"Zoning" of Maison Blanche, Bleu sud and nord...

[termietermite]

Then mal, you would have approved of the system in the campsite at Spa (behind the hotel in Francorchamps).  They advertised the site at 8 euros per night.  However, they charged us 8 euros for the car and 16 for the tent as it was a frame one.  Also, it wasn't per night but per day so we were charged 6 x 24 euros for staying from Wednesday (arriving 5pm) and leaving on Monday at 10 am.  Now that's a rip of!

As has been said earlier in this thread, at LM you pay for 35 square meters of pitch, regardless - that is how they work out how many tickets they sell.  It's obvious from the fact that if you arrive late - even with a pre-booked MB ticket - you can find there is no room that some people (of course, nobody from this site) take up more space than they are allocated.  And as ever, it is these selfish b*stards who cause organisers like the ACO to introduce petty and irritating regulations.

[Werner]

Am I correct in saying that a camping pass allows a specific number of tents (something like five, i thought) ....

Last years pass didn't allow a specific number of tents, it allowed a pitch of 35 sqm, e.g. 7*5 metres of space per pass. In case you need more space, I guess you are expected to buy more campsite passes, e.g. 5 passes for an area of 175 sqm

[LangTall]

Thet's why we were allowed to have 420 square meters 'last year' (ffs it's still 2006 guys! Or do we have newyears eve in June?? )

[Piglet]

So we're back to agreeing that each pass should give you an amount of space, if you need more you should buy more passes?  Which is spookily enough the current situation except that the ACO don't enforce it.  

I'm sorry to come back to it but I still don't see how zoning helps this?  

Despite Termies comments I'm pretty sure the majority of us on here made damn sure that we had enough passes for last year as we were pretty sure that the ACO were going to have a good stab at enforcing the space restriction.   Which they then didn't......

Of course I note that nobody has suggested that perhaps they just sell more passes than there is space for?  

As an aside, a pitch size of 7 x 5 is very small, the average campsite spot in England would be 10 x 10 and the average French spot probably bigger.   This results in the tents being close together and creating a fairly serious fire hazard.  

[termietermite]

Piglet, I specifically said it was nobody on here didn't I?  And yes I agree this is a pathetic attempt to solve the apparent problem - although, like you, I still haven't seen this letter so don't know what it says!  At most other events of this sort that I have been to where spaces are not physically marked out, there is somebody inside the campsite/car park lining people up with the allocated spaces and you just get what you're given - no chance to be near your mates unless you arrive together.
At a music festival which I have been attending for nearly 30 years, you just get the width of your car with room for a tent behind - and there are huge marked "roadways" in between so fire engines can get to every tent.  Nobody complains - that's the way it is.

[mal]

Then mal, you would have approved of the system in the campsite at Spa (behind the hotel in Francorchamps).  They advertised the site at 8 euros per night.  However, they charged us 8 euros for the car and 16 for the tent as it was a frame one.  Also, it wasn't per night but per day so we were charged 6 x 24 euros for staying from Wednesday (arriving 5pm) and leaving on Monday at 10 am.  Now that's a rip of!

No I would not. What I am saying is that I paid for 22 tickets which should allow me 770 m2 of space which I clearly do not use. The ACO may say they allocate on m2 basis but they will not let a vehicle in woithout a camping pass no matter how much space you have used. Last year we probalby used about 400m2 so if I said I wanted twelve camping passes but tried to get  22 vehciles in they would turn 10 away. Other people buy one or two camping passes, bring a large vehicle and loads of kit and then use much more than their allocation. The only fair way is for the camping pass to give you an allocated space and you get as many as you need for your set up.

[termietermite]

Bikers are so often treated badly in this respect - except at the festival mentioned above where they have a special site which is free for them and for back-packers.  But yes, you should pay for one marked out space per ticket and that's that.  I quite agree.

At the classic this year, on the Sunday, we wanted to bring Mr Termite's car up to the tent to take some of our stuff away and the jobsworth on the gate wouldn't even let him in for 10 minutes! (This was fine, btw, after the 24 hours, no probs at all). Humph.

[Piglet]

At a music festival which I have been attending for nearly 30 years, you just get the width of your car with room for a tent behind - and there are huge marked "roadways" in between so fire engines can get to every tent.  Nobody complains - that's the way it is.

The problem isn't just getting access to burning tents, it's that with such small pitches you don't get any decent separation between units so if one tent catches fire it spreads immediately to adjoining tents.    For permanent sites in the UK (and I think it comes from European legislation) there is I think a requirement of 6 m clearance between "units".

Of course sites like LM and Silverstone for the GPetc aren't permanent sites so in theory aren't governed by the regulations....

That's a whole different discussion though....

[termietermite]

Although, Piglet, maybe we should add (if it isn't already there) a fire extinguisher to the list of what we should bring to LM, in the guide!

[Paddy_NL]

If fire would break out -and please let that never happen- the fire crew will run over tents anyway, and I'd let them!

[Paddy_NL]

Although, Piglet, maybe we should add (if it isn't already there) a fire extinguisher to the list of what we should bring to LM, in the guide!

We always have one on us!

[mal]

you have 16 barrells of dont you Paddy!

[IanB]

Attached is hopefully a scan of the plan of MB ,the scribblings are me counting up the pitches

[Piglet]

Although, Piglet, maybe we should add (if it isn't already there) a fire extinguisher to the list of what we should bring to LM, in the guide!

We always have one on us!

I wouldn't ever camp without an extinguisher and a fire blanket, although arguably the small ones are as much use as a chocolate t-pot. 

A few of years ago on Silverstone GP marshals campsite, I came very very very close to setting fire to a nylon windbreak that was attached to the tent....It taught me to always make sure that there is as much gap as you can manage between plastic structures. 

Edited to add: cheers for the map Ian, there does seem to be a lot of the campsite missing though or am I not looking at it correctly? 

[rcutler]

I must admit I have always found it annoying that a single guy on a motorbike and a small tent has to pay the same a twentry guys with a coach and twenty tents.

As for our group we all take two seater sports cars and bikes and therefore have to have 22 camping tickets for just 35 people.

The only fair way is that you pay for the area you use, which suggests pitches, but it needs to be done in such a way that groups can be put together and spread over a number of pitches

I agree that pitches marked and monitored would be a good idea. NO NUMBERING THOUGH!!! The only problem is size. Houx's 5x5m pitches are way too small for a car, tent and gazeebo, making them massively over priced.

MB stated that the allocated space was 7x5m as we had three passes last year that gave us 7x 15m which I think we were within.

I think the best way is to provide braclets stopping people getting on site without a bracelet would also improve security. Only problem you would get is with visiters.