Northern Motorcaravan Show announcement

[Administrator]

"The organisers of the Northern Motorcaravan Show would like to announce that despite the recent bad weather the event at Pickering will still be taking place.

 

As with all Warners shows please remember that non-booked camping pitches are not guaranteed."

 

 

[Guest Tracker]

Please Sir, Mr Moderator Sir, how much will the tractor drivers be charging for a tow out of the mire, and are there enough tractors available in Yorkshire to meet the need!

[Mel B]

In my experience, blow the tractors and find yourself a nice friendly caravanner with a stonking big 4x4 and give him a can of beer! :-> Yes, I did mention the 'C' word! :D

[GJH]

Mel B - 2008-09-17 9:27 PM

 

In my experience, blow the tractors and find yourself a nice friendly caravanner with a stonking big 4x4 and give him a can of beer! :-> Yes, I did mention the 'C' word! :D

What's wrong with mentioning "can"? It's a convenient way of packaging beer.

 

Graham

[DEEANDEM]

HI

IS there any moterhomers at Pickering able to give an update on the ground conditions. I plan to be there Friday around mid day.

 

Derrick

[sooty10]

Hi Derrick

 

Yes we have arrived at Pickering early afternoon. No trouble at all and the ground is very firm. We are on the Auto Trail section but the rest of the field seems the same. Hope you have a good journey tomorrow.

 

The only problem we have seen today was a car and caravan stuck half way up Sutton Bank in spite of ALL the signs saying NO CARAVANS.. By the time we arrived the police werte on hand so did not have too much trouble.

 

Have fun Sooty10.

[Guest Tracker]

We arrived yesterday and whilst there are some wet patches both the camping area and show areas are firm underfoot and dry.

 

However the general camping area is quite a long walk to the show and there are noisy generators running all night.

 

All in all not a bad show but hardly worth £45 in my view?

[Hymer C 9.]

Tracker where are you on the general ground Joy is over there and would love to say hello I'm sure, we are on the MCC excllent very firm no touble are you coming over to say hello 4 oclock Dave's tomorrow. Carol.

[p0930]

I must register my dissappointment at this show. I do understand the difficulties the weather has caused but the toilet, shower and water facilities were totally inadequate in the general parking area. Ther was also a general lack of toilet facilities within the exhibition area, something I heard many people complaining about. Spoilt an otherwise fairly good show.

[david lloyd]

p0930 - 2008-09-21 3:07 PM

 

I must register my dissappointment at this show. I do understand the difficulties the weather has caused but the toilet, shower and water facilities were totally inadequate in the general parking area. Ther was also a general lack of toilet facilities within the exhibition area, something I heard many people complaining about. Spoilt an otherwise fairly good show.

 

I must say, although we didn't stay over this year, there does appear to be a lack of water points, toilet and shower facilities shown on the plan of the campsite compared to previous shows at York.

 

That apart, I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the showgound and, despite the recent bad weather, how well the ground has coped with the amount of traffic.

 

Pickering and the surrounding area is a lovely place to visit and I am sure the town will have felt more of a benefit than, say, York where they are often blessed with large visitor numbers.

 

If it is to be Pickering nest year then (weather permitting of course!) we will be putting the dates in the diary.

 

David

[Guest Tracker]

When we left this morning both the toilets in our field could be found by a blind man with a sense of smell - as could some of the show ground ones yesterday evening.

 

My feeling is that the provisions made for cleaning and emptying were inadequate and this must surely reflect on Warner's wish to reduce costs to maximise profit at the expense of the paying customer.

 

With several thousand units at £45 a throw, plus all the not inconsiderable money from stall holders I think we are entitled to a better standard than that?

 

Or am I being unreasonable?

[chatterdog]

Likewise i enjoyed the venue.even if it was a trek to get to things my only thoughts were you can get big silent generators (which would of been more appropriate) for the running of the arc lights/traffic lights and toilet facilities. I really felt for those that were parked on the roadside edge of the field we were on because of the noise, they were loud enough from where we were on the centre of the field. The other complaint was something about which the organisers had no control over - other groups pinching our allocated space - ok there were only 4 of us in our little group but to get round to where you are told to park to find no area left for you and your little sign run over and squashed into the ground due to other inconsiderate people pinching your space. The Marshall was very good he came round moved a couple of said vans and we were then able to parkwith three at the back of the area cleared with myself having the longest outfit and the last of the group to arrive pitched accross the front of them, not ideal with regard to fire saftey etc

[Clive]

Well,

Out first impression of Pickering was that of a giant boot sale in several fields but we warmed to the rural site after a little while. The weather was outstanding and on Saturday we rode on our bikes over the moor to Whitby and had the most perfect fish and chips. The scenery over the moor was stunning and we found a nice pub (The White Swan) where we ventured again on Sunday for lunch. The pub also had a camp site at the back. (£5.00 per person per night)

We really hope that Warners use Pickering again next year.

Despite warnings put on the forum by others we found it was not necessary to drive through Pickering to access the show site.

Traders seemed well pleased with the week end and grumpy punters don,t normally part with their cash!.

Yes there are lessons to be learnt from this first time at Pickering and I am sure that they will be. The logistics of an operation of this magnitude are significant and having to totally re-arange the site because of the awfull weather in the weeks previous must have caused many headaches.

The plans for a new prestigious development on the site were on display by the entrance so give it a couple of years and it could look quite posh!.

 

From my viewpoint Warners pulled it off again!

 

Long way to empty the loo though!

 

C.

 

 

 

[dobscott]

We visited the show on Saturday. The journey over Sutton bank and on thro Helmsley was a joy in the early autumn morning. Entrance to the site was easy and the parking reasonably close to the entrance and on fairly hard ground. That the show took place at all was obviously as a result of a lot of very hard workand must have required some re- organisation to avoid the worst of the wet ground. Well done.

I did get the impression however that the format for these shows is tired and needs a serious re-think. Is parking hundreds of vans for sale,jammed close together, in what is literally the middle of a field an appropriate way to recruit and endear people to our hobby. The cost to stay on site is now a consideration to many of us, day visits not cheap, the lack of facilities, particularily toilet facilities at this show and the general feel of a down market activity does not fit well with a hobby/lifestyle that costs 000's of pounds to enjoy. Many of the retailers had little relevance to our hobby. I did not sample the food on offer, but however good the food the environment in which it was served and eaten did not appear attractive.

I do not mean to complain or to grumble about this particular show but to consider if there is or should be a different approach to these events.

[davenewellhome]

I'm tempted to say "what a load of whinging gits" but I'll hold that back. The very fact that the show went ahead is testament to the hard work of Maxine Shepherd and her group of workers, they did a superb job!

 

Yes there could have been more toilet facilities within the exhibition area (as traders we spent probably more time in that area than most of you and coped pretty well).

 

One person mentioned to me that a certain shower unit was "black with mould" so on a visit outside the exhibition area I made a point of checking out the offending shower unit. Guess what, not a sign of mould anywhere, the only reason I could see for complaint about any of the toilets was the poor aim of the users! I found it very disappointing to see that so many gents can't even hit a foot wide piss pot without spreading their product all over the floor, even worse was the fact that some people seem incapable of putting their used toilet paper in the pan!!!! >:-( >:-( >:-(

 

As for the complaint about displaying the vans for sale in a field, well if you don't like that then go to the NEC next month!

 

D.

[cheetahdavie]

As a "newbie" to Motor "homing"? [first venture on 23 Sept] I can see where davenewell is coming from.I did not attend the show,though i wanted to.[Purely because of my limited experience and of forum reading of member posts that talk of mud/rain and being towed out?.]

With regard to Toilets and general conditions I have been apalled by state of the same on many sites,even on Caravan Club sites ..4/5 star sites etc.It has not been the facilities nor the poor devils trying to clean them..but those who use the facilities! Cant aim straight [Pyrones?]..cant flush the unit after use,daub walls/seats.paper every where..gordon bennet..what an intro to a new hobby.My family and Grandchildren are having second thoughts about the next trip already.Many users "boasted" expensive vehicles and wordly charm..but their hygene habits??

Hope I havent highjacked the thread..but i have some sympathy with davenewell s comments.....god now im a whinger????

[york brewery]

 

I have my can i say it CARAVAN which is a 2004 swift with end shower n wash room

so i see no point in using toilets that are provided when i got my fanastic shower n toilet in the van.

 

as a trader at the show i did have to use the ones in the exhibition area and i agree with dave

what a discusting mess . and yes more units should be provided

 

 

dont todays modern motorhomes have shower n toilets as standard fittings?????

 

or is just us caravanners that have them.

 

 

 

 

[dobscott]

I would just like to ask Dave to read my post again. I did not intend to "complain" about any aspect of this show. My point was to question the format and repetitive nature of these shows. To sell expensive motorhomes in a field is not perhaps the best environment as the inside of some of the vehicles for sale will testify, but when literally hundreds are "jammed " together without clear definition by make or dealer, viewing and choice must become a matter of chance. I just thought that some reflection might now be due, and yes I am going to the NEC.

[david lloyd]

No, we're not all complaining and don't want to detract from the great efforts made by the organisers of such shows - BUT - it was the moderator who placed this thread and, presumably, wanted honest, relevent comments about the subject from a variety of different viewpoints. If no one pointed out their particular view of such things as toilet facilities, water points etc then the show organisers would have no bsis on which to try and improve the show for everyone next time around.

 

David

[IHTIOR]

We visited the show on Sunday. The ground appeared to be very good considering the terrible weather of late. The only thing that annoyed me on Sunday was the fact that I did'nt have enough time to see everything as we arrived at the show late. (it was my fault as not feeling too clever earlier on in the morning, so we decided to give the show a miss, then on the last minute decided to go after all. Enjoyed our visit even though it was rushed apart from when leaving the showground, one salesman decided he would'nt wait any longer in the queue of traffic and nearly hit our vehicle trying to push his way in front of us. My hubby got really mad with him and had words.!!

Dawn

[lizken]

The organisers did a great job of keeping this show active, in view of the conditions in Pickering shortly beforehand.

However, I must agree with others that the lack of toilet facilities was critical, and the provision of drinking water points was very poor.

The bowsers were frequently empty, with the treck to find a drinking water tap was a marathon. Chemical toilet tanks and waste bins were not emptied often enough.

Some facilty needs to be addressed for the disposal of grey water, as few vans have a waste water tank capable of holding 5 days usage.

Being very parochial, I feel that caravans and motorhomes should not be pitched in the same areas, as different practices relate to the owners of each. At a show such as this, motorhomers tend to pitch up and not move until leaving the show, whereas caravanners tend to use their cars, and especially 4X4s regularly, creating a churned up field.

I agree with Dave that Maxine Shepherd and her team did an excellent job, thepraise in other posts come mainly Warners Group publication contributors, such as Dave and Clive, whereas the comments of showgoers regarding the lack of facilities, expensive food outlets, and the overall increasing cost of attending, need to be addressed if future shows are to be successful.

A point I would raise about Pickering itself is that it is a small town, with few catering establishments, which were virtually continually booked up. It was almost impossible to have a meal in town, resulting more enforced use of the show catering stands, at inflated prices.

Ken

[Hymer C 9.]

Having read through all the above threads have to agree, the toilet facilities were very spa**e and I much preferred to use the van but that it not always possible, I found the show ground toilets or lack of them the worse, only used our own shower but OH did go quite a distance for water it was a good job it was sunny as the treck would have been unacceptable only had a bowser on MCC & CCC section which ran out so had to go to main show ground.

 

The other thing that would have been good was the buses to run to the entertainment in the evening our it was a long walk in the dark. Our Motorhome was parked 1 mile from the main gate (clocked it on the bike computer).

 

All that said I did enjoy the show and the location and realise it was the first show put on in very difficult circumstances and think Maxine and the team probably had so much reorganisation to do to get the show on at all that the teething problems had will hopefully be sorted out and I for one look forward to next years show at Pickering.

 

PS. Clive please let me know which roads you took for your bike ride to Whitby will give it a go next year. Carol.

[davenewellhome]

I could be wrong but I think the toilet and water facilities are provided by the showground not Warners organisers. I was under the impression the bowsers were intended to supply rinsing water for toilet cassettes not for drinking, again I may be mistaken but I certainly wouldn't have drunk any water from them unless it was boiled first. In fact I think if we'd not been able to find a stand pipe labelled for drinking water I'd have had to stick with the treated water provided by the York brewery, they had several flavours :D ;-) .

 

D.

[york brewery]

No probs there

we can supply 4/5 different types of flavoured water......lol

 

 

It may make you light headed but will leave you feeling relaxed n happy ...

 

Main benifits are=makes you face your other half with courage

[lizken]

HkenymerC9 reminded me that I did not see a site shuttle bus in the MCC/C&CC area all weekend, despite these camping areas having been moved a great distance from the main gate/entertainment building.

:-(