Parliamentary Petition re Overnight Parking

[stephan]

667

 

[trevskoda]

I put my name in but no email as yet,though i fear it will be a waste of time for wilders etc and this is not the first one i have put my name to.
What you will find is any thing free in this country is a no no.

 

[Fisherman]

I didn't state anything regarding control or legislature....

Frankly I suspect your quoted figures aren't as correct as you perhaps think.... But hey ho.

My personal opinion is that only by folks proving that they can "behave themselves" and paying their way for stops will local authorities possibly slowly change their ways.

The figures quoted came from research carried out by an independent company on behalf of the caravan and Motorhome club earlier this year.
They are not my figures. I don’t put them forward as correct or otherwise.
The researchers also concluded that 171,000 people are employed within the industry.
But if you have better more detailed and researched figures please feel free to publish them.

I agree that it’s important that folks should behave themselves, and possibly some scheme of verification of behaviour should be adopted.
But one thing is for sure if things continue going the way they are many will be put of buying Motorhomes and campers.

 

[Fisherman]

As far as authority are concerned there are lots of places provided for campervans, motorhomes, caravans, and tents and they’re called campsites. Bringing wildcamping into the spotlight isn’t a good idea iMO.

Try booking some sites Caledonia, the better ones are booked up weeks, even months in advance. And if we all stopped wild camping and started using campsites it would only get worse.
This December we are off to rowan tree park in York, I had to book it a year in advance last December.

You and I both love the spontaneous nature of wild camping up here in Scotland, you cannot do that with campsites.
Also we have both spent nights in places were there are no campsites, hotels, b&b’s, no noise, no neighbours, just gorgeous scenery.

 

[mistericeman]

Try booking some sites Caledonia, the better ones are booked up weeks, even months in advance. And if we all stopped wild camping and started using campsites it would only get worse.
This December we are off to rowan tree park in York, I had to book it a year in advance last December.

You and I both love the spontaneous nature of wild camping up here in Scotland, you cannot do that with campsites.
Also we have both spent nights in places were there are no campsites, hotels, b&b’s, no noise, no neighbours, just gorgeous scenery.

You must be choosing some VERY popular sites.....
In all my years "off grid camping" and camping in general....
I've still NEVER had to book a site yet....
Even now with the increase in popularity I can still head off to somewhere peaceful....
Even last Bank Holiday I had a field of nearly 2 acres to myself.

 

[Toffeecat]

Signed. Sadly Little England isn't motorhome friendly but lets hope.

 

[Geraldine]

Sounds good. Signed.

 

[Fisherman]

You must be choosing some VERY popular sites.....
In all my years "off grid camping" and camping in general....
I've still NEVER had to book a site yet....
Even now with the increase in popularity I can still head off to somewhere peaceful....
Even last Bank Holiday I had a field of nearly 2 acres to myself.

I don’t reckon so.
Ok rowantree Park is the most popular of the C&M sites.
But that site was more or less booked out last December for a whole year in three hours.
Yes sites in rural areas tend to have places available, but not sites in cities or most towns, where parking is more restricted.

Also weekends are a problem time for bookings.
Many sites are fine Monday to Thursday, but Friday to Sunday are booked out.

Campsites can never replace what we do, we only use them normally after three or four nights wild camping, to replenish water and empty the toilet.

 

[Fisherman]

Found this from 2013.
£6 billion added to uk economy then.

Caravan Industry contributes Six Billion Pounds to UK Economy

Caravan Industry contributes Six Billion Pounds to UK Economy - Read the latest news from Comfort Insurance®

www.comfort-insurance.co.uk

Here’s the report from earlier this year estimating £9.3 billion per annum

Campsite spending - The Camping and Caravanning Club

The first-ever UK-wide holiday park and campsite sector economic report. This is the first time campsites have been analysed to show the economic value of the sector.

www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk

 

[Drover]

Sorry guys but you are wasting your time.

There have been many of these petitions and they are all rejected as overnight parking is an issue dealt with by local councils.

Agree with this as years ago the two main clubs told the government that they supplied the european aire type overnight system,
They said their low cost cl/cs sites are more than adequate.
Added to this is the back up by local council parking that is very difficult to find.

 

[Fisherman]

Agree with this as years ago the two main clubs told the government that they supplied the european aire type overnight system,
They said their low cost cl/cs sites are more than adequate.
Added to this is the back up by local council parking that is very difficult to find.

Yes Chris I agree we are wasting our time, but not because we don’t have a just cause, and reason to feel that we are being treated like leper’s. The reason we are wasting our time is because most of us don’t come on to forums like this, and are. mostly unaware of what’s going on or of the existence this petition.
What’s the alternative Chris sit back and watch what’s going on and do nout about it. Look what happened last week at prestonpans in Lothian, a beech carpark well away from any housing, and lightly used by cars had barriers put up. I was at white sands a few miles up the road on a rural location with barriers put up.

It looks like soon people buying new Motorhomes will be treated the same as those buying new cars by the dvla. Perhaps we could also be treated likewise in terms of parking restrictions. Or is that to much to ask for. If they don’t want us to stay overnight they could put up signage, but not barriers.

But as I said at the start Chris, I think you are right.

 

[GreggBear]

I don’t reckon so.
Ok rowantree Park is the most popular of the C&M sites.
But that site was more or less booked out last December for a whole year in three hours.
Yes sites in rural areas tend to have places available, but not sites in cities or most towns, where parking is more restricted.

Also weekends are a problem time for bookings.
Many sites are fine Monday to Thursday, but Friday to Sunday are booked out.

Campsites can never replace what we do, we only use them normally after three or four nights wild camping, to replenish water and empty the toilet.

Reason they are all booked up at weekends etc is anyone with kids can only go then. You can now be fined/prosecuted for taking them out of school in term time. The holiday industry knows this & seizes the opportunity to double prices & fleece parents heavily every chance they get. For some families a caravan park is the only affordable holiday they can give their kids. That's why this petition seems important to me, I want to show my son the places my dad showed me when I was a boy.

 

[Fisherman]

Reason they are all booked up at weekends etc is anyone with kids can only go then. You can now be fined/prosecuted for taking them out of school in term time. The holiday industry knows this & seizes the opportunity to double prices & fleece parents heavily every chance they get. For some families a caravan park is the only affordable holiday they can give their kids. That's why this petition seems important to me, I want to show my son the places my dad showed me when I was a boy.

I tried to book up a campsite on Loch Lomond last year for the weekend.
I phoned a month before our planned trip, only to be told that they were fully booked. We finished up wild camping in cellardyke near anstruther and had a good weekend.

 

[GreggBear]

I don't use sites at all. I don't require anything they offer, everything I need I take with me. Majority of site say no fires, but the best part for me is cooking over my fire pit outside in the fresh air. If I want to be next door to other people I can stay at home....

 

[2cv]

I don't use sites at all. I don't require anything they offer, everything I need I take with me. Majority of site say no fires, but the best part for me is cooking over my fire pit outside in the fresh air. If I want to be next door to other people I can stay at home....

This is part of the problem. If motorhome users just parked up for the night there would be less objection to them, but by such activities as setting up furniture or lighting fires areas used by others for parking are taken or in the case of fires a trace of a stay is left. I can’t really see an answer because there will always be a few who will continue to do more than simply park for the night.
Maybe instead of height barriers which seem in vogue at present legally enforceable restrictions would be better, in a similar way to some countries which differentiate between camping and parking according to wether or not certain actions take place. I have regularly been saddened to see the evidence of fires left by overnight motorhome users, a reason that some excellent locations have been lost.

 

[Fisherman]

I don't use sites at all. I don't require anything they offer, everything I need I take with me. Majority of site say no fires, but the best part for me is cooking over my fire pit outside in the fresh air. If I want to be next door to other people I can stay at home....

Gregg we prefer wild camping, but there are times when we have enjoyed sites also. As for being next door to other people we were at north Berwick last month and I could just about get my hab door opened owing to our neighbour having to park close to us. Whilst at Stromeferry I had to ask a Frenchman who blocked three of us in a small carpark to move away, so your neighbour argument falls short Gregg. Yes we have spent nights alone in carparks our last neighbour free night was at the Ratagan carpark overlooking Loch Duich and the five sisters of kintail. But most nights we have neighbours wild camping with us.
But when we wild camp we park up only, ok we have taken out our chairs on occasions but we always move to the front of the van, so as not to be to intrusive.

 

[GreggBear]

This is part of the problem. If motorhome users just parked up for the night there would be less objection to them, but by such activities as setting up furniture or lighting fires areas used by others for parking are taken or in the case of fires a trace of a stay is left. I can’t really see an answer because there will always be a few who will continue to do more than simply park for the night.
Maybe instead of height barriers which seem in vogue at present legally enforceable restrictions would be better, in a similar way to some countries which differentiate between camping and parking according to wether or not certain actions take place. I have regularly been saddened to see the evidence of fires left by overnight motorhome users, a reason that some excellent locations have been lost.

If I'm going to light my fire I make sure it's off the ground & never leave even the slightest trace behind. I would only light it if I was on my own so others wouldn't be put off by it. I always clear the area after I use it, & usually it's tidier than when I got there....
U

 

[Fisherman]

If I'm going to light my fire I make sure it's off the ground & never leave even the slightest trace behind. I would only light it if I was on my own so others wouldn't be put off by it. I always clear the area after I use it, & usually it's tidier than when I got there....
U

That’s what really pisses me off Gregg.
I have lost count if the times we have tidied up after inconsiderate car drivers and others who have left litter. Then low and behold barriers are erected, we can’t get back into the carpark, but those who play loud music, and drop litter are free to return.

 

[GreggBear]

Pisses me off too matey,as you say the barriers only keep us out. The hotspot car drivers who just sit there hoofing all their crap out the windows are free to crack on! Thing is, if you leave all their shite on the car park you can guarantee everybody "saw" the motor home drive away! Nobody ever seems to see the scruffy nuggets that chucked it away....

 

[caledonia]

I have no problem finding places and access to carparks is not an issue. Maybe the problem isn’t with authorities but the vehicle you have chosen for wildcamping. I chose a VW T5 because I want to wildcamp and not have issues with height barriers or narrow roads, dirt tracks and accessing out of the way places. Horses for courses I think it’s called. Some of the wonderful places I stay couldn’t be accessed with nice new motorhome without damaging it or being able to turn it around to get out.