Possible development of an aire in Penrith?

[CazPaul]

They're safe and can save a couple of hours on a journey by not leaving the motorway. Obviously they aren't a camping stop - simply a convenience and I too don't make a habit of using them. But they don't sound much different to the Penrith proposal.Some are in fact quite pleasant.

Apart from price that is.

 

[ABZSteve]

Look OK if you are looking for a campsite but not really an “aire” type stopover in my opinion.

Martin

Nope not an Aire but fine reasonably priced stopovers. Looked at some CL type sites in the area and they are minging

 

[jockaneezer]

Penrith is a nice little market town, pubs, cafés, a Booths and Sainsbury's for groceries. We call in once a month for a coffee or lunch (dog friendly).
The only fly in the ointment I can see, is, it would get abused around the time of the Appleby Horse Fair. I could imagine it becoming a "no go" area for a couple of weeks either side and then a bit more for the inevitable clean up.

 

[nicholsong]

@nicholsong. Geoff, the email contact I have in my communications re Canterbury, is for Colin Perris (rather than Ferris)

Cheers,

Jock.

Edit..........Just received an "out of office" reply, so yes, Colin Perris.

Sorry Jock

I made that mistake years ago when I was first communicating with him and the wrong one has stuck in my inadequate brain.

Geoff

 

[jongood]

Done ours.

Dear Sir/Madam

I understand there is a proposal in your emerging Neighbourhood Development Plan to provide overnight parking for Motorhomes in Penrith.

We would like to support this proposal as it could be a very useful resource for the Motorhoming members of the community many of whom are like ourselves semi/fully retired people of good standing touring the various countries.

A good stopover will encourage us to stop off and explore areas that we may not otherwise have considered whilst en route to our intended destination. We usually try to patronise local businesses and may indeed be tempted to book onto a campsite for a longer stay or revisit if we like what we see.

We have done th is in many countries for several years now as places like France and Germany offer several hundred of such facilities. The most prominent one in UK is at Canterbury, it has been there for many years and is popular with Uk and foreign Motorhomers.

It is a fairly simple facility with a barrier entry and ticket machine as any other carpark. It does have a tap and a toilet drain but this is not essential as modern motorhomes carry their own water tanks and batteries and can cope for several days without services. Indeed it would probably be better to keep it as simple as possible, all we really need is a slightly larger space say 8m x 2.7M and permission to stay overnight.

We hope you are able to provide something and wish you good fortune with the adoption of your plan.

Kind Regards
Jon & Susan Good

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[tonyidle]

Apart from price that is.

True. Not long ago they were £8 per night.

 

[jongood]

True. Not long ago they were £8 per night.

The comings and goings and running fridges can also be somewhat less than tranquil.

MSA's are a last(expensive) resort IMHO.

Jon

 

[joe and sue]

Motorway services are a rip-off for overnighting, not seen one at less than £20.00, and most are full of trucks, even the caravan areas.
Most large towns have a park and ride, why do the councils not allow overnighting in these, any we could then go into town on the bus, we do and it works for us
Joe & Sue

 

[tony dellar]

I think all councils should provide free overnight parking say after 6/7 pm until 8 am , I imagine most car parks are half empty at these times ? After all the amount of people forced to full time is mainly down to councils failing to provide enough affordable housing ! Also these massive supermarket car parks must be mostly empty at these hours .

 

[tony dellar]

Has anyone used britstops ? I would have thought stay in a pub car park and spend on a few pints rather than pay to park next to a bunch of trucks with all the comings and goings ?

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[jongood]

I think all councils should provide free overnight parking say after 6/7 pm until 8 am , I imagine most car parks are half empty at these times ? After all the amount of people forced to full time is mainly down to councils failing to provide enough affordable housing ! Also these massive supermarket car parks must be mostly empty at these hours .

I dont think this is aimed at people setting up home there, these are the ones that tend to cause problems by overstaying, setting up camp, hanging out washing etc. The aires are meant as a stopover for tourists.

Jon

 

[tony dellar]

Hi Jon . I get that obviously but maybe old wallys like me will use this option when they retire and just keep moving this combined with brit stops etc would be a cool way to see the UK or dissUK as it may become soon ! Best T .

 

[ctc]

Whatever is provided people in this country will abuse it. Canterbury works because there are plenty of foreigners using it (we parked next to a Chinese couple,who couldn't speak English, who had driven MH from Hong Kong) and in their the police can and do come down very hard on abusers, ours can't.

 

[nicholsong]

Whatever is provided people in this country will abuse it. Canterbury works because there are plenty of foreigners using it (we parked next to a Chinese couple,who couldn't speak English, who had driven MH from Hong Kong) and in their the police can and do come down very hard on abusers, ours can't.

I think that there are no problems at Canterbury because the office is staffed whenever the Barriers are open for entry, they have CCTVs in the office and the staff patrol periodically.

I have got to know the staff over the years and they are a good bunch and quite happy to have the MHs there.

Just as an anecdote, one of them retired a few years ago but decided to come back because Colin Perris would be his boss and he liked working for him. I think that says a lot about the culture of the place and the way it is run.

Keep it up chaps.

Geoff

 

[maryanne]

I've just had a look at the Metal Bridge Inn on Google Earth. It's in a great position for a stopover on the way to Scotland.... but how does one approach it travelling from the south?

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[G-RMPS]

Done! I've used Thacka Lee several times before. It's an excellent wee site, but more than we need for an overnight stop.

Cheers...Keith

 

[jockaneezer]

@maryanne, come off the M74 at jct 22 for Gretna and head south on the B7076, this road runs right alongside the motorway, once you've got through Gretna (3 minutes) and takes you right past the entrance to the Metal Bridge Inn.