Rip Off Britain

[Corradobrit]

Thanks @Corradobrit
I might try that car park for 1 night before arriving at La Grainetiere. Wanted an extra night with them but they are fully booked. Any tips on staying in the car park

Actually yes, the entrance has been modified since the pics were taken on P4N. Its now taller so easily accommodates a Cali. The parking restrictions are first 1hr free but charges stop at 7 or 8pm so turn up an hour earlier. Parking charges restart at 9am the next day if I remember correctly. The location is spectacular right on the bluff. There is a nice beach to left and its a 15 min walk into the village. It was really quiet when I was there in May. Toilets are about 50 meters away along the road next to the Hotel.

 

[GrannyJen]

Yet in France, you can stay in a quiet Aire for €12. Water disposal, fresh water refill, bins, electric hookup, and lakeside.
We were the first there at 3pm. 4 vans turned up in total. It was still empty with just 4 vans.

This is what the UK needs…

View attachment 111884

View attachment 111885

We need a change of attitude, full stop.

I still have fond memories of parking up in a town square in France and then being disturbed some hours later by a Gendarme tapping on the window.

No, he wasn't there to tell me to move on. He wanted to tell me that " tomorrow was market day, I might get blocked in if I stayed where I was, let me show you somewhere better"

 

[JoniF64]

Has anyone been camping in France recently? Just back from a 2500 mile round trip and never paid more than 30 Euro for a site, in fact in the range 23-30. Every site bar one had a swimming pool, restaurant and great facilities. One in Millau had 3 pools, water fountains and slides for kids!! Now back in UK (unfortunately) trying to get a campsite in the Dales/Nth York Moors = £30 night and thats no EHU and the closest swimming pool is the North Sea to the east or the Irish Sea to the west. Some don't even have toilets. The argument of supply and demand is used to hide the greed that is really behind all this. As usual we are getting ripped off!!

Hi i am heading into France via the tunnel in September. What was your experience of customs checks on entering France? My wife wants to pack up some food to last the first 3 days, but i don't want to get hassle at the border control. How was your experiences?
Thanks J

 

[sidepod]

Hi i am heading into France via the tunnel in September. What was your experience of customs checks on entering France? My wife wants to pack up some food to last the first 3 days, but i don't want to get hassle at the border control. How was your experiences?
Thanks J

Been to France three times so far this year, no checks what so ever. Never had a single check since Brexit.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Hi i am heading into France via the tunnel in September. What was your experience of customs checks on entering France? My wife wants to pack up some food to last the first 3 days, but i don't want to get hassle at the border control. How was your experiences?
Thanks J

They don’t pull many over. Normally just pass straight through.

 

[soulstyledevon]

They’re only interested that you’ve isolated the gas cylinder.

 

[Azteccamper]

Hi i am heading into France via the tunnel in September. What was your experience of customs checks on entering France? My wife wants to pack up some food to last the first 3 days, but i don't want to get hassle at the border control. How was your experiences?
Thanks J

No interest in food. But checked gas disconnected the last 5 visits over 2 years.
Oops - didn’t see @soulstyledevon post.

 

[Amarillo]

Just paid £170 for seven nights camping with the Tandem Club.

Price included:
Pitch
Four people
One dog
Choice of three rides on five days (~30 miles, ~50 miles or ~70 miles)
Daily tea and cake stop (no charge)
Evening entertainment
The Tandem Games including the U turn challenge, tandem limbo and ride and shoot (stokers have to shoot yoghurt pots off a wall with water pistols).

Such excellent value!

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Just paid £170 for seven nights camping with the Tandem Club.

Price included:
Pitch
Four people
One dog
Choice of three rides on five days (~30 miles, ~50 miles or ~70 miles)
Daily tea and cake stop (no charge)
Evening entertainment
The Tandem Games including the U turn challenge, tandem limbo and ride and shoot (stokers have to shoot yoghurt pots off a wall with water pistols).

Such excellent value!

Loving the go faster cycling footwear!

 

[Corradobrit]

Just paid £170 for seven nights camping with the Tandem Club.

Price included:
Pitch
Four people
One dog
Choice of three rides on five days (~30 miles, ~50 miles or ~70 miles)
Daily tea and cake stop (no charge)
Evening entertainment
The Tandem Games including the U turn challenge, tandem limbo and ride and shoot (stokers have to shoot yoghurt pots off a wall with water pistols).

Such excellent value!

Team member #2 is NOT pulling his weight.

 

[Amarillo]

Team member #2 is NOT pulling his weight.

Quite a few tandemists have a disability. Blindness is a common one, so is a missing limb. Jack is merely helping Ben to prepare in case he ends up with a tandem coupling with a single functioning leg.

But the truth of it is that while my saddle had been lowered to its lowest height for Ben, Jack was on Ben’s unadjusted saddle, and M at the rear was just fine on Jack’s saddle, M and Jack being about the same height.

 

[Dave Wickham]

Hi i am heading into France via the tunnel in September. What was your experience of customs checks on entering France? My wife wants to pack up some food to last the first 3 days, but i don't want to get hassle at the border control. How was your experiences?
Thanks J

Just drove straight on and straight off - no issues whatsoever.

 

[larrylamb]

Just looking at a possible trip to Harrogate and I can get a central Travelodge for £30.99 per room per night. No wonder so many are selling their campervans.

 

[Norfolk Jim]

Just looking at a possible trip to Harrogate and I can get a central Travelodge for £30.99 per room per night. No wonder so many are selling their campervans.

If it's the one off Parliament St it'll cost you for parking; that is if you're travelling by car - expensive too!!

 

[motacyclist]

Just looking at a possible trip to Harrogate and I can get a central Travelodge for £30.99 per room per night. No wonder so many are selling their campervans.

Just paid the same for a night at Glenmore Camp Site in the Cairngorms. Despite that, I know where I’d rather be !

 

[ChrisTravel]

We’ve never had it so good, remember the 1970s

50 Things Only People Who Lived in the 1970s Will Remember

This retro flashback to the grooviest decade will fill you with '70s nostalgia.

bestlifeonline.com

Fair point

 

[The Merle]

Just paid the same for a night at Glenmore Camp Site in the Cairngorms. Despite that, I know where I’d rather be !

Wow was that electric hook up and a full family as use to be cheap when run by camping in the forest.
Solo no hook up was around £12ish, just paid that at setthorns (new forest).

 

[motacyclist]

Wow was that electric hook up and a full family as use to be cheap when run by camping in the forest.
Solo no hook up was around £12ish, just paid that at setthorns (new forest).

That was for 2 people (OAP rate) with hook up and no hard standing. The pitch was described as ´in the forest’.

We last stayed here in January 2008 when it was really cold. The toilet block was brand new and was toasty with underfloor heating. I think it was about £9 a night then and it was managed by the C & CC.

The receptionist told us it then reverted to the forestry commission as Camping in the Forest, before being sold to a private company, and subsequently to the current owners 2 years ago.

It is possible to wild camp a few hundred yards further on which we would have done today, but we decided to move on and are now on the C & CC site Loch Ness Shores on the south side, £25.95 hard standing with electric and loch view, beautiful!

Our Bengal cat likes it too!

 

[Ksar-el-kebir]

Has anyone been camping in France recently? Just back from a 2500 mile round trip and never paid more than 30 Euro for a site, in fact in the range 23-30. Every site bar one had a swimming pool, restaurant and great facilities. One in Millau had 3 pools, water fountains and slides for kids!! Now back in UK (unfortunately) trying to get a campsite in the Dales/Nth York Moors = £30 night and thats no EHU and the closest swimming pool is the North Sea to the east or the Irish Sea to the west. Some don't even have toilets. The argument of supply and demand is used to hide the greed that is really behind all this. As usual we are getting ripped off!!

Agree about Millau; spectacular site/sights!

 

[The Fockers]

I was quite shocked at the price of camp sites in the New Forest when I looked a couple of months ago. £12/night for what was effectively a patch of grass in the middle of some woods. No toilet. No water. No nothing! https://www.campinginthenewforest.com/campsites/longbeech/
The better sites with facilities are £24/night.

 

[ArunAlec]

I was quite shocked at the price of camp sites in the New Forest when I looked a couple of months ago. £12/night for what was effectively a patch of grass in the middle of some woods. No toilet. No water. No nothing! https://www.campinginthenewforest.com/campsites/longbeech/
The better sites with facilities are £24/night.

I think the “grass in the middle of some woods” is the attraction of Longbeech and the other Camping in the Forest sites and at £12 for 2 people is a bargain. It’s as near to “wild camping” as you’ll get within the forest.
A full facility site like Black Knowl is more like £45, for 2 people.
Longbeech does have water and chemical waste disposal.