Ok ive done this quite abit now & slept in the van, ive always paid at the meter, but its now going up & up.Now a friend has just said to me (who prob parks in them much more than me) that she never pays.

What do other folks do if you park up over night?

i must admit i pay in them, it just needs one jobsworth to be going around checking tickets and the fines can be huge
carolann

exactly!!!!

I'm in the other camp Michelle, I used to sleep in the van overnight all the time in Motorway services on the way to shows and have never paid. Never got a ticket either. I always reckoned that they're unlikely to check through the night, and the dogs would bark if anyone came so close to the van to check - which would wake me up and give me a chance to dive out and pay :D

mmmmmm yes there is that!!!! dunno what to do now!!!!!!i cant afford to give away £12 a time if others arent paying,but DEF cant afford a £80.00 fine. the dogs would gop nuts if someone came near

Can i just ask do you feel safe if you're on your own? we live quite far from any show and i have often thought about doing this but was slightly scared too?

Where do you park? do you park in a quiet spot? as i couldnt imagine mine sleeping unless it was quiet and then i wouldnt want to put myself in any danger by parking at the back of a carpark..

p.s is anyone parking up for leeds :D :D

>p.s is anyone parking up for leeds

Does a house in Bradford count? :D  I'm parking up outside the house and sleeping in my new bed for the next year! LOL

Now thats just not roughing it lady!!! how dare you have an easy time  :D :D :D

sometimes i get to a services & dont like it & then just move on to another one! i find the best ones are ones on their own (ie not off a busy junction), i just go in a quiet corner near some grass!Thre dogs would anyone go nuts if anyone came close & im obvisley all locked in & all windows covered etc

I've spent almost every weekend during the summer months parking at one services or another when I was really into showing. In the 15 years or so I've done it I've never had any hassle - but then I always brought one of the dogs into the front of the van too. I don't like the idea of sleeping in the van when they're all behind the dog guard. I remember once on the way home from Birmigham, we'd got bombed out early  and as I'd driven overnight down I was shattered - made it as far as Tebay then crawled into the back of the van to sleep - with the dogs. The back doors where open for air and I woke up a while later as Chaumie was growling and there where a whole coachload of Japanese tourists taking our pictures :rolleyes: :D

Ok Has anyone ever HAD a fine? or know anyone who has?

I know this doesn't answere you questions but why don't you start at the beginning of the year and try and book the £15 travel lodge rooms. It would be safer all round.  My fear would be your safety. I find some of the services full of oddballs at times. :-)

Do they take dogs though?


Can I bring my pet with me?
We allow up to 2 domestic pets, with a charge of £10 per pet, per stay. Please let the hotel know once you have made your booking. Payment will then be taken when you arrive at the hotel.

Edited Answering my own question lol.....bit pricey tho :D

For £10 per dog - yes!  

Obviously no hiding money Pam, is there????? ;)

Honestly never had to pay Christine..  The dog showing would make the queen poor ;-)

The travel lodge charges £10 per dog as we found out, but we often leave the dogs in the van wait until change over at reception then sneak them in :D :D otherwise holiday inns most accept dogs..

Michelle i have often car shared with other people for shows and had to leave my van at the services only ever paid once..

van wait until change over at reception then sneak them in
I would love to watch you sneaking them out.....;) :D :D

:D they often have doors half way thru a corridor that open out not in :D :D otherwise head held high and breeze out of reception very quickly :D

I have honestly stayed off the top of my head about 40 times in the last 4 years at the travel lodges. Never been charges for the dogs and take then in with me. ( no hiding). .when you book on line you can select pets so you can't book them.     I booked all of mine at the beginning of the year for this year and already have a couple booked for next year.. 

To bring the costs down sharing the driving and the room would make it more affordable for most and safer :-)

Edited to add if you have quite a few dogs the lodge car parks are very good and the dogs are generally quite safe. 

On the odd summer night when the lodge is just too hot I will leave min in the car and always park the car right against the lodge. I always ask for a room looking over the car park if I can get it..

I wouldnt sleep a wink if I thought my dogs were outside in a van/car/whatever.....its all too easy to get on and off a travel lodge car park, and being close to all major routes they would be long gone in minutes. I know they have CCTV on the car parks, but often the images are grainy, and hoddies cover up so much! Guess I would just be a worry wart overly cautious owner :D

:-)  If you slept in the car park at the travel lodges or the rooms you would maybe change your mind :-) .  It sounds like a zoo at times :-D   Someone would need to be very brave.   Most modern cars you find if the dogs are in boxes and covered  the mobiliser would work and alarm would go off instantly.  It doesn't go off I find if the dogs are in the boxes and covered but if they dance about it does.. 

Well, I have only stayed at one once, but there is one a mile away, and a couple within a ten mile radius. The car parks look 'open', the one I stayed at must have been a quiet time coz not much traffic or people about. :) Was wondering about the car alarms if the dogs were disturbed :D As I say, I would be over cautious and would never sleep ;) I'd be worried the very brave would be in my car and gone before I could recognise the alarm and get out of bed :D :D I do see your point Blue, but still think if its not safe for me to sleep in a van how safe would it be for my dog....

I'd be worried the very brave would be in my car :-D :-D


still think if its not safe for me to sleep in a van how safe would it be for my dog. I was more thinking of things like assualt and rape etc.. if some weirdo seen a youngish :-) girl/woman sleeping.

I agree with you though 99.99% of the time I never leave the dogs alone , if I do it has to be the perfect spot.    Any idiot that took my would have them back again before I woke up and discovered them gone ;-) or they would leave the dogs and nick the car :-)

my cars completly covered! so no one can see in! travelodge £15 quidders are my pref, but that means i HAVE to be organised!!!!!

but that means i HAVE to be organised!!!!!

Yip me to..  I try and book all the £15 and £26 ones at the beginning of the year for the shows I know I will 99% go to.. I have even booked the wrong days if the show lists are wrong..one of these days it will catch me out :-)

I would have thought, as places go, that the motorway services would have been one of the safer places to stop. I would imagine that they have CCTV, and as long as you are not right on the outer edges, I would have thought you would probably be quite safe as there tends to be people about  whatever hour of the night or day it is.

Certainly a lot safer than a layby on any other type of road I would have thought.

assualt and rape yep, take your point there Blue.

Any idiot that took my would have them back again before I woke up and discovered them gone  or they would leave the dogs and nick the car

:D :D :D :D :D