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Robbery in the Lake District

by backpackingbongos

It appears that you have to be careful in the Lake District when parking a vehicle because there are thieves about.  These thieves act a little differently from your run of the mill criminal element.  They do not appear to smash your window and nick your expensive outdoor kit, or steal your car.  They are much more cunning in taking your money.

I arrived in the Lake District at around 11.00pm last Thursday, a long tiring drive after work.  I planned to walk the fells above Watendlath the following day so aimed the campervan in the direction of the minor road that leads from Borrowdale.  I suspected that the car park by Ashness bridge would be pay and display, seeing that it is a popular spot.  Indeed it was so I continued up the steep road, the water running off the fells having turned to lethal black ice.  I started to dread the return downward trip, ice and gravity not being the best combination.

I found a lovely spot in the woods to park up, it turned out to be right next to a fantastic view across Derwent Water.  Apart from some idiot parking next to me about midnight and beeping their horn before driving off, I had a great nights sleep.

The following morning I set off up the road and found this lurking in the undergrowth, like a peeping tom.

P1030868

What?  I have to pay to leave my van on a rough bit of ground in the woods in the arse end of nowhere?  I walked up to investigate and found out that the National Trust wanted £6.20 off me for the pleasure in doing so.

I can understand charging for parking in towns and villages and popular spots.  There you get things like marked bays.  Here the National Trust had just stuck a pay and display machine in the woods and expect you to pay without even designating a parking spot.  A couple of pound donation I would happily have paid, but £6.20?  Nope, I simply left my van there for the day free of charge.  £6.20 is just being greedy.

I met a guy on High Tove later that day who said the forestry commission were charging £7 a day to leave a vehicle on the west side of Thirlmere.

The following day I happily paid the £3 donation to park in the Newlands Valley, that’s fair.

The National trust are evidently taking the piss and are probably the reason why the lakes appear to be full of Audi’s and shiny 4×4’s.  No one else can afford to visit.  The hills accessible for all?  Only if you can afford it.

And I’m still pissed off that it took the National Trust two years to get round to sending me those free binoculars when I joined in 2009.  The reason why I never renewed my membership.  See, I’m not bitter……….

Posted on December 3, 2012 at 7:29 pm in Random Pish   |  RSS feed |   Reply   |   Trackback URL

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63 Comments to “Robbery in the Lake District”

    
  1. chrissiedixie
    December 3, 2012 at 7:40 pm

    ……one of the reasons we stopped going to the Lakes regularly about 12 years ago. We actually tried another visit last year, to see if things had improved, but no – even supermarkets in Keswick charging silly prices to park when you did your shopping. We’ve decided the North Pennines and Northumberland have a lot to offer now!

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 3, 2012 at 7:52 pm

      Being an infrequent visitor to the Lakes Chrissie it was a bit of a shock to the system. I don’t mind paying a couple of quid, but over six to walk in the hills for the day……………

      Reply
  2. Bob andrews
    December 3, 2012 at 7:45 pm

    Thankfully I am a member of Nt and parking is free – but point taken.

    With regard to the Newlands Valley donation. We also parked here in October. I assume it’s in a sort of lay bye near a bridge and not far from the chapel. What annoyed me about this – albeit reasonable charge there was no information to whom it was going. I claimed old peoples discount!

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 3, 2012 at 7:55 pm

      I still have my 2010 NT parking sticker on my van Bob……….

      You have the spot Bob. Considering I parked for two nights and a day I though £3 was not too bad. Agreed there is no info as to where the money was going, can’t blame the landowner for trying for a bit of dosh. I did read somewhere once that it goes to Mountain rescue, although that could just be hearsay. Also as you mentioned, it is easy to claim a discount!

      Reply
  3. Lone Walker (@LoneWalkerUK)
    December 3, 2012 at 7:47 pm

    When the French tried to introduce wheel clamps for cars, they met incredible resistance. They found the locks on every clamp filled with super glue, it didn’t take long for this direct action to result in the withdrawl of said clamps. I’m not suggesting we should fill these sort of ticket machines with super glue, but……

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 3, 2012 at 7:57 pm

      Or you could simply choose not to pay, not sure if the NT have got into the habit of wheel clamping yet as punishment for non-payment. They would be on dodgy moral ground if they did so, especially somewhere remote and rural.

      Reply
  4. beardedgit
    December 3, 2012 at 8:00 pm

    “I’m not suggesting we should fill these sort of ticket machines with super glue, but……”

    No, not super glue.

    Try filling it with expanding foam 🙂

    Reply
  5. ianpwood
    December 3, 2012 at 8:12 pm

    A few years ago I left my car on the N.T. car park in Langdale at 6pm overnight and the next day. I couldn’t buy a ticket, even if I wanted to, as,then you could only buy them the for the day. I got a ticket the next day which wad a laminated sheet of A4 with the instructions on for me to buy a ticket and,post this on to them with thhelp with car parking problems on narrow roads.e”ticket”. Due to having no change, I never did this. It seems that the N.T. don’t pursue these charges, this may have changed since. Expensive car parking charges just cause motorists to park indiscriminately and don’t

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 3, 2012 at 8:30 pm

      I have to admit that parking in the Lakes for a backpacking trip has been a problem in the past Ian. Many places also have ‘no overnight parking spots’ which effectively rule out parking when backpacking. Sadly it results in vehicles being left outside people houses or parked inconsiderately. Hartington in the Peaks is a good case in question, an empty expensive car park but the village green choked full of vehicles. Sort of defeats the object.

      Reply
  6. al
    December 3, 2012 at 8:15 pm

    I’m glad you had a great weekend here in the Lakes James.

    As a local take it from me that we feel much the same about the growing mass of ticket machines. The National Trust, United Utilities, LDSPB and local districy councils see all you visitors as cash cows to be milked until dry! As I’ve tweeted none of them will be happy until the “tourist goose” lays its golden eggs elsewhere.

    Folk should be aware that some of the carparks have “concealed” cameras, should you choose not to pay means a fine drops thro the letter box a few days later.

    Local knowledge helps to find “free” places, but even I am sometimes defeated in summer, hence as you’ll see in my blog reports, its the Pennines and Dales for me!

    I could go on, most Public Loos closed and the same fate for Tourist information Offices. Anyone would think the Lakes was one of the WORLDS top 10 tourist areas!

    Still I’m sure our elected and in some cases unelected!! officers know best.

    Sorry for the rant:-)

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 3, 2012 at 8:34 pm

      I would feel annoyed if I was local too Al. I have to admit that I often do a ‘drive-by’ on Google street view to find a roadside spot / layby for the car before setting off. Especially important if I am going to be leaving it for a few days whilst backpacking. The Lakes for me is a winter only destination though, far too busy in the summer unless heading for an out of the way spot.

      Reply
  7. markswalkingblog
    December 3, 2012 at 8:55 pm

    I thought for a while ago that it would be good if you could get backpackers (and day walkers) to join together to start a scheme in rural areas where we could have a list of Farmers/campsite owners who could offer parking for a reasonable fee on a field that they could spare on their farms/campsites. My biggest concern is not so much the fee but the safety of leaving a car for a few nights. I don’t know if this would be feasible and whether there is such an arrangement already but if there is not and people would be interested in seeing if this could be sorted email me at marknortoncottage@gmail.com. I would be interested in your views and suggestions. James – I hope you don’t mind me posting this here, but I thought it was a opportunity to air my thoughts on the problems of parking for backpackers and walkers. Thanks Mark

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 4, 2012 at 9:22 am

      No worries about posting that here Mark. Using campsites for parking when backpacking is a good idea. I have left a vehicle at campsites for free when I have stayed there the night before a trip. I suppose the only difficulty of your suggestion is the sheer scale of the project – so many places to go hiking. Are you thinking of a directory similar to the Farm pitch guide of the backpackers club?

      Reply
  8. derwent2
    December 3, 2012 at 9:34 pm

    And no interpretation centre or access for disabled etc etc etc. ?

    Brecon Beacons going same way 😦

    From

    Kevin O’Sullivan

    (e) derwent2@btinternet.com (m) 07769704081 (h) 01497847915

    Reply
  9. David
    December 3, 2012 at 10:30 pm

    The National Trust and the rest of their ilk such as the National Parks, Forestry Commission and local Councils must be seriously affecting businesses in places like Keswick. We used to regularly head into town for a beer, meal or brew and also used to do a spot of shopping depending on the time of day. Unfortunately by the time you have paid £6.00 or £7.00 quid to access the fells from the few official parking areas there are, along with a further £3.00 quid to park in town you are being taxed £10.00 quid just for visiting. Like many have said there are other places to spend our hard earned cash such as the Dales, Pennines, Northumberland etc. I do feel sorry for the people running businesses though.

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 4, 2012 at 9:27 am

      I did think about nipping into Keswick one evening to grab some fish and chips David but realised that they would end up very expensive indeed after paying a small fortune to park.

      I nottingham parking used to be free on street after 6.00pm. We would sometimes on a spur of a moment drive to our favourite restaurant for a meal, parking outside. The council then started charging for evening parking. Those spur of the moment visits are no longer attractive. It would cost us £6.80 to get the bus which is the only alternative. Makes visiting in the evening uneconomical for many.

      Reply
  10. surfnslide
    December 4, 2012 at 6:54 am

    Scandalous. I’m an NT member, mainly because we use visit their sites as a family, but this activity shames them. Mind you they aren’t alone in the Lakes in milking the tourist but that doesn’t make it right. I can park in the middle of Bristol for less than that. Much as I love the scenery and the walking in the Lakes, every part of the experience is ludicrously expensive hence I don’t go very often. Sadly I fear it’s only a matter of time before other areas follow suit. I like to think I’m the master of the free car park spot but slowly the corporate masses (I’ve been hit by the Thirlemere robbery) and charities (yes NT, I’m talking to you) are slowly winning. Why do they charge that much? Because they can!

    Rant over!

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 4, 2012 at 5:08 pm

      It’s good to rant Andy! I was a member of the NT for a year but the fact that it took me three complaints to eventually get the free gift for signing up that meant I did not want to give them any more money. I can still find plenty of free spots to park in the Peak District, hopefully it won’t go the same way as the Lakes.

      Reply
  11. stravaigerjohn
    December 4, 2012 at 8:05 am

    I very much doubt that the NT could pursue you – councils can because they have to make a lawful and advertised parking order. The Lake District NP is pricing out poorer visitors, Please do write letters to the local papers, say the Westmorland Gazette and Cumberland and Westmorland Herald (you can di it online) saying that parking prices are deterring you from coming to the Lake District.

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 4, 2012 at 5:11 pm

      I may have to get off my lazy arse and write some letters John. Not sure though that I would be saying anything that has been said before though.

      Reply
  12. Chris G
    December 4, 2012 at 12:24 pm

    HI James,

    Just thought i would post a commnent after being a long time lurker on your great blog!. Mark Nortons idea is a good one. I am sure there must be many locals and landowners in our national parks who wouldnt mnd a few extra quid in exchange for allowing a few walkers/backpackers etc to park on their land. There is already a website (google parkatmyhouse) aimed at commuters, shoppers, airport users which saves people a lot of money on car park fees in large towns and airports I am sure a similar scheme would work in national parks. Drivers would have to sign some form of disclaimer absolving the homeowner of any responsibility in the event of damage or theft I would imagine.

    I feel particualrly bitter about NT car parks after paying 6 quid on one occasion only to find one of the machines in Langdale wouldnt issue tickets! If they dont check the machines to see they are working it does beg the question whether they visit the car parksthat often to see if drivers have paid

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 4, 2012 at 5:14 pm

      Hi Chris, thanks for taking the time to comment of the blog. A silmilar website to parkatmyhouse would be a great way of circumnavigating the rip off cars parks, locals would then also be able to make some money. To stick £6 in a machine and not even get a ticket must have got your hackles up!

      Reply
  13. Jules
    December 4, 2012 at 5:08 pm

    Don’t get me started on this subject: I’m not sure the blogosphere is big enough to cope!

    Suffice it to say, I don’t think there is a single merit to ANY of the current attitudes towards partking from the authorites, NT, Water Boards, etc, etc.

    People might call me tight, but I don’t go to such places if I can’t park for free or at least an acceptable amount – say £2 or £3 per day seems fair to me, as long as some sort of protection or facilities are provided.

    It should be made abundantly clear to the people in the NT (and the like) who run these things that we have a choice in these matters. After paying fuel and/or public transport costs to get there in the first place we, as customers, have already made a significant financial and time committment before we even get there. And now we are just being taken for granted.

    Enough is enough.

    I don’t go to the Lakes any more. I used to: as a kid, every year at least once, and since with some regularity. But now it’s just too full of people, organisations and businesses trying to extract your hard-earned cash from you. TBH, it’s their loss – it’s not as though they have a monopoly on countryside.

    If I count up all the times I could’ve gone there and haven’t, they have probably lost out to the tune of £thousands – money that has gone into the local economy elsewhere.

    As the saying goes: don’t get mad, get even!

    Anybody trying to run a business in such areas (I believe Snowdonia is as bad if not worse in some places) should be up in arms about this: your council is directly affecting your ability to make a living!

    Rant over.

    And relax ………………………………………………

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 4, 2012 at 5:18 pm

      Yep agree Jules, £3 for a day is more than fair. I really do love the Lakes but find I visit it less and less these days. For me it is the sheer numbers of visitors that put me off. I’m a grumpy so and so that likes a hill all to himself! Public transport is not much of an option these days especially if your budget is tight. It is many years since I caught a bus between Keswick and Penrith but it was over £5 back then. Back in Nottingham you can travel all day for £3.40.

      As for Snowdonia I have heard that it is £10 for the day at Pen-y-pass?

      Reply
  14. Annie Archist
    December 4, 2012 at 6:03 pm

    The history of the NT is truly bizarre, and has been purposefully wiped from the collective national memory.
    They are the countries largest private landlord and live off a concoted ‘tea-towel’ image they present to the country in the form of the showing of beautiful stately homes, without mentioning that millions of acres of land was stolen, from our ancestors, via successive enclosures acts, by theiving parliamentarians. Then awarded to the NT.
    The real untold history of the NT is one of eviction, starvation, land grabbing, and the state sponsored murder of average citizens.

    Yay, great britain…..Yay…………..^^

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 5, 2012 at 9:46 am

      Hey Annie. I have not done any reading on the history of the NT, maybe I should do so. I have read however that they can be less than perfect landlords and have often unfairly evicted tennants from their properties.

      Reply
  15. McEff
    December 4, 2012 at 9:53 pm

    I was on the tops today (not in the Lakes) but fuming over this very subject because I’d left my car in a national park parking area that had a beautiful view, had a rolled grit surface and was FREE. And I thought about the Lakes and the parking charges, and I thought: sod it. There are plenty of other places to walk, and I’m in one that suits me fine and no faceless landowner is holding a knife to my throat and has his sweaty hand in my pocket.
    Annie Archist is right. Twenty years ago the National Trust came under fire for representing a very narrow section of society, and that narrow section was described as “the white middle classes”. Things haven’t changed. This doesn’t happen in other countries.
    I have a rule that I don’t swear on the internet, but I’ll take a lead from your post. This organisation is taking the piss. It is bleeding ordinary people dry. And it will continue to take the piss and bleed ordinary people dry until they take some form of direct action.
    Alen McFadzean

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 5, 2012 at 10:31 pm

      Hi Alen. I’m assuming that you were in the Dales where the National Park had provided a free parking area? The National trust still doe appear to cater for the ‘white middle classes’. Definately only for those with a spare bit of cash. Even the hills are taxed these days.

      Reply
  16. AlanR
    December 5, 2012 at 7:21 am

    Not just walkers. The locals are getting pissed off with it as well. Maybe a black bin liner taped over it with a return to sender label applied.

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 5, 2012 at 10:32 pm

      I have to say that is a brilliant idea Alan, a good bit of direct action that does not involve actual damage. I wonder how long the black bin liner could remain before someone realised and removed it?!

      Reply
  17. Jim
    December 5, 2012 at 10:36 am

    The National Trust’s slogan is ‘We’re a UK conservation charity, protecting historic places and green spaces, and opening them up for ever, for everyone’. Perhaps they should add ‘….as long as they have deep pockets’.
    Like most people, I’m happy to pay a sensible fee when a service is provided, but the Lakes car park charges are disgusting and it’s a further insult that after paying such a disproportionate fee, you’re not allowed to leave your car overnight. The Snowdonia National Park rates are generally more reasonable, except for Pen-y-pass, which is more than double any other car park in the area. The rule of thumb seems to be that if they can get away with it, they will. I wonder what percentage of these fees actually goes towards the maintenance of the paths.

    The black bin liner is a great idea, but perhaps with a sign saying ‘out of order’ – that would deny them a few quid!

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 5, 2012 at 11:47 pm

      Hi Jim. I don’t know why car parks in the Lakes have a problem with you leaving a car parked overnight, they don’t seem to appreciate that alot of people like to backpack and sleep on the hills. Again I’m not sure what they could do if you did leave a car there overnight. Better than blocking a narrow lane or causing problems for locals?

      Reply
  18. GeoffC
    December 6, 2012 at 4:07 pm

    There’s a growing trend in this type of thinking in many spheres, whereby the basic tenets of commerce are conveniently reinvented: if they want me to pay them some money, they provide something in return. If they construct a properly surfaced car park with marked bays, fair enough – that’s worth something. If it also has a toilet block it’s worth some more. Sticking a pay machine in e.g. a layby that has been there for decades provides me with absolutely nothing and is therefore worth nothing.
    I seldom visit the Lakes for other reasons apart from this, but I never ever pay to park (another great advantage of being a backpacker!).
    The village green in Hartington was always a great parking area, I wonder if that will be ‘monetized’ (a favourite phrase of the Ferengi types).

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 6, 2012 at 6:45 pm

      Yep you do hear the word ‘monetized’ being banded around Geoff, I think it means squeezing money out of people for stuff that used to be free. By all means charge if you provide something, i.e a proper car park with marked bays. But a bit of pot holed rough grounds in the woods? As I said earlier, taking the Piss.

      Reply
  19. James Lomax
    December 6, 2012 at 5:22 pm

    Like a poster above, I too once parked at the Langdale place for a wild overnight camp. I left in the evening and returned after midday which approximated an equivalent “day” of parking. But you can’t buy any such ticket so I thought sod it and paid a few pounds for 4 hours I think it was, covering me for that day. There was no alternative. A full day ticket still wouldn’t cover me for the next day. Anyway…I got a fine notice, went ballistic down the phone line a few days later…as I recall they reduced the fine a little, chap saying “you’re lucky its me because if it was Mr Blah he wouldn’t stand for it” – and I believed him. Its an unfortunate fact of the Lakes that in this and other ways its become an expensive place for visitors and an exclusive residential place for the wealthy.

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 6, 2012 at 6:47 pm

      Thanks for the comment James. Just out of interest how much did the National Trust ‘fine’ you for daring to go backpacking in Langdale?

      Reply
  20. terrybnd
    December 6, 2012 at 6:10 pm

    I quite agree with many of the sentiments spoken above, James. Alas, as you know I don’t drive. That’s not to say I don’t travel with others in a car from time to time. Me being me, I know a lot of the local pub landlords 😉 So, often I ask for them to look after the car on their property while away camping. Some could argue mind, that paying an annual membership to the NT is then economically sensible if you visit places where they make parking available. As it’s free of course. It may not cost them money in places where people visit, but I suppose it’s another avenue of revenue for them that perhaps gets thrown into a pool of cash for other projects/properties? I don’t know. I just got my business head on. It might be a way of making some money towards general costs from those who aren’t members? Maybe it’s another way to help pay for wardens who’ve no doubt been affected by rising costs of living?

    Even so, I’m working with the NT on that Scafell project. I’ll ask them about this subject and see what they have to say. I have to add, despite what some may perceive I’ve had nothing but wonderful conversations and support from them. They’ve been lovely. Admittedly, it’s the NT in the North West. And your criticism is in their area. So, I see no harm in asking them about it. The why’s of it and so on.

    I’ll let you know either way. I’m interested to hear their side of this argument. And answer some of the criticisms on here 🙂

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 6, 2012 at 6:56 pm

      I was a member of the National Trust Terry but it took 2 years to eventually get the free binoculars that hooked me into signing up in the first place. It’s £53 a year to join, which if like me you have no interest in visiting their properties is rather steep just for parking. Clearly they cater for people with a bit of cash to spare. If you have not got the money then you cannot access the hills in NT areas.

      Yep the staff may be lovely. You get lovely coppers, even Parking wardens in city centres may be lovely as individuals. I’m sure that even burglars deep down are lovely. It’s the National Trust as an organisation that made me cross, not its staff.

      I hope that they do answer Terry. Especially the point about their rationale for putting a pay and display machine next to an area which is not even a proper car park. And the fact that they make an area like the lakes only accessible to the wealthy.

      Reply
  21. James Lomax
    December 6, 2012 at 8:37 pm

    ……..I think the fine was £25 and the chap reduced it to £20, something in that region. It was a good few years ago. It seems to me what we’re discussing here is a clash between the needs and expectations of hill walkers and the ‘culture’ of the NT. As my experience illustrates, there is indeed a clash. I’m all for conservation, heritage protection etc – even bringing in a tourist trade where Americans (for example) enjoy antique country mansions with literary associations etc. But that’s rather different from hill walkers roughing it in tents – or put it another way – hill lovers seeking full immersion in the hills. And the Lakes in this respect are very different to Wales for example, where its quite easy to find a roadside where you can park, even overnight, and no one will bother you. Anyway let’s see if Terry establishes an interesting discussion about this.

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 8, 2012 at 1:54 pm

      Hmmm, so the National Trust now actually fine people? Definitely no longer an organisation that I would want to have anything to do with to be honest.

      Reply
  22. Chris G
    December 12, 2012 at 7:44 pm

    Well I am currently on the 2nd of 3 days in the Cairngorms National Park and I havent found a car park that charges more than 2 quid for the day.

    Reply
  23. Ian Barton
    December 13, 2012 at 9:04 pm

    Speaking as a landowner/farmer there are several reasons why we don’t open our fields for parking. If we charged for it we would have to:

    * Apply for planning permission for Change of Use.
    * Comply with a whole range of possibly expensive regulations.
    * Pay extra Public Liability Insurance
    * Convince HMRC that as it’s a cash business we weren’t collecting 10x more cash than we were declaring.

    I already have enough bureaucratic headaches without adding these to my list for a comparatively small return:)

    Ian.

    Reply
  24. Ian Barton
    December 14, 2012 at 2:35 pm

    Unfortunately charging for parking anywhere at all seems to be spreading to N Wales. A couple of years ago the council tarmacked over the area next to the lake in Llanberis, painted lots of white lines and installed a pay and display meter. Previously this was just covered in limestone chippings and was free to park. There was no need for the council to try and “improve” it.

    People parking on the verge near the PYG hotel frequently get ticketed for causing an obstruction, even though they are not obstructing traffic. Apparently the verge is considered part of the highway, so any parking on it is technically obstruction.

    The problem is that there are enough people who will actually pay unreasonably large parking charges that it doesn’t affect the local shops and businesses. If enough people boycotted places which made unreasonable charges, they would soon be reduced. Perhaps there should be a movement to get people to join the NT just to protest about their unreasonable parking charges.

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 14, 2012 at 6:06 pm

      It’s a shame that it is spreading to North wales as well Ian. Even if you were a member I doubt that the National Trust would listen to concerns. When I was a member they took no notice of my complaints about not receiving my free binoculars, two years to finally get them. Plus membership is rather costly.

      Reply
  25. beardedgit
    December 14, 2012 at 7:20 pm

    It’s not all bad news from the LD. Some YHA hostels, such as Patterdale, do allow non-members to use their car-parks for a small fee which is generally less than that of the nearest NT carparks. IIRC, it was £3 a day the last time I was there. As a YHA lifer I can usually park at Patterdale YHA FOC if I ask nicely and if they’re not fully-booked, I’ve even been allowed to overnight there. YMMV with other hostels though – Ambleside, for instance, wouldn’t entertain the idea the last time I was there. Given the choice, I’d much rather pay the YHA than pay the “National Trust Fund”.

    I recall that there was a kind farmer near Kentmere that allowed parking in his field for a small fee. Is this still the case? If so, it’s proof that bureaucracy can be overcome or avoided.

    While we’re on the subject of bureaucracy, do the National Trust Fund have to pay tax on their income from these festrous machines? I know that the NT is a registered charity but I wouldn’t consider a parking-fee to be a charity donation.

    And what about planning permission to install the festrous machines – do they need it? If so, there are proper channels for objecting to further installations.

    Reply
  26. beardedgit
    December 14, 2012 at 8:19 pm

    Ian said:

    “Apparently the verge is considered part of the highway, so any parking on it is technically obstruction.”

    Try telling that to a copper who’s parked on the verge while generating revenue using a speeding-cam.

    Reply
  27. Ian Barton
    December 15, 2012 at 8:59 am

    Regarding planning permission. They probably do need it and in most cases they would have to post a notice on the site describing their application. Most councils have a planning portal, where you can view current applications. The council will also inform the Parish Council of any applications and the PC can express a view. However, as a Parish Councillor I can tell you that most Councils take very little account of the PC’s view.

    You can object as an individual in writing. You should be aware that your letter will be available for anyone to view. Also you can *only* object on planning grounds. Councils can only reject an application if it contravenes one of the multitude of local and national planning policies. If you want your objection to be taken seriously, you need to research these and point out in your letter which policies the application contravenes. For a minor thing like a parking meter, the application will probably be decided by a local Planning Officer. If there are a lot of objections, or it’s a large application it will be referred to one of the monthly Council Planning Committee meetings.

    Reply
  28. Dougal Quixote
    December 17, 2012 at 11:18 am

    This pernicious species is spreading. Forestry Commission Scotland have installed them in several places including Glen Affric where you could pay be credit card except there is no GSM signal. Bright spark thought that one up. The local Community Councils have objected vociferously and for now they are covered up while FCS pay a consultant to do a study!!! No facility for people wild camping that will be away for a couple of days. Charges were to be quite low in comparison to the Lakes but they always go up, not down. The local hoteliers and accomodation owners are fighting this case hard but decisions are made in Edinburgh with little knowledge of local conditions.

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 22, 2012 at 11:12 am

      Hi Dougal, sorry for your comment not going up sooner, it managed to get gobbled up by the spam monster. The last place that you want pay and display machines is somewhere like Glen Affic, surely many visitors go there to backpack. Good that the local community council have managed to get them covered up.

      Reply
  29. mark
    December 17, 2012 at 3:40 pm

    It is getting quite bad. I paid to park in the Malvern Hills – only a couple of quid but when I got back an hour later my car window had been smashed and the car looted. So not only did I have to pay to park I didn’t get the benefits I come to expect – like some form of security. As much as I can understand some kind of charge to stop excessive and stupid parking and to keep our green areas green but £6 is a bit excessive

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 17, 2012 at 7:38 pm

      Sounds like an unpleasant experience Mark. The car parks where I live sell themselves on their security, its what you should expect if you have to pay, they are often cheaper than the £6.20 charged by the National Trust.

      Reply
      • mark
        December 20, 2012 at 9:36 am

        Yeah you could say that – fortunately for my girlfriend her phone was insured but it wasn’t worth putting a dent in my premium to cover my losses! Such a beautiful place as well that I loved visiting but I cant go now as I cant relax when my cars park there.

  30. Chris G
    December 17, 2012 at 5:16 pm

    I think the top and bottom of it is the NT are probably seeing a reduction in those renewing their membership fees after an initial increase at the time of the credit crunch.and have increased parking charges to cover that. The idea of a “staycation” became popular but I would imagine a lot of people didnt renew after their first year. I joined in 2010 (and got the free binos very soon after) but didnt renew in 2011. I called them to request they cancel the direct debit and they were very keen to know why, I just told them I was cutting back on expenditure, had I known what they charged for parking they would have got an earful. I definitely got my moneys worth in admission fees to their properties but didnt renew as I”d rather spend my time on the hill than looking around stately homes. This is just my theory and it could be wrong..

    Reply
    • backpackingbongos
      December 17, 2012 at 7:39 pm

      I have to admit that once I joined the NT I did not visit any of their properties, therefore I did not get value for money there! I realised that I much prefer spending my spare time in the hills!

      Reply
  31. surfin dead
    July 17, 2014 at 4:23 pm

    I asked NT rep at Ashness Bridge if his parking tickets were enforceable. His response, “I won’t be doing anything about it.”

    Reply
    

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