Motorway Services
Discussion
surveyor said:
Just a reminder to keep close eyes on your outfit at services. There has been a spate of thefts - especially from Birch Services, where the Police seem to be regularly retrieving stolen caravans from the local travellers camp with their X5.
Always put the hitchlock on mine when we leave it, okay it's easily overcome but it might delay them sufficiently for somebody to rumble them. According to my insurers I should put the wheel lock on too but it's a bit of a faff.On a related note could all motorway services sort out the flipping caravan parking. I've not been caravaning for long but it seems so hit and miss as to what you get. First one we ever stopped in the signage was vague and we ended up in the HGV section, not sure we should have been but it did the job I guess. In another we found the dedicated section which was busy and annoyingly a few of the spaces were taken up by vehicles that shouldn't have been there, I sat patiently waiting for the caravan in front to finish it's manoeuvres so that I could pull in behind it except that the inpatient gits behind drove round me as I was about to pull off and into the space I was waiting for. Much horn and swearing. Finally on the way back from the New Forest last weekend, again signs a bit vague, but the main car park signage suggested it had long vehicle bays. Having passed the near empty HGV section entered the main car park to look for the non existent long bays and then nearly got stuck twice luckily there were folk around to move cars that were in the way. Was going to give up on it completely but upon arriving at the fuelling area finding a huge expanse of concrete with nothing parked at all. Caravan duly dumped there.
Always hitchcock it if leaving un attended for a while, don't bother with the wheel clamp.
I also research the services on google maps due to some of the main motorway services have abysmal caravan parking.
This is Strensham South on the M5, The actual caravan parking spaces are the long empty spaces at the top. Last time and only time i stopped there all the truck spaces were full and that was all that was actually left....
I also research the services on google maps due to some of the main motorway services have abysmal caravan parking.
This is Strensham South on the M5, The actual caravan parking spaces are the long empty spaces at the top. Last time and only time i stopped there all the truck spaces were full and that was all that was actually left....
It would be nice to plan ahead but our stops are usually resulting from one of the kids announcing an urgent need to do a wee 
And yes Strensham, another culprit though north for us, we pulled onto the usual Friday M5 car park on our way back from the Forest of Dean, annoyingly only needing to go one junction to Worcester but all getting a bit hungry so decided to stop. No spaces for caravans but again found somewhere near the petrol station to dump it. The helped a lady put oil in her Audi as the warning light had come on sometime ago She couldn't get the filler cap off, not sure why as it came straight off for me, 1L of oil later and it just about registered on the bottom of the dip stick!
And yes Strensham, another culprit though north for us, we pulled onto the usual Friday M5 car park on our way back from the Forest of Dean, annoyingly only needing to go one junction to Worcester but all getting a bit hungry so decided to stop. No spaces for caravans but again found somewhere near the petrol station to dump it. The helped a lady put oil in her Audi as the warning light had come on sometime ago
She couldn't get the filler cap off, not sure why as it came straight off for me, 1L of oil later and it just about registered on the bottom of the dip stick!chasingracecars said:
This is Strensham South on the M5, The actual caravan parking spaces are the long empty spaces at the top. Last time and only time i stopped there all the truck spaces were full and that was all that was actually left....
They've changed it recently, and it's even worse. You now have to double back into the area in the top left of the photo, and double back on the exit too. Both very tight turns with little space and those double height kerbs that you can't swing the overhang across. Still, could be worse, could be Cobham.
We find the sign-age at services in this country to generally be appalling! Signpost with too much information on and arrows that are very small and indistinct!
We tend to end up with the lorries more often than not...
We have a lot to learn from johnny foreigner I reckon, when it comes to services.
We tend to end up with the lorries more often than not...
We have a lot to learn from johnny foreigner I reckon, when it comes to services.
Spangleweed said:
Same here, with the addition that we engage the motor movers (twin axel van with twin mover set up) and take the remote and the mover isolation key with us. Makes it somewhat difficult to drag with 4 wheels immobile (I hope).
My Range Rover pulled it about 10 yards with the mover on! the car just seemed to need a little more effort then usual. I had just been flooded and managed to rescue everything and in the mess of it all forgot.
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