Paid Aires killing the old road

[PodsPals]

Yes Camper Car Park seem to be taking over whole or part of municipal campsites but if they didn’t I suspect they would close which would mean the end of that facility. It could be argued they are ensuring continued availability and choice for motorhomers so good on them

 

[2657]

We stopped last night on a private Aire and it was free.

There were toilets, showers, fresh water tap and waste disposal.

I 'checked in' with the owner and he said "Okay, park where you like"

We would have used the restaurant on site but it was booked for a large private party.

At no point did he mention spending money on anything on site - there was a shop selling Fois Gras - and we had a very quiet nights sleep.

I'm not sure why he provided this Aire for free but there are plenty of such places throughout France, despite many now charging, when many of us don't require hook up and facilities.

And long may it be like that.

Avoid way to go bankrupt unless they have another source of income.

Would you provide facilities like that for nothing on your land in the UK?

 

[busby]

It depends where you travel, where and what you buy, but I find it hard to believe anything has doubled in price or got anywhere near close to that. I’ve spoken to a few Brits travelling around France, some of who say France seems dearer than the UK but mostly they say it’s because if the poor exchange rate.
it’s true, things have gone up more, like fuel, but generally prices on everyday goods and food are still low.
My Sister lived in the South if France for about 20 years and found it more expensive than where we live in Brittany but still cheaper than the UK
If you are trying to buy specific UK goods in France, they will be dearer.

Of course, peoples experiences will be different, looks like you’ve been unlucky where you shop!

Found France very very expensive last spring.Seemed cheaper as we travelled through this Sept.Could be my imagination?BUSBY.

 

[pseward152]

Can’t get my head round it , you pay £50000 £60000 £70000 for a Motorhome but begrudge paying 12 Euro for somewhere to park it ? Strange people

 

[BRND]

I’m sorry don’t understand why so many people want to have something for nothing and think it’s their right. Europe still a lot better than UK for Motorhomes.

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[Lenny HB]

Can’t get my head round it , you pay £50000 £60000 £70000 for a Motorhome but begrudge paying 12 Euro for somewhere to park it ? Strange people

No, sensible people, Motorhome comes out of life savings, using it comes out of our pension.

 

[keithchesterfield2]

No, sensible people, Motorhome comes out of life savings, using it comes out of our pension.

They say you can't take your money with you.

We're making a damn good fist of making sure there isn't any to leave behind.

Free Aires or paid Aires suits us fine - and the more the merrier.......

 

[Lenny HB]

The less I spend on Aires the more money there is for the next Motorhome, got to keep all those Germans employed.

 

[SteveRallye]

Do you mean the Turkish as they are now made under licence there hence the questionable quality apparrantly

 

[Lenny HB]

Do you mean the Turkish as they are now made under licence there hence the questionable quality apparrantly

Only the GRP front ends unless you buy a Ford.

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[busby]

That's why I use aires for services and carparks for parking. That way it's rare to have neighbours never mind close ones.
It does happen of course but out of 300 nights I think there's been less than 10 I've had someone parked right next to me

Incidentally at honfleur I had one van parked with me in a car park opposite the aire right next to Lidl...it was amusing to see all the sardines jammed in and paying for the pleasure

But if no one paid there would not be services for dumping black waste or water..If no one paid for car parks there would not be many.BUSBY.

 

[busby]

Yeah I know that, but useually a bar somewhere.

In France?BUSBY.

 

[busby]

We had to sell our house in order to live the lifestyle that we now enjoy, expecting free accommodation did not enter into our planning.

That is not to say that we don't make use of free aires, we are on one as I write this, they are a benefit not a right!

There are lots of things that we have not been able to afford over the years consequently we didn't get them, have the holidays etc.

At the moment there is much discontent in the UK regarding people on benefits living a lifestyle on the taxpayer, I see a direct comparison with the expectation of freebies in foreign countries in order to live a chosen lifestyle.

Same here,,Nowt to leave the kids now but we are enjoying our retirement.BUSBY??

 

[busby]

They say you can't take your money with you.

We're making a damn good fist of making sure there isn't any to leave behind.

Free Aires or paid Aires suits us fine - and the more the merrier.......

Think many think they can..What a shock they will get.BUSBY.

 

[Tony50]

Well, yes that's true (and I assume the LOL means you are being a little tongue in cheek)

We were always happy with just a safe space to sleep overnight and park during the day. We didn't need leccy or any fancy facilities and because the aires were free we felt more inclined to visit an area and spend our money on whatever else we wanted to spend it on. This is surely good for the local economy and tourism.

Also I would add that if you are touring for say 3 or 4 months then the cost of paid aires and campsites can add up to a lot of money! It's enough paying for the van and diesel

Are you saying as you want to be away 3 to 4 months you would expect towns / villages ought to provide facilities so we can holiday for nothing in our Motorhomes excluding of course van and diesel costs, I use Aires free ones if I can, but, someone somewhere has to pay for these facilities and I don't blame them for charging. As for spending in the places how many of us do we only spend when we need to be honest.

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[HarryL]

Camping car park aires are spot on. Don't be a cheapskate,

 

[Northernraider]

But if no one paid there would not be services for dumping black waste or water..If no one paid for car parks there would not be many.BUSBY.

Why ? There's literally hundreds of free aires and free car parks

Most of them empty

 

[The Wino]

I think the OP has a point. The free aires aren't of course free they are paid for by the villages/towns in the hope of attracting MHers to spend when they visit we always do try to and say when we do spend that we are staying on the aire. In the UK I think we face a similar threat from Britstops mopping up pubs where MH have in the past being free to stay then requiring membership of britstops in return for being advertised on their network.

 

[Northernraider]

Are you saying as you want to be away 3 to 4 months you would expect towns / villages ought to provide facilities so we can holiday for nothing in our Motorhomes excluding of course van and diesel costs, I use Aires free ones if I can, but, someone somewhere has to pay for these facilities and I don't blame them for charging. As for spending in the places how many of us do we only spend when we need to be honest.

Speak for yourself, I may not pay for an aire or castle, but I eat out , buy coffees or a beer , use supermarket in the town , laundrettes, visit castles etc. What I wont do is go out my way to buy stuff just for the sake of it because I parked free.

The aire or carpark is already there and being paid for .......to not use it is frankly a crime.

It's when folk don't use them someone decides to use the land for something else

 

[busby]

Why ? There's literally hundreds of free aires and free car parks
But they would all be rammed solid if people
didn't use and pay in the others because the pay Aires and car parks would be closed because of no funds. Plenty are happy to free park but then use pay Aires quickly to dump waste.Not saying I never do that but I don't begrudge 5 or 10 euros for decent parking and services.BUSBY.??

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[busby]

I think the OP has a point. The free aires aren't of course free they are paid for by the villages/towns in the hope of attracting MHers to spend when they visit we always do try to and say when we do spend that we are staying on the aire. In the UK I think we face a similar threat from Britstops mopping up pubs where MH have in the past being free to stay then requiring membership of britstops in return for being advertised on their network.

That's how Capitalism works,,Can't expect company's like Britstop to work for nothing.Bit like this Forum we pay but Jim puts a lot of work and effort in to make it work.There are free Forums of which I use but not as good as this one.BUSBY?

 

[The Wino]

That's how Capitalism works,,Can't expect company's like Britstop to work for nothing.Bit like this Forum we pay but Jim puts a lot of work and effort in to make it work.There are free Forums of which I use but not as good as this one.BUSBY?

Dont disagree but just think people ought to realise what is happening then they can decide if they want to use britstops etc.

 

[DBK]

There are still lots of free aires, CamperContact lists just over ten thousand of them. Technically, I guess they might be called free to stay as the one we are on now is listed as free in CC but water costs €2. There are of course totally free aires, some even with free electricity but these are not so common. Two I know in France are in villages which seem to be dying so the aires may close soon - or be operated by CCP.

Here's the aires around us listed as free in CC.

But some of these may not be very nice. If I filter all those scoring 6 or less in CC the total number drops to around four thousand but that still leaves plenty around here.

 

[chaser]

There are still lots of free aires, CamperContact lists just over ten thousand of them. Technically, I guess they might be called free to stay as the one we are on now is listed as free in CC but water costs €2. There are of course totally free aires, some even with free electricity but these are not so common. Two I know in France are in villages which seem to be dying so the aires may close soon - or be operated by CCP.

Here's the aires around us listed as free in CC.

View attachment 335820

But some of these may not be very nice. If I filter all those scoring 6 or less in CC the total number drops to around four thousand but that still leaves plenty around here.

View attachment 335821

Don't know if this one is on your list but its brand new and everything free

The best Aire to date

All new and free even electric, back of chateau , shops nearby, fantastic. Another GB van here 19 reg swift , not seen anyone yet.

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[Caztur]

Don’t go to Tesco, go to the corner shop

Don't get your point but ok then - it's like going into the corner shop and paying for a load of stuff I don't need and leaving it in there.

Can’t get my head round it , you pay £50000 £60000 £70000 for a Motorhome but begrudge paying 12 Euro for somewhere to park it ? Strange people

You may have done - but I certainly didn't have that amount of dosh available for my campervan purchase. Yes, I begrudge paying 12 euro just to park it overnight. It's too much just for parking.

But if no one paid there would not be services for dumping black waste or water..If no one paid for car parks there would not be many.BUSBY.

I don't mind paying for services I need. I object to paying for things I don't need.

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[Scotch mist]

We are just back from 30 days in France , it was my first trip anywhere in a MH , I used all aires most free one £30 for 2 nights , we choice France for the predominantly free aire system they have (convenient & cheap )
Always spending in the villages/towns where possible (shops often shut) , we loved France & found the people friendly & engaging, we spent £3,000 there so hopefully helped the local economy, I definitely found food eating in or out more expensive than at home , VIVA LA FRANCE a bientot

 

[Tony50]

Speak for yourself, I may not pay for an aire or castle, but I eat out , buy coffees or a beer , use supermarket in the town , laundrettes, visit castles etc. What I wont do is go out my way to buy stuff just for the sake of it because I parked free.

The aire or carpark is already there and being paid for .......to not use it is frankly a crime.

It's when folk don't use them someone decides to use the land for something else

I don't quite get your " Speak for yourself" I do use free Aires and just pointing out others aspects sorry you did not get the message I was projecting

 

[Khizzie]

Replace UK with England

I'd much rather tour Scotland than France

I would much rather tour France than Scotland anytime.. Too many motorhomers from foreign lands blocking the roads there now.

 

[romany]

I happy with any site or parking that has a pay for what you use system 2 euros for water 2 to 4 euros black waste same for electric I have a full facility camper so only need water and waste disposal every 3 to 5 days, and I always try and spend money in the villages

 

[Antony1969]

If it was Britain and in my local village me as a local taxpayer had funded a new free aire for Brits to use who spend nothing or little locally then I personally would be pretty miffed and donning my yellow vest protesting outside my local Mayors office

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