Pratical Parking? (1 Viewer)

4matt

Free Member
Jan 15, 2013
113
39
East Riding
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24,295
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I'm a newbie in my second year.
Now then as some of you may know we have been MH owners for about a month now and have had a couple of trips away. My question is this.

What are the practicalities of parking a 6M long MH in a normal car park like those at the supermarket. So far we have found public car parking which has had long bays for coach use and bays that have large grass area's behind to take the over hang. This will not always be practical as some car parks are just that, designed for cars. Do you just find the nearest road and park up and walk to the supermarket, not use the supermarket and find some local high street to fore-fill your shopping needs and park in the high street. Likewise while touring where do you park when you just want to admire the view?

Are there any restrictions on where you can park your van?
 
Sep 10, 2011
229
216
West Midlands
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18,122
MH
Laika Ecovip 309
Exp
since 2011 but years in a caravan
We have just returned from two weeks travelling around France, and I always look for a space in a supermarket with another space in front of it that also allows me to drive straight out.
We never found this a problem, on busy car parks I always parked as far away a possible but always stayed to keep an eye on the motor home, this way I got out of walking round the super market ::bigsmile:
John

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tonka

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Jul 2, 2008
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Cannock, Staffs
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Since 2000
Mine is 7.5mtr and I take up 4 SPACES !!!

I always park a way back which never seems a problem as most of the other shoppers are lazy buggers and dont like to walk a 100m .:RollEyes:

You can guarantee if you take up 2 spaces to get the length, someone will park alongside you and then you may have a problem pulling and turning out. We have a long overhang on the back so need the swing area.

Never had any issues to date. If it was a pay for car park then I would not bother going on.
Usually there are other stores nearby like DIY, Electrical and these can be easier to use and then walk..:thumb:
 

GJH

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Aug 20, 2007
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Acklam, Teesside, originally Glossop
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Mine is 7.5mtr and I take up 4 SPACES !!!

I always park a way back which never seems a problem as most of the other shoppers are lazy buggers and dont like to walk a 100m .:RollEyes:

You can guarantee if you take up 2 spaces to get the length, someone will park alongside you and then you may have a problem pulling and turning out. We have a long overhang on the back so need the swing area.

Never had any issues to date. If it was a pay for car park then I would not bother going on.
[HI]Usually there are other stores nearby like DIY, Electrical and these can be easier to use and then walk.[/HI].:thumb:
Unfortunately that has led, in some cases, to the installation of height barriers and/or ANPR cameras to restrict the parking time allowed. Some stores have found that long term parking by non-customers has caused problems for genuine customers.
See Broken Link Removed and Broken Link Removed from earlier this year.
 

sdc77

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Jan 28, 2013
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Ours us 7.4m.. And we take up 2 spaces.. Incidentally recently on two occasions I have returned to it in larger supermarket car parks to find out had attracted the attention of some do as you likeys in their transits.. On one ooccasion I reckon we were seconds away from them attempting a break in.... even in a busy car park

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Jan 11, 2010
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Well that`s our 13th year & still loving it.
parking

Ah the old where can I park syndrome, we have a tag axle 8.7mtr Autotrail Arapaho and sometimes you just can`t even get into garages and supermarkets, never mind park up.
Why they have to have those little go-cart type road systems is a mystery to me.
As a general rule we always check we can get out before going in, you can usually find somewhere to stop for a short period even if it means one of you nipping out to get what you need.
 

Ed Excel

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Nov 27, 2012
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Ribble Valley
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Started 2007
[HI][/HI]
Ah the old where can I park syndrome, we have a tag axle 8.7mtr Autotrail Arapaho and sometimes you just can`t even get into garages and supermarkets, never mind park up.
[HI]Why they have to have those little go-cart type road systems is a mystery to me.[/HI]
As a general rule we always check we can get out before going in, you can usually find somewhere to stop for a short period even if it means one of you nipping out to get what you need.

To keep commercial vehicles (and, unfortunately, us) off their Tarmac.
 
Jul 17, 2012
669
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Bury St Edmunds
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22,011
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1 year on and loving it!
Snip ........to stop for a short period even if it means one of you nipping out to get what you need.

Not so easily done when there's only one of you! :Smile:

I have been lucky so far and found places to park (6.8 m) but am dreading trying to find places to park when my stores run out far from home! :Sad:

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4matt

4matt

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Jan 15, 2013
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I'm a newbie in my second year.
Parking up was the biggest thing for us when we agonized over replacing the caravan and car with a Van. Thanks to all that have replied so far and the link was really helpful....

One of our neighbours has a large Aclass and they use it as their every day vehicle and we see it round town in all manner of places, some people are not bothered by just parking up. That not me though and I stress about being parked in the right place even in the car.:Doh:
 

away4weekend

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Nov 4, 2012
5
1
Oxfordshire
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Hightop
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I'm a newbie
Display 2 tickets?

I've just replaced my Transit SWB with a 6 metre Herald. If I use a pay and display car park I'll probably need 2 lengths to park - should I buy 1 ticket or 2? I don't want to find a penalty charge on my return!
 

oldun

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Mar 23, 2008
747
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St Neots
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VW Campervan
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Since 2001
Mine is 7.5mtr and I take up 4 SPACES !!!

I always park a way back which never seems a problem as most of the other shoppers are lazy buggers and dont like to walk a 100m .:RollEyes:

:

Ah! but there are always the one or two who seek you out in your secluded spot and park as close to you as possible making life as difficult as possible.

I wonder why they do this?.

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Mar 3, 2013
1,477
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Poole
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2002
Our previous van was 6 metres. I looked for the emptiest part of the car park...usually because people often like to park as close as possible to the shop. If there was the opportunity I would reverse back just over the pavement or grass verge...fits nicely. If this was not possible I would drive through one space overhanging the one behind slightly. People tend not to park too close and I have never np been asked to move. I also tended to shop at quieter times. Our current van is 7 metres so slightly more difficult but I still take it to Tescos, just more careful when and where.
 

Vlad The Impaler

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Apr 22, 2012
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One of our neighbours has a large Aclass and they use it as their every day vehicle and we see it round town in all manner of places, some people are not bothered by just parking up. That not me though and I stress about being parked in the right place even in the car.:Doh:[/QUOTE]

That's my attitude,if there's a gap big enough park in it!
My vans 24ft long and if I'm at a car park I just pick a place to suit. I have to use 2 bays and if there's a charge I pay for 2.I find main roads or side roads easier to get a place on,and can honestly say I've never been out and not got a place at or near where I want to be.


Vlad
 

MHVirgins

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Aug 22, 2011
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I've just replaced my Transit SWB with a 6 metre Herald. If I use a pay and display car park I'll probably need 2 lengths to park - should I buy 1 ticket or 2? I don't want to find a penalty charge on my return!


Normally we never have any problems parking the van it's just over 7.2 metres. But we tend to shop at Tesco or Morrisons and just park away in a corner, we always take up two bay lengths though. We'd never come across Pay and Display in any supermarket car park until last year when we stopped at Skipton and went into shop at Morrisons:RollEyes:
Being the honest person that I am::bigsmile: I bought two parking tickets from the machine as we had taken up two bays and duly stuck them inside the windscreen. It said on the back of the tickets that the fee paid would be refunded on showing your parking ticket which I did when we went through the checkout.
So I handed the two parking tickets to the checkout girl and that's where the problem started. She said, "Oh, you have two parking tickets, why is that?" I explained the length of the van and that was why I had paid for two, so she said the system is only geared up to refund one per customer. But if I took the ticket over to the "Customer Services" desk, I could explain to them and get the other ticket refunded:Doh:
I stood behind another customer for well over 5 minutes waiting patiently, when it was my turn and I explained to the woman that I had been sent over to her by the checkout girl to get the refund for the second ticket. This "less than friendly" Customer Services woman said to me that she couldn't refund at Customer Services and that I would need to go to the Cigarette Kiosk as they had money there:Angry:
By this time I was getting less than patient, so I tried appealing to her "better nature", but soon discovered that she didn't have one! I explained again that the checkout girl had suggested that I should go to Customer Services, so I wasn't prepared to stand and queue again at the Kiosk. By the way, the Cigarette Kiosk was 8 feet along from Customer Services and all on the same counter area:Doh:
By this time I had been trying to get the refund for over 10 minutes and it was now becoming more of a challenge not to be fobbed off again:Angry:
At the end of my tether, I asked to see the manager and it was at that point that she opened the till and gave me the money back. What a lot of fuss, but having been honest then, I'm not sure if I would do the same thing again given all the hassle and time spent.

Recently when we parked at Hawes, I got talking to someone at the ticket machine who said to me, you shouldn't bother paying for a double ticket, because you still only have one vehicle.

So it would be interesting to hear what others say:Smile:
Margaret

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Easyliving

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Dec 4, 2012
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As others have said, when shopping at Tescos etc just park away from the store, there is usually an empty area that is too far for mere shoppers to walk.

Also I have had no problem in local authority car parks. We were at a Beccles (Suffolk) car park recently and I was going to take up 2 spaces in our 7.5 metre van. I just rang the number on the board by the pay machine and spoke to a pleasant lady at Waveney District Council who said I was okay so long as I displayed 2 tickets (it was a cheap car park!)l

I imagine most calls to councils etc are recorded so if you did get a ticket you would have a pretty good defence.

Paul
 
Aug 30, 2012
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We have had our van 12 months so far and only had a problem once in cleethorpes aldi so went to moggies instead
2 weeks in France 2 in Scotland and various weekends
Just use you head quite corner if you don't like look 1 shop 1 stop
Or get a big dog don't get a white rat westy or it will open door and let bandits in
Useless git can't even be bothered to bark unless it sees a cat
 

maz

Jan 26, 2011
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I have been lucky so far and found places to park (6.8 m) but am dreading trying to find places to park when my stores run out far from home! :Sad:

Like most things, when you have to deal with it you just do. :Smile:

Five minutes after picking up my first van (8.3m) I had to do a 7-point manoeuvre with it to get out of a filling station I'd rashly driven into blind - very tight turn in front of the shop to exit and a car behind so I couldn't reverse out. After coping with that nothing seems too scary. ::bigsmile:

You'll be fine. :Smile:

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GJH

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Aug 20, 2007
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Acklam, Teesside, originally Glossop
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2006 to 2022
As regards parking over multiple bays. Some CP owners allow it with one ticket, some with a ticket for each bay used and some don't allow it at all. Park in more than one bay in the latter category and a ticket is inevitable. It's always best to check first.
 
Jul 28, 2010
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Now then as some of you may know we have been MH owners for about a month now and have had a couple of trips away. My question is this.

What are the practicalities of parking a 6M long MH in a normal car park like those at the supermarket. So far we have found public car parking which has had long bays for coach use and bays that have large grass area's behind to take the over hang. This will not always be practical as some car parks are just that, designed for cars. Do you just find the nearest road and park up and walk to the supermarket, not use the supermarket and find some local high street to fore-fill your shopping needs and park in the high street. Likewise while touring where do you park when you just want to admire the view?

Are there any restrictions on where you can park your van?
i have a 27 foot RV I can park in supermarket car parks no problem
Use common sense park away from the main entrance and not blocking any other cars
As I live in mine full time I some time have to use it as a car ( A very big car I know :ROFLMAO:)
 
Jul 28, 2010
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Small car
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1
As regards parking over multiple bays. Some CP owners allow it with one ticket, some with a ticket for each bay used and some don't allow it at all. Park in more than one bay in the latter category and a ticket is inevitable. It's always best to check first.

I agree. However a Blue badge is a god send ::bigsmile:
Not had any problem in four years :thumb:

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keith

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Aug 25, 2007
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Autocruise Starseeker
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Caravaning since 1974 - Motorhoming since 2003
I always head for corners as often they will be well away from the store and have nothing on one side of the bay. Sometimes it is possible to find two adjacent empty spaces at right angles in a corner and so you can overhang one giving more room to get out.

If that makes sense :winky:
 

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