Kielder Castle car park now allowing overnight stops @£10 per night

[mistericeman]

Kielder Castle are running a test to see how overnight stops work...

Nice spot and well worth a tenner a night IMHO

 

[Robmac]

Very good to see this.

I hope it doesn't get abused.

 

[barlicker]

Let's hope!

 

[Penninegilly]

Ooooh, thank you for this! For us this is close enough to be perfectly do able....far enough away for it still to be a good overnighter.

 

[saxonrosie]

Yes it is good to see that more councils and others are becoming a bit more enlightened to some extra money they can make , but I think this is a bit steep for what you get as it’s £15 unless you turn up at 9 pm .

 

[malagaoth]

most of the year I can book into a campsite for £15!

Im reluctant to pay more than £5 or £6 for overnight in a carpark with no facilities - but Im notoriously mean

 

[mistericeman]

It's becoming clearer and clearer to me that some folks will only be happy with a fully serviced area for nowt....

I don't think a tenner for a very nice location with toilets and a pub within walking as well of miles of forest to walk in distance is bad at all....

Don't like the price then don't stay there Simples...
Or ask to stop at the pub (Anglers arms) and pay via a meal/beer.

 

[Deneb]

It's becoming clearer and clearer to me that some folks will only be happy with a fully serviced area for nowt....

I don't think a tenner for a very nice location with toilets and a pub within walking as well of miles of forest to walk in distance is bad at all....

Don't like the price then don't stay there Simples...
Or ask to stop at the pub (Anglers arms) and pay via a meal/beer.

Personally, I'm not asking for facilities for nothing, and I think any increase in provision and welcoming motorhomes is to be applauded, but in this case it's not £10 unless you're going to walk miles and miles of forest, visit the pub and fit everything else in between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. - it's actually £15 if you overstay those times (or £20 if you arrive before 9 p.m. and choose to leave after 9 a.m. - even by a couple of minutes either side).

When I can find parking facilities in France for between 6 and 10 euros for 24 hours which in some locations I have visited include electricity, water, waste water and toilet emptying facilities, toilets and showers; charging £15 to £20 for 12-24 hours for what amounts to staying in a shared car park with toilets nearby does nothing to encourage me to stay in this country. Plus, if that sort of pricing becomes the norm for staying in what is little more than a car park, it also encourages CLs and other small sites to increase their prices beyond that level on the basis that they are providing additional facilities "so it must be worth it".

If the FC chose to provide car parking for £5 and allowed motorhome parking for £10 for up to 24 hours, I wouldn't see any reason to grumble. But the "small print" in the parking conditions makes it clear that's not what they're advertising here.

 

[barryd]

Its actually £20 if you turn up at say lunchtime and leave the following lunchtime. 24 hours.

Im sorry but thats outrageous. Either they dont want people parking there or are just not in touch with what is fair and realistic. Can you imagine paying £20 for 24 hours on some remote bit of land in France?

Its not like they havent got plenty of space up there either.

 

[mickymost]

Why not arrive at 9am and leave next day at 9am and only pay £15 for 24 hours simples...or arrive at 9pm and leave next day 9pm again £15.for 24 hours

:idea:

 

[Channa]

Its actually £20 if you turn up at say lunchtime and leave the following lunchtime. 24 hours.

Im sorry but thats outrageous. Either they dont want people parking there or are just not in touch with what is fair and realistic. Can you imagine paying £20 for 24 hours on some remote bit of land in France?

Its not like they havent got plenty of space up there either.

But Barry its NOT France .....

Channa

 

[Deneb]

But Barry its NOT France .....

Channa

No it's not, but that's why some of us go there. I can spend 2 weeks in France including ferry costs for less than it costs for 2 weeks in the UK with like for like facilities.

OK, the FC are using their ticket machines as a payment method for the overnight parking, so why not have a 24 hour charge, commencing from the time the ticket is purchased? At the risk of sounding like a broken record, that's often the way it's done in France. Fairer all round.

Sadly though, I also don't expect this to last too long, as I fear it will be abused. There are already people on Facebook asking what's wrong with having a "little" camp fire. I will be glad to be proved wrong though.

 

[r4dent]

Why not arrive at 9am and leave next day at 9am and only pay £15 for 24 hours simples...or arrive at 9pm and leave next day 9pm again £15.for 24 hours:idea:

I and many others like to arrive before 9.00 pm; overnight; and have a leisurely breakfast which involve leaving after 9.00am so the cost is £20.

I think the charging is designed to discourage us and then they can say nobody wants to overnight and ban it.

 

[malagaoth]

I dont mind paying IF Im getting something but Im sorry a space in an otherwise unused carpark is not 'something'

If there was a tap and /or waste disposal fine you are then getting something, I believe that there is a campsite behind the Anglers Rest (assuming that I am thinking about the right pub) £25 inc EHU and you get all the facilities you would expect in a campsite.

So pay £20 for a carpark with no facilities or £25 for a campsite with full facilities? - for me its a no brainer (and Im mean)

 

[mistericeman]

Moan when they don't provide anywhere
Moan it's too expensive when they do....
Frankly if I was involved I simply wouldn't bother providing anywhere....
No one is holding a gun against anyone's head... Prefer to go to France instead...
Cool more space for me without folks wingeing about things.

I couldn't care less how much it is because I usually camp well away from others anyway.
I'll just not bother posting stuff like this in future as its almost pointless.

 

[barryd]

Moan when they don't provide anywhere
Moan it's too expensive when they do....
Frankly if I was involved I simply wouldn't bother providing anywhere....
No one is holding a gun against anyone's head... Prefer to go to France instead...
Cool more space for me without folks wingeing about things.

I couldn't care less how much it is because I usually camp well away from others anyway.
I'll just not bother posting stuff like this in future as its almost pointless.

Dont take the hump. Its good that you posted it. Some people might use it and the cost may well deter abusers. Just because some of us think its a bit expensive for a car park which is essentially all it is doesn't mean everyone will.

It would have in my book made more sense just to make it £5 for 24 hours from the ticket purchase time. Im not sure how big it is but I bet at that price they will see the odd van now and again but at a fiver for 24 hours a car park that would otherwise be empty overnight would definitely have a fair few vans in it every night. Better to have 100 vans a month at a fiver than 3 at £10, £15 or £20 unless as has been suggested they are just deliberately pricing it high so it doesnt get used.

 

[mistericeman]

Dont take the hump. Its good that you posted it. Some people might use it and the cost may well deter abusers. Just because some of us think its a bit expensive for a car park which is essentially all it is doesn't mean everyone will.

It would have in my book made more sense just to make it £5 for 24 hours from the ticket purchase time. Im not sure how big it is but I bet at that price they will see the odd van now and again but at a fiver for 24 hours a car park that would otherwise be empty overnight would definitely have a fair few vans in it every night. Better to have 100 vans a month at a fiver than 3 at £10, £15 or £20 unless as has been suggested they are just deliberately pricing it high so it doesnt get used.

Not taking the hump chap.....

Just can't be bothered wasting my time sharing stuff for folks to sit and quimm about....
Don't like it...
Don't stop there Simples... Like I said I'll not bother in future

 

[Deneb]

Not taking the hump chap.....

Just can't be bothered wasting my time sharing stuff for folks to sit and quimm about....
Don't like it...
Don't stop there Simples... Like I said I'll not bother in future

Please do. I always enjoy reading your posts. The nature of a forum means there is always likely to be a discussion.

I just think in general that this country seems to want to extract as much money out of everyone as they can, rather than pricing things at a reasonable level that might attract even more custom. Just because I think that, doesn't mean that everyone thinks the same.

I rarely eat out, for example, because I detest paying what seems to me to be a small fortune for food that is messed about with to make it sound grander than it actually is, and served on lumps of wood or other ridiculous items instead of plates. Judging by how busy a lot of these establishments seem to be, that must just be the exiled Yorkshireman in me. Obviously not everyone feels the same.

I suspect the FC will probably be overrun with customers. At £10 for 24 hours, I would happily join them. But sadly, the pricing structure they have adopted is not for me and I fear even if it encourages other organisations to consider motorhome facilities, the pricing will likely follow suit at levels which are currently expected on "proper" sites. The end result will be to encourage those sites to increase their prices to reflect the additional facilities they offer. No doubt plenty of mugs will end up paying whatever is asked and I will feel even more priced out of the market.

Just ignore me if you like. I often catch myself turning into Victor Meldrew these days. I think when you reach a certain age you no longer feel that you have to put up with all the **** that society expects. If anyone knows where I can find a pub meal of roast beef, potatoes and Yorkshire pud with English mustard and gravy in the south east let me know. Everywhere round here nowdays expects me to eat rare hand-cooked beef artfully drizzled with this and sprinkled with that, and looks at me aghast if I even dare ask for mustard. It's all crap as far as I'm concerned.

Rant over. Sorry :sad:

 

[Fazerloz]

I rarely eat out, for example, because I detest paying what seems to me to be a small fortune for food that is messed about with to make it sound grander than it actually is, and served on lumps of wood or other ridiculous items instead of plates. Judging by how busy a lot of these establishments seem to be, that must just be the exiled Yorkshireman in me. Obviously not everyone feels the same.

Just ignore me if you like. I often catch myself turning into Victor Meldrew these days. I think when you reach a certain age you no longer feel that you have to put up with all the **** that society expects. If anyone knows where I can find a pub meal of roast beef, potatoes and Yorkshire pud with English mustard and gravy in the south east let me know. Everywhere round here nowdays expects me to eat rare hand-cooked beef artfully drizzled with this and sprinkled with that, and looks at me aghast if I even dare ask for mustard. It's all crap as far as I'm concerned.

Rant over. Sorry :sad:

If all you want is a simple roast diner get to your nearest Toby Carvery. Or get yourself back oop norf.

 

[mistericeman]

Or the Anglers arms in Kielder....
Big plate of Kielder cobbler for less than a tenner with free parking spot thrown in..
Less than 200 yards from the Castle carpark ;-)