we are heading off for easter break next week, but cannot leave until after work.we have an overnight stop booked at a site but it's deadline for arrivals is 8pm. Does anyone know the situation with stopping at services overnight if we got really delayed.
I think it depends on the services, although they must allow it cos alot of HGV drivers stop overnight if they get close to their driving hours, although there may be a charge, and knowing service stations it will be quite hefty
Discounted Insurance Quotes for UKCampsite.co.uk visitors! Up to 12.5% off!
You should be fine in the lorry park of a motorway service station, although some services do charge you to park for more than a certain time. Check the signs when you get there, you don't want to be clamped when your asleep
Hubbys a lorry driver and he says it will be about £12 to £15 per night. Also he says if you leave it too late you maynot get a space anyway busy motorways like the M40 and other really busy ones you will need to be there by about 4 p.m. as the coninental drivers will have parked up for the night. Also some services will not charge you others will be after you after 2 hours. You will have to hope for the best.
I was going to say phone the site, they are usually ok about it. You can stay the night at some service stations, they do charge but you can use the showers. It would be best to stay away from the hgv's if there is a designated caravan area.
I once wnet to a place in east anglia they said 8.00pm. We didn,t get there until about 10pm. We phoned them on the way and they said thanks for calling they will reserve the pitch and arrange someone to show us where it is and see us in the morning. They actually left a map of where we were to pitch and vististed us about 11.00pm to see if we were ok. So call them.
You'll be fine in the service areas on motorways, why people advise you to stay away from the lorries is beyond me, perhaps some would prefer not to mix with us 2nd class citizens.
Away from that, you'll find yourself having to pay in just about every services I know of, I've not been in one that didn't charge yet. I also thing that some don't allow naked flames outside of the van, I've never asked why but I assume it's due to the different cargo being carried by the lorries on site or the petrol forecourt.
You make no mention of how far you intend going before stopping or on which motorwar corridor you'll be travelling but, my main area is the M4/M5 & you'll have no problems on any of the services I know on those slabs.
Only problem with parking next to lorries is that the sometimes like to run the engines which hardly enhances the already foul atmosphere of a service station. Sad to say some drivers in lorry parks cant quite make it to the facilities and so just let it flow at the side of their rigs (i.e. you caravan)
When we stayed at a service station in the hgv area the lorries were coming and going all night, hardly conducive to a good night's sleep and nothing to do with thinking that the drivers are in any way inferior.
Phone the site!!, I did once, said I would prob arrive late, Owner said " no probs, if you arrive before midnight, just come to the house, if later, or if lights in house are out, you can lift the gate off its hinges"!. He was up and about when we arrived at app 11.30pm!
Thanks everyone for all your comments. As we are still quite new to this we weren't sure how rigid arrival times were. It is the rutland caravan park just off the A1 we are going to (any opinions also gratefullyreceived, good reviews on site search). Good to know services would take us in emergency but we will phone the site if we are going to be late, the lady sounded lovely when booking so hopefully it will be ok.
Thanks All
Ps anyone going to rivendale site in derbyshire over easter ?