Motorhomers share their pet hates according to Caravan Guard survey

Noisy neighbours, people walking across camping pitches, and dirty showers and toilets topped a table of more than 20 caravanning and motorhoming pet hates.

Eleven per cent of voters in an online poll by motorhome insurance specialist, Caravan Guard, also complained about dogs not on their leads, fouling, or barking.

More than 700 motorhomers and caravanners and responded when asked to list their pet peeves when away in their leisure vehicle, with

• WiFi charges
• noise after curfew
• height barriers
• lack of motorway service parking facilities
• packing up to go home
• barking dogs
• over-friendly dogs
• dog mess on campsites and
• narrow, overgrown country lanes making the top 10 list of annoyances.

But it wasn't all moans and groans as "packing up to go home" also made the top 10 - proving how much motorhomers and caravanners really do love time away in their ’van.

Although many people do like to take their dogs away in their motorhome and there are lots of pet-friendly campsites to stay at, they’re also the cause of lots of frustration, if the comments on the poll were anything to go by!

The behaviour of dogs and their owners flooded the comments box, with barking dogs, over-friendly mutts, and dog mess being just some of the pet hates of our four-legged companions. 

One camper even said campsites should be segregated into dog owners and non-dog owner areas.

Height barriers and lack of motorway service parking facilities were other popular pet hates for motorhomers and caravanners.

Richard Geddes said he’d not been able to visit attractions in areas they’d visited because the local council had put height barriers across its public car parks.

Alan Bennet said: "Apparently my cash spend at a lot of destinations is not wanted, this is the only conclusion that I can make for the erection of height barriers at many car parks. Also the lack of parking spaces for motorhomes. Also the lack of waste emptying facilities at motorway service areas."

David Fisher agreed and said he would happily pay more for parking a larger vehicle: "Height barriers – this is an indiscriminate method of controlling illegal encampments but prevents those who legitimately wish to visit many locations."

He also added that he didn't like the lack of local authority designated motorhome overnight parking aires. "Provision of these would assist the current demand on other caravan touring sites," said David. "Motorhomes are self-sufficient and don't generally require full site facilities."

Other complaints included kids cycling around, people not sticking to the campsite speed limits and the cost of electric hook-ups in summer