Vixters other half Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 I've had my orders!! Apparently I am to retire next year, sell the house and buy a guest house/ camp site or whatever in Cornwall, to keep me occupied and penniless. To this end we want to make a trip down to the area and make a few reconnisance runs around and about. Given the size of Brian and the narrowness of the roads in that part of the world, can any of you kind souls recommend suitable sites and what roads to avoid? ps if it ever comes to fruition it will be a motorhome friendly site- your input on the ideal site always welcom VoH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 I would suggest you visit their cousins in bretagne instead!!! :-> B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A W Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 Top of the list of places to avoid are those towns/villages that were once involved in the fishing industry. I'm thinking of places like Mevagissey,Fowey and St Ives.The streets will just take a car never mind a motorhome. The A30 down from Exeter across the middle of Cornwall is very motorhome friendly and once the roadworks are finished will be dual carriageway for much of its length. Your research will soon show you that property prices in this part of the UK are very high and to acheive an ambition of buying a campsite,even of moderate size,you will need a budget starting in 6 figures. Falmouth is a very popular destination but does not have any campsites at all.Land is precious there and the cost of starting a site would be prohibitive. Good luck with your search. PS I support the first reply! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 We thought about someting along the same lines in Norfolk but then thought if we were so busy running a camp site/guest house we would never get time to go away in our own van. Still thinking about some land for occasional rallies though ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 A W - 2007-02-18 6:54 AM Top of the list of places to avoid are those towns/villages that were once involved in the fishing industry. I'm thinking of places like Mevagissey,Fowey and St Ives.The streets will just take a car never mind a motorhome. The A30 down from Exeter across the middle of Cornwall is very motorhome friendly and once the roadworks are finished will be dual carriageway for much of its length. Your research will soon show you that property prices in this part of the UK are very high and to acheive an ambition of buying a campsite,even of moderate size,you will need a budget starting in 6 figures. Falmouth is a very popular destination but does not have any campsites at all.Land is precious there and the cost of starting a site would be prohibitive. Good luck with your search. PS I support the first reply! Sorry but I think this is a missleading post Mevagissey, Fowey and I think St.Ives all have 'out of town' parking that can accomadate coach's, but as you say avoid the centre's, but this applies to any visitor. Falmouth has three sites within 1km and 6 within 5km Taking a motorhome that big to cornwall you will come across narrow roads all over county, if you stick to main roads it shouldn't be to bad, but you'll end up at the sites I avoid as beeing to busy, unless someone knows of any quiute site with good access. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 Vixters other half - 2007-02-17 8:24 PM I've had my orders!! Apparently I am to retire next year, sell the house and buy a guest house/ camp site or whatever in Cornwall, to keep me occupied and penniless. Why?!?!? 8-) Even if you can find somewhere to buy you'll be running about like a headless chicken most of the time and tied to the guest house or campsite. Even if you managed to get it sorted so that you get a few hours off each day, you'll not get away that often. Have you actually had any experience in this sort of work? If not, I'd strongly suggest trying to get some proper hands-on experience (and not from someone trying to sell a place to you!), so that you really do have a proper understanding of what is involved in doing what you are thinking of. Perhaps doing a bit of part-time voluntary work on one of the CC/CCC club campsites for example, that way you'll get experience and be able to really get a feel for whether or not it's for you before making a very big financial and life-changing commitment. Or what about once you retire doing some part-time paid work at a campsite, or even a B&B. It's not all Fawlty Towers or Hi-De-Hi but it's not going to be easy either whichever option you choose. Please think VERY carefully before doing anything permanent. :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wills Wagon Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 It would help if you said what your vehicle was! We have a 22 ft AutoTrail which is 7ft 7 in wide, and had no problems with sites at Looe, St Austell, Truro, Newquay or Tintagel and have parked in public car parks at Fowey, Mevagissey and St Mawes with no problems. Some roads now have a 6ft 6in wide limit which is a pain. But if you want to explore the Lizard and Lands End area I suggest you stay at Carnon Downs which is on the A39 just south of Truro and now affiliated to the Caravan Club. It has excellent facilities and a pub across the road. Then hire a car from Enterprise at Truro, they will either collect you or deliver the car to you. We did this in October 2005, it cost us £66 net for 3 days including unlimited mileage and full insurance. It worked a treat and the service from Enterprise was excellent. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 As a resident of the county, I'd agree with the previous posting. Carnon Downs is an excellent site, and as well as hiring a car, you could consider using public transport ( yes it does exist in Cornwall!), and there are bus stops within a couple of minutes from the site to eitehr Truro or Falmouth, where there are good connection to many other parts of the county. Ther's also an excellent eatery opposite, formerly a Brewers Fayre outlet, now know as the Carnon Inn, which has been upmarketed in style and ambience, though not price, and now has NO Brewsters Childrens activcities - not saying it's anti-kids, but I think they've gone for the more adult market. Great place to eat, have breakfast or even Brunch! No, I have no coinncetion with them, nor do I get any benefit from the free advertising! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Regarding the campsite/guest house idea - with the greatest of respect, as they say, I do think this idea is seriously questionable! First Cornwall is already retirement heaven, and property prices are consequently out of reach for many of the locals. You won't buy cheap! Second, loads of other people have already had the same idea! Cornwall is not short of campsites, guest houses or B&Bs, so the competition will be stiff. So, third, I suspect you'll have to buy a going concern, since I doubt, between the planners and the worthys on the Chambers of Commerce, you'll get much of a welcome! A going concern will cost you even more, of course, but so could years of planning appeals.Finally, therefore, you'll spend your retirement trying to pay back the loan you needed to get your business off the ground and be dead in 10 years!Negative: me? Never! You will need to do an awful lot of very careful research though, if you're going to have a happy retirement instead of merely swapping wage slavery for loan slavery! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vixters other half Posted February 19, 2007 Author Share Posted February 19, 2007 Brian A big thank you - I hope Vixter gets to read this and spares me the anguish of years of bog trotting to pay of the loans! In all seriousness we are completely open on this and have never really seen much of Cornwall and wanted first of all to know of the roads were unsuitable for a large motorhome 2.54m wide by 8.25m long by 3.3 m high plus trailer with tow car. Once we knew we could get down there for a break, we could then see what was on offer even if it was a retirement cottage with somewhere to park the motorhome along side. We are also keen to see similar places in France as well. Being completely free to choose means we are having a great difficulty in deciding what we want. What a Problem!! Rgds VoH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Wills Wagon - 2007-02-18 6:23 PM It would help if you said what your vehicle was! Err, his photo is a BIG giveaway!! :-D Must admit that a lot of the areas where I think VoH would want to vist would be no-go areas for Big Brian, Cornwall especially is very 'tight' in the width of many of it's roads, moreso than much of the rest of Enland, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland & Wales (missed anywhere?). Out of interest VoH, why Cornwall??? Me, I'd much rather go to Northumberland - much quieter and beautiful ... oh, and a bit cheaper and no fl*ming A30 'car park'! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brenroy Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 if it is any help i'm an ex lorry driver so if any of the towns have a big store then then thay have to have deliveries so if thay can get there then so can you. good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vixters other half Posted February 19, 2007 Author Share Posted February 19, 2007 Mel B Northumberland , Southumberland, east or west for that matter!! We haven't done it because its so ****** expensive in the UK and we prefer the south as its easier to get across to Frogsville. Also our intended benificiaries live near Bristol and we want then to earn it!! As I said we are totally open and any suggestion of how to enjoy the late summer of our lives before we Spring into decadence would be appreciated. VoH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 RogerI know you get French trucks loading up with fish in Newlyn (yes - really!) but Cornwall to Frogsville is a long drag of a drive by almost any route. Plymouth to Roscoff would be your best, but unless you're dedicated sailors, choose a fine day!One thing to be aware of is that many Cornish roads are flanked both sides by high, rough, stone walls. You'll see over them OK in BB, but you can't in a car. The walls are right at the edge of the road, and many minor (i.e. "B" class) roads are too narrow for two cars, so passing oncoming vehicles can be great fun, a bit time consuming, and quite expensive if you kiss the wall!Still, if it's what you really, really, want.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 ssshhh Mel, don't tell everyone or N***hh*****land will be as busy as every where else on this overcrowded island. B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Sad to note that Carnon Downs has been sucked into the CC complex - such a nice site :-| B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 twooks - 2007-02-19 11:27 PM Sad to note that Carnon Downs has been sucked into the CC complex - such a nice site :-| B-) Don't knock it, the owner of this site previously owned Leverton Place, truro CS, which was also an afiliated/manged CC site, and extremely good. We stayed there for 3 months whilst deciding where to buy in Cornwall,- subsequently sold for commnerical edevopment, now housing Matalan, Comet and Wickes amongst others! What he has done with Carnon Downs is superb. He's got a Planning Application in at present to increase to 200 pitches (from 150), and puit in another toilet block 0 good lucj to him I say, and if he feels he needs the CC, so be it. The location is excekllent, and keeps most of the Caravans and larger motor homes 'off' the road, as there is excellent public transport outside. RE the more general point of the original enquiry, I must admit there's no way I would want to drive such a large vehicle anywhere in Cornwall off the main roads, and even they would be difficult in many polaces. Though classed as 'A' roads, they are much narrower - in some cases single track, effectively) I also agree with previous postings about the high cost of property and the likelhood of getting a site down here to purchase is quite remote, and to expect our planners to give any agreement to a new CS, well, all they are intersetd in I think is any business which will 'pay' a lot into the County coffers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bil h Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 So, you want to move to Cornwall and run a business, whatever for? Havn't you had enough of work. Make no mistake it will be a darned site more than you ever bargained for. You'll be pressurised by the supplier and critisiced by the public. If its a novelty shop you have in mind remember that a large percentage of your stock will dissapear like magic when hoards of holiday makers arrive. No doubt its been the dream of your 'adviser' well send them off on their own and stay where you are. A good pal of mine did what you have in mind, the change nearly killed him and he never drove his van again ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 well St Ives has a big Tesco's but we still squeeze betsy round the bends to get to her house over looking the beach at st Ives ....Big Brians bigger than mine? VOH & Vicky FRANCE>>>............................Easier way of life... Unless you want to move next to my mother inlaw Hyacyinth Bucket ... Cornish are very protective My father moans everytime the tourist season starts or is he just an old fart ..............old Fart.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vixters other half Posted February 22, 2007 Author Share Posted February 22, 2007 Many thanks for all your valued input. As someone once said by the time you have spotted a band waggon its too late to get on it! Its been best part of 25 years since we were last in Cornwall and all things change. We will try and see the sites as they are today and not worry so much about the Estate Agents. France later maybe? tks VoH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.