Motorhome facilities and rules

jb99 replied on 16/09/2021 12:05

Posted on 16/09/2021 12:05

We've just returned from a tour of mid and south Wales in our motorhome.  We stayed at a number different locations: pubs, public car parks, private camp sites and one night at the C&MC site in St Davids.  We have paid our membership fees for many years, but in practice we haven't stayed on a Club site very often, and not since the name change and rebranding.  So we expected great improvements for motorhomes. 

We arrived rather early, but were warmly welcomed by the lady on reception who unexpectedly checked us in before the official time. 

I was rather confused by the parking rules, but looked at the way adjacent vehicles were arranged and tried to imitate them.  Since our motorhome is less than 2.5m wide, versus a car/caravan/awning measuring maybe 7m, it was easy to maintain the 6m separation from our neighbours.  However, apparently I had picked the wrong corner to go next to the white post.  This was explained to me that evening, but since we were leaving the next morning the very friendly warden said not to bother moving.  Fine, I'll be more careful if we visit again.

The next morning, there was a queue of motorhomes at the only grey waste point, so we decided that, as we only had a small amount of waste we would empty the toilet cassette at the service point then just fill up with fresh water and leave.  So, I pulled up next to the adjacent service point and attached my hose connector to the threaded tap.  Shortly after, a  different warden who was maintaining the grass, came along and said that motorhomes weren't allowed to use the service points and indeed there was a notice that said this that I hadn't seen.  He said that this was because filling a motorhome takes a lot of time so other people would have to wait.  I asked why I had to wait rather than other members and although a 100 litre motorhome tank will obviously take longer than a 50 litre rolling caravan tank, there were three other service points on the site.  No! Jobsworth was adamant and claimed that it was a health and safety risk (which is hard to understand). 

According to various comments on Facebook, these is just a couple of many petty rule enforcement incidents that are alienating motorhome owners.  I really think that if the Club wants to encourage this massively increasing sector of the market, they need to learn the differences between motorhomes and towed caravans.

So, the rebranding was clearly just a marketing exercise and we will have to seriously consider whether to renew our membership next year.

young thomas replied on 26/09/2021 09:22

Posted on 25/09/2021 14:06 by Hja

Those grey water drains are really confusing. Presumably the drain in the road is for emptying your tank. I think we would need to drive with the taps to our left to able to position our drain tap over it. Difficult if one way road or it will stop other vans going past.

Posted on 26/09/2021 09:22

The new tarmac around the drain is a give away that recent work has been done at that point...

surely, that was the time to extend the drain across the area with a grid giving simple access for MH irrespective of where their drain is sited.

hardly rocket science.

Our van has its waste outlet on the right, so with the one way system as it is, the van could be obstructing the single track road...again, with narrow roads, lass room to pass.

young thomas replied on 26/09/2021 09:27

Posted on 25/09/2021 15:36 by JVB66

As posted beforewinkthe waste outlets on most M/Cs is of very poor ,we over came the problem by removing the waste outlet tap and making it so much easier to empty by then getting some garden pond pump flexible pipe 2mtrs in our case and fitting it to the waste outlet  then running it using plastic clips along the M/C skirt and refitting the waste tap on the end, which negated any of the "dance" to line up with the drain ,as we could stop near and just unclip the pipe and drop it in the drain,cool

As per most Yanky RVswink

Posted on 26/09/2021 09:27

But which side did you fit it?....offside or near side?

if one side, then you still have to get the van sited 'right'...

I can't imagine the hose you clipped up was switchable from one site to the other?

I have a screw on hose extension but poor siting of drains can still cause issues.

JVB66 replied on 26/09/2021 09:31

Posted on 26/09/2021 09:27 by young thomas

But which side did you fit it?....offside or near side?

if one side, then you still have to get the van sited 'right'...

I can't imagine the hose you clipped up was switchable from one site to the other?

Posted on 26/09/2021 09:31

A two mtr pipe or more (as i posted)depending how badly designed and installed is the original waste outlet,is down to the ownersurprisedwink 

young thomas replied on 26/09/2021 09:36

Posted on 26/09/2021 09:36

Ive got plenty of metres of additional hose in the van but I don't want it under the van permanently as the majority of locations we use are properly designed and will accommodate near site, offside, central or rear sites outlets....

as Steve says, it really isn't difficult....we all (those who've used them) know what a proper design consists of...even the club posted a picture a few years back (sloping collection area with wide/slim drain across the MHSP area) yet ive never seen such a thing on a club site.

SeasideBill replied on 26/09/2021 10:12

Posted on 26/09/2021 09:36 by young thomas

Ive got plenty of metres of additional hose in the van but I don't want it under the van permanently as the majority of locations we use are properly designed and will accommodate near site, offside, central or rear sites outlets....

as Steve says, it really isn't difficult....we all (those who've used them) know what a proper design consists of...even the club posted a picture a few years back (sloping collection area with wide/slim drain across the MHSP area) yet ive never seen such a thing on a club site.

Posted on 26/09/2021 10:12

They are few and far between, but I think I encountered one at Putts Corner recently? Might of dreamt it tho’ I think Abbey Wood might have one too?

A proper MH service point is a joy to use, but I guess retrofit is always going to be difficult for a variety of reasons depending on the site. I certainly don’t want to be carrying loads of additional pipework around when space is already at a premium in my PVC. What I do object to are the filthy, heavy concrete covers which, given the weight and contortions necessary to use, are a back injury waiting to happen. Caravanners increasingly have their fully serviced pitches, so to balance things up MHs need better service points.

Tinwheeler replied on 26/09/2021 10:21

Posted on 26/09/2021 10:21

I've just used a very good MHSP. It had a central drain set in a very large dished concrete area with plenty of room and no problem to drain whether your emptying valve be left, right or centre or, like ours, at the rear. It would accommodate a huge RV without blocking the roadway.

It shows it can be done and that the problem lies with the club's MHSP design rather than the MHs themselves. 

 

JVB66 replied on 26/09/2021 10:30

Posted on 26/09/2021 10:21 by Tinwheeler

I've just used a very good MHSP. It had a central drain set in a very large dished concrete area with plenty of room and no problem to drain whether your emptying valve be left, right or centre or, like ours, at the rear. It would accommodate a huge RV without blocking the roadway.

It shows it can be done and that the problem lies with the club's MHSP design rather than the MHs themselves. 

 

Posted on 26/09/2021 10:30

I take it you mean the ones that have yet to be upgraded to the big drive over drains ,that on some sites that are not owened and also may have short leases is not going to happen 

We did notice at Beechwood Grange site that although it has the big drive over grid type MC dump,several MCs owners were still using the lift up cover typeundecided

ADP1963 replied on 26/09/2021 11:02

Posted on 26/09/2021 11:02

Blimey I never realised there were so many issues with Motor Home /Campervans and water. some time ago there was a lot of ridicule about Aquaroll's, surely they are less trouble than the various methods people are readily describing they go to manage their stay at a site. Whether it be filling up or emptying water it does seem to me to be a bit of pain in the backside.

JVB66 replied on 26/09/2021 11:10

Posted on 26/09/2021 11:02 by ADP1963

Blimey I never realised there were so many issues with Motor Home /Campervans and water. some time ago there was a lot of ridicule about Aquaroll's, surely they are less trouble than the various methods people are readily describing they go to manage their stay at a site. Whether it be filling up or emptying water it does seem to me to be a bit of pain in the backside.

Posted on 26/09/2021 11:10

Some seem to get round the problems? coolothers seem to amplify them,wink

replied on 26/09/2021 11:16

Posted on 26/09/2021 11:10 by JVB66

Some seem to get round the problems? coolothers seem to amplify them,wink

Posted on 26/09/2021 11:16

No idea how motorhomers ever manage 40 years ago.

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