Have just been informed by telephone from a friend in Portrush that there are now signs up at the Ramore Head carpark stateing that parking is only allowed for one hour between the hours of 9pm and 8am and no return within a certain period of time ! ! !
This will stop all our motorhomes parking there for free every weekend or even prevent us parking there while going for a meal locally after 9pm and it will also affect about 200 motorhomes that were parked there for the airshow weekend!
Does anyone else know anything about this, it sounds daft to me as the motorhomes never caused problems and only brought buisness to the town. Furthermore, if I was going for a night out at a restruant or event in Portrush, it means that i can no longer park my private car in this large carpark for over one hour after 9pm!
Perhaps some of our more learned members could put a draft letter on this site, so that we could ALL copy it and send same to the council to register our objections.
These notices, in Scotland anyway, are put up by the local councils. Now council parking restrictions are enforced by Traffic Wardens.
Unless things are very different in Portrush, Traffic Wardens go home at 5pm and even on overtime, are not likely to be out and about between 9pm and 8am.
I suppose the Police could also enforce this if they had the time but I am fairly sure that they will have other duties to perform which are more important that moving folks on.
Even if they do attempt to move you, a simple explaination of, "Officer, I have driven a long way and I need some sleep before I continue my journey any further", will usually satisfy thee most ardent Policeman.
Common sense should prevail here and if you are going to stay overnight in a public area, wear casual clothes and not pyjamas when you retire for the night.
However, having toured NI in the past, I think you should fight any restriction that is put on any public car park that you can still access because there are precious few over there as we found to our cost.
As tourists with a campervan, we were made to feel very unwelcome in any town we visited with their dammed height barriers on every car park.
Have just been informed by telephone from a friend in Portrush that there are now signs up at the Ramore Head carpark stateing that parking is only allowed for one hour between the hours of 9pm and 8am and no return within a certain period of time ! ! !
This will stop all our motorhomes parking there for free every weekend or even prevent us parking there while going for a meal locally after 9pm and it will also affect about 200 motorhomes that were parked there for the airshow weekend!
I think that you will find that there have been notices up about overnight parking in Ramore head for quite a while now and long before airshow weekend. Obviously people in motorhomes have been blatantly ignoring them if there were over 200 parked there on airshow weekend. Road Services have obviously now felt it necessary to put up bigger notices (which have been there for a few weeks now) to empasise the point, not only in the car park but in some of the adjoining streets.
This has probably been brought about by the number of complaints from people not able to park cars in Portrush due to the number of motorhomes having taken over car parks in the area (and not just Ramore head). I think that you will find that the numerous objectors to motorhomes parking overnight in what is a car park, not an overnight motorhome stop, will far outweigh any objections from the people affected.
We may be able to get parked in the carpark now and go for a meal in the restaurants.
The only motorhomers I have ever seen in Ramore carpark have sat in their vans eating and drinking the food they have brought with them, taking up at least 4 spaces at a time where 4 cars could have parked by people who actually do bring money into the town.
Even when you could get your car parked you didn't have a view of the sea because of a motorhome blocking it. Also seen a lot of them letting their waste water just run out over the carpark.
Don't know what made motorhomers think this was a motorhome park (as this is what it had turned into). It is actually a carpark and I for one am delighted that there are now signs up as it had got out of control, leaving no spaces for those it was actually intended for.
Well done Road Service, about time.
------------- Sometimes I wake up Grumpy. Other times I just let him sleep.
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Antrim - St Patricks Weekend
Clare Glen - Easter
Antrim - May Weekend
Devon/Yorkshire - July
Deighans Benone - Aug Bank hol
Lots of weekends inbetween these bookings (hopefully)
Fully agree with the last two posts.
We have found it very difficult to get parked in this carpark at weekends, especially the ones when the fireworks displays are on, due to the amount of motorhomes parked.
Personally dont see why anyone would spend all that money on a motorhome and then park it in a carpark, where there is the potential for some half wit to damage it.
Perhaps if more folk in motorhomes would pay to use campsites,(like us caravanners have to do) then maybe the demand would mean we might get better quality and more choice of campsite in this area, as there are very few good ones.
I remember at airshow there was a massive MH taking up 4 car spaces if not more. Try parking in a space next to one and get dirty looks, as if how dare you park next to me!
Why doesn't the council make another area for MH to park overnight and charge for this.
Hi oakydoaky,
I think that payment is the key to this problem, it seems to me that at lot of motorhome owners think that they can park anywhere they choose for free. Not all are like this as you often see ones on campsite.
If the council was to charge an overnight fee, like you pay in a service station in England, wonder how many would be there then?
Everyone else bears the cost of camping or caravanning at a campsite, booking well in advance and paying the fees. It's ridiculous the the motorhomes have had free weekends for this long and certainly not fair.
We were there last Saturday and it was EMPTY.. Hardly any motor homes at all!! No parking from 9pm to 9am so definately not welcoming motorhomes, it must have been a huge problem. I do resent that we pay up to £25 a night in that area for the caravan, but having said that I don't think I'd like to sleep in a carpark!!
Wendy
------------- Animals are my friends... and I don't eat my friends...
George Bernard Shaw
------------- Sometimes I wake up Grumpy. Other times I just let him sleep.
===========
Antrim - St Patricks Weekend
Clare Glen - Easter
Antrim - May Weekend
Devon/Yorkshire - July
Deighans Benone - Aug Bank hol
Lots of weekends inbetween these bookings (hopefully)
Pity the council coulnt do something to sort out the problem with windbreaks at Juniper Hill on the touring sites at the top of the hill, during the main races on the Saturday of the NW200. This has got completley out of hand.
Was there last May and could only get a very tiny spot at the fence to see the races.There is a gate from the hill onto the road so you dont have to go the whole way down to the main entrance, which was really handy when taking our dog for a walk.On the Friday I couldnt use it as it had been blocked off by the people in the caravans closest to it, having their pitches completely closed in by windbreaks.
The problem is mostly caused by those who have the front row pitches, but others "stake their claim" on a part of this fence as soon as they arrive.I actually watched a father and son, who arrived on the Friday afternoon, onto the pitch beside us, get their windbreaks out of the boot of their car and set them out before they had the caravan hooked off the back of their car.
I know that this has been going on for years, but there were a lot of people complaining about it.Surely this would be a problem if the area need ed to be cleared in a hurry and I dont see why they should be allowed to do this.
I have just came across these posts ref motorhome parking in Portrush.
We have spent many weekends in our van in Landsdowne carpark and I should point out that all the food we eat is bought in portrush as we just pack clothes and head of as early as possible on a Friday to get the most from the weekend so we don't have time to do a shop.
I am a wild addicted shopper as most women are and I am always returning home with something to wear or something for the house most of the shop keepers know us we are in the shops in Portrush more than Belfast.
Some say we should pay and not park for free, I pay tax insurance and mot so I am legally entitled to park and should have freedom of choice as to wether I use a campsite or not.
I have seen people come in thier cars with picnic baskets and they eat the food they bring should they be discriminated against because they don't buy food. What about the young people some from the area who eat chips etc in the car and throw the papers out the window I hear nothing about them, and then we have the illegal driving round and round the carpark spinning cars raving engines racing each other. To be honest i believe that the people of portrush should stop and consider what they are loosing and I know from speaking to different shop owners that when the motorhomes left so did a lot of trade. Maybe Portrush is rich enough it doesn't need people in motorhomes but in the winter when the tourists are not there the motorhomes where .
I am a disabled driver and I love going to The Antrim Coast I don't be out through the week and the area is a tonic I should also say the people from the area are lovely, the caravan parks are all away from town to far for me to walk and no way could I push myself in my wheelchair but to be in the carpark close to the sea and the shops is perfect. We motorhome owners do no one
any harm can we not just be left alone. I agree if there is evidence of emptying water etc those people should be prosecuted it is wrong and not permitted by motorhome associations.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: No Parking in Portrush
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