Guys, if you enjoyed this weeks video, we’d love it if you went and hit that subscribe button! It makes a huge difference to us (but it’s free for you) and helps us to keep growing and keep creating our travel videos week after week ❤
I am subscribed thanks for the show's. Much happier seeing Rosie in a harness between destinations! should the lorry stop she will be one less worry for you. Keep up the good work.
British government is hostile towards its population.Government caters only for themselves, the rich. If it wpulf be because of some vanlifers who are messing around, football should also be shut down. I feel also vety unwelcomed in my campervan. You don't know what could happen next. In Cornwall was a campervan set on fire once.
I look forward to your vlogs every week. You have a lovely little family who are all happy and content. Your children will grow up well travelled and well educated xx
We stayed at a Carrefour site in France which had free services and electric which we made full use of. They benefited from us staying as we spent over 200 euros on food, diesel and launderette. Win win on both sides!
Also, we toured Devon and Cornwall over the winter period a few years ago and couldn't get into empty carparks. Then they wonder why their hospitality businesses are going out of business! We can't spend our money with them even if we wanted to!!
Bottle caps attached for recycling in Ireland we have Re Return machine bottles with logos get returned money back in cash. Cans also. 500ml to 2lt 0.15c to 0.75c
You guys cheer me up! I'm recovering from total knee replacement surgery...painful...so, watching you and the kids in France keeps me happily distracted!, Thank you!,❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉
I love France and Spain we traveled all through both , but they are both so much bigger than the British Isles and we have a huge population and in comparison, so less space , more cars houses and population makes a huge difference when traveling around the Uk .
The attached bottle lids are annoying but a little trick I found is that if you bend them further back (after unscrewing them) at the plastic ring the lid won’t ping back up
Yes the new attached bottle tops are to aid recycling, so they don't get separatedand therefore less chance of them ending up in animals and large fish etc.
Got an overstay fine in a UK supermarket carpark in the UK (Cotswolds) when charging when they were closes on their car charger. The overstay GBP 60 fine was for overstay in the carpark, not overstaying at the charger.
Subscribed. Surprised I wasn't already. Amazing videos guys and wow do you like a challenge. Home schooling, on the road, in a van! Yes I agree too the UK needs to up their game for vanlifers.
good night Kiria and Ric and the kids i love watching your videos on your TH-cam channel I hope you are enjoying your adventures aboard I hope you are all well please keep safe and warm please keep up your good work on your TH-cam channel
The main issue with Plastic waste is bottle tops, There was a programme on Tv and the main issue was Bottles are easy to collect and Recycle, However the Tops are not. Hence they now produce the tops to remain with the bottle .
@user-fw5cz3kf4z I have toured a recycling centre and they check all the containers as they go on the conveyor belt - the lids fall through to the ground at that time they had many bales of plastic lids waiting for the day a company would buy them so it is good if they are now made of 100% recyclable plastic .
the main issue with plastic is NOT plastic bottle tops - its the single use plastic round things like gingerbread men. even if this thin film plastic is collected it cant be turned into anything (it gets burnt). Plastic isn't recycled - it's always down-cycled into something less valuable. Recycling is designed to make you feel good about continuing to buy crap with plastic....we all have choices, there is always a better option.
I thought i was the only one who hates those new bottle tops. Another case of solving a problem we never had, Because of course there is an epidemic of bottle tops being discarded 🙄
Brilliant video. Date night with Kiera...what's not to like you lucky man...the ultimate "yummy mummy" 😜 Did a good job on Rosie's paws....needed trimmed! Love you guys! ❤️❤️❤️
I think the hotels are missing a trick in the UK. We quite often stay in barrier controlled hotel car parks abroad and pay a little extra to use the gym showers etc. For example we are currently in southern Poland paying 30zl per 24hrs (about £6) for this service along with 6 or 7 other vans/mohos the car parks nearly all have plenty of space and security and staff on hand. Better than aires really.
Absolutely! There are a lot of big struggling hotels and this could help bring in revenue, especially ones with food to offer. There are a lot of pub stops in the UK, although we've only ever tried one of those. When the kids are up and gone, the pub stops will become more appealing 😂
My great great great great grandfather worked on the life boat in Aberystwyth last to use the rowing and first to use the powerd ones when they came in to service
Canterbury City Council offer 20 bays at the New Dover Road Park & Ride, toilets, grey water, clean water… £4 a night plus unlimited use of the park and ride buses to the city centre 7am - 7pm Only 30 mins from the ferry at Dover… some places do actually want camper and and the tourists money they create
Yes we’ve stayed there before. Prime example of the right way to do it. Although we have seen recently that there are a lot more motorhomers in there than there are supposed to be
@@Touringwiththekids during the summer it’s silly, I lost count the number of times the wooden height restriction barrier was damaged which then allowed campers into an under-utilised car park extension
Campers were in all areas of the carparks at Canterbury when we visited at the end of August. Luckily most head off promptly. But. What is with the full timers there? I think they eventually get shifted on but it isn't a great look when they get really comfortable.
I, too, love stinky cheese and brought some back from Germany and my son wasn't all that pleased about it as the ice packs we took along didn't last all that long which meant the cheeses got slightly warm and developed a lovely smell. Another thing Keira and I have in common is the sweet wine. There I can highly recommend Sauternes which is a sweet French wine and the price depends on the year it was produced. I used to but mine in Belgium and paid between £6.00 and £9.00 per bottle. The same wine in Sainsburys cost £12.00 for a 37.5 cl bottle and £24.00 for 0.70 litre bottle which they don't sell I believe. The attached bottle tops is an idea from some bored bureaucrate in Brussels. The idea behind is that the tops stay with the bottle and are recycled together. Irn Bru is already doing that here in the UK
A good trick if you like sweet wine is stick to the hottest countries, Australia, Chilli, Southern Spain. As for the bottle tops they don’t come off so the top will be recycled with the bottle. It annoys me too but if you push the top down when you open it it clicks down and stays out of the way. Love your channel.
Awww I loved this extra long video thank u guys loved every min. Omg 😱 your battery’s again there definitely not on your side are they I hope u guys get them sorted. Xxx
Just heard your teaser for next week’s episode. For this trip, at least, you really need to disconnect the starter batteries if you’re parking up for more than a day. When you get back and you’re buying new batteries, put some effort into finding and eliminating the parasitic draw, or the same thing will happen again. As previously mentioned, the tachograph is a highly likely suspect. A small solar panel, dedicated to the starter battery bank ONLY, might keep up with it, if you don’t want to eliminate the cause, once you find it. But you do need to find it, in case it’s an actual fault, which could get worse, with possibly serious consequences. This weeks episode was particularly confusing, because SWMBO was watching a tv show about France at the same time and I kept muddling the two up in my head. Great to see you managed to find some good weather. Ironically, we just had two full days of summer here, but we’re back to cold and miserable again now. We’re breaking our 30 year abstention from air travel, to get a week of decent weather ourselves, after two pathetic summers in a row. I figure, if it’s okay for the Greens to fly all over the world for their climate crisis meetings, it’s probably okay for me to fly to Spain once every thirty years, or so. Who knows? Maybe we’ll see you there…
I agree completely about the starting battery but I'll add the knackered battery terminal they showed us in Spain that nobody's said has been replaced.
39:29 get a low-power inverter & leave your battery charger connected till you get it sorted. (It doesn't upset the alternator). I have a Lidl 3.8A automatic charger on 'motorbike' setting plugged into a 75W inverter (the inverter won't take 'car' setting so a slightly bigger inverter might be a good idea). Once it's done its cycle it drops to a tiny amount of power.
There are a LOT of brownfield sites within the UK (over 23,000 sites). The government has a scheme called the ‘Brownfield Land Release Fund’ which is generally being used for the shortage of housing. I would suggest a large organisation, or community of van lifers put a proposal together. Due to the history of the sites there would be some form of infrastructure, and usually in an interesting location. I’ve done some research on it and it’s certainly plausible, happy to share info ✌️
@@wolveshat854yeah, they are primarily owned by local authorities, as well as a few public bodies. Funding wise, you’d need to hope that they see the bigger picture and use regenerative funding. Would benefit tourism, local income, perception. Benefits far outweigh the risks
if you want more control of your dog you need to take the halter off and start using a slip lead or you will continue to struggle with pulling. you will also get better repsonse from dog with slip lead
You say the "UK should up it's game" and learn from France. Perhaps if people in the UK had more respect for their country and didn't leave it looking like a rubbish tip then there would be more leniency
Or if people stopped blaming camper vanners when often the boy racers chucking fast food takeaway boxes, lager cans, and nox cylinders out window leaving campervanners to litter pick. Also a number of camper vans in a car park can deter boy racers and 🐕 ers.
@@Pootz1000your on a vanlife video so it did imply you were blaming vanlifers for littering, especially when you said people would be more tolerant if “people” didn’t litter.
Because a big % of brits especially the younger generation who have learnt things from there parents 🤔🤔😨have zero respect for anyone or anyplace and just trash EVERYTHING/EVERYWHERE ! If kids see parents doing things they do same if parents cant be parents just want easy life be freinds then explains why things gone soo very badlly wrong in last 25 years !!
@@michael-sz3ffthat's grown out of Thatcher's "there's no such thing as society" & "dog eat dog" nonsense that no Prime Minister since has bothered to correct & until people learn how to vote for decent MPs rather than for rosettes it's just going to get worse.
I hear a lot of complaints about motorhomes, how everyone dumps their rubbish on roadside, I can honestly say, I have never seen a motorhome dump rubbish, I do see a lot of cars pull up eat their takeaway & throw rubbish out the window, sad thing is, they're only a few steps away from a bins, 😢 free is always good 😅 hope you're all enjoying your travels 💪🏼🌹❣️
Ohh .. battery problem… I watch a few TH-camrs, someone had issues with occasionally experiencing flat battery….can’t remember who it was but it turned out to be their infotainment system in the dash, it switches on to track updates, of course if away from a signal it just keeps booting up every hour to try again until battery gets exhausted… 😮
@@michael-sz3ffthose batteries are that big because that's what it takes to start a lorry engine, there doesn't need much capacity used before they won't start the engine!
The UK government is to blame. Two tier policing, the lack in law and order makes it impossible to have camper park ups. In France you rarely see the police because the locals are the ears/ eyes and if they see a person abusing a situation the police are called in and they will handle it very swiftly, no messing around, for the traveller will be moved on or even fined.
Met you a few days ago, and failed to ask your names, I posted about it on our page and someone said this Might be you. And it is. Alan, Helen+Buffy the dog. Veni Vidi Bibi.
Your comment about park up,s very true, since COVID more people are staying at home , there is Golden oppopunity to up their game and made show motor home people market is there from Tom
You need to find a video on the use of the new bottle tops..there is a trick in the design to open the water bottle and then pull the cap over the top and lying flat on the bottle making it very easy to drink
On our first trip we avoided tolls and learnt that, in a big van, you end up spending more on diesel navigating those tiny roads than the tolls costs. Plus all the stopping to squeeze past people just gets a bit much.
Great catching up with your travels while I put my travels on pause for 3 months due to bypass surgery. I do agree that Europe is easier than the UK for finding camping spots, but then having an 11m rig doesn't help either... As for tolls, I've generally stuck to non-toll roads unless I need to make some time.
Hi there love your content many moons ago you had problems with a leeky window on your old van we have the same on a small oblong one do you know the best way to take the window out to replace.. ❤ To all Lee
Having worked in local authority (but not for some years), I think a big reason may be the risk of itinerants and them taking up camp. It costs a fortune to get the court orders to move them on and I think with the current underfunding, they’re not going to want to open up the risk. I may be wrong, but I suspect it’s a factor.
You're probably right but 5 minutes talking to the Liaison Officer will tell them that depriving others won't make the slightest difference to the problem 😢
Well done on the Paw trim , we do the same to our dog 🐕 Love your vlogs , can’t wait to see where else you find in France. Kiera as you like sweet , have you tried the French equivalent to squash? It’s called Sirop and the grenadine flavour is amazing , the kids would love it !! 😊
Yeah we get the Sirop occasionally, it does the job, but we still miss our squash when we come out here. Such a British thing. We usually stock up before we leave the UK but we totally forgot this time!
nice video, thumbs up from me. if you're worried about always finding rubbish disposal - maybe you could see how long you could go without creating rubbish...just a thought, might be a nice vlog. hope you get your batteries sorted....its a pain but if one is knackered and its in series, it'll take the other one(s) down.
Hi guys Love your videos What is the location of the park up by the supermarket please? Would like to add this one to our list. Would love to meet you guys one day if our travels cross at any time. Happy travels. ❤
Fantastic video , As for the uk upping its game can't see supermarkets doing this as there is just to much crime and vandals . Hope you enjoyed your desert Richard lol 🤣🤣🤣
I totally agree. England doesn't support van life people. I think the problem may be all these private carpark companies make it harder for us all. Love the vlogs , keep on living your best life
My comment to first visiting France and particularly Germany was look how clean it is . Therein lies the cultural difference ( look at what was left at the recent festivals ). Ref Toll roads . I use them on the way back to make up time but otherwise set the sat nav to no tolls and the roads are more difficult but picturesque.
Because a big % of brits especially the younger generation who have learnt things from there parents 🤔🤔😨have zero respect for anyone or anyplace and just trash EVERYTHING/EVERYWHERE ! If kids see parents doing things they do same if parents cant be parents just want easy life be freinds then explains why things gone soo very badlly wrong in last 25 years !!
Because a big % of brits especially the younger generation who have learnt things from there parents 🤔🤔😨have zero respect for anyone or anyplace and just trash EVERYTHING/EVERYWHERE ! If kids see parents doing things they do same if parents cant be parents just want easy life be freinds then explains why things gone soo very badlly wrong in last 25 years !!
Ric 'look at this would you, from this side you wouldn't know we're in a supermarket, it's absolutely....oh she's crapping' 🤣🤣. I was wondering do you guys feel connected to us guys on the other end of the videos like I guess many of us do with you guys? It would make me feel all sunshiney inside if you said yes.....so say yes! 🤣🤣🤣🤣. Bless you guys. Be safe. Stu. PS, get that beard grown out mate, rock the beard man 😉
I know this is not the whole reason but I wonder if overnight parking spaces attract a higher business rates because lorry drivers in the UK have the same problem.
It is disgusting the by-passing and general demise of truck stops sees lorry drivers having to eat, sleep and 💩 in lay-bys. The services are expensive / often full. Truck stops were a,so place to chat, chill and socialise as it can be a lonely life.
When are you going to put a doggie type seatbelt in the front of the truck. The dog being untethered is highly dangerous. Belfort is a wonderful place to visit. I spent a week there a few years ago when i was coach driving. Excellent place 👌.
Alas some people think of motorhomes like travellers as In Appleby fair in Cumbria and surrounding towns, can be a total mess afterwards , what you have to change is that mind set, as in all walks of life there's always some that spoil it for others.
Another interesting thing is the New Zealand system whereby to ‘Freedom Camp’ you need a paid for permit and to get the permit you have to have plumbed in on-board toilet. According to the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association (NZMCA), a self-contained vehicle has to be able to “meet the ablutionary and sanitary needs of the occupants for a minimum of three days, without requiring any external services or discharging waste.” There is a large fine for freedom camping without a permit. I favour this as long as permit cost was reasonable then permitted vans could have to display a large, easily seen number and it would make it easier to track down people displaying anti social behaviours too.
I think here in the UK Council carparks most say no overnight parking they should allow overnight parking put a sign up £10 per night must leave by 8am what harm would it do when 99% are empty at night
Yes we are very lucky in France, free or low cost aires all over. I do have a question though, why buy brochetts and then pull the meat off to cook? It would have been cheaper to buy chicken breast and cutting it up yourself 😁
I totally agree with you that the UK should take a look at the way Europe allows motor homes to park up for little to no money. Once one council did it or allowed others may follow, I can live in hope. It doesn’t help that campsites in the UK seem to be charging eye watering pitch fees this also including club sites. If there were more affordable sites this would help also. Love the weekly videos, safe travels 🚐
Unfortunately you are missing one massive point. The UK government and councils do not want people in motorhomes. They don't even want cars on the road with their net zero, anti carbon/ climate change nonsense. Vehicles are taxed to the death. ULEZ etc.. On a side we're huge fans of what you're doing! My wife and I often talk about how amazing it would be to have more freedom to travel, explore new things, and make memories with our own family. You're definitely making us feel like we need to get out there and start living the life we've always wanted!
🙂 Bypassing Paris this year on the way to Germany, we opted for the toll road.. it came at quite a shock to pay €53 for the stretch we covered 😱 We normally opt for the national roads and did so on our return 😅
The UK are ripping people off big time even on paying sites since Covid the prices are crazy one site we went to prior to C was £25 looked last week it’s now £55, per night last year in France the most we paid for site’s that are twice the size of any here was no more than 20 euros and they don’t ask if you’ve got an awning dog ect ect it’s just pick your spot and enjoy
I find that plastic bottle caps on oil and even detergent are getting harder to open whereas they used to have a pull back tab. Sometimes I have to use a knife to lever it off. With food and medicine bottles I think the reason might be to both making them childproof and tamper proof. I am not sure if leaving the cap attached to the bottle is for environmental regions if the coloured cap is a different type of plastic if it is all the same type of plastic then it would be for environmental reasons . Would you worry if the cap was clear like the bottle?
I put extra powder in the 24/7 machines. We help support the Council, local shops, cafes, and pubs as we all know plus I believe it helps deter anti-social behaviour. Some Councils are see benefit and CAMpRA (Campaign for Real Aires) is doing a great job but some resulting Aires can be up to £20 or more 😡
We do too, even though they say not to 😂 We have on occasion had things come out looking quite dirty and the machines aren't cheap. So want our stuff to have a good wash!
I’m 100% with you ref trying to get UK aires. But how to do it. It’s no good going to Caravan & Motor Home club because they are basically a business and just want to charge £30-£60 a night, good sites but not what we need. Do we push our councils, do we get a magazine like MMM to push it , do we contact local MP,s (if it’s not golf then probably no chance). It probably needs a proper assessment to put forward what extra revenue it could bring to local economy and presented by an official body.
France, they are catching on, more and more Aires turning into Camping-Car-Parks, and some are really quite a lot of money, plus they don't allow for not everyone wants electricity. They should have put metered electric in, like we saw in Germany in 2007. The high users pay more, the occasional a fair price and the ones that don't need to use it don't subsidise it all. We motorhome for 5 or 6 months of the year and I like that we are off grid, it offsets the fuel footprint a little. As for France, they are catching on, more and more Aires turning into Camping-Car-Parks, and some are really quite a lot of money, plus they don't allow for not everyone wants electricity. They should have put metered electric in, like we saw in Germany in 2007. The high users pay more, the occasional a fair price and the ones that don't need to use it don't subsidise it all. We motorhome for 5 or 6 months of the year and I like that we are off grid, it offsets the fuel footprint a little. As for the supermarkets allowing parking overnight, so many are rammed at all times, when we visit the UK we have trouble even going shopping in our Ducato camper van, 6m + 1m for bikes. Plus those car park owners would have to liase with the companies they got to control them, 2 or 3 hours maximum... You have to admit, there is more space in France....
There are no park-ups like those at supermarkets in the UK because, unfortunately, they would likely be abused. While not everyone would misuse such facilities, a small minority could cause issues. My family owns a private beach in the West Country with parking for 30 vehicles and a small static caravan site nearby. Last year, they opened the car park for overnight stays (maximum of two nights) with free hookups, water, and rubbish disposal for £8 per night, plus additional fees for tank disposal, launderette services, and babysitting. Sadly, they faced numerous complaints about noise, drug use, unsupervised pets, and littering. As a result, they didn’t reopen this year and are hesitant about next year due to the loss of business and cleanup costs. I doubt councils will approve similar schemes at supermarkets without strict security. Although only a minority caused trouble, the financial and emotional toll on them was significant.
That’s such a shame, that some spoilt it for the majority. I think it might be risky to have free spots everywhere, but paid overnight parking would attract the right people and most motorhomers are respectful
Easy way around this is to put cctv up in the carparks and then fine the ones who's doing wrong and miss using the service there another income for the council
Some big supermarket chains like Tesco let vanlifers stay overnight. Obviously look for signs stating the parking restrictions and you will be fine if there are no signs at all
Guys, if you enjoyed this weeks video, we’d love it if you went and hit that subscribe button! It makes a huge difference to us (but it’s free for you) and helps us to keep growing and keep creating our travel videos week after week ❤
I am subscribed thanks for the show's. Much happier seeing Rosie in a harness between destinations! should the lorry stop she will be one less worry for you. Keep up the good work.
Every government we end up with don’t give a toss about anything or anyone but themselves.
British government is hostile towards its population.Government caters only for themselves, the rich. If it wpulf be because of some vanlifers who are messing around, football should also be shut down. I feel also vety unwelcomed in my campervan. You don't know what could happen next. In Cornwall was a campervan set on fire once.
I look forward to your vlogs every week. You have a lovely little family who are all happy and content. Your children will grow up well travelled and well educated xx
Thankyou so much! Hope you enjoy this weeks video 😄 let us know what you think xx
We stayed at a Carrefour site in France which had free services and electric which we made full use of. They benefited from us staying as we spent over 200 euros on food, diesel and launderette. Win win on both sides!
Also, we toured Devon and Cornwall over the winter period a few years ago and couldn't get into empty carparks. Then they wonder why their hospitality businesses are going out of business! We can't spend our money with them even if we wanted to!!
Definitely a win win situation. We also spent quite a bit of money x
Loads of empty car parks in the UK!
@@stirvitthat's the whole idea with the government,to ruin the economy. It became very clear with the C19 regulations.,😞
Bottle caps attached for recycling in Ireland we have Re Return machine bottles with logos get returned money back in cash. Cans also. 500ml to 2lt 0.15c to 0.75c
You guys cheer me up! I'm recovering from total knee replacement surgery...painful...so, watching you and the kids in France keeps me happily distracted!, Thank you!,❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉
That’s so lovely to hear. Wishing you a speedy recovery ❤️🩹 xxx
I love France and Spain we traveled all through both , but they are both so much bigger than the British Isles and we have a huge population and in comparison, so less space , more cars houses and population makes a huge difference when traveling around the Uk .
The attached bottle lids are annoying but a little trick I found is that if you bend them further back (after unscrewing them) at the plastic ring the lid won’t ping back up
Yes the new attached bottle tops are to aid recycling, so they don't get separatedand therefore less chance of them ending up in animals and large fish etc.
Got an overstay fine in a UK supermarket carpark in the UK (Cotswolds) when charging when they were closes on their car charger. The overstay GBP 60 fine was for overstay in the carpark, not overstaying at the charger.
Good videos once again, enjoyed this,thank you for sharing 😊
Beautiful villages you featured. Nice that you guys could have a date night. Here in the US Walmarts are pretty hospitable to campers.🙂
That’s cool! Nice to have places that accommodate ☺️
Good evening to you all another great video. Thank you for sharing your journeys with us all
You’re very welcome, thankyou for watching! Much appreciated x
Subscribed. Surprised I wasn't already.
Amazing videos guys and wow do you like a challenge. Home schooling, on the road, in a van!
Yes I agree too the UK needs to up their game for vanlifers.
Haha oh yes, we definitely didn't choose the easy option despite how idyllic it looks at times 😂 but we love it 🥰
Thank you for taking us along. I have just finished full time travelling a few months ago and so missing it! Have fun x
Aww it's so much fun isn't it! xx thanks for watching
Thank for sharing guys that was amazing. As always ❤️ see you soon 😊
Our pleasure! Glad you enjoyed it 😊😊
good night Kiria and Ric and the kids i love watching your videos on your TH-cam channel
I hope you are enjoying your adventures aboard I hope you are all well please keep safe and warm please keep up your good work on your TH-cam channel
Thank you! xx
The main issue with Plastic waste is bottle tops, There was a programme on Tv and the main issue was Bottles are easy to collect and Recycle, However the Tops are not. Hence they now produce the tops to remain with the bottle .
@user-fw5cz3kf4z I have toured a recycling centre and they check all the containers as they go on the conveyor belt - the lids fall through to the ground at that time they had many bales of plastic lids waiting for the day a company would buy them so it is good if they are now made of 100% recyclable plastic .
the main issue with plastic is NOT plastic bottle tops - its the single use plastic round things like gingerbread men. even if this thin film plastic is collected it cant be turned into anything (it gets burnt). Plastic isn't recycled - it's always down-cycled into something less valuable. Recycling is designed to make you feel good about continuing to buy crap with plastic....we all have choices, there is always a better option.
I thought i was the only one who hates those new bottle tops. Another case of solving a problem we never had, Because of course there is an epidemic of bottle tops being discarded 🙄
Brilliant video. Date night with Kiera...what's not to like you lucky man...the ultimate "yummy mummy" 😜 Did a good job on Rosie's paws....needed trimmed! Love you guys! ❤️❤️❤️
I think the hotels are missing a trick in the UK. We quite often stay in barrier controlled hotel car parks abroad and pay a little extra to use the gym showers etc. For example we are currently in southern Poland paying 30zl per 24hrs (about £6) for this service along with 6 or 7 other vans/mohos the car parks nearly all have plenty of space and security and staff on hand. Better than aires really.
Absolutely! There are a lot of big struggling hotels and this could help bring in revenue, especially ones with food to offer. There are a lot of pub stops in the UK, although we've only ever tried one of those. When the kids are up and gone, the pub stops will become more appealing 😂
Love the latest video. We're heading to France tmrw from the UK. Let's hope the weather isn't bad.
Thankyou! Have a fabulous time! Weather has been pretty good, but not sure how much longer we've got it for! ☀️
Date Night in a Supermatket carpark looked Perfect ❤...Love the simple life 😊
It was pretty nice 😊
My great great great great grandfather worked on the life boat in Aberystwyth last to use the rowing and first to use the powerd ones when they came in to service
That's really cool 👌
@Touringwiththekids that waterfall I told you about a while ago that's not fair way from Aberystwyth devil's bridge
@@marklewis-hh2bcnot much parking around Devil's Bridge though as I remember it.
Push the lid back as far as you can, then you can drink out of the bottle. I love this video. You all look so happy.😁 ❤
Thankyou so much xx
I’m with Rik. Mother-in-law introduced me to Port Salut one Christmas over 30 years ago. I have had this cheese every Christmas since.
Nice one 👍 Keira always winds me up and says its basically just a babybel 😂
Well...I'm captured again with your Caption
Hi guys love the video have a lovely time 😊😊😊
Thankyou so much x glad you enjoyed it
Canterbury City Council offer 20 bays at the New Dover Road Park & Ride, toilets, grey water, clean water… £4 a night plus unlimited use of the park and ride buses to the city centre 7am - 7pm
Only 30 mins from the ferry at Dover… some places do actually want camper and and the tourists money they create
Yes we’ve stayed there before. Prime example of the right way to do it. Although we have seen recently that there are a lot more motorhomers in there than there are supposed to be
@@Touringwiththekids during the summer it’s silly, I lost count the number of times the wooden height restriction barrier was damaged which then allowed campers into an under-utilised car park extension
Campers were in all areas of the carparks at Canterbury when we visited at the end of August. Luckily most head off promptly.
But.
What is with the full timers there? I think they eventually get shifted on but it isn't a great look when they get really comfortable.
I, too, love stinky cheese and brought some back from Germany and my son wasn't all that pleased about it as the ice packs we took along didn't last all that long which meant the cheeses got slightly warm and developed a lovely smell.
Another thing Keira and I have in common is the sweet wine. There I can highly recommend Sauternes which is a sweet French wine and the price depends on the year it was produced. I used to but mine in Belgium and paid between £6.00 and £9.00 per bottle. The same wine in Sainsburys cost £12.00 for a 37.5 cl bottle and £24.00 for 0.70 litre bottle which they don't sell I believe.
The attached bottle tops is an idea from some bored bureaucrate in Brussels. The idea behind is that the tops stay with the bottle and are recycled together. Irn Bru is already doing that here in the UK
Thanks!
It can not take to long before "Princess of the road" Piper takes the drivers seat.....😉
Good video folks!
Just started watching this weeks video I sent you a little present so you can keep going on your amazing journey.
This is awesome, thankyou so much xxx
Totally agreed about the cheese Rich, I love the stuff 🧀
A good trick if you like sweet wine is stick to the hottest countries, Australia, Chilli, Southern Spain. As for the bottle tops they don’t come off so the top will be recycled with the bottle. It annoys me too but if you push the top down when you open it it clicks down and stays out of the way. Love your channel.
Amazing, will try and look out for those ones! Can never get it right over here xxx Thanks for watching the video x
Awww I loved this extra long video thank u guys loved every min. Omg 😱 your battery’s again there definitely not on your side are they I hope u guys get them sorted. Xxx
Thankyou 🙃 xx
Definitely you both me and hubby said together gosh she her mums double when you sat together
Just heard your teaser for next week’s episode.
For this trip, at least, you really need to disconnect the starter batteries if you’re parking up for more than a day.
When you get back and you’re buying new batteries, put some effort into finding and eliminating the parasitic draw, or the same thing will happen again.
As previously mentioned, the tachograph is a highly likely suspect.
A small solar panel, dedicated to the starter battery bank ONLY, might keep up with it, if you don’t want to eliminate the cause, once you find it.
But you do need to find it, in case it’s an actual fault, which could get worse, with possibly serious consequences.
This weeks episode was particularly confusing, because SWMBO was watching a tv show about France at the same time and I kept muddling the two up in my head.
Great to see you managed to find some good weather. Ironically, we just had two full days of summer here, but we’re back to cold and miserable again now. We’re breaking our 30 year abstention from air travel, to get a week of decent weather ourselves, after two pathetic summers in a row.
I figure, if it’s okay for the Greens to fly all over the world for their climate crisis meetings, it’s probably okay for me to fly to Spain once every thirty years, or so.
Who knows? Maybe we’ll see you there…
When the Greens go on about air travel they're mostly talking about twice a week business flights not annual or rarer holiday trips.
I agree completely about the starting battery but I'll add the knackered battery terminal they showed us in Spain that nobody's said has been replaced.
39:29 get a low-power inverter & leave your battery charger connected till you get it sorted. (It doesn't upset the alternator).
I have a Lidl 3.8A automatic charger on 'motorbike' setting plugged into a 75W inverter (the inverter won't take 'car' setting so a slightly bigger inverter might be a good idea). Once it's done its cycle it drops to a tiny amount of power.
When I look at supermarket car parks . They are so big but don't allow overnight parking of any kind. ❤🌹
I know it's such a shame x
Sack this government. 😊
Can’t believe you were in Belfort last week, we were too!😅
So cool! Did you enjoy it?
@@Touringwiththekidsyes although we were on our way home so didn’t stay long
There are a LOT of brownfield sites within the UK (over 23,000 sites). The government has a scheme called the ‘Brownfield Land Release Fund’ which is generally being used for the shortage of housing.
I would suggest a large organisation, or community of van lifers put a proposal together. Due to the history of the sites there would be some form of infrastructure, and usually in an interesting location.
I’ve done some research on it and it’s certainly plausible, happy to share info ✌️
I thought the councils were in charge of funding. Are they likely to give funding to a group of van living people. ?
@@wolveshat854yeah, they are primarily owned by local authorities, as well as a few public bodies. Funding wise, you’d need to hope that they see the bigger picture and use regenerative funding. Would benefit tourism, local income, perception. Benefits far outweigh the risks
@@WanderlustFamilyAdventures lmao...councils seeing the bigger picture :)
Best thing to do is move out of England move to a different country and you get treated better lol 😆
5:50 it's time to clean the jets on your cooker, that yellow in the flame means Carbon Monoxide & soot...
if you want more control of your dog you need to take the halter off and start using a slip lead or you will continue to struggle with pulling. you will also get better repsonse from dog with slip lead
Can you imagine if everyone turned up in a delivery truck!!
Awww great vlog ...ty and have a lovely week, Als 👍👀🌷💚 x
Thank you! You too!
Hi, great video as usual. May I ask what is the make and model of your entrance steps as I need something similar? Good luck on your travels.
You say the "UK should up it's game" and learn from France. Perhaps if people in the UK had more respect for their country and didn't leave it looking like a rubbish tip then there would be more leniency
Or if people stopped blaming camper vanners when often the boy racers chucking fast food takeaway boxes, lager cans, and nox cylinders out window leaving campervanners to litter pick. Also a number of camper vans in a car park can deter boy racers and 🐕 ers.
@@ramblingrosevanlife I never blamed vanlifers. I said "people"
@@Pootz1000your on a vanlife video so it did imply you were blaming vanlifers for littering, especially when you said people would be more tolerant if “people” didn’t litter.
Because a big % of brits especially the younger generation who have learnt things from there parents 🤔🤔😨have zero respect for anyone or anyplace and just trash EVERYTHING/EVERYWHERE ! If kids see parents doing things they do same if parents cant be parents just want easy life be freinds then explains why things gone soo very badlly wrong in last 25 years !!
@@michael-sz3ffthat's grown out of Thatcher's "there's no such thing as society" & "dog eat dog" nonsense that no Prime Minister since has bothered to correct & until people learn how to vote for decent MPs rather than for rosettes it's just going to get worse.
I hear a lot of complaints about motorhomes, how everyone dumps their rubbish on roadside, I can honestly say, I have never seen a motorhome dump rubbish, I do see a lot of cars pull up eat their takeaway & throw rubbish out the window, sad thing is, they're only a few steps away from a bins, 😢 free is always good 😅 hope you're all enjoying your travels 💪🏼🌹❣️
I know, I say the same, all this land and no where to park for a night. It is getting worse in England for park over nights, park ups.
it definitely feels that way doesn't it x
Ohh .. battery problem… I watch a few TH-camrs, someone had issues with occasionally experiencing flat battery….can’t remember who it was but it turned out to be their infotainment system in the dash, it switches on to track updates, of course if away from a signal it just keeps booting up every hour to try again until battery gets exhausted… 😮
I wondered if an intermittent short somewhere possibly due to a loose connection?
The ammount of power that would use from 2 big fully charged good condition lorry batteries myb 150ah each 24v is pretty insignificant guys 👍
@@michael-sz3ffthose batteries are that big because that's what it takes to start a lorry engine, there doesn't need much capacity used before they won't start the engine!
Bless jack he’s soo cute 🥰 who cannot say no to them puppy eyes bless him xxx
I know, he does make it difficult to say no 🤭😂
@@Touringwiththekids bless him kids can do that can’t they they’ve got their ways haha I know my 3 have xxx
The UK government is to blame. Two tier policing, the lack in law and order makes it impossible to have camper park ups. In France you rarely see the police because the locals are the ears/ eyes and if they see a person abusing a situation the police are called in and they will handle it very swiftly, no messing around, for the traveller will be moved on or even fined.
Met you a few days ago, and failed to ask your names, I posted about it on our page and someone said this Might be you. And it is.
Alan, Helen+Buffy the dog.
Veni Vidi Bibi.
Ah yes! Good to meet you ☺️ Hope your journey is going well 🙌
Your comment about park up,s very true, since COVID more people are staying at home , there
is Golden oppopunity to up their game and made show motor home people market is there
from Tom
Looking on your faces when you talking about dessert it said it all hope you had a good night 😅😅
hahahahah 😂
You need to find a video on the use of the new bottle tops..there is a trick in the design to open the water bottle and then pull the cap over the top and lying flat on the bottle making it very easy to drink
Oh really, I'll have to try and find it!
@@Touringwiththekidspush it open till it stops then push it some more, it will flip wide open
On our first trip we avoided tolls and learnt that, in a big van, you end up spending more on diesel navigating those tiny roads than the tolls costs. Plus all the stopping to squeeze past people just gets a bit much.
Thats very true, we find it easier on the big roads for sure!
We are now in obernai after watching your video 😂
That’s so cool
What a stunning town buildings are so pretty
They were honestly so gorgeous!
Surely the councils could use school playing fields during summer holidays for campers
they could but they won't, school playing fields are very jealousy guarded.
Great catching up with your travels while I put my travels on pause for 3 months due to bypass surgery. I do agree that Europe is easier than the UK for finding camping spots, but then having an 11m rig doesn't help either... As for tolls, I've generally stuck to non-toll roads unless I need to make some time.
I hope your surgery goes/has gone well 🥰 Enjoy catching up and take care of yourself x
Hi there love your content many moons ago you had problems with a leeky window on your old van we have the same on a small oblong one do you know the best way to take the window out to replace.. ❤ To all Lee
Having worked in local authority (but not for some years), I think a big reason may be the risk of itinerants and them taking up camp. It costs a fortune to get the court orders to move them on and I think with the current underfunding, they’re not going to want to open up the risk. I may be wrong, but I suspect it’s a factor.
You're probably right but 5 minutes talking to the Liaison Officer will tell them that depriving others won't make the slightest difference to the problem 😢
Well done on the Paw trim , we do the same to our dog 🐕 Love your vlogs , can’t wait to see where else you find in France. Kiera as you like sweet , have you tried the French equivalent to squash? It’s called Sirop and the grenadine flavour is amazing , the kids would love it !! 😊
Yeah we get the Sirop occasionally, it does the job, but we still miss our squash when we come out here. Such a British thing. We usually stock up before we leave the UK but we totally forgot this time!
❤❤❤
nice video, thumbs up from me. if you're worried about always finding rubbish disposal - maybe you could see how long you could go without creating rubbish...just a thought, might be a nice vlog. hope you get your batteries sorted....its a pain but if one is knackered and its in series, it'll take the other one(s) down.
I dont think we’d get very far with 5 of us 🤭🙈
Hi guys
Love your videos
What is the location of the park up by the supermarket please? Would like to add this one to our list.
Would love to meet you guys one day if our travels cross at any time.
Happy travels. ❤
It's the Intermarche in Darney 👍 I think it's on searchforsites and campercontact 🙌 Enjoy!
@@Touringwiththekids awesome thank you I’ll save it now.
Fantastic video , As for the uk upping its game can't see supermarkets doing this as there is just to much crime and vandals . Hope you enjoyed your desert Richard lol 🤣🤣🤣
too much _fear_ of crime - if criminals want something they'll take it regardless of 'closed' signs!
I totally agree. England doesn't support van life people. I think the problem may be all these private carpark companies make it harder for us all. Love the vlogs , keep on living your best life
Thankyou ☺️❤️
My comment to first visiting France and particularly Germany was look how clean it is . Therein lies the cultural difference ( look at what was left at the recent festivals ). Ref Toll roads . I use them on the way back to make up time but otherwise set the sat nav to no tolls and the roads are more difficult but picturesque.
That is true, these countries are very well kept and the two things we always notice when we return to the UK are 1.Litter and 2. Traffic 😂
Because a big % of brits especially the younger generation who have learnt things from there parents 🤔🤔😨have zero respect for anyone or anyplace and just trash EVERYTHING/EVERYWHERE ! If kids see parents doing things they do same if parents cant be parents just want easy life be freinds then explains why things gone soo very badlly wrong in last 25 years !!
Because a big % of brits especially the younger generation who have learnt things from there parents 🤔🤔😨have zero respect for anyone or anyplace and just trash EVERYTHING/EVERYWHERE ! If kids see parents doing things they do same if parents cant be parents just want easy life be freinds then explains why things gone soo very badlly wrong in last 25 years !!
Ric 'look at this would you, from this side you wouldn't know we're in a supermarket, it's absolutely....oh she's crapping' 🤣🤣.
I was wondering do you guys feel connected to us guys on the other end of the videos like I guess many of us do with you guys? It would make me feel all sunshiney inside if you said yes.....so say yes! 🤣🤣🤣🤣.
Bless you guys. Be safe.
Stu.
PS, get that beard grown out mate, rock the beard man 😉
Haha it's a strange one, because we don't know who's watching! We still feel like there's only 10 of you 😂 but YES 🙌
Glad you enjoyed the video 👍
Having a wonderful time in France 🇫🇷
Rich you will have to replace the battery’s sooner rather than later
Thanks James 🙌 x
I know this is not the whole reason but I wonder if overnight parking spaces attract a higher business rates because lorry drivers in the UK have the same problem.
It is disgusting the by-passing and general demise of truck stops sees lorry drivers having to eat, sleep and 💩 in lay-bys. The services are expensive / often full. Truck stops were a,so place to chat, chill and socialise as it can be a lonely life.
That is very true! It's a huge issue for lorry drivers who don't have anywhere to stop
When are you going to put a doggie type seatbelt in the front of the truck. The dog being untethered is highly dangerous. Belfort is a wonderful place to visit. I spent a week there a few years ago when i was coach driving. Excellent place 👌.
Alas some people think of motorhomes like travellers as In Appleby fair in Cumbria and surrounding towns, can be a total mess afterwards , what you have to change is that mind set, as in all walks of life there's always some that spoil it for others.
You’re right it’s the mindset and the culture. But I’m not sure the UK will ever achieve the motorhome culture you get in France 🇫🇷
Rick I’m with u on that one I hate wine it all tastes like vinegar lol 😂 yuk
Another interesting thing is the New Zealand system whereby to ‘Freedom Camp’ you need a paid for permit and to get the permit you have to have plumbed in on-board toilet. According to the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association (NZMCA), a self-contained vehicle has to be able to “meet the ablutionary and sanitary needs of the occupants for a minimum of three days, without requiring any external services or discharging waste.” There is a large fine for freedom camping without a permit. I favour this as long as permit cost was reasonable then permitted vans could have to display a large, easily seen number and it would make it easier to track down people displaying anti social behaviours too.
Seems rather authoritarian 😢
Its perhaps about space? France has 2 and half times the area and land is much cheaper.
Possibly… but the UK has a lot of car parks inc supermarkets which will close overnight or have time restricted stays.
enjoyed that thabk you new subsciber steve
Thanks for the sub 🙌 appreciate it ❤️
I think here in the UK Council carparks most say no overnight parking they should allow overnight parking put a sign up £10 per night must leave by 8am what harm would it do when 99% are empty at night
Totally right, the money would soon add up for the councils!
Yes we are very lucky in France, free or low cost aires all over.
I do have a question though, why buy brochetts and then pull the meat off to cook? It would have been cheaper to buy chicken breast and cutting it up yourself 😁
They didn’t fit in the pan 😂
I totally agree with you that the UK should take a look at the way Europe allows motor homes to park up for little to no money. Once one council did it or allowed others may follow, I can live in hope. It doesn’t help that campsites in the UK seem to be charging eye watering pitch fees this also including club sites. If there were more affordable sites this would help also. Love the weekly videos, safe travels 🚐
Oh my gosh yes the price of campsites is extortionate!!
Hi guys really enjoyed your vid what a park up free as well you won’t get that
In uk no chance shame really there are some lovely places in uk
It is a shame. Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching x
Unfortunately you are missing one massive point. The UK government and councils do not want people in motorhomes. They don't even want cars on the road with their net zero, anti carbon/ climate change nonsense. Vehicles are taxed to the death. ULEZ etc.. On a side we're huge fans of what you're doing! My wife and I often talk about how amazing it would be to have more freedom to travel, explore new things, and make memories with our own family. You're definitely making us feel like we need to get out there and start living the life we've always wanted!
It does seem that way sometimes x
Yep.... fifteen minute cities being built around us as we speak. 🤔
wish u would do 1 vlog on a wednesday i just ❤️ u all xx
Nice to hear you want more! xxx
When and if you get to the South of France there's Carcassonne and you can't get much more picturesque and medieval than that.
It's amazing there isn't it! We went in 2019 and loved it x
🙂 Bypassing Paris this year on the way to Germany, we opted for the toll road.. it came at quite a shock to pay €53 for the stretch we covered 😱 We normally opt for the national roads and did so on our return 😅
Oh wow, that is alot!
Lovely t9wn
The UK are ripping people off big time even on paying sites since Covid the prices are crazy one site we went to prior to C was £25 looked last week it’s now £55, per night last year in France the most we paid for site’s that are twice the size of any here was no more than 20 euros and they don’t ask if you’ve got an awning dog ect ect it’s just pick your spot and enjoy
The odd UK Aire is now £20 a night!
£20 is ALOT for an aire. UNLESS it is next to a highly sought out tourist attraction and then it sort of becomes understandable.
A great video piper is your double kiera and I find it annoying the lids on bottles great date night one life live it don't matter were you are
Oh do you think? lots of people say she looks like Ric!
I find that plastic bottle caps on oil and even detergent are getting harder to open whereas they used to have a pull back tab.
Sometimes I have to use a knife to lever it off.
With food and medicine bottles I think the reason might be to both making them childproof and tamper proof.
I am not sure if leaving the cap attached to the bottle is for environmental regions if the coloured cap is a different type of plastic if it is all the same type of plastic then it would be for environmental reasons .
Would you worry if the cap was clear like the bottle?
I thought it was me getting weak with oil etc bottles!
Drinks bottles are mostly polyester (PET on the label) with polypropylene (PP) lids.
I put extra powder in the 24/7 machines. We help support the Council, local shops, cafes, and pubs as we all know plus I believe it helps deter anti-social behaviour. Some Councils are see benefit and CAMpRA (Campaign for Real Aires) is doing a great job but some resulting Aires can be up to £20 or more 😡
We do too, even though they say not to 😂 We have on occasion had things come out looking quite dirty and the machines aren't cheap. So want our stuff to have a good wash!
@@TouringwiththekidsI use ordinary non-chain launderettes, I don't like encouraging megacorporations.
Next time you do viewer questions you will have to let us know, given your living situation, how you go about.......having 'dessert'?! 😂😮😂
I’m 100% with you ref trying to get UK aires. But how to do it. It’s no good going to Caravan & Motor Home club because they are basically a business and just want to charge £30-£60 a night, good sites but not what we need. Do we push our councils, do we get a magazine like MMM to push it , do we contact local MP,s (if it’s not golf then probably no chance). It probably needs a proper assessment to put forward what extra revenue it could bring to local economy and presented by an official body.
France, they are catching on, more and more Aires turning into Camping-Car-Parks, and some are really quite a lot of money, plus they don't allow for not everyone wants electricity. They should have put metered electric in, like we saw in Germany in 2007. The high users pay more, the occasional a fair price and the ones that don't need to use it don't subsidise it all. We motorhome for 5 or 6 months of the year and I like that we are off grid, it offsets the fuel footprint a little. As for France, they are catching on, more and more Aires turning into Camping-Car-Parks, and some are really quite a lot of money, plus they don't allow for not everyone wants electricity. They should have put metered electric in, like we saw in Germany in 2007. The high users pay more, the occasional a fair price and the ones that don't need to use it don't subsidise it all. We motorhome for 5 or 6 months of the year and I like that we are off grid, it offsets the fuel footprint a little.
As for the supermarkets allowing parking overnight, so many are rammed at all times, when we visit the UK we have trouble even going shopping in our Ducato camper van, 6m + 1m for bikes. Plus those car park owners would have to liase with the companies they got to control them, 2 or 3 hours maximum...
You have to admit, there is more space in France....
There are no park-ups like those at supermarkets in the UK because, unfortunately, they would likely be abused. While not everyone would misuse such facilities, a small minority could cause issues.
My family owns a private beach in the West Country with parking for 30 vehicles and a small static caravan site nearby. Last year, they opened the car park for overnight stays (maximum of two nights) with free hookups, water, and rubbish disposal for £8 per night, plus additional fees for tank disposal, launderette services, and babysitting.
Sadly, they faced numerous complaints about noise, drug use, unsupervised pets, and littering. As a result, they didn’t reopen this year and are hesitant about next year due to the loss of business and cleanup costs.
I doubt councils will approve similar schemes at supermarkets without strict security. Although only a minority caused trouble, the financial and emotional toll on them was significant.
That’s such a shame, that some spoilt it for the majority.
I think it might be risky to have free spots everywhere, but paid overnight parking would attract the right people and most motorhomers are respectful
Easy way around this is to put cctv up in the carparks and then fine the ones who's doing wrong and miss using the service there another income for the council
Some big supermarket chains like Tesco let vanlifers stay overnight. Obviously look for signs stating the parking restrictions and you will be fine if there are no signs at all
That’s good to know, thankyou 👍
Thing is.... one day she's gonna say
"Can I take the van Dad"??
You don’t like wine?? You are incomprehensible 😂