# Picture this, would you drive in or turn around?



## teemyob

You turn up at your pre-booked campsite in your 3.4m high Motorhome and you are presented with this entrance. This is the only entrance to the campsite.

Daylight is fading......

What would you do?



You might like to vote or comment please.

TM


----------



## GEMMY

That is quite similar to my driveway, however I keep the thick branches cut. When it rains it makes a good roof cleaner. :roll: 

tony


----------



## listerdiesel

If the campsite owners haven't cut the branches back but have accepted your booking, drive through carefully and maybe get a passenger to watch out for roof items getting caught, but definitely drive through.

Peter


----------



## Glandwr

Weeping willow frongs that hang vertically like that are invariably imarture and soft. Even if caught under sat dish it would simply strip the leaves or rip the "branch" very little chance of damage

Dick


----------



## Sideways86

I would approach the branches and check their firmness and stiffness and then probably proceed slowly because they tend to be very soft

But I would check first


----------



## Yaxley

Send out your partner with a long brush.
Ian


----------



## Penquin

Those that say "check first" are saying they would not drive through, but have probably voted that they would looking at the votes cast.....

I would probably go through after checking, but it is not unknown for them to be hiding thicker pieces amongst the immature ones.....

I would not wish to risk damage caused by perhaps catching the immature stems, in multiple quantities under the front edge of the solar panels, or wrapped around the fixed vents or under the satellite dish since multiple thin stems are the same as a single thicker stem - that is how rope is made, lots of thin strands together......

So, check first, check again and then only go through very slowly with checking, and then speak to the site operator and mention my concerns as I doubt that my thoughts would be unique.......

Dave


----------



## 747

Put your foot down and give it some welly.

You will be doing your good deed for the day as the next motorhome will have no problem entering.


----------



## cabby

If prebooked means you have paid then I would do the same as the rest, drive very slowly with passenger checking, otherwise I would wonder what else they were slack about and move on.

cabby


----------



## Christine600

I would stop at the side of the road and wait until it's cleared. Or until the next morning. :roll:


----------



## Glandwr

I wonder if this poll divides gardeners from non gardeners  

Dick


----------



## teemyob

Glandwr said:


> I wonder if this poll divides gardeners from non gardeners
> 
> Dick


Keep your eye on this one. Gardeners has something to do with the tale......


----------



## Stanner

If that is the entrance to the campsite, it hasn't seen much traffic for weeks if not months and is probably closed.............. :wink:


----------



## eurajohn

I'd get out and check the situation on foot, as already mentioned Willow like that is normally soft and pliant.
It's a campsite, walk to reception and get them to re-assure you or otherwise.


----------



## peedee

Penquin said:


> I would probably go through after checking, but it is not unknown for them to be hiding thicker pieces amongst the immature ones.....
> 
> Dave


I would more than likely do the same but tell the site unless they trimmed the trees I would not be visiting again. I have come across a few CLs like this. On one occasion I drove up to the overhanging branches, climbed on the roof and cut them down before carrying on through.

peedee


----------



## cheshiregordon

I'd approach slowly with the wife on the roof facing the front and she can cut the branches with the shears I keep in the on board tool box for such an occasion as this. I've' often trimmed the branches on a pitch in the past.


----------



## erneboy

Penquin said:


> I would probably go through after checking, but it is not unknown for them to be hiding thicker pieces amongst the immature ones.....
> .......
> 
> Dave


Spot on Dave and that's why I would not take the chance. The thicker branches, if any would be high up, out of reach and possibly out of sight.

If your van is around 3 meters tall it's a good bet that you would be fine but the taller you are the greater the risk, Alan.


----------



## raynipper

I would be more concerned about the pot holes filled with water. They could be more trouble.

Ray.


----------



## Zepp

I would stop and wait for a German or French van to come along and clear the way for me lol.


----------



## colpot

I would probably drive through but be prepared to have to do a thorough inspection once pitched to ensure no new scratches have appeared (I have to do this every time I go near a hedge or I dont get any peace)  

Actually I would do two things:-
I would have a walk through and see if anyone else was on site and if so how tall their Van was. If there is no one else there or if they are considerably smaller then mine I would get the broom out of the garage and walk through the gap holding the broom above my head to see what resistance there was.


----------



## KeithChesterfield

I would get the three items shown on the picture ......


----------



## Brock

I would not go through.

Surely I wouldn't be the first motorhomer to point out to the campsite owner the risk and so why stay on a site where the owner had not addressed the issue? Why stay at a site which disregards risks perceived by its customers?

It is unlikely that there is regular traffic passing into this campsite that is taller than the overhanging branches. Even soft foliage breaks off when regularly struck and there would be evidence of broken twigs. So how close does the foliage hang to the road? If the branches hang within 2.5m or so of the road, this is a road unlikely to be used by motorhomes or caravans so cannot be the way in - or the campsite is never busy and probably not worth visiting. 

Cost of damage to my van if I go through and hit something hard, say £300+ when damage waiver and impact on insurance premiums are taken into account. Cost of a night on sight, say £20. Would I risk losing £300 for £20? Nope. Would I ask a passenger to take responsibility for the risk by checking the way ahead - nope.

I think like this because I'm an operational risk manager in customer services first, though not risk averse, and motorhomer second. Sorry, can't help it.


----------



## teemyob

Oaky, here is the story.

My Wife booked the site in the week for us to stay at for the Blackpool Fireworks, we were taking the Grandchildren for the weekend.

I was driving up with the little ones and My Wife was following on later in her car when she finished work.

I put the Co-ordinates in the computer and off we set off. Collecting some Fish & Chips near the site.

When I arrived, the road that the site was on was very narrow. Despite being barely a single lane wide, it had lines down the middle. Had two cars wanted to pass, it was a very tight squeeze.

Anyway, I saw the entrance and thought, that cant' be the main site entrance, So I pulled over the driveway of the neighbouring property and rang the CS Owner.

As I did so, a Tugger pulled up next to me having come from the opposite direction. Waving his hand for me to open my Window. He asked was I looking for the CS.

At the same time, a car pulls up behind me on the now blocked road and another car is waiting to turn into the driveway I am blocking, he is sat behind the tugger.

At this point, whilst we are all blocked on the road, the tugger is talking to me through the window, the chips are going cold and my Granddaughter is on the gripe path. 

The Owner answers the phone. As I tried to explain where I was and was that the entrance, he gets a bit sharp and starts speaking to me like I am the idiot, aggh "Are you the one with the 8m motorhome?". As I mentioned I was going to turn around and try the entrance, he shouts down the phone, "what are you going to turn around for?, You are already here".

So I reply, explaining the aforementioned situation outside his drive. Eventually, we all move away from the road, I turn the MH around way up the lane and when I come back, the tugger is now blocking the entrance with who I assume to be the Owners Wife, puling branches out of the way of the windscreen and the mirrors.

So I drove off, had to wait for the Wife, found somewhere else and we missed the Fireworks.

The cold Fish N Chips were okay mind.

TM


----------



## Remus

I would go to reception and tell them I intended to drive through carefully but that they would be responsible for any damage caused.


----------



## raynipper

Oh no TM........................... not cold chips.!!!!!!................. :evil: 

Ray.


----------



## teemyob

raynipper said:


> Oh no TM........................... not cold chips.!!!!!!................. :evil:
> 
> Ray.


Yes!.

And Blackpool is still not that good a resort, blighted by many things.


----------



## rayrecrok

Hi.

It is the same for me, there is only one way in and out so I have to reverse in through the willows 3 of them.. no problem just keep close to the river.










ray.


----------



## Spiritofherald

Having once damaged my van on a tree I would walk to reception and ask their advice. If they it's okay to drive through then I would ask if they would cover the cost of any damage, and their response would determine my next steps.


----------



## 1302

I would park up just this side of the trees stay the night and then leave in the morning....

No payment would exist.


----------



## mattfen

Drive through - it's an organised site that takes pre bookings - and if the owners / managers haven't cut it back then what else is there to do ? 

If a bit of foliage is all it takes to stop you it must be hard to tour off the motorway and A road network !!

There's nothing on our roof that can't fight back against a bit of greenery.

Just take it easy and drive through - without damage to tree or MH


----------



## erneboy

Some where in that lot there must be branches. It's simple biology, Alan.


----------



## Glandwr

Very true Alan but they would be easy to spot. They would be the ones that don't hang vertically. 

Dick


----------



## erneboy

Glandwr said:


> Very true Alan but they would be easy to spot. They would be the ones that don't hang vertically.
> 
> Dick


Maybe and maybe not Dick. Given the location of the tree and the abundance of soft tissue, which incidentally seems to be at least 3 meters long and so isn't just this years (even on a willow) it's safe to assume that regular pruning has been carried out. Pruning would leave old, hard, thickened tissue as the tree repairs it's self. Contact with that could well cause damage. I would not simply drive through it, especially if my van was taller than many, as Trev's is.

Possibly getting out and having a look you could see whether it's safe but given the abundance of small leafy branches (a symptom of bad pruning) maybe it would still not be possible to be sure, Alan.


----------



## teemyob

I took the photo the next day.

When we arrived, I only had the Grandkids with me. nobody to guide me in. The Willow is only about 10m from the road and the entrance is narrow.

I have just resprayed parts of the motorhome and had some bodywork done. Spent a week cleaning it as it is up for sale.

It was getting dark and I would have been momentarily blinded by the leaves. I do not know what lurks inside the tree or beyond.

Not willing to take the risk.

Fed up of campsites with bushes and branches. Walls and rocks surrounding the entrances. I do not understand why people who run these sites expect us to "just drive through" "it is only a few Branches".

Below are two photos of body scratches from a light overhanging shrubs. The stickers are damaged but the wheel arch will polish out.
These were from the last site we had issues with access.

The site in this Topic was "Dean Nurseries" A Blackpool CL

TM


----------

