Devon getting less Friendly

The rules say that no open fires are permitted...
DevonLive said:
Cllr Ford said that recently there have been fires lit as late as 10.30pm in a sandpit at the Churchfields Car Park in Appledore, and that while the £5 fee for overnight parking was supposed to be paid, because there was no enforcement in the evenings, it wasn’t been managed and therefore people were parking for free.
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Yet again we are implicitly blamed and unsubstantiated assumptions made...
Cars as well as motorhomes were parked there (it is a long-stay car park). The beach appears to be mud and neither Google nor Bing maps show a sandpit in either the car park or the adjacent play area, so I can't figure where fires were lit. That said, there appears to be no evidence that the (possibly only one) fires were lit by motorhomers, who don't need an open fire to rustle up a meal. Also non sequitur is his claim, "therefore people were parking for free." That they don't enforce parking rules doesn't mean people disobey them. Councillor Ford hasn't any tourism-related interests declared but I have to wonder whether he's been lobbied by a campsite owner or two?!
 
The first time we visited Appledore and went to said carpark we found later in the evening an influx of the Boy Racer the second time we went last year we had a successful stopover.I find it hard to believe self contained campervans/motorhomes are lighting open fires in a Council Carpark.These councillors I bet own a local campsite somewhere.Are boy racers lighting fires? Are the fires ficticious? Any excuse to come down on the Motorhome Community again.The councillors have probably been checking Google on other areas in the UK and are now jumping on that ever growing bandwagon.
 
One bit that did make me smile is the header photograph of the car park that has been turned into a campsite. They are either lying or too bone idle to take a suitable photo showing a load of vans turning it into a campsite. One thing all these stories have in common is a great lack of hard evidence.
 
All the youth in the area congregate in the skate park and the play area until quite late, but it couldn't possibly be them. Not paying is disgraceful but the machines are confusing and the foreign tourists often need help, sometimes buying a day ticket and not a motorhome overnight ticket, and some get up at the crack of dawn to avoid the warden and park on the road during the day. All to avoid paying £5.
 
Do motorhomers light fires and cook out in the open? I don’t, but am I the exception?
 
SimonM said:
Do motorhomers light fires and cook out in the open? I don’t, but am I the exception?
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Dunno if you're the exception. We might be as we often light a fire and cook out in the open. However, our fire is charcoal, contained in a barbecue... ...and we don't if fires are not permitted!
 
Philbo69 said:
Micky. The people of Appledore have had enough of inconsiderate motor-home owners. Last year I counted 33 MHs parked in and around the village. Blocking pathways, setting up camp across two bays and lighting BBQs. Obviously NOT you! But enough is enough and the new regs were passed by TDC 27 - 3 in favour of limiting MHs to the toilet block area with a max of 12 allowed at any one time. This year has been a lot better. As a local resident I pay £365 a year to park in Churchfields and several times last year I couldn't park cos of MHs double baying. We now have our village back!
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Last year due to COVID and staycations many novices bought or hired Motorhomes and didn’t have clue how to behave when in car parks. So in effect made things worse,for all genuine experienced Motorhome owners. We haven’t been anywhere for two years so don’t point a finger at us,and are not inconsiderate! Glad you have your parking space back
 
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As motorhomers ownerships grows so will the problems we cause, , but as responsible owners we think it is irresponsible owners that cause the problems ,when the problem is their are too many motorhomers looking to wild camp ..we all have to take a share of the blame .
 
molly 2 said:
As motorhomers ownerships grows so will the problems we cause, , but as responsible owners we think it is irresponsible owners that cause the problems ,when the problem is their are too many motorhomers looking to wild camp ..we all have to take a share of the blame .
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Frankly I don't see why I have to take ANY share of the blame....

I never Park in inconsiderate places
I never park where someone is already parked
I never park in view of people's houses
I never leave any mess
I never stay for more than one night in one place when Wilding
I always leave where I've parked cleaner than it was when I landed
I spend in the local economy
I never park where I'll cause a problem....
I always avoid busy places
I always avoid busy times...
I always make the effort to engage with locals we meet when away

I really really don't see what there is to share blame for.
 
mickymost said:
Last year due to COVID and staycations many novices bought or hired Motorhomes and didn’t have clue how to behave when in car parks. So in effect made things worse,for all genuine experienced Motorhome owners. We haven’t been anywhere for two years so don’t point a finger at us,and are not inconsiderate! Glad you have your parking space back
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Sorry Micky but I have to disagree with that to some extent.

How to behave is basic common sense. We were all new motorhomers at some point and it doesn't take much thinking about on how to behave. People who misbehave generally know they are misbehaving, they just don't care and it's little to do with experience, just ignorance and arrogance.

Basic human behaviour traits I'm afraid.
 
Robmac said:
Sorry Micky but I have to disagree with that to some extent.

How to behave is basic common sense. We were all new motorhomers at some point and it doesn't take much thinking about on how to behave. People who misbehave generally know they are misbehaving, they just don't care and it's little to do with experience, just ignorance and arrogance.

Basic human behaviour traits I'm afraid.
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I agree BUT in all things there are an element of those who couldn’t give a toss so what I was saying was due to Staycations forced on the normally who go Abroad people loads bought or used a Motorhome/campervan who wouldn’t normally have entertained one and as eggs are eggs there are a percentage who will behave and a percentage who won’t just like the extra daytrippers going to UK hotspots where in a normal year they would be abroad causing chaos., some know how to behave and many can’t be bothered. It’s today’s society. So the extra load on the Devon car parks as usual have spoilt it for the responsible ones. But other Sensible forward thinking Councils are opening their doors and welcoming overnighters realising the gains outweigh the losses.
 
Robmac said:
Sorry Micky but I have to disagree with that to some extent.

How to behave is basic common sense. We were all new motorhomers at some point and it doesn't take much thinking about on how to behave. People who misbehave generally know they are misbehaving, they just don't care and it's little to do with experience, just ignorance and arrogance.

Basic human behaviour traits I'm afraid.
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Societal norms are learned rather than instinctive. In some societies (including ours in the fairly recent past) drink-driving and speeding were tacitly acceptable and anyone caught out was 'just unlucky'. Go back further, and it was acceptable to just chuck out the contents of your chamber pot from your bedroom window into the street (provided you first yelled a precautionary "gardey loo").
Fast forward to the societal norms that the media and NIMBYs are teaching newcomers to motorhomers. 'Everybody knows' that motorhomers just chuck their rubbish everywhere, empty their toilet cassettes at the side of the road, etc. -- it's what the media and those NIMBYs tell them happens. So, just like drink-driving and speeding of yore, they know it's not how they really should behave but (I strongly suspect) believe that it's what everyone does anyway and they'll just be unlucky if they're caught. IOW, those pushing anti-motorhome propaganda have created a self-fulfilling prophecy and are the ones who really are to blame.

... just saying ...
 
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