York Nightmare ( My First and last Show) Forums

Rifleman

( Below is a copy of a post I made to my own Motorcamper club the SBMCC)

Oh Well , its warm so we will go says I to my wife and son.
So off went the Day family to our very first motorcaravan show.

We got to the outskirts of york at 10AM, then we spent two long horrid hours in traffic trying to get to the racecourse, we then spent another 35 minutes trying to get into the carpark.

After we parked up we walked over to pay our money and gain entry to the show, 25 minutes of more queueing we got in.

it was so crowded you had no chance of trying to ask vendors advice about products, I wanted a Solar panal system, a leasure battery and split charger system, a set of compact air horns and a few other bits.
By 3 Pm I had got nothing, No matter how patient OR pushy I was most times I could not get near the products on sale.

So we gave up and went to the info centre to see if anyone could direct us towards the SBMCC .......................after much blank stares from the people running the event , we went for a look around, three stewards told us our club would be near toilet block seven so we went a looking. Nothing found.

Gave up and came home, So endeth our first ( and possibly last) attempt to visit a motorcaravan show. Crying or Very sad

Anonymous

That is a great pity going to all that trouble, money to spend in the motorhome industry and that's the best they can do. Obviously they need a rethink if indeed they thought previously. Sorry you wasted a day.

Anonymous

This post has cheered me up, I was going to York yesterday and would have arrived around 10am but other things got in the way Sad

and I was feeling quite down that I could not go. I am now glad that I didn't Very Happy

Fellman

We went along on Saturday with a couple of friends who are seriously in the buying frame of mind. We arrived about 10.30 having taken side roads to avoid congestion on the A64. We only had to queue for a couple of minutes for car park & then 5 mins for entry. Its the luck of the draw really when you go these events.

Whilst I found it fairly busy, I could always find assistance from staff on the stands. The weather was the best I had seen for over a week whilst I had been in the south, and whilst I didn't indend to buy anything, I spent over £300 on items at reduced prices.

Maybe we were just lucky.We will go again Smile

bsb2000 · NE Rally Co-ordinator

Half an hour earlier might have saved you a lot of heartache, we arrived at 09.25 straight into the carpark, queued for about 15mins for tickets and althought he rain spoilt the first half hour the weather got better and we had a most enjoyable day getting most of what we went for.

Rifleman

I spent over £300 on items at reduced prices.

Maybe we were just lucky.We will go again Smile

[/quote]

Naturally in something as badly organised as York show " Luck of the draw plays a major part, and I honestly hope you got some great bargains Laughing

But of much of the stuff I priced up at the show I have found much cheaper on the web , esp the fiamma stuff, Oh and the set of air horns on one stall that was £47 at york I got for 23 quid last night at the local motorist shop.

But thats besides the point surely the organiers, the local authority and the police must have known thousands of big vehicles were going to arrive in York over that period, yet No sensible traffic flow/ managemet scheme was set up. I,ve seen TA transport units better organise a collection of vehicles only the eighth of the size of the York event.

I should have listened to the more experienced guys in our club when they said its not worth the effort.

Anonymous

Sorry to hear that some people didn't enjoy the show. We are still at it, avoiding the traffic. We have had a great time, buying very little (thank goodness!) and meeting lots of people (business and pleasure).

This is only the second show we have camped at, and find it a lot more enjoyable. When you're there for the day it's like a race trying to get round everything in time, plus you're at the mercy of the crowds and sometimes can't even see the exhibitors. Camping, however, allows you to go back again and again, and reduces the chance you'll buy loads of stuff on impulse. Of course it also reduces the pressure to get round the whole thing in a day.

I don't know when they opened the gates but it was beautifully quiet up to 9.30 so arriving early is a good plan if you can't get there before Saturday. Best case scenario is arrive Thursday early afternoon and leave Monday morning as late as possible. We arrived on Thursday at 1pm and 5pm (laundry issues), the first time it was quiet, no queues, second time we had to park in a queue to get in to park. Then we ended up parked in the wrong place because we were tired of queuing and no one was directing us, saw a space and parked in it.

Can see why people got frustrated but I wouldn't give up on shows too quickly. If you can take the time out, they're a load of fun.

Lizzie
(off to find nice warm pub for dinner:-) )

eurajohn

Rifleman

Try http://www.abbutt.co.uk/ they will be able to supply all of the parts you mentioned and I can recommend them as competitive in price having bought most of the items on your list from them.

John.

ukracer

[quote:75b43e0732="Rifleman"]

I should have listened to the more experienced guys in our club when they said its not worth the effort.[/quote:75b43e0732]

If the shows are not the way to go where do people suggest you go to see a new motorhome and create a short list. There are SO many to choose from . Its a mine field!

HelenB · Moderator

Personally I think the shows are great and as you say they are the place to go to see lots of vans. I am going to the NEC in February next year, not to buy but just because I think it's a great day out. Everyone's different Laughing