my knowledge In Europe the cost of setting one up is met by the local council who then pass on a very low charge on business rates to the local community.. who more than recoup the cost from increased shop sales.

The UK looks to be on another level.... and my £200 per week state pension wont stretch out to meet the costs.

The views on the CAMpRA facebook page do not represent the views of the people who set the site up. Some of the posters have only ever used sites and tend to compare with them. CAMpRA advice to private aires (ie somebody like Cie with a useable bit of land) is £5 for parking, £10 if they provide waste and water facilities. £15 at a push if they have EHU. One aire tried to charge £20 as they compared themselves to a big all signing all dancing campsite. No takers. Now £15 for a parkup in the middle of a pleasant town with waste, water and EHU. They are full most nights. They also charge £5 to fill and dump for non parkers. Good facility for the people who use the free POIs nearby. It also means that those POIs are not as busy.

 

[wildebus]

I watched one of the Roaming Radfords videos and they were interviewing a couple of guys who were (as far as I can tell) collating a list of "Aires" in the UK. Sounded very similar to the Brit stops setup, except Brit stops are free to use (just have to pay upfront for the book with the locations) but their "Aires" are £15 a night. Sounds a bit much for what is meant to be a low-cost option?

I stayed 3 nights at a C&CC campsite just over a week ago - Pitch next to the river in Greater London, Fresh Water filling, Elsan and Grey Waste emptying ... £7/night.

 

[Biggarmac]

They are called UK Aires and have used information from CAMpRA website to try and set up a membership system to compete with BritStops. They want people to pay them to access places they have signed up.

 

[wildebus]

They are called UK Aires and have used information from CAMpRA website to try and set up a membership system to compete with BritStops. They want people to pay them to access places they have signed up.

Sounds like a pair of free-loaders?

I am a fan of Brit stops and find the initial £30ish cost for the book very reasonable for what you get access to (did 3 pub stops last month from the book)

 

[Biggarmac]

Sounds like a pair of free-loaders?

I am a fan of Brit stops and find the initial £30ish cost for the book very reasonable for what you get access to (did 3 pub stops last month from the book)

They have not managed to sign up many members and at the last count had only 50 sites. I saw them at Lincoln and they told someone else that a woman from CAMpRA had given them a roasting.

 

[Drover]

We’re just £5 including water. Have to charge to cover our insurance costs, as this is at our home so has affected house insurance costs as well as needing public liability (and so is private so no council funding). We hope to invest any extra income into a waste point. I understand your viewpoint - we’ve always travelled on a very limited budget. Give us a try if you’re in the area.

I certainly will call in when in the area..

We also have some land and looked at opening a cl with camc but they wanted someone there all the time and we wanted a honesty box....
Didn't bother in the end. The land is split between anob and conservation area..

 

[peter palance]

Overnighting will still probably be legal, just not in a vehicle.

its not about. overnighting, its about paying. sorry over £25 i do noot pay, so here gose. im off, see u later ally-gate-or -or-or. oh can u smell me. ok.pj.

 

[V1nny]

Sorry, but I have raised this point, and it has been discussed on other posts.
I have already alluded to the possibilities you mention, and even that I and others may well be wrong. No one has all the answers, not you me or anyone else. but some like Cie are simply trying to help. Also many councils including my own provided facilities for travellers because they were forced to do so in the 90s. Cambridge were not alone in doing so.
I have many times on here stated that CAMpRA should concentrate more on removing unfair parking restrictions, and less on creating Aires. I have even questioned the use of their name which seems to indicate (wrongly) that they concentrate solely on Aires. But I doubt if they are blind to these possibilities you mention. If most of the parking restrictions were removed there would be little need for Aires.