Tag Archives: aires

Jittery holidaymakers are reassured.

25 Saturday Jan 2020

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  • 68% of people surveyed expressed uncertainty about travel changes after Jan 31 
  • 24% have consciously delayed 2020 holiday decisions
  • 46% of respondents expressed desire for more reassurance on travel requirements

(24 January 2020) With Brexit just one week away, new research for the ferry sector has revealed mass confusion among potential travellers. Industry body Discover Ferries, is seeking to clarify and reassure holiday makers that there will be no change in requirements for people wanting to travel via ferry between the UK and the EU post January 31. This will be the situation for at least the rest of 2020, during the transition period, now the UK government has passed the EU Withdrawal Agreement.

The research* indicates widespread confusion about travel to EU countries and even ferry travel within the British Isles. Of 2,000 survey respondents, 68% admitted they were not sure what changes will apply for travel to EU countries from February 1, 30% said they thought they would need a visa to enter any EU country and almost a fifth (19%) thought they would need a passport to travel to Jersey and Guernsey, which are part of the British Isles. Neither of which is true.

There was similar uncertainty over pet travel. Over a quarter of respondents (27%) said they will need to take extra steps to take their pets abroad, while 44% fear that their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will no longer be valid, which is also untrue

The effect on consumer confidence was also clear in the results. Almost a quarter (24%) of people have been consciously delaying their 2020 holiday plans until after January 31 this year. Almost half (46%), expressed their desire for more reassurance. 

“It is clear that there is a lot of confusion around travel to EU countries this year, resulting in many people delaying their holiday plans,” said Emma Batchelor, director of Discover Ferries. “I would therefore like to reassure anyone looking to travel by ferry this year that there are no changes; all valid passports, EHIC cards and pet passports will still be authorised for travel to the EU and there will not be any new requirement for visas to Europe or passports to travel to the British Isles. 

“I also encourage the government and the wider travel sector to support the message that nothing changes this year, and that people should book their 2020 summer holiday with confidence,” added Mrs Batchelor. 

For further information on travel requirements, visit www.discoverferries.com/FAQs.

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Bruges is Best.

15 Sunday Oct 2017

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Faye and I are spending the weekend in Bruges; it continues to be one of our favourites.

The “No Motorhomes” sign on a central car park is a bit academic as you’d be bonkers to attempt a coach built on these narrow twisting streets. The taxis are mostly Mercedes Vitos so a small van conversion might be possible but we prefer the excellent barrier controlled aire at the main bus station. A ten minute top whack stroll and you are in the middle of the town.

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Montreuil-sur-Mer

26 Friday Aug 2016

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Montreuil sur Mer is about an hour south west of Calais and is one of my favourite stopping places – either on the aire which is a hundred metres from the town or on the excellent site which is at the bottom of the very steep hill. On numerous occasions at the end of a long evening I have been grateful for the down hill ramble to the site knowing only too well an uphill yomp by then would have been impossible. But of course for me the aire is best. 

Sur Mer is a bit of a misnomer because the sea is nowhere near having receded several kilometres several hundred years ago. It’s a lovely town, very much unspoilt and this time I wandered in for breakfast the next morning and before I knew it a couple of hours had slid by and it was time to head for Calais. It’s just that sort of place.

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Visit www.carolweaver.co.uk

31 Sunday Jan 2016

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I came across today the website of Carol Weaver at http://www.carolweaver.co.uk and it is well worth a visit. It features excellent photographs from a number of trips – I particularly liked the record of aires she has visited. 

By coincidence I was checking out an aire myself in Montreuil-sur-Mer this morning – ideally located a couple of hundred metres from the main square.

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Letter to a County Council

16 Wednesday Jul 2014

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20140716-225324-82404133.jpg
Nice letter sent from a yahoo Motorhome group member to Lincolnshire County Council. eMail to customer_services@lincolnshire.gov.uk

FAO Councillor Colin Davie

Dear Mr Davie.

I have owned a motorhome for 11 years now. As much as I love this country, its cities, its history, its resorts and its countryside, I have given up trying to visit them because of attitudes like yours. Why on earth would you think that I am going to put up with barriers and clampers and parking fines in order to visit Lincolnshire and spend my money on its attractions, or in its shops, restaurants and garages?

I go to France, where I am welcomed by its communities with “Bonjour”s and smiles and my custom is appreciated. And those communities compete for my patronage by offering honest and sincere hospitality, Not with parking tickets, petty jobsworths, barriers, penalties, wheel clamps and aggravation, but with agreeable parking spots and the facilities a motorhomer needs. With a motorhome costing € £50,000 and on upwards, French mayors sensibly reason that their owners have money to spend. Have a look here: – http://www.motorhomefacts.com/modules.php?name=Aires

When I first bought my motorhome, there were about 2,500 aires in France. There are now almost 8,500 and their numbers still grow and the idea is catching on right across Europe. Except in Britain, of course. The land of ignorance, prejudice, stereotypes and self. When I first went over, most of the aires were free. Including the electricity, but in these difficult times, more communes are charging nominal fees of between € ’ 3 and € ’ 9 for overnighting and that invariably includes full facilities and an electric hook-up. If I am not forced to drive each day to charge my batteries, I will stay and spend my money in the local bars, restaurants, shops and supermarkets. Especially out of season, and I love France in the winter.

Due to a battery fault, I was stuck for over a month on the aire in Catillon-sur-Sambre http://www.campingcar-infos.com/Francais/ccib.php?numero=641 (Scroll down to see the pictures.) so I offered the mayor € ’ 25 for using the electricity. He was decidedly miffed. “Where do you buy your milk, your bread, your food?” “In the shops in town.” “C’est bon. We expect nothing more.” And I will tell you another thing.

I have never met a single British mayor. I have lost count of the French Mayors who have knocked on my door to ask what I thought of his town, of the aire and its facilities and if there were any improvements I could suggest. (Invariably, I asked for Wi-Fi.)

So, every time a mean minded community is presented as here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-27810273 another dozen motorhomers drive past the shuttered shops, the dole queues and the strapped for cash councils to catch the next boat across the Channel.

Generally, in Britain, one is not allowed to do anything unless a sign specifically says that one may. The most familiar of such signs is, “Pay Here!” In France, one may do just about anything unless common sense, common decency or a sign specifically prohibits it. I have seen very few and then, they are never unreasonable or downright hostile – as is common in this country.

No, Mr Davie. Remove the blinkers and check out what the smart people do.

ErnB

Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews