# Barmouth/Gwynedd - Bad News!



## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

My edition of todays Cambrian News contains a large article concerning camper vans parking on the prom in Barmouth.

I quote and paraphrase:-

*Stricter bye-laws are being processed by Gwynedd Council and will be in place by Whitsun.

Gwynedd Council's legal department would have the bye-laws in place by Whitsun to stop camper vans using the promenade or the parking grounds overnight as a camp site.

The bye-laws will be in place, signs erected and there will be enforcement.

White lines will be painted on the promenade, with vehicles having to park within the lines. 
These lines will be large enough for cars but not the huge camper vans that use the promenade.*

Whitsun is actually this Sunday, Pentecost, 11th May 2008.
I think that they are making the usual error of confusing the religious festival with the Late Spring Bank Holiday!!

I get the feeling that Gwynedd Council does not want any camper vans anywhere in the county.
Am I being cynical in connecting this with the fact that a good proportion of County Councillors are farmers - who just happen to run campsites as well?!!

Incidentally I quizzed my local County Councillor on the hustings about what she was going to do about facilities & aires for camper vans.
I was treated with some disdain with the retort that camper vans should use campsites.
Guess what - she runs a campsite!!!!!

How do we get across the fact that motorhomers value freedom, that it is not always practicable to book ahead or to arrive before 20:00 and that most of the facilities provided (and charged for) by a campsite are not required.

In fact there is a trend away from campsites for tenters/tuggers/MHers as greedy site owners convert pitches into static "mobile" home pitches.

We live on this holiday coast and it is depressing to see acres and acres of regimented static roofs. 
Why pretend that they are "mobile" (except when they clog up our narrow roads when being transported), why not just build nice conventional houses.
Far less intrusive is the constantly changing kaleidescope of tents, caravans and motorhomes on a traditional site.

Must take my blood pressure tablets before my veins burst!


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

By the way, if you are the owner of a Hymer van with the registration mark

J200 00?
or 
?353 ENP 

then you will be pleased to know that your vans are shown prominently in the accompanying photo of the Prom.

Nowhere in the article does it give any indication as to where or if vehicles too large to fit in a car-sized white-line-marked space will be able to park in future.

Croeso i Gymru? I think not!


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## 04HBG (Dec 9, 2007)

Another reason why more and more of us now prefer to jump on a ferry and enjoy the continent, its cheaper to do that and have a month abroad then it is to go down to Cornwall or Wales and book on a site for a fortnight. 
Its called greed and seems indemic in the UK with campsites charging the earth for a very basic site.


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## andygrisswell (Dec 7, 2007)

It seems to me that those days are numbered for the greedy site owner due to fuel costs


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## annetony (May 1, 2005)

Its just typical of councils, they usually shoot themselves in the foot, 

it will mean that they will have less people spending money in their area,

do they actually know how many members we have on here, and thats not counting the motorhomers who haven't joined us yet. I personally know of a few.

I suppose we will give Barmouth a miss then,
although we could go and park on the front anyway as we do fit in a car space, I wonder what they will do then :lol: :lol: 

Anne


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

Most car parks in Caernarfon (Gwynedd!) have signs prohibiting motorhomes from parking in them during the day!

I suspect that the same restrictions will apply in Barmouth.


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## putties (May 18, 2005)

Maybe they do not know the difference between a caravan and a motrhome. What is our road fund licience for??????????

Putties


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## drcotts (Feb 23, 2006)

04HBG said:


> Another reason why more and more of us now prefer to jump on a ferry and enjoy the continent, its cheaper to do that and have a month abroad then it is to go down to Cornwall or Wales and book on a site for a fortnight.
> Its called greed and seems indemic in the UK with campsites charging the earth for a very basic site.


Hear Hear
Many years ago we stopped on the car park at barmouth. Early in the evening we were shot at with an air rifle. They targeted the gas locker i suppose hoping that they would blow the van up.

For some reason the councils of this country have an aversion to camper vans parking up. Enjoying the view, paronising the local shops and leaving little if any evidence of their existance, but are quite willing to let gangs of yobs roam the streets and have burn ups on the same car parks whilst drinking.

Phill


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## 101600 (Oct 30, 2006)

So sad to hear that we want to turn MH's away from our local economy, i dont MH any more as most of you will know but i do live in that area (Llandudno) I can see both sides of the coin and alot of the prices in the campsites are expensive due to high council tax/rates etc so i don't just think its greed.

I personally don't see a problem with parking on a prom (they could even make you pay a small charge and we would still be happy).

Sorry to say i think this will happen everywhere eventually as the problem lies with people/councillors that don't like/know anything about the average MH'er.


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Times*

Hello,

Thanks for the in information.

It is very sad realy, a lot of us seem to be hopping accross the channel and spending our money there. Something I often mention in the forum, fed up of getting ripped off here, we take a few days off either side of Bank Holidays and head to France or Belgium.

August Bank Holiday A couple of years ago 7 of us stayed at a site near Newquay, they charged us £192 for three nights. Last August Bank Holiday we went to Belgium for five nights and only paid £120 for the same 7. We used Tesco Deals for Eurotunnel and we saved a fair few £100 each on shopping in Belgium and France. Fuel was Cheaper and the mileage covered was not much more and far more enjoyable.

If things were different then we would spend more time here. Take Blackpool as an example. It is just over an hour away from us, trouble is by the time we finish work on a Friday evening it is often too late by the time we get there for us to turn-up on site. We are not allowed to stay overnight anywhere in the Borough.

The council do not allow any campers or provide any areas for campers on the sea front or near the town. I have done it out of season and had some bother so would not do it again. Yet despite this we often hear and see reports on the Blackpools struggle for tourists!

It is worse in Wales, even if you are staying on a campsite, you are not allowed to visit the nearby towns and coast by motorhome, "Prohibited".
Don't get me wrong, we are not looking to stay all weekend at the side of the road or on the sea front. It would nice to have some choice and a bit of freedom in where and how you go about staying.

So folks, unless your are of the Traveling community and like to pay your taxes including like many of us your Council Tax, Tough!.

Trev.


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## sallytrafic (Jan 17, 2006)

*Re: Times*



teemyob said:


> Hello,
> 
> Thanks for the in information.
> 
> ...


Well I got a bit of my own back on my recent trip see the second half of my Blog >HERE<


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## Annsman (Nov 8, 2007)

Perhaps we should e-mail the local Chamber of all these places that suddenly decide to ban MHs and let them know how much money has just gone out of their members tills by the actions of their councillors!

Barmouth in particular is hardly over run with tourists and if an average 50 vans per week go there and each van spends an average of £50 in the town then there is £13,000 per year not coming into the town. That's a fair few bob driving down the road for a small seaside town.

Just find somewhere that appreciates our money instead, and if these towns die off then they have only themselves to blame.


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## EdsMH (Apr 25, 2007)

Hi Annsman

Exactly the right approach.. if someone local can post details of who the key contacts in each council (councillor and full time official) are that are creating the bye laws plus the head of each chamber of commerce then we should all write to them.

If we all object to the new bye laws being created and get the CoC's to wake up then it can change. I do not know what the current threshhold is to worry them but from past experience, councillors even getting 20 letters/emails on the same subject used to feel they might be making a mistake.

Whilst letting each other know what is going on is worthwhile, actually responding and objecting is far more important.

Ed


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## allan01273 (May 23, 2007)

*Would this work?*

When I was at the Newbury show at the weekend I saw in the Motor Caravaners Club stall a notice that had a line drawing of a height barrier and the words -

"There are more than 2 million tourists waiting to cross the channel and spend money in your economy: not to mention the 1000's of UK motorhomers who pass you by when they can't find a place to stop.
Is you local economy missing out?"

I am thinking that if we had an agreed form of words, like this but perhaps to include our other problems such as fines of £70 for sleeping in vans in Seaford, Sussex and prohibiting us from using more than 2 spaces in other places.

We could then print it off as a business card and then leave it everywhere that we spend money. Saying, or perhaps the card could include the words "I am only spending this money here because I have been lucky enough to find a place to park my motorhome"

Allan


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## drcotts (Feb 23, 2006)

*Re: Would this work?*



allan01273 said:


> When I was at the Newbury show at the weekend I saw in the Motor Caravaners Club stall a notice that had a line drawing of a height barrier and the words -
> 
> "There are more than 2 million tourists waiting to cross the channel and spend money in your economy: not to mention the 1000's of UK motorhomers who pass you by when they can't find a place to stop.
> Is you local economy missing out?"
> ...


what a good post allan.
few years ago most councils didnt bother with MHs as they got enough off the car owning fraternity. but one positive side of recent events like foot and mouth is that local ecomomies realised that their income wasnt guaranteed as much as they thought. Now they have to have a more carefull look at ways of encouraging people back to the little towns and villages.

Phill


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## allan01273 (May 23, 2007)

*Business cards*

drcotts said "what a good post allan"

Thank you. I don't think any one has said such a nice thing, and been so kind before.

Now then, what should the card say, and who will print them

Allan


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## 90487 (May 1, 2005)

*Re: Would this work?*



drcotts said:


> Now they have to have a more carefull look at ways of encouraging people back to the little towns and villages.
> Phill


The problem is it is not just the town/ village with the height barrier or whatever that misses out.

If I drive into a town and find a good spot to park for lunch. Will go to the local pub, or restaurant, walk the dog, browse the shops etc. Next on the agenda is what else is around here? We may take the bikes into the next little two horse village, walk the dog across footpaths to another small village or isolated art gallery or NT antiquity etc.

So because the one village which had a "B" road access and probably a town carpark was anti M/H then the little adjacent villages, which have narrow 6'-6" access roads and no real carpark, also miss out

We have found some lovely little villages off the-beaten-track because I knew I could we could get the van to the bigger one!


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## drcotts (Feb 23, 2006)

*Re: Business cards*



allan01273 said:


> Now then, what should the card say, and who will print them
> 
> Allan


There are several possibilities

You could get some business card blanks and print your own on the computer. I have done this as i belong to the metal detecting fraternity and we offer a free finder service to people who have lost things like wedding rings etc so i have printed some cards and put then up on notice boards say in supermarkets etc. If someone contacts me a can sort it myself or phone their nearest "detectorist" so they do work and the benefit it gives me is not only the look on the face of the person whos long lost ring you just found but it sometimes leads to land i can detect on that i woulnt otherwise have access to..so these things do work.

You can also get cards printed at one of the self service printing machines and have whatever text you want on them.

Phill


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