Aires for Dumfries and Galloway.

When you look at a map of Scotland apart from one local authority (East Lothian) things are on the Up.
Ayrshire, Highland, Fife, Dumfries and Galloway, Inverclyde, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs,Argyle and Bute, The north East and west are looking to provide spaces and facilities. It seems that they are at last realising the benefits of attracting motorhomes.
And for all of you purists out there, what this will do is take pressure off the WC spots, and there are still plenty of them.
Most of these facilities will be near towns and villages, were there are issues.
For those of us who enjoy more rural locations, hopefully they will become easier to access.
Also East Lothians controversial plans to gather us all up into one place at Bar Ness Lighthouse, has hit the skids.
The landowners I have heard are not prepared to give the go ahead, one of the reasons apparently being Health and Safety.
 
witzend said:
Might be calling them Aires but they got campsite pricing
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Well yes but not quite. I think you will struggle to find a site now for that sort of money. I agree though. £10 and then charging extra for services is a bit steep. There was one though I think posted on here elsewhere in the country where charges were going to be £30 or £40 I think.

Personally I would always choose a hideaway CL somewhere if there were no "nice" wilding opportunities but then I dont need to park in town or in a village as we just use the bike. The Brits just dont seem to be able to get their heads around offering something for "free". Its just not in our DNA.
 
Hawick is a free parkup but that is run by the visit Hawick group. Most councils and communities do not see that encouraging visitors in vans brings income. Aires in the UK are mainly springing up on private land. While many are thinking of providing a service they cannot do it for nothing as the costs they face have to be paid for.
 
barryd said:
Well yes but not quite. I think you will struggle to find a site now for that sort of money. I agree though. £10 and then charging extra for services is a bit steep. There was one though I think posted on here elsewhere in the country where charges were going to be £30 or £40 I think.

Personally I would always choose a hideaway CL somewhere if there were no "nice" wilding opportunities but then I dont need to park in town or in a village as we just use the bike. The Brits just dont seem to be able to get their heads around offering something for "free". Its just not in our DNA.
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A lot want stuff for free, Barry.

But it's in Brit DNA to put up with total cr*p - and to never complain up front. What's all that about?!

Brits often annoy the hell out of me with their dead-brain complacency - and the dead-brain complacency of local councils too.
Think I maybe have more Irish and Reiver blood in me than most! ;)

@groyne has just posted up a pic of an aire in France in another thread - free with waste, water and hookup.
As he says, the French know how to do it. And how good does this aire look compared to most of our scruffy carpark options?! (y)

1644839107947.png
 
Biggarmac said:
Hawick is a free parkup but that is run by the visit Hawick group. Most councils and communities do not see that encouraging visitors in vans brings income. Aires in the UK are mainly springing up on private land. While many are thinking of providing a service they cannot do it for nothing as the costs they face have to be paid for.
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Which is where our councils should be stepping up to the plate an awful lot more. :confused:
 
mariesnowgoose said:
A lot want stuff for free, Barry.

But it's in Brit DNA to put up with total cr*p - and to never complain up front. What's all that about?!

Brits often annoy the hell out of me with their dead-brain complacency - and the dead-brain complacency of local councils too.
Think I maybe have more Irish and Reiver blood in me than most! ;)

@groyne has just posted up a pic of an aire in France in another thread - free with waste, water and hookup.
As he says, the French know how to do it. And how good does this aire look compared to most of our scruffy carpark options?! (y)

View attachment 106138
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Exactly! I've stayed on loads like that in France. Often free, not that I object to paying of course. The French I think are very proud of some of their Aires. They get lots of publicity on the various online Aires apps and books and are generally well used. You just have to read some of the comments on Camping Car Infos about local eateries, shops, bars and of course the baker to know they must contribute to the local economy but I think they have much wider economic benefits for France. Just look how many of us and many other nationalities take their vans there. Its Europes playground. I know its a lovely country but the fact it is so perfectly set up for touring motorhomes must also be a huge pull. I have had many conversations with Europeans of all nationalities and they all say the same about the UK. We hear its not motorhome friendly so we dont go.

I remember being the first visitor to a brand new Aire in a lovely village at Fources in Gers. We found it by accident out on the bike. The next morning after our stay half the village turned out to see what we thought of it and if there was anything else we needed!
 
mariesnowgoose said:
A lot want stuff for free, Barry.

But it's in Brit DNA to put up with total cr*p - and to never complain up front. What's all that about?!

Brits often annoy the hell out of me with their dead-brain complacency - and the dead-brain complacency of local councils too.
Think I maybe have more Irish and Reiver blood in me than most! ;)

@groyne has just posted up a pic of an aire in France in another thread - free with waste, water and hookup.
As he says, the French know how to do it. And how good does this aire look compared to most of our scruffy carpark options?! (y)

View attachment 106138
Click to expand...
It's because we never had a revolution!!
 
barryd said:
Well yes but not quite. I think you will struggle to find a site now for that sort of money. I agree though. £10 and then charging extra for services is a bit steep. There was one though I think posted on here elsewhere in the country where charges were going to be £30 or £40 I think.

Personally I would always choose a hideaway CL somewhere if there were no "nice" wilding opportunities but then I dont need to park in town or in a village as we just use the bike. The Brits just dont seem to be able to get their heads around offering something for "free". Its just not in our DNA.
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thats why half the shops are em-put-y, in towns, should be free parking in town in day time,or just drive away. no stay. ok.pj.
 
Biggarmac said:
Hawick is a free parkup but that is run by the visit Hawick group. Most councils and communities do not see that encouraging visitors in vans brings income. Aires in the UK are mainly springing up on private land. While many are thinking of providing a service they cannot do it for nothing as the costs they face have to be paid for.
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I do agree we should at least offset the costs involved if run by councils, and that those doing so privately should make a profit. After all that’s how everything else works in our society why should this be any different. But although many of these stop overs are privately run, they are being encouraged and monitored by local councils to do so.

I read on here all the time about these cheap CLS. I have been quoted £25 for a CL, the average price on the C&MC site is probably £15-18. You only get what you pay for. To me the advantage of the CLS is more about location than price. Many are closer to places of interest we may want to visit than the larger sites.
But bargains can be had mid week particularly on the CCC sites. As I stated before we spent an October night on a grass pitch without EHU on the CCC site at Dunbar for £11, cheaper than most CLS now.
 
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Trouble is a lot of CLs are now like little posh campsites. Manicured lawns, showers, toilets etc. To me a CL should be a rough and ready farmers field with lots of farmyard junk lying about, mad dogs and chickens and it should be a fiver! :D Just a tap and a toilet dump.
 
We started out in a tent in 2006 and sometimes used sites for ablutions, saw lots of vans parked up and moved to our first Moho in 2007, never stayed on an open site since.

I would use sites for their facilities but so many refuse as you are not staying, is there a list of sites that allows us to just go on fill up shower and empty etc?
 
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