# Another day out gone due to Height restrictors



## peachy (Feb 9, 2007)

Yesterday my OH had driven up to Ferry Meadows, Peterborough with his bike on board for a day out. only to find out Height restricters had just been installed. He enquired if they had any problems with illegal encampment and was told no but that this was a preventative.

As we are members of the CC he drove in to the Club Site and asked if there was any chance he could have parked in the car park for a couple of hours. Of coarse he would have been willing to pay if necessary. he was told this was not possible.

We are really disappointed as this was a favourite day out on a Sunday and only an hour away from home.

Lin


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

With anti-discrimination laws so prevalent in other areas, I wonder if there would be any chance of success if a test case was brought on these grounds against this practice.

Conversely I wonder if you could claim for any damage caused to your motorhome if you didn't notice a barrier and drove into it. They are not all very well signed and some are just a single skinny pole, and at night with the dazzle of an oncoming vehicle it could easily happen. Judging from the multicoloured paint jobs on some barriers it happens all too often!!

The gypsies around here simply unbolt them, or take their oxy-acetylene torches to them - but they are allowed to get away with it of course because they are all called Smith and it would be almost impossible to discover the culprit.

No point in wondering really - the authorities will always take the easy way out and punish the innocent masses along with the guilty minority.

Rant over. Back to sleep! :roll:


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## bobandjane (Dec 29, 2007)

Its the same every where you go in the UK. They have a long way to go to catch up with the rest of europe.We gave the van a run up the next village I dropped the wife off at the entrance to the carpark.Pulled in and backed into a space in the corner,I must admit we did block one car from getting out 7.4m long so no choice. But I never left the van and before I turned the engine off, Some one came over and said I hope your not leaving that there,It was not even their car blocked in. Thats why we had 3 months in europe and 3 nights in the UK. You never feel wanted and what you said about the caravan club just about says it all.Never did like then and that was 20 odd years ago when we were members they don't get any better its more than my JOBS WORTH!!!!!!!!!!! bobandjane.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

peachy said:


> As we are members of the CC he drove in to the Club Site and asked if there was any chance he could have parked in the car park for a couple of hours. Of coarse he would have been willing to pay if necessary. he was told this was not possible.


This is SO mean. Was the car park full ? Were there hundreds of others waiting to do exactly the same thing as your husband ? Was the car park only big enough for a few cars and they were expecting it to be full ? I doubt any of these. You are members so it's not as if you were just members of the public driving in on the off-chance.

Both examples you have given are typical of the UK " let's ban something before we even know if it is likely to be a problem" This is diametrically opposite to the( usual -LeClercs excepted) continental " lets allow something and review the situation if it should become a problem".

G


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## zulurita (May 9, 2005)

Yes it is very difficult going out just for the day in this country :evil: 

Unless you are booked into a campsite its almost impossible to tour around as car parks are difficult or sometimes impossible for our large motorhomes. Then again some places are just not safe to leave our pride and joy  

That is why we spend most of our time away on the continent  though this year we are doing some rallies in July/Aug up north plus a few CL's etc in between, so I just wonder how we will get on!!!


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## colian (May 11, 2005)

Peachy/ Lin,

I have been told that if you go to the Caster side of Ferry Meadows the old main road there has parking bays marked out along it and so far there are no restrictions or payment.

My mate was there last weekend and he is going to use that now they are putting barriers up at the main car park ready to start charging for the summer.

Just a thought as the footpaths enter the meadow from that side also.

Ian


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## framptoncottrell (Jan 6, 2006)

I also suffered frustration. I took the van for a day's walking around Old Hunstanton, intending to park in Holme-by-the-Sea, where there is an all-year car park. I even used Google Earth to check if there were any height barriers, and when NASA took the photographs, there weren't. When I arrived, barriers had recently been erected. Luckily there was road parking opposite, but only from November to Good Friday, so in three weeks time Holme is out of bounds for motorcaravanners. And, as you can see, I drive a Murvi which is short, narrow, but high. And my name isn't Smith and the van isn't white.

Dr (musical, not medical) Roy


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## 88870 (May 10, 2005)

peachy said:


> Yesterday my OH had driven up to Ferry Meadows, Peterborough with his bike on board for a day out. only to find out Height restricters had just been installed. He enquired if they had any problems with illegal encampment and was told no but that this was a preventative.
> 
> As we are members of the CC he drove in to the Club Site and asked if there was any chance he could have parked in the car park for a couple of hours. Of coarse he would have been willing to pay if necessary. he was told this was not possible.
> 
> ...


The height barriers have been their since the tale end of last summer ... there was a major invastion of gypsies who started a large encampment in the middle of the rally/archery/kite flying field. I believe they did this twice last year. It got so bad that when the local gypsies were on the move in the area, the FM staff would semi block the road with a tractor trailer so they knew they could not get in. Then they installed the barrier.

Unfortunately, the first barrier was dismantled by the local fire brigade within about 48 hours I think. FM had not told them about it and they had to get in to an emergency call. It used to be down during the day but up in the evening and night. I was camped at FM when they installed it - was black and not very visible.

The barriers this year have been moved further around and painted brightly to allow the buses in and out of the bus stop/turning point and people have room to turn around if they get as far as the barrier and can't get under. (issues last year with people holding up traffic and no where to go/turn)

There is however, a mobile number on the barrier that can be called if you can't get through and I think that if you are a legitimate visitor who has travelled to visit FM then you should be able to call this and get them to let you in. I didn't know they still kept them up during the day.

Alternatively, there is a large layby about 100 metres long) just before you hit FM (from both directions) you could park a MH in their easily .. many cars park there in the summer to avoid paying entrance fees at the weekends.

Hope this helps ... not sure why you'd want to bike around FM though .. not that large really and its a bit like dodge the kids/dogs/ducks/pushchairs at times! Plenty more places with better cycling .. try rutland. :wink:


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## 88870 (May 10, 2005)

colian said:


> Peachy/ Lin,
> 
> I have been told that if you go to the Caster side of Ferry Meadows the old main road there has parking bays marked out along it and so far there are no restrictions or payment.
> 
> ...


Hi Ian, it is true, no barriers there yet ... but in the height of summer you'd have to pay me a lot to take the mhome down there ... it gets packed and there is not a lot of turning space for coming back up! ... tis long and narrow.

I guess it would be fine for smaller vans ... anything slightly larger though may have to reverse all the way back up 8O

I have seen 22/23 ft vans there there disgorging the whole family on bikes though :lol:


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## camper69 (Aug 30, 2007)

Having had our motorhome for all of 2 months we came across our first major parking problem when in Ashbourne, Derbyshire a couple of weeks ago.

Plenty of parking spaces, so many infact that I could park across as many spaces as I like in any number of car parks. 
Height not a problem as there were no barriers but all the signs say no vehicles over 1500kg unladen  

Never mind the motorhome my Ford Galaxy is only just under that weight!!

Nearly turned around and left but found a place I could park on the road

Derek


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## Mikemoss (Sep 5, 2005)

Perhaps we've just been lucky so far, but in the three years we've been motorhoming in the UK we've only once failed to find somewhere to park in places we wanted to stop in for a look around. That was in Boscastle the year after the big floods, and too many other rubber-neckers had got there before us!

Yet to find a supermarket car park that doesn't have some space for our 7.2m darling. Lorry and coach parks are also happy hunting grounds, as are sports centres. If all else fails, we simply drive out of town until the parking restrictions end, then walk back in. Builds up a good appetite for a nice cup of tea when we get back to the MH!

Height restrictions on open air car parks are the work of the devil, though.


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## peachy (Feb 9, 2007)

Thankyou for your tips on where to park nearby but I dout we will bother again. 
As it was a Monday it would have been a doddle to bike round, not so many kids and buggies.
As for Caravan club, there carpark had loads of empty spaces , so there you go (more than my jobs worth)
We used to go to Graffam water till they put Height restricters in. I bet Rutland will be next.

Lin


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## 88926 (May 10, 2005)

Well here is probably why there is hieght restrictions.
As posted by BobandJane

Pulled in and backed into a space in the corner,I must admit we did block one car from getting out 7.4m long so no choice. But I never left the van and before I turned the engine off, Some one came over and said I hope your not leaving that there,It was not even their car blocked in.

Good for the other motorist,what gives you the right to block in another carpark user


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## bobandjane (Dec 29, 2007)

IF THEY PROVIDED PARKING SPACES FOR MOTORHOMES YOU WOULD NOT BLOCK ANYONE IN.I did say I never left the van she only popped into the bank.I proberly have the same right as the twats that cant even park in one parking space in a car. Then the one next to you hits your car with his / her door and gives you a nice little dent Happy Camping go and park next to your peg bobandjane.


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## Waleem (Nov 1, 2006)

I was dismayed about this post as we love Ferry Meadows. I emailed the Peterborough Tourist Office and got the following reply....

Dear John

Thank you for your email. Unfortunately, you are correct with regard to
the information you received on height barriers.

Nene Park Trust have confirmed that these have had to be put in place
due to circumstances last year when travellers took over the car park
during their busy Easter season. As an alternative, they have suggested
that you could use the turning circle to park in (providing you are not
obstructing other traffic) or the car parks at the top of Ham Lane
belonging to the Granary public house or Notcutts Garden Centre.

Information is available on the website for Ferry Meadows:
www.nene-park-trust.org.uk

They apologise for any inconvenience caused and state that it is not
their intention to exclude anyone from the park but that it became a
necessary decision to protect future visitors, etc.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need any further advice or
visit our website listed below.

Regards

Cheryl
Tourist Information Centre
3 Minster Precincts
Peterborough
PE1 1XS
01733 452336

So we all have to suffer as usual! For those who dont know the park, the two alternative carparks are about a mile from the park entrance! :roll:


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## 88926 (May 10, 2005)

profanity allowed now eh!


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## Wytonknaus (Jun 18, 2007)

So we all have to suffer as usual! For those who dont know the park, the two alternative carparks are about a mile from the park entrance! :roll:[/quote]

They are also private car parks and the likely hood of someone getting clamped would be pretty high. It is not the tourist info centres job to tell people to park on others private land.


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## Waleem (Nov 1, 2006)

Wytonknaus said:


> So we all have to suffer as usual! For those who dont know the park, the two alternative carparks are about a mile from the park entrance! :roll:


They are also private car parks and the likely hood of someone getting clamped would be pretty high. It is not the tourist info centres job to tell people to park on others private land.[/quote]

Absolutely agree-I certainly wouldnt risk it!


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## ubuntu1 (Jan 14, 2008)

*No organised response*

It makes me think that we MH's are ignored when it comes to car parks because we don't have a voice. Its a pity that the two big clubs don't lobby on our behalf but I don't see them taking an active role at all.

Maybe we should organise a concerted effort to e-mail and snail-mail all of the local authorities, National Parks, Forestry Commission etc.

Maybe we could generate a letter and e-mail and hold it on this site for people to copy or print off.

Any thoughts?


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## vmeldrew (May 3, 2007)

IanH said:


> Well here is probably why there is hieght restrictions.
> As posted by BobandJane
> 
> Pulled in and backed into a space in the corner,I must admit we did block one car from getting out 7.4m long so no choice. But I never left the van and before I turned the engine off, Some one came over and said I hope your not leaving that there,It was not even their car blocked in.
> ...


I really don't understand this;
1. the only reasons I have heard for the introduction of height barriers is due to travellers, never because of MHs blocking cars from getting out
2. I don't see what is wrong with blocking a car if you remain there to move your MH should the car driver return.
As far as the 'other motorist'is concerned, whatever happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'. It's a question I frequently ask when accused that I *might *let my dog do this or that.


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## johnandcharlie (May 2, 2007)

I came across a car park with a width restriction the other week. It was two hefty metal posts quite close together. There was nothing I saw to indicate the width, but it looked like a car would fit through, but I wouldn't. There was a big earth lay-by on the opposite side of the road with a caravan parked on it with no towing vehicle, so I decided I wouldn't leave the van there!


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## 88870 (May 10, 2005)

IanH said:


> profanity allowed now eh!


Hi Ian, sorry, i don't understand. Apologies if I have offended.



ubuntu1 said:


> It makes me think that we MH's are ignored when it comes to car parks because we don't have a voice. Its a pity that the two big clubs don't lobby on our behalf but I don't see them taking an active role at all.


Oddy enough, the CC turned the MH away, they have a perfectly serviceable carpark there (within 100 yards of the barrier) - only fits about 6/8 cars/vans but on the other side of the road they have a grass area (which I think they put the gate across at this time of year) that could fit a few m/homes on to park.. Wouldn't have taken much to unlock the gate.


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Height Barriers*

Hello,

We have height barriers in our local town on the car parks. If you pay and are not back within your time limit FINE £ even if it is just over.

The Gypsies came along one day, cut through the barriers, hooked up to the street lights and they were allowed to stay for two whole weeks. No body could park their cars for this period.

They were moved on and left mounds of asphalt, rubbish and the usual crap, bearing in mind our coucil car parks have no chemical waste disposal!.

They have now been moved off and they are just down the road. They have broke into a restricted area for another two weeks.

Yet you and I and all the other reasonable law abiding citizens dare not consider anything like the aforementioned.

Why?

Trev.


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