Cheaper LPG!

[Pudsey Bear]

Ditto.

 

[wildebus]

I generally don't use motorways - even free ones- in Europe as I'm no longer in a rush to get anywhere and I prefer to see the countryside rather than a motorway embankment. I certainly avoid the service stations and their high prices. The other downside of motorways is that satnags by default always route you on a motorway and as most people use satnags motorways are far busier. If there is a problem then long jams occur.

Nope ...I'm happier bumbling along at 50mph seeing the wonderful countryside and wildlife and small towns and hamlets ...which is what touring a country is all about in my book?

Jeremy

The Journey is part of the Holiday

 

[cheyenne]

I generally don't use motorways - even free ones- in Europe as I'm no longer in a rush to get anywhere and I prefer to see the countryside rather than a motorway embankment. I certainly avoid the service stations and their high prices. The other downside of motorways is that satnags by default always route you on a motorway and as most people use satnags motorways are far busier. If there is a problem then long jams occur.

Nope ...I'm happier bumbling along at 50mph seeing the wonderful countryside and wildlife and small towns and hamlets ...which is what touring a country is all about in my book?

Jeremy

we tour the countryside & small hamlets but doing the amount of mileage we do you would never to get there without using motorways to access them . plus tour Europe since 2003 i think we know not to fill up at motorway service's only "GPL" these are the places the motorway takes us to .cheyenne

 

[Pudsey Bear]

We avoid them, sat nav is set to avoid them, tolls and ferries unless we need to.

 

[Marshman]

Cheyenne .. I've been touring Europe since 1953, first with my parents in a Morris 8 and a borrowed scout Bell tent, then in a converted Ford Thames van then Dormobiles in the 1950's 1960's Then I was a tugger in the 70's, 80's 90's 00's and since then I've been touring in my Benimar motorhome.
The following is a summary of our last trip.
So we too do lots of miles overall but don't use motorways!

Balkans trip
We have just returned from our late summer jaunt in our motorhome Mabel.
Good weather - just a couple of rainy days.
Stunning scenery in the Austrian and Slovenian Alps and then in the Italian Dolomites and Swiss Alps.
Interesting and enjoyable trip into Bosnia for four days and amazing coastlines and Islands in the Croatian Adriatic.
Friendly natives throughout.
All areas rammed with motorhomes and campervans... mainly German, even into October. We have never experienced this before? (Four or five of our chosen campsites were full ..."Complet"!)
All very enjoyable and repeatable!

The Details
30th August to 7th October (39 days)
About 2950 miles, about 490 litres diesel (almost 6 mpl)
16 campsites
14 Border crossings
10 countries, (France to Belgium to Luxembourg to Germany to Austria to Slovenia to Croatia to Bosnia to Croatia to Slovenia to Italy to Switzerland to Germany to France.)
9 Mountain passes, (Fursten Pass, Vrsic pass, Maklejen pass, passo Delata Mauria, Passo Falsarego, Passo Gardena, Offen Pass, Fluella Pass, Col du Bonhomme)
Too many beers and wines to count.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

I would like the info to look back on and did write it all down once upon a time but it became too much like a chore and annoying if I missed something, I admire those who can do it though, just not for me, we just go with the flow, it costs what it costs, we plan nothing more than the initial direction, and then head towards to brighter sky as we don't like rain these days despite liking the smell of a damp dog

 

[wildebus]

I would like the info to look back on and did write it all down once upon a time but it became too much like a chore and annoying if I missed something, I admire those who can do it though, just not for me, we just go with the flow, it costs what it costs, we plan nothing more than the initial direction, and then head towards to brighter sky as we don't like rain these days despite liking the smell of a damp dog

When I start on a "new thing", be it a new car, new motorhome, or whatever, I start off logging information. I usually fail to continue with it after a while, but certainly not because it is boring but because I just forget (the same problem happens with paying credit card bills and submitting tax returns on time - but at least with those, you can set reminders or auto-payments ).
If I thought it were boring or 'sad', then I wouldn't bother starting, or doing things like writing a spreadsheet to work out cost-effective price-hunting for fuel.
I think some people just don't 'get it', which is fine, but why they feel the need to slag others off who do is beyond me

 

[Pudsey Bear]

When I start on a "new thing", be it a new car, new motorhome, or whatever, I start off logging information. I usually fail to continue with it after a while, but certainly not because it is boring but because I just forget (the same problem happens with paying credit card bills and submitting tax returns on time - but at least with those, you can set reminders or auto-payments ).
If I thought it were boring or 'sad', then I wouldn't bother starting, or doing things like writing a spreadsheet to work out cost-effective price-hunting for fuel.
I think some people just don't 'get it', which is fine, but why they feel the need to slag others off who do is beyond me

I didn't say it was boring though, it isn't if that's what you like to do, I said it was a chore IE something I had to do, and of course I'm on holiday and not looking for work to do. unless Liz has binned them (dead if she has) I have every single invoice, and fuel receipts with mileage on them since day one of this lark, linked per van, so in effect I suppose I could go through them and put them in a SS but it's work, I'm retired so it'll never happen but I do keep records. Sort of

For this particular van I did start a SS to log my personal spending on it. as we are not married we each own half of the van, despite my sweat equity in doing all the work I am up to doing on it, but Liz has finite resources and has a house to run so I started paying for repairs etc and at some point I want my investment back so I need an accounting method to back up the invoices, but it is only for this van, chances are she will end up with it if my health continues to spiral down.

 

[Rumour]

makes sense .... IF you pass places that sells LPG. I don't. The garages that sell Diesel usually don't sell LPG. Try living in the back of beyond and see how you go.

"second lowest of 5 LEDs"? what on earth does that mean?

(yes, I know it means you have an LPG gauge very few people actually do. Their (and my) gauge is 'cooker/heating stopped working')

Hence the need to fill where you see it. As for the LED's, I can't understand why there is 5! Which also means that I have no idea how much I have left. Which makes the LED's F$&%in useless! And as my Eberspatcher has nearly set the van alight, I may have to replace tyhe diesel heater with a gas one, now that WILL confuse the hell out of my gauge!

 

[wildebus]

Hence the need to fill where you see it.

OK.. Failure on the very first point.... I DON'T SEE IT

As for the LED's, I can't understand why there is 5! Which also means that I have no idea how much I have left. Which makes the LED's F$&%in useless! And as my Eberspatcher has nearly set the van alight, I may have to replace tyhe diesel heater with a gas one, now that WILL confuse the hell out of my gauge!

 

[Geek]

If you can drive in and get on a pump straight away it is different, when having to queue the AES can get confused and spark up on gas.

That's only going to happen if you push the van to the pump. If you start the engine to move along the queue, the wait period restarts.

 

[Geek]

Absolutely. There are some French supermarket filling stations that turn off the LPG pump when unmanned (which prevented me filling up before leaving France last autumn), but others leave it operational. Never had any issues at manned self-service stations (and would not expect to).

Not just French. Some Asda filling stations with lpg pumps are unmanned overnight, and when they're unmanned, the lpg pump is switched off. I suspect that's why Adsa has so few lpg stations: they prefer unmanned.

 

[Geek]

I assume from comments that LPG isn't a problem once over the channel? is it cheaper too?

I'd say that lpg is slightly less available in France, but with a good size tank, that's not a problem.

The price of lpg varies wildly everywhere, but in France it's much the same as the UK.

However, swappable bottled gas is less of a ripoff in Europe.

Calor have built themselves a monopoly in the UK so the prices reflect that.

 

[wildebus]

I'd say that lpg is slightly less available in France, but with a good size tank, that's not a problem.

The price of lpg varies wildly everywhere, but in France it's much the same as the UK.

However, swappable bottled gas is less of a ripoff in Europe.

Calor have built themselves a monopoly in the UK so the prices reflect that.

You mean a monopoly except for the alternative Bottled LPG suppliers?

 

[Pudsey Bear]

That's only going to happen if you push the van to the pump. If you start the engine to move along the queue, the wait period restarts.

I'd not turn the engine off while waiting the amount of fuel you save would be minimal, unless you're unfortunate to get behind some thicko Doris who wants to do a weeks shopping and then get ten Costas instead of getting off the pump and into the parking bays.

Grr, now ya got me started, how about the A holes who fill up at the back pump behind another car but don't move forward to allow you to move forward, and the others who drive past while you're filling then you have to wait for them to fill up so you can go, and the biddy/girl who has to check her mush ad farts about looking for the seat belt point, I could go on.

 

[Geek]

You mean a monopoly except for the alternative Bottled LPG suppliers?

I mean a monopoly. To have a monopoly you don't need to be the only supplier. Lots of people misunderstand the term.

 

[wildebus]

I mean a monopoly. To have a monopoly you don't need to be the only supplier. Lots of people misunderstand the term.

I prefer Cludeo.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

I think we understand monopoly, but Calor doesn't have one, there are at least two other companies, Flo gas and GasUK

 

[Geek]

I think we understand monopoly, but Calor doesn't have one, there are at least two other companies, Flo gas and GasUK

I think "we" don't understand monopoly. One of us has economics qualifications.

 

[wildebus]

I think "we" don't understand monopoly. One of us has economics qualifications.

I am sure "one" of us with economics qualifications is a lot more than "one" as well


Now as far as "monopoly" means, there is a general definition which includes exclusivity as a key criteria. e.g.

"A monopoly (from Greek μόνος, mónos, 'single, alone' and πωλεῖν, pōleîn, 'to sell'), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situation where a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular thing."
Given CALOR is NOT the only supplier of bottled gas, and other suppliers can provide direct alternatives, they clearly do NOT have a Monopoly.

I would agree CALOR has a monopoly of distributing CALOR GAS. maybe you meant that?