Poppy Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Only been to the NEC before.Today visited as a day visitor.Loads of mud.Not much to see.Many of the stands not named on the guide and those that are are usually wrong.Very disapointed and had to be towed off the car park and we had a car.Vans parked much nearer the road.Exhibitors very brave to let so many mud booted people tramp through the vans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Also been today. No problem in our car (a Toyota Yaris), quite true that some 'vans are parked near the road due to the soft ground, but no big problem. The site 'guide' does not match what is on the ground, as due to the soft conditions some exhibitors have been relocated. Found that the side stalls were quite good and got some 2½ litre Aquakem botles for £9-00. Plenty of places to eat and drink (soft drinks) and even the toilets were not too bad considering the state of the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Apart from one heavy shower no rain today but site is very muddy and some very unhappy traders some of whom feel that this is not an ideal location. Two of the food stalls suggested that there are more suitable sites with enough hard standing for at least the show if not the campers? Marshals doing a grand job in trying conditions and most traders cheerful if not exactly overjoyed. If it stays dry Sunday should be OK ish but the whole area is well ploughed up now and wellies and old clothes are the order of the day and take care not to slip as sitting down on the mud will not help your vehicle upholstery! All in all we have enjoyed it so far but getting out might be even more fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Perhaps surprisingly we managed to get off OK - unlike many who had to be tractored off the camping areas. Our advantage? Parking all four wheels on load spreading one foot square wooden pads which gave us the grip to get started instead of sunken wheels. The show ground was like the Somme on a good day and we were amazed to see day visitors trudging around in flip flops, open toed sandals and pristine shiny white fashion trainers - well not quite so pristine actually in the sometimes 3" thick slime. It seems that stagnant rainfall appears to blend well with previously dried and inoffensive animal depositions to create a lovely deep brown aromatic mire!! Lovely!! It was nearly a good show in spite of the awful conditions and almost everyone managed to retain their sense of humour! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 We arrived early Friday morning, first time to Cheshire, hoping to sort a few things out for the new Van, My wife never got out the van as the mud was beyond my capabilities with her manual wheelchair & the electric wheelchair covered me in mud & water just getting it out the garage & around to the passenger door. The Disabled camping area had a good covering of grass, with underlying water, but as soon as there was any wheel movement they cut into the soil, forming a thin paste, even the wheelchair was doing it. At least we christened the new Van, but we weren't intending to do it with mud throw up from the wheels. As Tracker said most of the Exhibition area walkways covered in 2" to 3" of muddy gloop & although many loads of bark chipping put down they where being moved by some stallholders to put in there stands. OK where the aluminium staging was laid, but you had to negotiate the mud to get to those. Guess many of the Dealers will spend next week cleaning the Vans they took to the Show. We admitted defeat Sunday midday & bailed out (literally) then towed out by tractor as front wheels were just going nowhere. Just a comment for anyone with a X250 (any age). Check your Towing Eye is the correct one for your Van. There are short & long versions. 3 people had a short Towing Eye in their toolkits that did not extend out of the front bumper & needed loan of our long version, to enable the tractor to pull them out. All different convertors, so it appears to be a Fiat (or Sevel) problem, supplying the wrong Towing Eye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Just a comment for anyone with a X250 (any age). Check your Towing Eye is the correct one for your Van. There are short & long versions. 3 people had a short Towing Eye in their toolkits that did not extend out of the front bumper & needed loan of our long version, to enable the tractor to pull them out. All different convertors, so it appears to be a Fiat (or Sevel) problem, supplying the wrong Towing Eye. hi flicka obouisly in was hard with the missus in a wheelchair etc,, but i dont get the comment on above, a towing eye under the bumper is a towing eye for that purpose i dont get a "extented" version? and why would you have this in your toolkit!! i just have a rope!! or am i missing something jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 silverback - 2012-07-15 10:17 PM Just a comment for anyone with a X250 (any age). Check your Towing Eye is the correct one for your Van. There are short & long versions. 3 people had a short Towing Eye in their toolkits that did not extend out of the front bumper & needed loan of our long version, to enable the tractor to pull them out. All different convertors, so it appears to be a Fiat (or Sevel) problem, supplying the wrong Towing Eye. hi flicka obouisly in was hard with the missus in a wheelchair etc,, but i dont get the comment on above, a towing eye under the bumper is a towing eye for that purpose i dont get a "extented" version? and why would you have this in your toolkit!! i just have a rope!! or am i missing something jon flicka said "extend out of the front bumper - if it isn't big enough you could cause damage to the bumper with the tow rope - the eye is what you attach the tow rope to and it seems is not permanently fitted as standard hence why it is in the toolkit - it would appear that Fiat have been supplying the wrong sized ones for Ducatos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 with all due respect to you and ficka, thats tosh!! a towing eye is a towing eye!! and of corse they are fitted as standard, damage to the front i just not getting it soz! you put a rope on...an thats it..surely!! and as for "the eye" you would be attaching a shackle.. which further would go from a towing eye of 3500kg down to 1500kg becauase of the shackle unless you get it certified every year jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildBill Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 As said earlier, the towing eye is detachable and screws onto the front of the van through a pop out piece of bumper. My van has one as does my work van and also my car. They come as part of the toolkit issued with the vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 jon ... not sure what you don't understand but threads on other forums mention a detachable towing eye for Fiat Ducatos too .... towing eye 1 towing eye 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 silverback - 2012-07-15 10:17 PM Just a comment for anyone with a X250 (any age). Check your Towing Eye is the correct one for your Van. There are short & long versions. 3 people had a short Towing Eye in their toolkits that did not extend out of the front bumper & needed loan of our long version, to enable the tractor to pull them out. All different convertors, so it appears to be a Fiat (or Sevel) problem, supplying the wrong Towing Eye. hi flicka obouisly in was hard with the missus in a wheelchair etc,, but i dont get the comment on above, a towing eye under the bumper is a towing eye for that purpose i dont get a "extented" version? and why would you have this in your toolkit!! i just have a rope!! or am i missing something jon Hi Jon (Silverback) The Towing Eye is NOT a permenant fixture & is supplied in the toolkit/jack. There is a small plastic pop-out panel in the offside bumper which covers the Towing Eye screwed mounting socket. One of the people with a short version had a 2011 Autotrail Cherokee which has a recessed mounting socket. The short version screwed in with difficulty due to the size of the pop-out panel opening, but it not protrude out of the bodywork , hence the requirement the long version Towing Eye, his mate alongside with a 2011 Swift Escape also had the short version, but their mounting socket was immediately behind the pop-out panel, so OK. The others with the short version but needed the long version, were a Burstner Ixeo & a CI Carioca (? spelling) both on private plates, so not sure of year. Make sure you check your new Autotrail, when you collect it . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Aye aye............. 8-) So they've even managed to make towing eye's complicated now days *-).................Progress eh? (lol) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brit_Stops Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Quick note from a happy trader. Yes, the show was muddy (especially, it seemed to us, in front of our stand near gate B...) but everyone we met was in good spirits - even those in white flip flops or trainers! The show maybe wasn't as busy as it could have been due to the weather, but it certainly wasn't bad. The organisers on site did a great job given the circumstances, and the security lads and lasses in particular did sterling work, especially as they worked long hours, often standing out in the rain for long periods. Despite all this, they kept their sense of humour, and were pleasant and cheerful. I do think we're now well overdue a sunny show though, so please arrange this for Malvern. Steve :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowtelse2do Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Yesterday just a few more miles down the road at Oulton Park. I was entered to a classic car show. Well over a thousand classics there plus all the spectators. Loads of hard standing for a Caravan and M/H show plus a good restaurant and toilet facilities. Most of our cars were on the grass and none to my knowledge was towed off and we did not leave until after 5pm. There were one or two small areas where it had been a bit boggy but it was a v/good day for all, None in Wellingtons or flip flops. Might be a good idea if Warner's tried there next year, Oulton park cater for exhibitions Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 AHHHH, i now understand *-) thanks Mel an John i have never come across these before, and will make sure my new van has a long one!! as dave says progress eh *-) and on the other point on venue, warners take note, oultan park is brill for this sort of show..cos its a race track..so very well drained, and they can swap where people camp from grass to tarmac in a differant part of the curcuit, however they probably charge more :-S jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooie Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Ah yeah but.........Oulton Park will NOT be cheap !! Were as a crappy old field is. So that rules out that then ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 exactly (!) jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Its ironic, they moved the northern show from York due to the soft ground (they were installing drainage) to another place where there sounds like there are even more problems with soft ground ..... *-) I miss it being at York in September - it used to be perfectly timed to coincide with the food festival in York centre so it was really a very good show to attend for the variety of things to do. Plus there was a great car boot sale next to the racecourse on the Saturday! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooie Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Mel, i was at the last show at York before it moved and it was " bloody awful " It then moved to Pickering and that was worse. Didn`t bother with that one, i know what it`s like up there. And now Cheshire........................we went there last year, and the light rain we had just turned it " where we pitched " to mud. We bailed out early on the sunday morning as it started to rain again. I always use the " Grip Mats " when on grass, just to be safe and i`m glad i did. Regards. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowtelse2do Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Wooie - 2012-07-16 8:24 PM Ah yeah but.........Oulton Park will NOT be cheap !! Were as a crappy old field is. So that rules out that then ! It might not be cheap Wooie, but who knows what the weather will be like next year. If it's anything like this year then it may seem cheap. Think about this also, you could demand that the dealers give you a test drive on the circuit to see if anything falls off the van, love to see a caravan being tugged through Nicker Brook. Could test for water ingress at Cascade's. Test the front bumper at Deer-leap, it's endless. :D :D I think it would make a superb venue, especially with the huge population catchment area (80 mile radius) around it. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooie Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 nowtelse2do - 2012-07-16 9:11 PM Wooie - 2012-07-16 8:24 PM Ah yeah but.........Oulton Park will NOT be cheap !! Were as a crappy old field is. So that rules out that then ! It might not be cheap Wooie, but who knows what the weather will be like next year. If it's anything like this year then it may seem cheap. Think about this also, you could demand that the dealers give you a test drive on the circuit to see if anything falls off the van, love to see a caravan being tugged through Nicker Brook. Could test for water ingress at Cascade's. Test the front bumper at Deer-leap, it's endless. :D :D I think it would make a superb venue, especially with the huge population catchment area (80 mile radius) around it. Dave I`m up for that one ! Less than 40 mile for me. We need to start a petition to get the show there then. The " she`ll cruise at 80 all day long " brigade will have a whale of a time. Regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowtelse2do Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Yeh, don't forget the mpg reports. 'I get 39.9mpg at 70mph on the motorway into a headwind' :-D Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david lloyd Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Mel B - 2012-07-16 8:48 PM Its ironic, they moved the northern show from York due to the soft ground (they were installing drainage) to another place where there sounds like there are even more problems with soft ground ..... *-) I miss it being at York in September - it used to be perfectly timed to coincide with the food festival in York centre so it was really a very good show to attend for the variety of things to do. Plus there was a great car boot sale next to the racecourse on the Saturday! :-D I'm with you MelB - really looked forward to York Show, great location for a long weekend break. We haven't been to the 'Northern' Motorhome Show since it moved to Cheshire and would love to see it back in Yorkshire. david Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeti Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 It is usually well drained land but excessive rainfall have saturated the ground and over the years constant vehicle traffic,especially tractors lorries and of course motorhomes have compacted the ground and caused standing water. This effect would happen anywhere considering the amount of rainfall we have had recently just watch the TV and you can see some of the worst effects, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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