In this month’s Motorhome and Campervan News we look at:
    * The top ten epic driving routes in the UK. Can you guess which one is number one?
    * Motorhomes getting stuck down narrow streets
    * Overnight parking bans in various places
    * and why it may cost more to holiday in Scotland even if you don’t use campsites?

    Do you have some motorhome news? Then send it to this email address:
    ads.leech+news@gmail.com

    Motorhome News came from the following sources:

    Petrol and Diesel Ban Moved to 2035
    https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/rishi-sunak-net-zero-new-petrol-diesel-car-ban-2035-climate-change-tories-b1108367.html

    JCB hydrogen internal combustion engine in Mercedes Sprinter van
    https://www.jcb.com/en-gb/campaigns/hydrogen/hydrogen-van?page=1

    Campsites can’t cope with the increase of EVs
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-64901247

    Campers were warned of campsite flooding
    https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/23770380.west-bay-campsite-say-campers-warned-flood-risks/

    Motorhome stuck in Cornish narrow road
    https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/driver-in-bits-motorhome-gets-8780145

    Motorhome stuck in Spanish narrow road

    Brit couple get huge motorhome stuck down narrow street while on holiday

    The Downs to ban overnight parking
    https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/overnight-parking-ban-could-introduced-8767204

    New approach to dirty camping
    https://www.dunfermlinepress.com/news/23771975.aberdour-new-approach-fife-coast-countryside-trust/

    Parking on Felixstowe seafront
    https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/23753618.three-options-deal-felixstowe-seafront-camper-vans/

    Norway Overrun with motorhomes

    Norway ‘overrun’ by motor homes

    Wales Answer to the NC500
    https://www.visitwales.com/inspire-me/wales-way
    https://cadw.gov.wales/coastal-way

    NC500 Voted UKs Epic Road Trip
    https://www.thenational.scot/news/23864887.scotlands-nc500-route-voted-uks-epic-road-trip/

    NC500 code of conduct for motorhomes
    https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/motors/11161480/nc500-motorhome-drivers-safety-warning/
    https://www.thenational.scot/news/23760883.ian-blackford-demands-motorhome-code-conduct-nc500-crashes/
    https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23790466.ian-blackford-campervan-plan-criticised-motoring-expert/

    Taxing motorhomes
    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tax-motorhomers-too-highland-council-urges-6lvgd5dsg
    https://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/tourist-tax-scotland-cruise-ships-and-all-motorhomes-should-pay-tourist-tax-says-scottish-council-amid-over-tourism-concerns-4345912
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/property/tourist-tax-motorhomes-scotland-highland-council/

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    #vanlife #news #motorhome #campervan #camping #motorhomenews #campervannews #vanlifenews

    We have the top ten epic driving routes in the  UK. Can you guess which one is number one? We also   have Motorhomes getting stuck down narrow streets  and overnight parking bans in various places and   find out why it may cost more to holiday in  Scotland even if you don’t use campsites? 

    It’s all coming up, in this  episode of Motorhome News.  Hi, I’m Ads. You can find links to all the  news articles in the video description.  We are going to start off with something you all  probably know about already and that is that the  

    UK Priminister, Rishi Sunak, has pushed back the  ban on selling new petrol and diesel cars and   vans from 2030 to 2035 giving car manufacturers  12 years to improve technology and come up with   vehicles that don’t run on fossil fuels but have  a decent range, are fast to recharge or fill up,  

    Are affordable and have an infrastructure in  place. Like I’ve said before, at the moment   there isn’t an affordable electric  motorhome yet so this is good news.  More good news is that JCB, not a  name to be associated with motorhomes,   have announced another breakthrough in hydrogen  technology. JCB have managed to retrofit one of  

    Its hydrogen internal combustion engines into  a Mercedes Sprinter van proving that motorhomes   and campervans can run off of hydrogen. There are  no performance details in the article but, to me,   we’re a step closer to replacing fossil  fuel motorhomes with hydrogen than we are  

    With battery powered electric motorhomes. One reason why we may not want an electric   motorhome in the future is because of the huge  amount of power they’ll consume while charging on   a campsite. Some campsites are reporting that they  are unable to cope with the increase of electric  

    Cars. Installing more car chargers and beefing  up the cabling will be a massive job which would   involve digging up the campsite to install  thicker cables. Since a lot of campsites are   rural the National Grid might struggle to get  enough power to those areas. The article from  

    The BBC is referring to static caravan parks  but as more holidayers buy electric cars then   it’s only going to get worse and we’ll see more  and more touring caravans being towed by EVs.   We may also start seeing campsites temporarily  closing due to getting a power upgrade. I’m sure  

    You have your opinions on electric and hydrogen  powered motorhomes and possible problems with   campsites so let us know in the doobly-doo. Talking of campsites. A campsite in Dorset   has flooded due to a nearby river bursting its  banks because of the very high spring tides. Even  

    Though campers were given advanced warning some  refused to move. I don’t know about you but I   wouldn’t have thought twice about staying in this  field. Apparently, one camper can be seen sitting   outside in his chair. I think that’s him there.  What makes me laugh are the canoeists paddling  

    Through his pitch. Do they not know that it’s  courteous to go around other people’s pitches?  This one has been sent to me by Adrian Smith. A  German couple hiring a motorhome got it stuck in   the seaside town of Padstow in Cornwall. A witness  said that they were in bits as they tried to  

    Navigate the narrow Mill Road. Instead of stopping  they continued but did eventually stop and managed   to turn around but not without burning the clutch  out in the process. The reason for getting stuck   was apparently due to a satnav error. And before you say something bad about  

    Our friends in Europe. A British middle-aged  couple touring Spain in a motorhome managed   to get it wedged in the beautiful village of  Sorvilan. They appeared to ignore the sign warning   that large vehicles should avoid the village  centre. The police and a tow truck managed to  

    Pull them out but it took four hours to do so. What’s the lesson learned here, folks? That’s   right, don’t allow your satnav to drive you  around, look where you’re going and read the   road regardless of where you are from or visiting. On the outskirts of Bristol, just north of the  

    Clifton suspension bridge is a large park  land called The Downs. There are at least   60 vans parked there long term probably because  the parking is free and there are toilets. Now   though the council and the Downs Advisory Panel  want to ban overnight parking from 1am to 4am  

    With a £500 fine. They have also considered  using a number plate recognition system.  The Fife Coast and Countryside Trust in Scotland  has a new approach to dirty-camping which I think   could be used elsewhere in the UK. Over  the last few years wild-camping in tents  

    And the numbers of motorhomes have increased  at Silver Sands beach in Aberdour. This has   brought with it problems such as anti-social  behaviour, illegal camping and inappropriate   parking with the locals having to clear up the  mess left behind by tourists. Nothing was done  

    About it until last year when wild-campers had  left human waste on the beach [Little Johnny,   that’s a strange looking flag on top of your  sand castle]. The Trust has employed extra staff   so that someone can be onsite to maintain the  public toilets, empty bins, repairs and be the  

    First point of contact for the public. They have  also managed parking with appropriate signage,   designated parking bays and educating users. This next one has been sent to me by Gillian   Shaw. The popular seaside town of Felixstowe  has a problem with motorhomes overnighting on  

    Its seafront. Up to 35 motorhomes have been  seen parked along Undercliff Road East and   concerns have been raised about the damage  to kerbs and putting pedestrians at risk   by occupants blocking the road and the promenade  with tables and chairs. The council have come up  

    With three options to solve this problem; either  introduce size-based restrictions on vehicles;   have a limited amount of free parking; or have  restrictions on overnight parking. However,   they don’t like the idea of having parking metres  because Felixstowe has a tradition of free parking  

    And doesn’t want to deter visitors. The council  hopes to make a decision by the end of the year.  Since the pandemic motorhomes and campervans  have become very popular. So much so that   most tourist spots and seaside towns have been  swamped with motorhomes. A lot of these places  

    Are unable to cope such as the North Coast  500 as I reported in this video here [point   top left]. But it’s not just happening in the UK.  This article from “News in English” says that the   whole of Norway was overrun with motorhomes this  summer. Hot weather in Southern Europe and the  

    Weak Norwegian currency has meant that motorhomes  have flocked from across Europe, including Norway.  Some narrow roads have had much greater  traffic on them during the tourist season,   roads which haven’t been built for  the capacity – just like the NC 500. 

    One business owner is shutting down his  guided cycling tour business of 20 years   because of safety issues due to  the roads becoming much busier.  It’s not just busier roads, motorhomes are  overnight parking in beauty spots and carparks  

    Which I don’t have a problem with as long as  they follow the rules but they are treating these   spots as campsites; they are getting out their  chairs, tables and BBQs which is totally wrong.  But the problem isn’t just motorhomes,  it’s Norway’s entire tourism sector that is  

    Struggling. According to the article there are  also too many cruise ships visiting and there   aren’t enough locals to cater for the masses of  tourists. Let us know if you’ve had any problems   in Norway or in any other country for that matter. The Wales Way is Wales’ answer to the North Coast  

    500. It’s a set of three routes – The Coastal  Way, The Cambrian Way and The North Wales Way   taking you through the beautiful countryside  along the coast and through mountains. We’ve   done a couple of these routes before so we are  aware of them but I’m not sure when these routes  

    Were named or classed as tourist routes.  If you’d like to know more or are looking   for an itinerary then I’ll leave a link in the  video description to the Visit Wales website.  Talking of the North Coast 500 – It has been voted  the UK’s most epic road trip. The car manufacturer  

    Dacia conducted a study asking 2000 Brits what  their favourite routes are and the NC500 was   in first place followed by The Coastal Way in  Wales and the Jurassic Coast in Dorset. Here’s   a list of the top ten most epic road trip routes. Still on the NC500, there have been six deaths  

    And 23 injuries in the Highlands due to traffic  accidents in the last year. According to this   article The Highlands have had the most crashes  in 7 out of 8 years across the whole of Scotland,   which I find hard to believe. The NC500 is now  regarded as one of the most dangerous routes in  

    The UK. To improve safety a Scottish MP has  written to the Transport Minister asking for   a code of conduct for motorhomes and for  more signage to tell foreign travellers   to drive on the left, not to drive in  motorhome convoys and to pull over if  

    Someone wants to pass. As well as road signs  other signage would include rental vehicles   having window stickers and guidance on how you  are expected to drive in the Highlands. However,   the Institute of Advanced Motoring has said that  it won’t support a change in law targeted at a  

    Particular group of road users and said that a  quick solution would be to increase the speed   limit on all single carriageways in Scotland to  50 mph for HGVs. By increasing the speed limit you   may find drivers overtaking less and therefore  fewer head on crashes but it sounds a bit like  

    Comparing apples with oranges to me because the  MP isn’t asking for the law to change only to   educate road users particularly foreign drivers.  What do you think? Let me know in the doobly-doo.  You may be aware that the Scottish Government  is looking into the possibility of introducing  

    A tourist tax called the Visitor Levy. This  would mean that an extra tax could be added   to accommodation in hotels, B&Bs and campsites  and given to the relevant local authorities   for improving roads and facilities, etc.  And if you’re thinking, [silly voice] “it  

    Doesn’t bother me I won’t be using campsites”  then I have extra news for you. The Highland   Council has called for motorhomes overnight  parking outside of campsites to also be taxed,   but it may not be easy to implement. The chief  executive of VisitScotland says, “The difficulty  

    Is which local authority do you charge with  levying a motorhome? If we are trying to get   people travelling around the country and they are  going into three or four different local authority   areas, it is not the same as accommodation.” What do you think? Are campsites already  

    Expensive? How would they be able to tax  an overnight stay in a layby or carpark?   Let me know your thoughts in the doobly-doo  and if you want to know why NC500 locals hate   motorhomes then watch this video or you can keep  up-to-date on more motorhome news by watching  

    This video. And if you think we’ve earned  it then why not subscribe for more updates.

    38 Comments

    1. I really don't want to see Hydrogen in use for domestic vehicles. The risk of massive explosions in crashes is too high imo. I also don't see EV's being a huge problem. Only the really expensive ones can tow anything bigger than a super light 2-3 berth caravan. Most of the EV's on the road either have no towing capacity or a towing capacity of less than 750kg.

      The Downs. Don't ban overnight parking. Don't fine people for parking. Pay a ticket warden and put a "£50 a night" fee on it and use the income to pay the warden and then improve and maintain the parklands.

    2. There are 2 ways to store hydrogen in a vehicle. In liquid form, it has to be stored below-253C (that’s minus). In gas form at a pressure of 70bar (that’s over 1000psi). The Toyota hydrogen car has a 142 litre hydrogen tank. So if people think that driving around with lithium ion batteries is dangerous, then just consider the potential risk of a hydrogen vehicle.

    3. We have roads in Scarborough that have signs, no overnight camper vans, road is always full of em overnight, so what's the point council paying for for the signs then?
      These are cheap skate holiday makers who put very little into local economies also use the litter bins for all their wastes and hog parking spaces for residents and hotel /b and b guests, it's got to stop !

    4. People use more wild camping as campsite fees have got beyond a joke in some cases. some sites £60-£70 a night that's madness. Some of those sites are not that great as well.

    5. I very rarely comment as some posters just want to pick a fight, but here goes. We have wild and site camped in our motorhome all over the UK and Europe and all we leave behind is money in shops, fuel stations, restaurants, pubs, tourist attractions etc. I find some humans behaviour disgusting, code of conduct, fines, bans etc will not change their behaviour, because its never them. I don’t know what the answer is. What I do know is those that do it correctly will end up being labelled and penalized in some way!! Whatever does get implemented, will not be thought thru!!! oh and as for the “locals” its amazing what can happen if you just “ASK”.

    6. Which MP are you talking about and why not name them? And yes motorhomes and caravans should be taxed a lot more but id rather see them banned completely because the roads are too small and most of the drivers are not experienced or confident driving large vehicles. , for me its mostly the human poo and pee found all along the NC route. Also the inconsiderate drivers getting in everyones way all of the time. They use most of the lay-bys and leave rubbish in piles all over the place. Absolutely disgusting.

    7. Interesting Channel, glad I found you, can't understand why you have so few subscribers, used to have a couple of Camper Vans, and a small Motorhome, now have a twin axle Caravan; so whilst your content isn't specifically aimed at caravanning, it's quite relevant. So subscribed immediately, and will check out your older videos.

    8. best way with so many new technology engines on the horizon to avoid EV is wait another ten years. Lot of newly developed engines using alternative fuels. Friends have given up camper vans now. It's become a problem with costs. Site fees are very high. New taxes being discussed, insurance sky high. Wait , be patient. That glorious day will come. Too late for me.

    9. wonder why motorhome drivers drive so damn slow. my motorhome which i live in full time and not part time has 188 bhp, 0-60 in 13 seconds, weighs 3.5 ton has a massive overhead cab bed and does 115 mph, its a biker thing you know lol, i overtake a lot of motorhomes and could never drive that slow i would drop off to sleep. their dpfs must be fuc–!

      they can tax as much as they want it wont never affect me because i don't have an address lol, i say balls to the system!

    10. Real van lifer here, and not a tourist. funniest thing of all, when it gets colder all those summer heros clear off home and hibernate which leaves the dramatic winter landscapes all for me and the odd locals. pity it doesn't snow all year round lol. the tourism wars would end as they UK population are brainwashed in be being scared of going out in bad weather.

      haha, what a crime to get out you van and sit in a chair lmfao, send them to jail lol then giveum the old sparky🤣the bbq issues are the one night piss heads in cars and leave their crap behind. happens all summer here in galloway, people need to get their facts right.

      isn't any road a tourist route or does it have to be splashed on websites so the clones can all copy each other? it's called keeping up to the jones lol, no individuality in this country.

      if only people stopped copying each other and stopped using park 4 night the issues wouldn't be so bad. You will never see me sharing my park ups to anyone.

    11. Sunaks end date for ICE may have changed but the wind down reductions in percentage sales that where part of the 2030 end date are still in place. So actually buying an ICE vehicle will become just as difficult regardless of this apparent change.

    12. First things first motorhoming is not camping!! we can define the 2 very easily we have the highway code to tell us about driving and we have the outdoor access code to tell us about camping, even bikepacking would come under the highway code because you are a road user, camping is simple it's walking or hiking on foot! and it shouldn't matter how you get to your destination!! you don't see campers ariving by train being harrassed and it's a simple reason – motorhoming is not camping!!

    13. thats how thick UK government and councils are they will simply make all business go out of business they love bankrupting the uk and themselves like next year all banks are going to collapse and i bet you its the tax payer who has to bail these criminals out , as for motorhomes camping simply dont pay it tell them to jog on soon as people start paying the stupid charges you give them a licence to tax you , say no or dont use it lets make the woke go broke its want they want obviously.

    14. its all fake solutions…..41.000.000. electric cars !?😂😂👍🏼 how you going to charge that every 24 hours with the curent grid ??! we wil use nucliar ?

    15. EVs are rubbish and will be gone in 2 years. Climate change is not caused by CO2, it is a natural occurrence caused by the Milankovic cycles.

    16. Scottish parliament needs to invest sensibly without unfairly penalizing vanners. See them as a potential great asset instead. and organize the nc 500 route infrastructure to increase quality of life and up the whole Scottish tourist economy at same time… for everyone.

      It's a big ask under the current lazy and uninspired woke mob though.

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