Where are all the Brits?

[DesandDek]

We are all at Bonterra Park Benicassim. Probably 50per cent on site are Brits, I blame Helen and Martin SSHHHH. Great site but book up for next year now as FULL OF BRITS until July and August when the FRENCH arrive, we'll most are Parisians not French

 

[seasideBill]

Currently on a site in Richelieu (Indre-et-Loire), lovely place but we’re the only Brits here. Not many on the roads hereabouts either. Anybody know why the French are turning town name signs upside down? Seen quite a few today.

 

[scousebird]

Anybody know why the French are turning town name plates upside down?

Part of the French farmers protests, the farmers are doing it.

 

[TOURVANGANG]

We spent last night (& tonight) in an aire/overnight stop in Roses at the top of Costa brava - with about 60 other vans & we are the only UK vehicle here. We only saw a handful going through France last week as well.
Where are you all?
It's our first trip to Europe btw but at least the sun has finally come out now

cheers Chris

In Le Mans..Hot here to!

 

[TheLifeofBrian]

In Le Mans..Hot here to!

Glad it is now - was chucking it down when we were there

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[Cliffyboy16]

Glad it is now - was chucking it down when we were there

San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia not sure about going into the mud baths tomorrow as it really stinks don’t remember that last time ? Funny did see 3 Brit vans yesterday . My dog laurence is having fun seeing as it’s his first trip

 

[Bobby dazzler]

Part of the French farmers protests, the farmers are doing it.

Ah that makes sense been all over France last few weeks and it seems to be everywhere

 

[seasideBill]

Glad it is now - was chucking it down when we were there

I think they’ve had some recent heavy rain in the Loire area, we’ve noted several sites closed and quite a few pitches out of action here due to ground conditions. Sun shining now though

 

[Molly A]

Funny thing that, we have always felt very welcome over two decades of travelling in Europe...perhaps it's just you...,. Anyway, leaves more room in lovely sites with nice , welcoming people in Europe for the rest of us..

 

[Molly A]

Don't tell them.....

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[BouncyBoatFolk]

^^^^?

 

[seasideBill]

Funny thing that, we have always felt very welcome over two decades of travelling in Europe

Had an interesting conversation with the owner of a french site this morning…..french camper arrived late yesterday evening and buggered off early today without paying. She seemed resigned to it, but said it had never happened with English campers who were always welcome. No excuse, it’s only about €15 and a nice site.

 

[Molly A]

Had an interesting conversation with the owner of a french site this morning…..french camper arrived late yesterday evening and buggered off early today without paying. She seemed resigned to it, but said it had never happened with English campers who were always welcome. No excuse, it’s only about €15 and a nice site.

There are wrong'uns in every country, and theft is inexcusable . We love touring in Europe, the roads are better, the weather is better and motorhomers are generally welcomed. We never tour in the UK because we don't like being ripped off at every turn. Europe rarely feels that way, one beautiful little town in the Marche in Italy even had signs up, welcoming motorhomers and had a completely free Sosta, power, water and discharge..this is not unusual...

 

[daventess]

We're in the black forest on our first site of the trip, and not another brit in (on) site.

A couple in the last Stallplatz, and one in the P&R at Strasbourg, but nowhere near the amount I thought we'd see.

 

[daventess]

Currently on a site in Richelieu (Indre-et-Loire), lovely place but we’re the only Brits here. Not many on the roads hereabouts either. Anybody know why the French are turning town name signs upside down? Seen quite a few today.

Yeah, we've seen that a few times this trip, and wondered the same

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[dawsey]

Yeah, we've seen that a few times this trip, and wondered the same

The road signs were turned 180 degrees by the farmers. It’s part of their protests against excessive regulation from both EU and their own government. Why?

The French have an expression ‘Marche sur la tete’. It means ‘what we are doing is illogical’, literally ‘walking on our head’. The upside down signs are meant to show that the farmers think they are being forced to march upside down, ie on their heads - ie the way they are forced to run their farms and produce food is not logical.

Note that the focus of the farmers anger is their own government, and it’s interpretation of the regulations, not the source of most of the standards and regulations, the EU. The french government is extremely inefficient and bureaucratic and unluckily for them they don’t have right wing extreme anti EU press constantly persuading the population that all government incompetence is actually the EU.

Along with most others in Europe The UK farmers are also protesting. With no EU to blame, the UK farmers now (rightly) focus their protests on UK government farm legislation/regulation, the lack of protection from less regulated outside competition, the lack of forward planning and guidance, the overcomplication, lack of clarity on subsidies and some of the more excessive restrictions.

 

[TwistNShout]

We're home now after our month long tour. We saw a few other brits on the road and onsite to talk to but it was really only when we reached Normandy on our way home that we saw more, which is logical.

One question, why so many bits (cars and motorhomes) with no uk or gb sticker, and nothing on numberplate? Is it really that difficult?

 

[MillyMoHo]

Has anyone on here said they loathe the UK? I thought we were just debating the lack of British mohos on the Continent

Funny you should say that. We’ve been travelling to France since 1990, firstly with our caravan and now our Motorhome, and noticed a change in atmosphere last year and this. We’re currently staying on a site between Morlaix and St. Pol de Leon and it’s the first site we’ve stayed on both here and the UK that doesn’t have a chemical emptying facility. Unfortunately, we didn’t realise until we got here, but as we’re heading home on Wednesday, can’t be bothered to move site. All sorts of excuses, but we’ve told them even CLs in UK have chemical emptying.

 

[Bobby dazzler]

Absolutely. Others who lost out…

UK Fruit growers/exporters
UK Fishermen
UK importers
UK exporters
UK manufacturers
UK based multinationals with long logistics chains
UK consumers
UK tourists
An entire generation of UK youth
UK science and research
UK expats with fixed £ incomes
UK transport companies
UK taxpayers (yep, we have had to pay for all these enormous inland import processing centres to be built - eg Severington Kent, almost a new town)
..and of course the flatline UK economy

The only benefit is a huge increase in our multiculturalishness as we’ve replaced all those highly trained and qualified, highly motivated (but hateful stealing our jobs) europeans (yes we are getting old so immigration is absolutely necessary) with lots of lovely low skill family-members-of-‘student’ Africans and Asians, and all those brave middle eastern and African single guys and their dingies.

Cue the ranting. But many in UK are still in denial and needs to hear some truth about the consequences of their decision.

We voted with our feet and moved to France and as such no longer give much of a toss about what happens in the UK. The French union types refer to working class brexity brits as turkeys that were persuaded to vote for Christmas by farmers , so it’s often difficult not to join in the constant mirth making and amusement that the UK evokes on the continent these days

What would a french union person know about working class British people nothing ziltch.

Brexit was never carried out because the elite didn't want it. They just gave the people the choice and the answer they got is not what they wanted.

It was a clear choice and it's not mine or anyones else fault that who voted for it the powers that be wouldn't carry it out.

It's like going into a chip shop and being asked do you want chips or boiled potatoes. And me saying I want chips and the assistant saying oh well err it's got to be boiled potatoes we can't deliver chips you didn't really want chips did you.

 

[Two of usI]

There are wrong'uns in every country, and theft is inexcusable . We love touring in Europe, the roads are better, the weather is better and motorhomers are generally welcomed. We never tour in the UK because we don't like being ripped off at every turn. Europe rarely feels that way, one beautiful little town in the Marche in Italy even had signs up, welcoming motorhomers and had a completely free Sosta, power, water and discharge..this is not unusual...

We are the opposite.... never been ripped off so much as in France this year........ apparently ( according to a friend who has a house there ) the French are even more fed up with it.

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[dawsey]

We're home now after our month long tour. We saw a few other brits on the road and onsite to talk to but it was really only when we reached Normandy on our way home that we saw more, which is logical.

One question, why so many bits (cars and motorhomes) with no uk or gb sticker, and nothing on numberplate? Is it really that difficult?

Because they know that in general, nobody gives a stuff about such trivial stuff.

 

[Soycd]

According to this thread, they are all in Scotland!

High Number of Motorhomes in Scotland

I've never seen so many small vans, and hire vans as I have this year, every other one almost, no wonder the Scot's moan about the number of vans now driving around, and yes I am one of them but have been for years, may give up on. Scotland next year though. Then you get these who take up 3 spaces

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[TwistNShout]

Because they know that in general, nobody gives a stuff about such trivial stuff.

Just so I know, do you have a list of laws that are "trivial "

€135 fine in France, why would you not bother with something that is the law and could cause a copper to hunt for even more to fine you for? It is a trivial thing to comply with.

 

[dawsey]

Just so I know, do you have a list of laws that are "trivial "

€135 fine in France, why would you not bother with something that is the law and could cause a copper to hunt for even more to fine you for? It is a trivial thing to comply with.

It is trivial. Yes, not displaying the right sticker in the right place is something that plod can use if he so chooses, but then so is the fact that your tyres are probably not the ones recommended by the van OEM, the headlights probably point the wrong way the fog lamp is on the wrong side, you might be missing additional reflectors, vests, bulbs push bike red stripes, rear view mirrors not to mention probably being overweight, and if overweight you technically should be registered in a different class, conform to HGV norms, display angles morts etc etc etc

Fact is, if police want to get you they will. Regardless of how law abiding you might think you are are would like to be. Thankfully, the usual profile of a motorhomer (apart from the young van life folks) is generally of precisely zero interest to law enforcement anywhere. It because they know the older cohort out for leisure are probably about as law abiding a bunch as can be.

Just look at your reply. QED.

 

[TwistNShout]

It is trivial. Yes, not displaying the right sticker in the right place is something that plod can use if he so chooses, but then so is the fact that your tyres are probably not the ones recommended by the van OEM, the headlights probably point the wrong way the fog lamp is on the wrong side, you might be missing additional reflectors, vests, bulbs push bike red stripes, rear view mirrors not to mention probably being overweight, and if overweight you technically should be registered in a different class, conform to HGV norms, display angles morts etc etc etc

Fact is, if police want to get you they will. Regardless of how law abiding you might think you are are would like to be. Thankfully, the usual profile of a motorhomer (apart from the young van life folks) is generally of precisely zero interest to law enforcement anywhere. It because they know the older cohort out for leisure are probably about as law abiding a bunch as can be.

Just look at your reply. QED.

Actually I think you prove my point, you've proved that you aren't law abiding and arrogant to boot.

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[CAB96]

Funny you should say that. We’ve been travelling to France since 1990, firstly with our caravan and now our Motorhome, and noticed a change in atmosphere last year and this. We’re currently staying on a site between Morlaix and St. Pol de Leon and it’s the first site we’ve stayed on both here and the UK that doesn’t have a chemical emptying facility. Unfortunately, we didn’t realise until we got here, but as we’re heading home on Wednesday, can’t be bothered to move site. All sorts of excuses, but we’ve told them even CLs in UK have chemical emptying.

What was the change in atmosphere?

 

[Molly A]

Might it have something to do with the churlish way the French (and others) are refusing to row back on the stupid post Brexit pet passport rules? Adding something like £300 and quite a bit of inconvenience to just one trip is a major consideration.

Surely you knew that this would be a consequence of leaving? You can't expect tbe benefits of a club if you are not a member...

 

[fat haggis]

Yes. It they threaten with sanctions if the uk doesn’t reverse the sand eel fishing ban. To preserve the bird wildlife a dangerous low population of birds and the Sand eel fishing ban will give them a chance.
Now the EU want uk to reverse course. Because 2 eu members still want to fish them in uk waters. For animal feed (pigs).

 

[Molly A]

We spent last night (& tonight) in an aire/overnight stop in Roses at the top of Costa brava - with about 60 other vans & we are the only UK vehicle here. We only saw a handful going through France last week as well.
Where are you all?
It's our first trip to Europe btw but at least the sun has finally come out now

cheers Chris

Just driven through France, Switzerland and now Italy....not one UK van on the road and only one in a campsite in the Champagne....entirely unbothered by that state of affairs. Had some great conversations with our European counterparts, foreign travel should be about broadening the mind.

 

[Molly A]

We spent last night (& tonight) in an aire/overnight stop in Roses at the top of Costa brava - with about 60 other vans & we are the only UK vehicle here. We only saw a handful going through France last week as well.
Where are you all?
It's our first trip to Europe btw but at least the sun has finally come out now

cheers Chris

Just driven through France, Switzerland and now Italy....not one UK van on the road and only one in a campsite in the Champagne....

Why is it I get the feeling that British people have a dislike for other British people..??
We are a great nation, like all nations we do have faults, but the commenting is becoming tiresome….If you loath the U.K. so much you can move away if you like…??

No, no we actually can't very easily now. As you should know, if you follow this forum. An Irish parent is like having a golden ticket otherwise you have very limited options to retire, live and work in the countries nearest to us.
As for british people having a dislike for other British people, perhaps you should understand the huge and enduring schism in our society wrought in 2016....

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