# Cornwall holiday a bit different to last year



## Ian-rapido (Mar 24, 2009)

HI All,

Last year we spent 2 weeks touring Cornwall and had an absolutely wonderful time, it was so great that we decided to do the same again this year.

It all seems to have changed though this year, we started in Tintagel (Trewethett CC site), which was wonderful, we met some really nice people and really enjoyed exploring the area.

We then decided to head for St Ives and this is when the holiday has gone downhill.

The site we are at (not naming any names yet!) has gone downhill and we have had to move pitches due to certain reasons. Today we decided to go to Mousehole and Newlyn. Taking the B road from St Ives. The journey there was fine but when we got to Mousehole we couldn't take the dogs onto the pier, beach or quay. Leaving only the side streets!! We met other people there from the site and they were all appauled by this. 

The journey back to the site (9 miles) was so horrendous that we are contemplating giving up motorhoming.

There was a narrow road through parts of Newlyn and 2 cars pushed through the gap and got completely jammed. We couldnt reverse as there were about 10 cars behind and these wouldnt go back. In the end I had to take the van up onto the pavement and ended up catching numerous hanging baskets on the roof!! 

On the B road back to the site the road narrowed and on a sharp bend a carpet delivery lorry came the other way 8O I started to reverse when a car came tight behind us and wouldnt budge!! The lorry driver was smashing and began to reverse back. A car then drove behind him and refused to go back  We were bothed jammed caused by sellfish cars behind refusing to reverse. The lorry driver then came forward tight to us and reversed around the car behind him and into a driveway of a house on our side of the road, there was enough space for us to get around him by going into the right hand side of the road. We were now front to front with the sellfish guy who had been behind the delivery van. SWMBO opened the window and asked if he could go back 2 foot so we could just squeeze through and he wouldnt even acknowledge us. He just sat there and refused to reverse. We were jammed with cars behind us and the carpet delivery lorry now in someones drive to the left of us. If only the guy had gone back 2 foot we would have gone through fine. 

In the end the carpet man opened the gates and reversed further and we squeezed through and so did the cars behind. This guy still sat there. 

As if it couldn't get any worse we then met a tractor half a mile further along but luckily we were able to reverse back into a passing space.

It has really sickened us how someone could behave this way. I dont want to come over as a moan but we are wondering if this is a very rare one off or whether attitude by members of the public is getting increasingly worse towards motorhomers. 

Ian


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## ourden (May 1, 2010)

Engine off, handbrake on, kettle on invite lorry driver for a cuppa.
have a chat another cuppa.
That would of been me. You sound too nice


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## Poppydoodles (Jun 7, 2010)

ourden said:


> Engine off, handbrake on, kettle on invite lorry driver for a cuppa.
> have a chat another cuppa.
> That would of been me. You sound too nice


You took the words out of my mouth, I would have done just the same, cannot stand ignorant people!!


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## chapter (May 1, 2005)

a pal of mine did the same thing got out of his truck dropped the skip and went to the pub across the road 
chapter


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## Jodi1 (Mar 25, 2010)

Ian is nice,ourden  
Sorry your holiday didn't go as well as you hoped, Ian. Cornwall and Devons roads are so narrow in places and with the high banks it can be very difficult to easily get about in a larger vehicle. Its a lovely area, but I think it would drive me bats to live there. I wonder if the awkward drivers were locals fed up with holidaymakers? It doesn't make it right, but I guess its frustrating for them to have their roads jammed up most of the year. Is there a dislike of motorhomers? Not sure, its not something we have experienced yet, I hope not.


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## carol (May 9, 2005)

I'm sorry but you probably won't like what I will say now

Having lived in Cornwall for over 25 years it is really not advisable to use back roads - both Cornwall and Devon have so many roads that are very narrow and two cars can't pass and passing places aren't big enough for the likes of motorhomes - I know everywhere I have lived has been down single track roads and people are reluctant to reverse - many can't

Don't let it put you offbut perhaps do as suggested by the other poster or keep to what we laughingly call our main roads - and they are not much better

If you are unhappy with the site - go Nd complain to the St Ives tourist board. They would like to know if there is a problem

I used to work in promoting Cornwall tourism and used to have a lot to do with many of the bodies downthere

Don't let it spoil your holiday just remember that some people just can't reverse 

Carol


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## chapter (May 1, 2005)

i was working in cornwall and is seems most of the locals are londoners
chapter


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## ourden (May 1, 2010)

Its probably a grockle with a second home down here :lol: 
oops I used to be one 23 years ago.
Anyway hope you will still come down this way probably a one off.


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

Visit between end September and April, there are no dog restrictions then and many parking restrictions are also lifted. Certainly a lot less grockle and much easier to get about.

peedee


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## solentviews (May 9, 2005)

I visited a few years ago in August. Had no problems at all and everyone was very kind in making it easy to get around in my motorhome. One chap on a narrow road got out of his car and unhitched his trailer and moved car and trailer to let me past. All in all a very pleasant experience. Do hope it hasn't changed as I am due to visit again this August.
Ian


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## ingram (May 12, 2005)

carol said:


> <snipped> I know everywhere I have lived has been down single track roads and people are reluctant to reverse - many can't <snipped>
> 
> Don't let it spoil your holiday just remember that some people just can't reverse
> 
> Carol


I don't understand Carol: why can some people not reverse? I am not intending to be rude, but that seems like nonsense.

Harvey


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## Jennifer (Mar 24, 2009)

I think you were unlucky with the chap in the car, I would say he was a local, was it an oldish car? I am devonshire born and bred and very proud, I do not live there at the moment, but experienced the same prob last year in South Devon. Unfortunately, a few of local residents do not like the invasion of any holiday makers, hence what has been referred to as ignorance. What they do not appreciate, and have never appreciated, is that, without tourism, there lives would be so affected, even if they are not directly involved in the tourist trade. I would not consider driving my M/H on anything less than there major roads, apart of course for getting to a site, and even have probs with a four by four. Please don't let it spoil your opinions of the devonshire/cornish areas.

Jenny


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Harvey,

If I hadn't experienced it myself in a similar situation (not in Cornwall) I would be as incredulous as you.

I walked up to the car and asked politely if she would reverse a few yards, as that would be the most sensible solution. She gripped the steering wheel harder, stared straight ahead and ignored me. I tried again but all she did was shake her head violently. Just as I had presumed she couldn't understand or speak English (though there were no other clues to this) she looked daggers at me and spat out angrily that she couldn't reverse, so leave her alone.

It takes all sorts.

Dave


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## JeanLuc (Jan 13, 2007)

ingram said:


> I don't understand Carol: why can some people not reverse? I am not intending to be rude, but that seems like nonsense.
> 
> Harvey


Unfortunately, I don't think it is nonsense; quite a lot of people are "spatially challenged" and some, often older, drivers are quite nervous about reversing. Despite the ability to manoeuvre and reverse being a driving test requirement, I see many people who cannot do it with any degree of proficiency.

As an isolated example, we were on Mull in May and whilst driving around a bend on a very narrow road in the north west, we met a lady driving a small car. I pulled right over to the left with my wheels at the limit of the tarmac (a steep drop was beyond). She was close to my offside, but had about three feet on her inside. She could not see or judge the gap and refused to move forward. Eventually, after many irritated / disgusted looks on her part she tried to reverse. This was not a text book example of car control and it took her quite a while, and several stops and starts, to reverse about 50 metres. It was clear that the experience left her flustered, annoyed and probably thinking that all motorhomers were "spawn of the devil". A little earlier on the same road, we had met a "mature" gentleman in a Jag (clearly a retired Englishman and probably used to the home counties). We could not go back easily (sharp bend behind us) and watched as he made a complete "pigs ear" of reversing to the previous passing place. He was clearly pi***d-off.

I think we have to accept that in today's Britain, where we are quite over-crowded, we see decreasing levels of tolerance for our fellows. People can be quite indignant about others' right to exist and too preoccupied with their own "rights". I can imagine the drivers of the other cars in Cornwall saying to their passengers "he has no right to drive that great big thing down here on (my) road". In my view, the best policy for motorhomers, when faced with the OP's situation, is to do all we can to facilitate free movement, smile, then sit still and let the world sort itself out around us.

Philip


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## Jennifer (Mar 24, 2009)

On the point of reveersing, I heard a few weeks ago that parallel parking is not now a requirement of the practical driving test. Not sure if this is correct, but would explain a lot.

Jenny


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## sallytrafic (Jan 17, 2006)

I only drive a little van (from the front it looks like a delivery van not a motorhome) but its big enough to encounter problems on most Devon and Cornwall B & C roads. We have to rely on our door mirrors for reversing but both of us are quite adept at long distance reversing.

As we are considerably taller than a car it is likely that they see us before we see them (but because of our higher driving position this won't always be the case) however we get lots of practice as we seem to be always the ones doing the reversing especially in Devon especially if the car has local plates (from 1999 W followed by A to J = Exeter/Devon, K and L = Truro/Cornwall)*

I agree that there are some local people who just don't get it and obviously don't consider the effect of the tourist pound on all the local economies. If you live near a tourist area expect tourists, after all I realise that tractors are a feature of the countryside and regard them as having rights. I also allow that I am on holiday and should make way for those on their way to/from work or at their work.

The last time I was recently stuck (near Manaton on Dartmoor) the obstacle was a twenty/thirty year old Volvo estate with reg xTA (which is a Devon reg) the old guy and his partner refused eye contact. It wasn't too narrow a road, I had a coach and cars behind me, we could see though that the Volvo only had to reverse 20 - 30 yards or so for us all to pass. A car following the volvo did exactly that. In desperation I put my van into a hedge, and he still wouldn't move but I certainly wasn't going to pull forward through the hedge.

In the end (probably after only 5 minutes) he erratically reversed, but only partly, into the wider part of the road and I was able to squeeze past but not the following coach. I don't know how it ended.

*I obviously don't remember all the pre 1999 area codes but we have on occasion noted the letters and checked later on this or similar site >Reg letters<


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## sallytrafic (Jan 17, 2006)

DABurleigh said:


> Harvey,
> 
> If I hadn't experienced it myself in a similar situation (not in Cornwall) I would be as incredulous as you.
> 
> ...


Ten years ago in the early morning rain in West Wales a colleague of mine was in a major collision with an empty school bus and as a result the road was completely blocked. I came across the scene a few minutes later and as every one was safe I reversed back around the blind corner and put on my 4 way flashers. There were many drivers who were unable to do the three point turn or reverse the short way back to a crossroads. I drove about 10 different vehicles that morning, (I started asking can you manage as a matter of routine to each car I stopped), until the police arrived in force on my side of the accident. I asked one woman whose unfamiliar car I was about to drive onto a wet grassy verge if it was front wheel drive - she didn't know!


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

And to think some of them tow caravans too :lol: :lol: 

peedee


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## Ian-rapido (Mar 24, 2009)

Thanks for the replies everyone, there are some really interesting points.

By the time we eventually got through there must have been around 20 cars behind me and the same behind this guy (although everyone behind this guy had reversed back apart from him!).

If it hadn't have been for these other people I would have stayed put all day until he moved but seeing as it was holding up other people I let the matter drop and managed to squeeze through the hedge and the lorry. SWMBO got really upset about it, the guy just sat there with his wife (assuming she was his wife), he just wouldn't move one bit.

We have started to laugh about it a bit now and SWMBO's biggest regret was not dropping a yoghurt or egg out of the window onto his car :lol: 

We always keep away from narrow lanes for the main reason that I dont want damage to my van. The road was a B road and other than lanes there was no alternative route. 

The sad fact is that its not the first time it has happened to us, however, but usually we are in a situation where we could go back. 

We cut our holiday short down there and are now back at the Trewethett CC site.

The people around Newlyn/St Ives/Mousehole just had a really bad attitude towards motorhomes and its making me curious as to why. As mentioned, without "tourists" many businesses would suffer. We dont do anything wrong so why do we have this attitude. We pay for tax, fuel etc. 

On the way out of Newlyn a large truck stopped and flashed us through. Just as we were approaching him an old bat overtook him, saw us and stopped in the middle of the road insisting that we went back. Why would she do this when she could see us there from where she was positioned behind the truck!! Was it just to cause us inconvenience.

I think the only option for us now us to either tow a car, rent a car or give up motorhoming and return to caravanning. 

Its starting to have an effect on our health now and this attitude has also caused damage to our pride and joy. Consisting of a nice scratch down the bedroom window and a dent on the rear offside corner.

The guy was driving an S reg pinky/purple Audi A3. 

Our son passed his driving test back in March and in the test he was required to do a 3 point turn, pullover into a layby and reverse into a parking bay in the test center. No parallel parking!! 

Ian


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## lindjan (Mar 6, 2008)

Oh Ian
Sorry you had a miserable time, we stayed ar Godrevy Park C.C site a week or so ago, fantastic for the dogs, 100yds walk to the sand dunes and then 10 mins to the most beautiful beach, I was on my own with dogs most mornings and could watch the seals swim along the shore.Everyone was friendly. We live in Dawlish and I think most people are motorhome friendly, a lot of us are motorhomers or caravanners.
Jan


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## lins (Sep 29, 2008)

Hi Ian,we live about just up a30 at redruth.We take our motor home to most places further west,and apart from a parking ticket at lamorna cove had not had any problems.I would say though,newlyn/mousehole area is a nightmare this time of the year and such a lot of seaside places have now put in place dog bans .It is a shame that you had these problems,we have seen simalar attitudes once near tavistock,were one young lady in a fiesta could not or would not reverse. Dont let it put you off cornwall as i said living we go everwhere,and even i a mere woman drive our van quite confidently as i often arrive fri lunch time to set up before other half finishes work.lin.


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## nipperdin (Oct 28, 2007)

*Cornwall Holiday a bit different to last year Forums*

I have a friend who lives down a really narrow lane near Buckfastleigh in Devon. I had telephoned ahead to say that we were nearly there. I was getting really worried about meeting something coming the other way as the hedges were brushing both sides of the van- but we made it to his house.
And what did we find- a waiting queue of traffic. He had gone out in the road and held them all up until we came through ! Later when we left he went ahead in his car to ride "shotgun". Bless him.

We did once meet a stroppy lorry driver as we dropped down to Dartmeet. He stopped but would not pull in his wide mirror which would have enabled us to get through. He just sat and starred.
We made it eventually- fortunately the protruding rocks at the bottom of the hedge went under the van skirts.

And in Killen we saw a coach come head to head with a car on the bridge. It needed the lady car driver to reverse- but she didn't do reverse.
Eventually she tried and there were horrible scraping noises as the car rubbed along the bridge parapet. Finally her passenger, a vicar, got in the drivers seat and moved the car. Off the bridge he got out- and he gave the coach driver a real mouthful of very non religous sayings- not from the Testaments.


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## kaacee (Nov 29, 2008)

I can see this from both sides as firstly, I live on the B3306 which is the coast road from St Ives to St Just and then onto Lands End, and secondly, I own a motorhome.

One of the major problems is that the locals know the road and tend to look a little bit further than their bonnet, which the visitors do not, not all I admit, but most plan ahead and know when and where to wait when they see a vehicle coming, I have done this many times especially when the open top double decker bus is running only for visitors to pass me and then cause mayhem because they cannot or will not reverse, what do they think I have stopped for ? to admire the scenery.

It has to be appreciated that a lot of visitors to Cornwall are from the major cities and they rarely drive on a narrow two way road, but rather dual carriageways, which as we know, you are rarely required to reverse on. !!and all the traffic is going in the same direction.

As for the question of whether the residents like motorhomes or not, I have not found this to be an issue, but I can understand the frustration trying to go about your daily business when the towns are so snarled up with holiday traffic, yes we welcome them for the economy, but certainly in St Ives/Newlyn/Mousehole/ Penzance etc.,the roads are just not made for the volume of traffic that we see in July and August, and although I live down here I would not dream of taking my MH or in fact my Focus car into any of these places at this time of the year, rather, park on the outskirts and either walk or use a bus, yes we all wan't to get onto the car parks near the beach, but this is not always possible and going into these places just causes unpleasantness all round, hence the bad manners that surface purely out of frustration and I have to admit downright bad manners.

My action's had I been in the situation the OP found himself in, was as previously stated, switch the engine off, put the kettle on, brew up and let it sort itself out. 

Keith


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## CREAKY (May 23, 2005)

Hi Ian,
Nice to meet you & you family down here at Trewethett, hope to have another chat with you before you leave,

Cheers,


CREAKY


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## flyingpig (Jan 14, 2009)

I have lived nr St Ives for 10yrs now. When I moved here from Manchester, I got myself a job driving for the major bus co. in the area, we use hopper, double and single deck buses, Newlyn, Mousehole etc are amongst our main routes
As drivers, we were taught never to reverse unless being watched back by another driver so try this one from the bus drivers handbook :-

Handbrake on
Out of gear
Cross arms across chest.

Join the I'm not reversing club, seems crasse but......works eventually!!!!!

P.S. Not just locals who can't reverse or use road sense, seems to be 90% of drivers in general nowadays.

:roll: :roll: :roll:


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## Ian-rapido (Mar 24, 2009)

HI Everyone,

Well we are back home now and luckily had no other incidents to report.

Creaky, it was great meeting up with you and having a good chat, sorry we missed you when we returned to the site, unfortunately there was no space for this evening so we decided to leave fairly early this morning to miss the arrivals in the site entrance.

Im saddened to say that we have decided to sell the motorhome, its not just the incident this holiday, in fact that probably has no input into the decision. 

This year we have used the van a few times and the majority of them were "go away for the sake of it" trips. 

Other factors contributed to the decision such as the layout not really working for us and no seatbelt for our son. Who knows maybe in a few months we will miss it and buy another van.

I can see that the guy may have been a bit fed up of tourists on the road all the time, having said that we also live in a fairly tourist dependant area and as previously mentioned I drive past the local CC site twice a day. There is a fairly narrow road to the site and usually I can expect to meet around 5 caravans/motorhomes a night going the opposite direction, especially on a Friday. No matter whether I have had a bad day in work or am keen to get home I still always reverse back to a wide area for them to pass. Maybe its just my nature but the fact is that im driving a fairly small car that can reverse easily and these people have fairly large outfits that are difficult to reverse and they probably aren't as familiar with the road.

We have emptied the van tonight and had a few (lots) of tears but we feel that the decision is right and we may even consider returning to a caravan for a year or so. 

If we were getting a regular use out of the van (e.g. once/twice a month) then we would probably look at towing a car with us to get around the smaller roads.

Although this guy (and a few other sellfish drivers!!) put a bit of a dampener on the holiday we still had a good time and enjoyed visiting the popular places such as Padstow, Port Isaac & St Ives. 


Ian


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## carol (May 9, 2005)

Author:
ingram
Date:
02-07-2010
Message:
carol wrote:
<snipped> I know everywhere I have lived has been down single track roads and people are reluctant to reverse - many can't <snipped>

Don't let it spoil your holiday just remember that some people just can't reverse

Carol

I don't understand Carol: why can some people not reverse? I am not intending to be rude, but that seems like nonsense.

Harvey

Harvey they seem just unable to go backwards - the roads are so narrow they end up going into the 'hedges' which are generally stone walls - when you think that sometimes they have to back a fair distance and that is when it all goes wrong

Carol


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## TDG (May 26, 2009)

Ian, 
The people's behaviour is inexcusable but you have to accept when coming to Devon & Cornwall that most of the minor roads are just that :wink: - as are a few of the major ones :wink: 
To reduce the stress levels I try to seek out the most MH friendly route that I can but even so the van a quite a few Devon hedge rashes 
Having said that the, other day I found myself on a road only about 4 miles from home and both mirrors were getting very intimate with the hedges - and that was in my car  
If you are in the Bideford area any time we would be pleased to see you but I would recommend that you leave the van in the town rather than try to navigate your way to your house :lol:


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## JLO (Sep 27, 2006)

Hi

we have just come back from Cornwall (last Weds) had a really good time, but this time we hired a car from Enterprise in Bodmin, even so it got hit by another car, we were in Aztec Leisure at Perranporth and a Audi pulled into the car park and ran into the hire car!! Luckily we had taken out CDW. We are used to driving on narrow two way roads with passing places (I travel on one to work from my village) however some of the roads we travelled down in Cornwall required a lot of finger crossing and hoping that we didn't meet another car.

On another note: we stayed at Valley Truckle - nice site but I don't know if they have upset the local farmer because he has positioned his slurry heap just across the lane from the site and he went an stirred it up most nights just for the effect, in fact some evenings you could TASTE it!!

Jacqui


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