Motorhomes and the waving.

Ah yes, plenty of enthusiastic waving whilst driving past on the great British road network. However when at campsites barely a hello or even eye contact from fellow motorhome owners/hirers. Is it just me or do others find this happens to them?

Yes. The pandemic hasn't helped , people keeping their distance but it's been the same for years.

Direct eye contact altogether with acknowledgement/smile is the indicator IMO that a chat may be welcome. If not, so be it. I tend not to ignore people outright, it's not my nature to do so, but a rebuff will realise my mistake. 

Hmmmm hadn’t considered that fact (pandemic). Makes sense I guess. 

We are just back from a good old trip of England and I decided nah, no matter how much you wave at me (and yes I see you waving frantically from the other side of the motorway too) I ain’t waving back anymore.

So if you see a Burford Duo coming towards you and the female occupant does not wave or smile back that’s me just being miserable.
 
I will however smile and engage at a campsite like I always do. 🤪🤪

I don’t wave either. Hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, that’s me.

I find CAMC sites the worst for being ignored. I’ll always smile and say "good morning" but invariably the other person shuffles past with eyes focused straight ahead.

I only acknowledge the A/S vans especially the VW 'T' range . 
frederic
 Oh! and also the Clubman/Gatcombe 

Hi Diggins, if we were ever to pass each other, say at a snail's pace due to a very narrow road, I would certainly wave and smile at you, at the same time being envious of your van. 

Awww that’s very kind, you would get the last laugh if you met me in my Bedford Bambi though.

Diggins wrote:... when at campsites barely a hello or even eye contact from fellow motorhome owners/hirers. Is it just me or do others find this happens to them?

Not at all. We have been away several times over the summer and have found others on campsites to be as friendly as ever. Some are a little shy at first, particularly those new to motorhoming, but if we say 'hello' first it's usually fine.

Slow-Lane wrote:

Diggins wrote:... when at campsites barely a hello or even eye contact from fellow motorhome owners/hirers. Is it just me or do others find this happens to them?

Not at all. We have been away several times over the summer and have found others on campsites to be as friendly as ever. Some are a little shy at first, particularly those new to motorhoming, but if we say 'hello' first it's usually fine.

I agree Slow-Lane, I’m not one who is particularly into waving but on site it’s a different matter.
I love to chat and have always found many others to be the same even in recent times, obviously not everyone wants to socialise and I completely respect that but usually we are saying goodbye to people we’ve met when leaving site even after just a couple of days.

IanH wrote:I do wave, but, strictly only to other ASmonocoques

If I ever see you on your way down to Halton Ian, I will certainly give you the wave after that comment… 
Edit… deleted, inappropriate comment!!! 

Couldn’t believe the detail in your model by the way, brilliant.

I stopped waving many years ago when I realised I'd been acknowledging horseboxes and high top delivery vans...
However when on the motorbike I always nod to fellow riders, unless they're aboard a Hardly Affordable, I ignore those...
Al.

I wave, I think it is a nice thing to do, only when safe to do so, have been known to wave to delivery vans , now I make sure,  motor bikers acknowledge each other with a nod, I wave to  VW`s motor homes as well as campers.plus other makes, have noticed the foreign made vans don`t wave even when registered to british owners.

Decades ago waving to motorists who had the same care was done, now modern cars , most look the same anyway.

Here in South Birmingham the police have a Pilot coachbuilt that I have waved to several times 

breakaleg wrote:Here in South Birmingham the police have a Pilot coachbuilt that I have waved to several times 

That's nice, but what do they use it for? I can't imagine it's much use for high speed pursuit; perhaps the boys in blue use it to get away for a bit of R&R now and then?
Also - did they wave back?

They gave me a funny look lol

I think that the idea was it was used in cases of domestic violence and at fire scenes.
Not sure if they still have it now.
Pete

Tinwheeler wrote:I don’t wave either. Hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, that’s me.

I'm pretty much the same.

I waved initially when I had an old VW as there was quite a culture to it, but in a standard MH no-one really cares and I found only a small minority waved back when I moved from the VW, so I pretty much gave up and get on with driving now.

In terms of once pitched up, we keep to ourselves and pretty much 99% of people around us always have done too.  Maybe the odd hello to the people in the next pitch in the morning etc but no-one bothers us and we don't bother them.

I've seen people pretty much isolate themselves with windbreaks set up all around their pitch to fence it off.  I've no issue with that either, they're enjoying their trip away in their own way.

I wave to other motorhome users but I have stopped waving to van conversions and A class because there owners rarely wave back.
We are not very social people by our choice so the pandemic and social distancing isn’t a problem to us. On sites its other dog owners that make contact first. All our muttly s have attracted attention usually from ladies.
If the other site users have something interesting to me mechanical wise I will talk to the owners. They tend to want to talk oily bits to me.

Dave 418 wrote:……I have stopped waving to van conversions and A class because there owners rarely wave back.

That’ll be me in the PVC then

I’ve stopped waving since my VW days but I still feel awful when I don’t notice others till it’s too late waving frantically in the opposite direction!

I'll wave to any A/S even when driving in the works Transit or our Warwick. I'll give a thumbs "up" to any old classic car in a traffic jam etc. Always have even if its an old Morris minor. I'll talk all day about oily bits and always notice fellow campers in motorcycle logo t-shirts etc. Have never got the idea about caravans and "flag" poles ??? Must be football supporter syndrome or the like.
We sometimes do synchronized waving just for fun, just one big single wave from left to right in unison, it always gets a smile or a puzzled long stare from oncoming motor homers.
Yes I think big A class motorhomers just don't get out enough to enjoy having fun.

babian wrote:... We sometimes do synchronized waving just for fun, just one big single wave from left to right in unison, it always gets a smile or a puzzled long stare from oncoming motor homers.

Brilliant! We may do this too!

Just like human windscreen wipers, but on the inside. 
Just for fun we started doing it the odd time while traveling through Scotland . 
The most enthusiastic waving we saw from an oncoming vehicle was in the middle of Wales and it was a Ford Fiesta. Pulled over to see what the problem was and were very surprised to find out is was a couple we knew from the Isle of Man !! right in the middle of no where.

I don't know if they still have them but Gloucestershire Constabulary has had motorhomes, bought second hand, to use as mobile police stations.  They operated under the name of BobbyBus.  They had a schedule of touring round the villages to provide a contact point for citizens.  Never found out if they waved back if you waved at them.

Tony Comber