Honesty pay-per-stay stopover

[VandM]

Hi funsters.

As we're nearing the point of opening our new motorhome stopover/Aire we're looking at a fair pricing for per night stays (regardless of the number of people in a motorhome).
Facilities will be black and grey water disposal, fresh water, level hardstanding, food waste composting.
We're a micro farm on a small island within the Orkney archipelago with stunning south facing sea and island views.
The entire site infrastructure, simple as it is, has been created from our own funds but we're considering using a "pay what you feel it's worth" pricing structure.
We'd give visitors an envelope for them put in money to the value of what they feel is fair for their one or two night stay.

Has anyone heard of this kind of charging scheme and what are your thoughts on it's viability?

VandM

 

[Scotch mist]

VandM , well done setting this up , I’m assuming that an honesty box saves your precious time overseeing the collection of payment so a great idea , the amount lost to ignorant people would most likely be less than the extra paid by genuine honest people so go for it

Having traveled in France / Germany / Belgium for the last few years I personally I would think that £10 a night in your location is About right , i for one will come visit you in the future regardless of price , good luck & please let us know you get on

 

[Tombola]

There's a very similar set up to what you're proposing, just a mile or so from the Isle of sky bridge, they have an honesty box with clear charges displayed. £5 to use the black and grey waste along with fresh water top up, or £10 if you stop overnight. They had approximately 25 all hardstanding bays, each bay separated by timer logs. A very simple set up but all that one needs.

Kyle of Localsh? Agreed, is all thats needed in a decent camper or MH.
I think Jim was looking at it to include in the MH fun certified sites at one point

 

[paddymcc]

I'm very happy with an honesty box, the downside being having to carry cash and possibly envelopes. A CS I visit regularly gives out their bank details so that a transfer can easily be made by smart phone. Might this be worth considering?

 

[Jackd]

You just need to keep an eye out for the FLT’s

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[PaulC70]

I've used a few honesty box stops and generally a tenner seems to be the usual suggested donation which Im more than happy to pay.

 

[chaser]

I think you will be pleasently surprised at how much you get.
It's ok saying some won't pay, and maybe they won't, and I am not one for paying over the odds, but I think most will and it will be over a tenner a night as they might want to come back again some day.
True flt s do not park on anything that might want paying for and don't take advantage of people trying to make a living.
Only problem I can see is " Travelers ".

 

[Imala615]

I used a set up the same as you are offering at Claremorris ,in Ireland check out Monday 16th sept in the blog also a phone number so might be worth a call to someone who does it and knows the craic.

2019 A months tour of Southern and Northern Ireland

A month in Ireland September 2019 Tues 3rd September Set off at lunchtime for the 20.15 Irish ferry from Holyhead to Dublin, had a good run down with a stop for a coffee with Fran’s brother and sister at llanfairfechan then into Holyhead for a bit of shopping, quick brew at 7pm with motorhome...

www.motorhomecraic.com

quote from the blog if you don't want to read it all .(the original blog had pics which i couldn't transfer to new site ).
Mon 16th September
From Roosky we travel to a motorhome stop with a difference at Claremorris. On arrival it is large house with gravel drive and a large garage but has water taps and electric connectors all over. There was nobody about but a sign on the door gives you the phone number of Pat and his wife 0868980200. As they are campers themselves it says park up anywhere and enjoy the facilities (which is all you will need inc electric and Wi-Fi and washing machine and dryer, chemical disposal point ,recycle bins, toilet a compost heap to put your waste food on and a greenhouse where you can help yourself to tomatoes or onions.) There is a small stream running through the site with chairs to chill out and a room at the back of the garage with everything inc <Broken link removed> and magazines, (to many items to list). Spoke to Pat and even though he wasn’t there he said enjoy yourselves and the facilities and just put a donation in an envelope and push through the front door (we left €20 as we used the washer). Hope this place doesn’t get abused as Pat is very trustworthy. They do have a guest book in the room at the rear for comments and reviews which was full of great reviews.

 

[Reallyretired]

We occasionally stay for one night on a private aire on a farm near Chartres. He has an honesty box with a suggested donation (€4 I think)
The farmer seemed surprised that we put money in it, and invited us to dinner. I guess the French have at least their share of FLTs. There is space for at least 6 vans though usually we've been the only ones there.

 

[VandM]

I may be missing something here but, from looking at GoogleEarth, there appears to be no vehicular access to Rousay.

I'm unsure what you mean by "vehicular access" in this context? A vehicle and passenger ferry links our island with Mainland (Mainland Orkney). It operates 7 days a week all year round with six return sailings a day.
The ferry takes everything from foot passengers, bikes, motorcycles, vans, motorhomes and HGV's up to medium sized articulated lorries.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Rimswell Wanderer]

Like a lot of the answers I would definitely put a guide line, we stayed at the harbour site at Kinlochbervie for the last two years the cost was £10 per night that included black, grey and also fresh water and an extra £5 if you wanted electric hook up to me that was more than fair but of course some people purposely arrived late and left early to avoid the charge even though they had £70,000 plus motor homes and used the facilities, we did use the call in and dump black and grey water plus fresh water fill up at some of the sites that offered it for £10 to me that was fine And certainly worth it. Hope that helps and thank you for opening the site it’s people like you that makes the stay in Scotland worth while.

 

[VandM]

If I was taking the van to Orkney, factoring in fuel costs and ferry fare, a high price to stop over would deter me from using any stopovers as much as possible.

I'd be willing to pay up to £10 with dump/fill services. A "suggested" price per night might be useful.
Good luck with the new business.

Anyone arriving in any of the Orkney Islands is highly likely to have made at least one stopover somewhere en route from their home location (some quite a few). It is likely that they have priced up the costs of staying at campsites or stopovers before setting out so should know the cost of full service campsites and the various options down to off-site or wilding.
The CAMpRA informative documents do suggest the £/£10/15 structure that many have suggested here.
Having run an AirBnB for many years we never subscribed to a High/Low season differential as we felt this penalised folk with kids or whose jobs limited their holiday time to the peak season dates.

 

[VandM]

VandM , well done setting this up , I’m assuming that an honesty box saves your precious time overseeing the collection of payment so a great idea , the amount lost to ignorant people would most likely be less than the extra paid by genuine honest people so go for it

Having traveled in France / Germany / Belgium for the last few years I personally I would think that £10 a night in your location is About right , i for one will come visit you in the future regardless of price , good luck & please let us know you get on

The honesty payment option isn't so much because of the "hassle" of collecting the money (we live and work onsite) but more to do with the financial limitations of some people.
Arriving this far north means that visitors have already had to take two ferries and (possibly) a notable road journey from mainland UK so you could argue that they already have had access to a fair amount of money to get this far, have spent money on owning or renting a motorhome/campervan or self conversion, but having been in the position of never having had lots of free cash we know what it's like to eek out a travel budget.

 

[dazandandrea]

In all honesty paying 10-15 quid for a night's stop is fine .
I looked into stopping at a pub near Dover prior to taking the ferry . Free stop as long as we both had a meal .
Then they asked if we wanted Ehu.
£20 quid .
We stayed somewhere else, greedy sods.
If we are ever up there ill definitely stop.
Ps what are the midges like in Orkney in the summer?

 

[Ray's Scout]

Hi funsters.

As we're nearing the point of opening our new motorhome stopover/Aire we're looking at a fair pricing for per night stays (regardless of the number of people in a motorhome).
Facilities will be black and grey water disposal, fresh water, level hardstanding, food waste composting.
We're a micro farm on a small island within the Orkney archipelago with stunning south facing sea and island views.
The entire site infrastructure, simple as it is, has been created from our own funds but we're considering using a "pay what you feel it's worth" pricing structure.
We'd give visitors an envelope for them put in money to the value of what they feel is fair for their one or two night stay.

Has anyone heard of this kind of charging scheme and what are your thoughts on it's viability?

VandM

I think that is great idea. For someone like myself who mainly goes off grid might consider going to a sight. I spent 3 days at Airisaig not sure of the spelling. They charged me £25 a night with everything. Amazing view out to sea showers toilets and 8-12kg washer and dryer’s. I took a kayak with me and while out at sea I bumped into two fellow kayake’s they told me next door to me was £60 for the van £10 per adult £5 per child and £15 for EHU
They paid before arrival and none of the amenities where working especially not the toilets without a refund. They told me his wife and two grandchildren where with them. That’s £90 a night. Yes it was beautiful sunny and hot but sorry I would never pay that. I hit lucky. As for honesty? I was at a castle on the east cost on my way back after amazing 5 weeks in Scotland. £15 on a scrap hill. I put it in a see through freezer bag with my reg and vehicle type. 7am next morning bagging hell out my van for £20 for not putting money into the honesty box. This was Council run. I showed him the photo I took with money and reg in the box. After a few words with each other he pulled all the packages he had I pointed to my see through bag he told me that was not mine. He admitted after opening it it was mine apologised and told me he was just annoyed of how many vans did not put money in the box the night before and walked away. Haha. Great idea though. But do what they did put a sign up those who did not pay will be charged what you think it’s worth.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[CWH]

I'm with the majority on here, I think an honesty box is viable given the location and your other commitments as well as your moral stance. I'd go for a "pay what you think but we suggest a minimum of..."
£5 to use facilities without staying
£10 overnight including use of facilities
You may want to 'suggest' an additional contribution from vans with more people as you incur additional cost for sewage disposal in particular.
I must confess I get irritated by having to pay the same for 1 person in a 5 meter van as others with say 6 people in a 9 meter plus - but only on campsites (which I rarely use) - on CLs, CSs and aires I think the less trouble for the host, the better.
These are the same amounts as at the aire on Sanday, plus they have ehu at an additional £5 pn. I believe they require pre-booking.

I also think it's a good idea to have an info board or similar detailing what you've done and what it's cost - so that folks understand that these things aren't just "good use of a bit of spare land" but a manufactured facility provided for our benefit.

The (private) aire that's been mentioned near Skye (where I stay) is Auchtertyre Farm, I know Holly would be happy to discuss things with you.
There's another near Fraserburgh - Glenbuchty Stopover Motorhome Aire (Celia).

CAMpRA is a motorhomer community that now provides an accreditation for aires and a filtered listing on S4S so that might be worth looking into.

 

[Marshall Blair]

Hi funsters.

As we're nearing the point of opening our new motorhome stopover/Aire we're looking at a fair pricing for per night stays (regardless of the number of people in a motorhome).
Facilities will be black and grey water disposal, fresh water, level hardstanding, food waste composting.
We're a micro farm on a small island within the Orkney archipelago with stunning south facing sea and island views.
The entire site infrastructure, simple as it is, has been created from our own funds but we're considering using a "pay what you feel it's worth" pricing structure.
We'd give visitors an envelope for them put in money to the value of what they feel is fair for their one or two night stay.

Has anyone heard of this kind of charging scheme and what are your thoughts on it's viability?

VandM

Not a good idea with regards to the envelope scheme thats to subjective, its fair to say that most MH would do the right thing however there is the FLT and they would upset you and cast doubt on the other MH that have done the right thing. Your stopover/Aire sounds great and all the very best to you.

 

[Snowflakes]

A few years ago we used to stop off on our way to the Highlands at a field (with EHU) just outside Perth that operated an honesty box, the owner done everything by phone and was a charming chap, he always got what it was worth and above, (guideline £12) so accommodating. We were on Sky when I got a call that my mother in London had a stroke, I drove back as far as I could and made a phone call, I needed a couple of hours sleep, pulled onto his field he made sure we had room, 4 hours sleep a coffee and we were on our way, putting £30 in the box for the help. I am sure that most stayers would love to support, and that would offset the braggards floating around, and to be honest look at the amount of Golf courses in Scotland that run this process of paying. Good Luck with your venture, hopefully if Sturgeon lets us in we will meet one day.

 

[JonnyMac]

I would suggest leaving a paypal address as well, many people don't carry much cash anymore.

 

[Ivory55]

It sounds you have already made your mind up how your doing it , good luck and hope it goes well.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Googlebot]

I would suggest leaving a paypal address as well, many people don't carry much cash anymore.

This would be great for us, we love this kind of stopover. It’s not that we don’t want to meet owners etc, it’s just so much more convenient to pay and arrive whenever and leave whenever without worrying about finding people.

You might also find people are willing to pay a bit more for the convenience which will cover the fees.

 

[Two on Tour]

The French will love the honesty box as it will save them having to get up early and leave before someone comes around to collect the pitch fees.

 

[namwaldog]

This is how they operate at the West Harris Trust on Isle of Harris.
Note. This was the price app.5 yrs ago and no services were available other than a litter bin.
Parking was on an enlarged passing place.

 

[VandM]

I'm very happy with an honesty box, the downside being having to carry cash and possibly envelopes. A CS I visit regularly gives out their bank details so that a transfer can easily be made by smart phone. Might this be worth considering?

An excellent point, thank you.
It has occurred to us that the post Covid world is likely to mean fewer people carrying cash.

 

[Googlebot]

An excellent point, thank you.
It has occurred to us that the post Covid world is likely to mean fewer people carrying cash.

If you register for pay by mobile with your bank, they just need a phone number so your details are secure and it costs nothing either way as there are no fees.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[VandM]

It sounds you have already made your mind up how your doing it , good luck and hope it goes well.

To be fair, we pitched this into the forum knowing we'd get a range of opinions and lots of suggestions from the wealth of experience the MHF site offers.

 

[VandM]

I'm with the majority on here, I think an honesty box is viable given the location and your other commitments as well as your moral stance. I'd go for a "pay what you think but we suggest a minimum of..."
£5 to use facilities without staying
£10 overnight including use of facilities
You may want to 'suggest' an additional contribution from vans with more people as you incur additional cost for sewage disposal in particular.
I must confess I get irritated by having to pay the same for 1 person in a 5 meter van as others with say 6 people in a 9 meter plus - but only on campsites (which I rarely use) - on CLs, CSs and aires I think the less trouble for the host, the better.
These are the same amounts as at the aire on Sanday, plus they have ehu at an additional £5 pn. I believe they require pre-booking.

I also think it's a good idea to have an info board or similar detailing what you've done and what it's cost - so that folks understand that these things aren't just "good use of a bit of spare land" but a manufactured facility provided for our benefit.

The (private) aire that's been mentioned near Skye (where I stay) is Auchtertyre Farm, I know Holly would be happy to discuss things with you.
There's another near Fraserburgh - Glenbuchty Stopover Motorhome Aire (Celia).

CAMpRA is a motorhomer community that now provides an accreditation for aires and a filtered listing on S4S so that might be worth looking into.

All great points, thank you.
I have had a chat with Celia and was aware of Holly's setup and will definitely give her a ring.
We are already being guided by CAMpRA and MHF in relation the the setting up of our stopover.

 

[Don Campbell]

I would strongly support the majority view that suggested price of £10 overnight (inc dump and water) would be about right. Dump and water could be charged at £5 but I suspect that most would overnight anyway. Many of the MacBraynes piers have a dump facility that were free last time I was there but that may have changed.

 

[Camdoon]

Nobody mentioned the MHF discount yet

 

[Geistguy]

First of all thanks for opening your facility and I wish you every success.

Personally I would like some guidance on arrival of a minimum charge and £10 seems to be fair as per many suggestions. An extra fee for would, of course, be expected.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Gellyneck]

Nobody mentioned the MHF discount yet

If the OP has any sense it'll be a surcharge!