motorhome stopover

[biggirafe]

I joined the forum on motorhome stopovers to ask some questions but the more I asked gave me less reason for joining. They say that you can stop one night for free without any obligation but they later go on to say that is expected or hoped you would buy a meal or drink. One of the members on the forum suggested that people who didn't buy anything should be named & shamed on the site What I couldn't get was what was I paying £30 for & who gets it, if the publican gets some of this then surely I am entitled to be able to stop without buying anything as I have already paid something, if the publican only gets anything if I do buy something then I can see them getting annoyed at what they see as a freeloader & if it happened a few times they would drop out.

The site should make it clear & say that you have to use the pub if you want to stay removing any doubt, if I want a drink or meal I want to have it when I want & not part of a payment. I did suggest that they consider how much profit a landlord was likely to make on a drink & a meal then make this the fee you pay which the landlord will waive if you do have a drink/meal. This gives the landlord the same income, cost me less, eases my conscience & I don't have to sit in a pub socializing if I don't want to. I'm sure though that many landlords would allow you to park overnight if you asked them providing you did frequent the pub.

I agree the site is very vague and contradictory about this. I think if buying a meal was compulsary then the they would be deemed as charging for camping then things would get complicated with regards to being a licenced or regulated campsite.

TBH as I'm fully comp with my insurance I don't expect I would have any issues making a claim when I stay on pub car parks but I do wonder how many ofthe participating landlords/Ladies are made fully aware of their position when they allow this.

Again I don't want to stop this, I use them myself but I do not like the idea of this chap taking £30 off of people for a list of participating pubs who are under the impression we WILL buy food from them and may be getting themselves in trouble with their local council and insurance company's if there is an accident.

 

[fiftysomething]

France Passion

Is he trying to start up the equivalent of France Passion but for pubs in England rather than vineyards in France, I wonder?

Some of reviews I read for that have included complaints of feeling obliged to buy something from the vineyard.

Fiftysomething (and should know better!)

 

[AndyC]

I agree the site is very vague and contradictory about this. I think if buying a meal was compulsary then the they would be deemed as charging for camping then things would get complicated with regards to being a licenced or regulated campsite.

The law on site licences/planning does not take any account of whether there is a charge or not.

IMO it really should be made much easier to set this sort of thing up, the law governing it was written in the 1950's - times have moved on...

AndyC

 

[Deleted member 967]

The law on site licences/planning does not take any account of whether there is a charge or not.

IMO it really should be made much easier to set this sort of thing up, the law governing it was written in the 1950's - times have moved on...

AndyC

Practical Motorhome/Motor Caravaner's Club are setting up a similar scheme. They are issuing exemption certificates so they have the legalities right. They do not require membership to use their scheme. The more landlords we can get supporting this scheme the better it will be for all of us. Support the Motor Caravanner's Club in their efforts to improve thing for all of us.

DEFRA (Natural England) state that the Motorhome stopovers scheme does not comply with the regulations no matter how he tries to dress it up. It is still running a camping site without an exemption or a site licence.

As Andy said the law is out of date and needs revision. Natural England also say that this will not happen for quite some time due to the cost involved.

It will only take a local authority jobs-worth to get interested and the Motorhome stopovers scheme could come toppling down on the head of a participating landlord.

 

[barryd]

Why would you want to stay in a pub car park and not go in the pub? Surely the reason for staying on a pub car park is so you can go in the pub, get lashed and then crawl back to your van. If I wanted a quiet night in the van I would wild camp or find a CL.

By the way you can get the whole listing of all the pub stops off the site for free. Why bother paying £30?