Setting up barbecues in car parks

[Kajay]

We overnighted in Betws y Coed station car park few weekends ago. It’s a pretty car park with space for large motor homes at far end. Gets really full in daytime but is quiet at night when car trippers have left. We did look for a campsite or B&B, but fully booked as Bank Holiday. As we fancied a few drinks with a meal we decided to try the car park. Not really one for car park stops as not usually scenic but this one is. We had a lovely meal in local pub and we had breakfast in local cafe. On our way to the pub we did notice a few motor homes with tables and chairs set out on the grass and cooking food on barbecues. We always cook outside on our gas Cadac, but would’t dream of setting outdoor grill in a car park. I’ve heard since our visit that a sign has gone up saying no overnight camping, but apparently not an official sign but one put up by a disgruntled local business owner. Why cook outside if you have room and facility inside motorhome? . It’s a car park not a campsite. This is probably why car parks are stopping allowing overnight stops :/

 

[harrow]

We overnighted in Betws y Coed station car park few weekends ago. It’s a pretty car park with space for large motor homes at far end. Gets really full in daytime but is quiet at night when car trippers have left. We did look for a campsite or B&B, but fully booked as Bank Holiday. As we fancied a few drinks with a meal we decided to try the car park. Not really one for car park stops as not usually scenic but this one is. We had a lovely meal in local pub and we had breakfast in local cafe. On our way to the pub we did notice a few motor homes with tables and chairs set out on the grass and cooking food on barbecues. We always cook outside on our gas Cadac, but would’t dream of setting outdoor grill in a car park. I’ve heard since our visit that a sign has gone up saying no overnight camping, but apparently not an official sign but one put up by a disgruntled local business owner. Why cook outside if you have room and facility inside motorhome? . It’s a car park not a campsite. This is probably why car parks are stopping allowing overnight stops :/

Agreed.

:wave:

 

[2cv]

If only people would just park in places there would be far less objection to overnighting in many places, with consequent loss of locations. By moving from parking to sitting outside, lighting fires or cooking and running generators, especially in places like a station car park, the facility to even just park and use the facilities within the van will inevitably be lost over time.
There are of course variations between locations. For example sitting out in an unpopulated location is less likely to cause resentment than doing the same thing in an urban car park, but even as a motorhome user I'm saddened to sometimes see evidence of people having lit fires in many lovely rural spots. Often overnighting bans understandably result from such actions of a small percentage.

 

[Jeff G]

Unfortunately,human nature is to take the mick irrespective of the consequences to others.

 

[trevskoda]

Yesterday i went up the coast to ballygally ,stopped for ice cream and to let kids across rd into park for a we swing etc.
In comes townies and on goes the smoking barby,yep in a kids play park,talk about danger,thick g-ts.

 

[Channa]

We overnighted in Betws y Coed station car park few weekends ago. It’s a pretty car park with space for large motor homes at far end. Gets really full in daytime but is quiet at night when car trippers have left. We did look for a campsite or B&B, but fully booked as Bank Holiday. As we fancied a few drinks with a meal we decided to try the car park. Not really one for car park stops as not usually scenic but this one is. We had a lovely meal in local pub and we had breakfast in local cafe. On our way to the pub we did notice a few motor homes with tables and chairs set out on the grass and cooking food on barbecues. We always cook outside on our gas Cadac, but would’t dream of setting outdoor grill in a car park. I’ve heard since our visit that a sign has gone up saying no overnight camping, but apparently not an official sign but one put up by a disgruntled local business owner. Why cook outside if you have room and facility inside motorhome? . It’s a car park not a campsite. This is probably why car parks are stopping allowing overnight stops :/

This car park has been controversial for years the signage is not new big stir about 5 years since,

Cooking outside is a tad inflammatory considering business owners yards away serving food .Nowt like antagonising people

It is this self destructing behaviour and Im alright jack attitude that is escalating more and more places to be off limits.

Channa

 

[n brown]

any other country i've been to , nobody would bat an eyelid at families enjoying the outdoors in summer, considered perfectly normal behaviour , but here we have to skulk around , constantly on the defensive.
which is why we now go to little campsites where we can feel less oppressed and can behave normally without having to apologise for our existence

 

[wildebus]

The biggest problem I have with carparks is getting the awning pegs through the metalled surface when parked up for a week or so.

Fortunately this is getting less and less of an issue as the car park surfaces deteroriate through lack of maintenance

 

[molly 2]

In Australia most picnicking areas and popular beaches had pay as you use Barbecue's ,but they got vandalized by thieves after the money, The problem was solved by making them free . :cheers:

 

[korky]

any other country i've been to , nobody would bat an eyelid at families enjoying the outdoors in summer, considered perfectly normal behaviour , but here we have to skulk around , constantly on the defensive.
which is why we now go to little campsites where we can feel less oppressed and can behave normally without having to apologise for our existence

Agree totally. I don't condone people behaving like that here because it will inevitably lead to more bans.But it is a very sorry reflection on our small minded society and authorities that we can't fully enjoy the great outdoors on the precious few days of good weather that we do get.

I've seen permanent barbecue facilities provided in France and Spain for the general public to use, just bring your own charcoal.But maybe their citizens are a little more responsible than our increasing Chav culture that seems to becoming mainstream here.

Korky.

 

[n brown]

Agree totally. I don't condone people behaving like that here because it will inevitably lead to more bans.But it is a very sorry reflection on our small minded society and authorities that we can't fully enjoy the great outdoors on the precious few days of good weather that we do get.

I've seen permanent barbecue facilities provided in France and Spain for the general public to use, just bring your own charcoal.But maybe their citizens are a little more responsible than our increasing Chav culture that seems to becoming mainstream here.

Korky.

perhaps the chav culture is a rebellious reaction against the increasingly pernickety rules imposed by our nanny state. when you see a rule , for example ''no overnight parking '' , and your first thought is ''why on earth not ?'' then perhaps that rule isn't really necessary.

 

[Deleted member 12539]

We overnighted in a car park overlooking Liyn Ogwen lake, along the A5, the night before we had a go at Zip World.
There was another motorhome parked also, but they had a BBQ going (on a stand) in the car parking space next to them, which then turned into a fire pit.
The following morning they moved their van to the other side of the car park leaving remnants of their fire on the parking place
They then put on their walking shoes and set off, as it turned out, for the day.
I wrote them a note and placed it on their windscreen in the morning, and we drove past later in the day and it was still there, as was their fire remnants.

I did a post about it last year, but can't find it.

 

[Nabsim]

The biggest problem I have with carparks is getting the awning pegs through the metalled surface when parked up for a week or so.

Fortunately this is getting less and less of an issue as the car park surfaces deteroriate through lack of maintenance

In Isle of Man for TT week back in 78 and walking down the front bumped into some mates a few who had piled in works van with a couple of bikes. Behind the van on the prom was their tent erected, was in the days you needed guide ropes and pegs to hold a tent up (unless you had an inflatable igloo like me) so we asked how they managed that. They had works hilti gun with them and had were holding ropes in with hilt bolts.

You would get pulled for a terrorist these days if you wandered off a but with one of them, as bad as a gun at short range haha

Different age though and if you wanted to do something you just did, we never hurt anyone else (unless the fact we actually did stuff offended them) and always cleaned up after ourselves.

 

[trevskoda]

Most of the sea/country car parks have tables with barby plate on them here,but one thing i hate is the stink which is a very strong smell of paraffin or candles.

 

[molly 2]

Trouble with this country is, you can't have any fun unless you pay for the ride ,