HS or Grass - Essential?
Comments
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We take hard standings when they are available but do use grass if we have to. Grass looks beter but being realistic hardstandings are more durable and are the future. I gather planning permission can be a problem though in some instances and a bit of grass
between pitches does help the appearance.0 -
Whilst many have indicated their preference nobody has answered the question I posed. If there were no HS, would you give up caravanning?
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Page 2 CY, bottom of my post! If only grass was available then we would still tour, both MH and caravan!
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Whilst many have indicated their preference nobody has answered the question I posed. If there were no HS, would you give up caravanning?
It would depend on pitch price for us touring as a couple but if we were still travelling with the family then yes we would probably stop
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Whilst many have indicated their preference nobody has answered the question I posed. If there were no HS, would you give up caravanning?
Write your comments here...no never but would only go on sites with good drainage, would probably go less in winter
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obviously, carry on vanning....generally happy on most surfaces as long as they are firm(ish)...but tend to spend the wet season in a drier place.....
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That's very nice. Much better than horrible gravel. Even having the plastic mesh to run the caravan onto pitch makes it look less than car park like! Is it a UK site AD? Am guessing otherwise, but if it is please share?
I'd say not, as the paved area outside the caravan doors in in the photo are on the UK offside.....ie, designed pour le Continent....
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Spend most of my camping on grass pitches so a definite no to giving up should HS's disappear. Carry on regardless.
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Whilst many have indicated their preference nobody has answered the question I posed. If there were no HS, would you give up caravanning?
No. Caravanned often enough before there were H/S pitches, although might not go out as often in the winter.
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It's not the end of the world, being on grass. On our holiday in France we had grass pitches everywhere we stayed. They all seemed to be well drained, though, unlike many that we see in the UK.
That said, I would prefer to be given the choice on sites where there are both grass and hardstanding pitches......and we would chose hardstanding because we prefer it. Frustrating, when it would be so simple to give us that choice.
The answer is simple......if you want the choice, go to somewhere other than a CC site. Or write to the CC and encourage them to bring in the choice. It won't happen by simply moaning about it on here.
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HS every time for a M/H
Write your comments here...Definitely! Getting stuck and leaving ruts in the grass makes you public enemy number one with the wardens.
I wonder how all those M/H's manage in France then?
Might it be the driver, perhaps........? Some people cannot drive in a bit of snow, either......
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we had to get towed off a club recommended site in France, Val Vert in Vaux sur Mer....it was very wet and IMHO theese pitches probably shouldnt have been open.
that said, we now have traction control on our latest van and have been on a few 'damp' pitches but without issue.
obviously, a firm surface is desirable but im not a fan of the clubs "chipping" choice...
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....and, yes, most of the aires we use in towns/villages are a hard surface but these are used for a day or two as part of the journey (wherever that takes us) bit the sites we end up on are the same for caravanners as for MHs....so, nice to have a choice
but we tend to be 'away' where/when its far drier than it is in the uk....so, generally dont have a problem.touring all year in the uk would be a different kettle of fish for lots of reasons....wet pitches being one of them.
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I guess that H/S are easier for site operators to maintain, don't get churned up, and the whole site can be mown without having to nip along with the mower immediately the previous rig leaves and before the next one arrives.
I much prefer grass unless the pitches are seriously sloping (like Smedmore House!!).
Grass feels more rural, 'holiday' and 'away from it all' than a tarmac, concrete, or gravel emplacement. Nostalgia perhaps for my cub and scout camps with musty bell tents and elsan closets, a KFS from home with a bit of red cotton tied on the handles, enamel 'crockery', and school caravanning holidays with gas mantle lights.
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I tend to think that a field full of tin boxes on wheels is never going to look overly 'natural'......so a bit of hardstanding for them to sit on won't make it any worse.
The best, most natural sites, in my view, are those that have a bit of open space or lots of treees, shrubs etc to divide areas up, rather than big, open spaces.
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I tend to think that a field full of tin boxes on wheels is never going to look overly 'natural'......so a bit of hardstanding for them to sit on won't make it any worse.
Agreed, although for the past thirty years 90% of my touring has been abroad where *most* sites I choose are riverside, grass, and with hedged pitches and numerous willows to provide shade. Just being abroad is an adventure in itself. When in U.K. I use CLs and only a formal site as a last resort if there isn't a CL within walking distance of my choice of say, a coastal path.
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TG, Warm your engine up a little and then move off on in first gear and on tick over only, don't touch the throttle. It'll be fine, famous last words I know.
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To answer the original question, we would definitely consider giving up if no H/S pitches available. Only had a couple of stays on grass in the caravan, which were deeply unpleasant due to wet weather. Now we have a motorhome, even more important not to
be on grass. Horrified to read in the latest magazine that the trial of being able to book H/S pitches is over and will NOT be rolled out across the network as we had hoped. There is obviously a demand from members for this option to be available, as evidenced
by previous threads on this subject, so come on Club management-listen to your members!0 -
Whilst many have indicated their preference nobody has answered the question I posed. If there were no HS, would you give up caravanning?
Wouldn't stop us, CY. For many years before joining the CC we used to come down to a grass only site in Cornwall regularly and never had a problem. I guess that now we'll opt for HS if available on most occasions, but on some sites (I'm thinking particularly
of Cirencester Park and Tewkesbury) we're quite happy to stick with grass.0 -
Whilst many have indicated their preference nobody has answered the question I posed. If there were no HS, would you give up caravanning?
well I did say that;
Everyone has their own preference but personally I won't go to any site where I may end up on grass.
It's very unlikely that all sites would be grass, but yes I probably would stop, certainly in winter0
