Adults Only CLs Annoyance..
Hi All, Apoligies if this has been raised before but couldn't find any previous threads on the topic..
Whilst carrying out my usual serch for the perfect CL in the Perfect location etc, one thing stuck me that hasn't jumped out at me before - The large number of CL's that seem to be "Adults Only".
We are the usual family ( 2 Adults, 2 kids and a dog ) and find it annoying that when I find the "perfect" CL, I look down the listing and discover the dreaded adults only logo!
Now I realise that its all down to the owners discretion and fully respect that - but we enjoy the smaller "non commercial" sites as much as our fellow CL users and aren't keen on paying the hiked club site
fees.
It just seems that the CL lifestyle isn't pitched towards the family unit.. We all love the club and pay our fees but if the increasing trend for Adults only increases then we'll have to re-think the membership fees.
As a side note - We've discovered DA camping and rallying over the past few years and while its great, we just love the seclusion that CL's bring
Many Thanks,
Ian - "Still searching!"
Comments
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Many are adult only but many, many more are not. We prefer adult only as we have had too many bad experiences that have spoiled our hard earned breaks. If you look in the directory or put in Adult only in the search , sometimes there are none in the area.
Surely it is horses for courses but there are far, far less adult only than not.1 -
IMO, the ethics and values of the club seem to be inclusive and steered towards the family. Plus without doing the math, there seems to be far more inclusive CLs than adult only.
Therefore, typically CLs seemed to be aligned with club values.
However, this adds no comfort during what can be at times a frustrated search...
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Without AO CLs there would be even fewer to choose from. They clearly fill a need and boost CL numbers and members' options. I dislike CLs without EHU but recognise it suits some people to use them. It's all about choice.
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I'm not sure why you should be annoyed. A little frustrated maybe but why annoyed. In general these days a family with young kids is much better catered for than when ours were young. Not only on camp sites but when going out for meals. We used to struggle
to find a pub that would let kids in, even if you were eating. Surely it is only fair that there should be some venues that are adults only.1 -
Like previous posters, I really don't think that there are as many adult only sites as non-adult only. It could be that there just happen to be more in one particular area which would be pure coincidence, I'm sure.
There could be various reasons for CL owners to go down the Adult Only route, one of which I assume could be previous negative experiences with children. Unfortunately, as usual it's the minority who spoil things for the majority.
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We are a retired couple but will not stay on any sites that advertise as 'adult only'. We think it goes against the whole ethos of camping and caravanning holidays and deprives families of the chance to enjoy the pleasures of caravanning and camping. That in the long term is not good for the Club either. (At the risk of generating comments from those who like such sites, we also find that such 'adult only' sites can be very sterile and more like mediocre suburbia.
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Ian,
I think a lot of the AO sites are that way because of specific potential dangers to children, for example unfenced fishing lakes or ponds, working machinery on a farm, etc., they have to have public liability insurance , but that is no consolation if a child got killed, when unsupervised.Then everyone would be looking for someone to blame.
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Hi - Thanks for the replies..
Whilst I agree that we all look forward to our hard earned breaks, I'm not sure that making sites adult only guarantee a trouble free stay any more than not.
We've had some very unpleasant experiances over the years and they all wern't caused by the family units with unrulely kids etc, sometimes its adults out late at nights drinking and being loud - not respecting fellow campers.
I've just tried the CL search and yes I agree, of the thousands of sites only 378 are adults only - BUT if you search for the category "Children Welcome" the search brings back a big fat zero results!. Ho hum!
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We are a retired couple but will not stay on any sites that advertise as 'adult only'. We think it goes against the whole ethos of camping and caravanning holidays and deprives families of the chance to enjoy the pleasures of caravanning and camping. That in the long term is not good for the Club either. (At the risk of generating comments from those who like such sites, we also find that such 'adult only' sites can be very sterile and more like mediocre suburbia.
We don't avoid them, but neither do we look for them. If we want to stay in a particular area and there happens to be an AO site or CL, then we'll stay there. I can't say that I've found them worse or better, but some seem to be rather expensive. I do think, however, that it's good to have a choice.
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I think also there is an element of health and safety involved.
I love to hear children playing and enjoying themselves so I don't go looking for adult only sites.
We do go to one which is AO but the the reason is that there is deep unfenced open water areas and the owners are worried about unsupervised minors suffering injury. Also, bearing in mind a lot CLs are working farms there is likely to be potentially hazardous
situations around.1 -
Is it not simply a case of:
a) choice
and
b) commercial reality
If there was no demand for Adult Only CL's (or sites), then Operators would not provide them, because they would not be commercially viable.
Choice is king and long may it remain so, in my humble opinion.
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Ian,
I think a lot of the AO sites are that way because of specific potential dangers to children, for example unfenced fishing lakes or ponds, working machinery on a farm, etc., they have to have public liability insurance , but that is no consolation if a child
got killed, when unsupervised.Then everyone would be looking for someone to blame.Yes, that could be another reason, which I thought about after I'd posted, but was too late to edit
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Hi - Thanks for the replies..
Whilst I agree that we all look forward to our hard earned breaks, I'm not sure that making sites adult only guarantee a trouble free stay any more than not.
We've had some very unpleasant experiances over the years and they all wern't caused by the family units with unrulely kids etc, sometimes its adults out late at nights drinking and being loud - not respecting fellow campers.
I've just tried the CL search and yes I agree, of the thousands of sites only 378 are adults only - BUT if you search for the category "Children Welcome" the search brings back a big fat zero results!. Ho hum!
That would be because children welcome is the norm.
Ian, have you been a CC member for long? I ask because your avatar does not show you as being a member and, as you know, only members can use CLs. It's a bit of an anomaly and you may want to take the matter up with CC.
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Hi - Thanks for the replies..
Whilst I agree that we all look forward to our hard earned breaks, I'm not sure that making sites adult only guarantee a trouble free stay any more than not.
We've had some very unpleasant experiances over the years and they all wern't caused by the family units with unrulely kids etc, sometimes its adults out late at nights drinking and being loud - not respecting fellow campers.
I've just tried the CL search and yes I agree, of the thousands of sites only 378 are adults only - BUT if you search for the category "Children Welcome" the search brings back a big fat zero results!. Ho hum!
Write your comments here...Sorry to hear that Ian,but maybe that is the reason why you should'nt worry about Adult Only sites.
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For health and safety reasons it would be foolish to allow young children to play among farm implements and machinery.
To ensure the safety of children, the following maxim is very relevant.. Singles and Couples :- CL's ----------------- Families :- Club Sites.
There will be exceptions of course - there always are. but safety must always come first.
K
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I think there could be more exceptions than not, K. That sounds a bit OTT to me but I can understand you're probably a little down at the moment given the disappointing show.
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Hi Kennie,
Just to pick you up on your comment..
I sorry, but just to clarify - are you suggesting that the majority of families should only go on clubsites? and not CL's?
Of course safety is always paramount.
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We are a retired couple but will not stay on any sites that advertise as 'adult only'. We think it goes against the whole ethos of camping and caravanning holidays and deprives families of the chance to enjoy the pleasures of caravanning
and camping. That in the long term is not good for the Club either. (At the risk of generating comments from those who like such sites, we also find that such 'adult only' sites can be very sterile and more like mediocre suburbia.I have never stayed on an adults only site and as I say everytime this well worn old chesnut comes up on these pages I have no strong views either way. I prefer a reasonable amount of activity around me (which is why I am not keen on CLs) and thus I enjoy
the active hustle and bustle of sites with lots of children; but I have also had a few bad experiences of unruly children (or more usually their incapable parents) spoiling stays and when that happens I think about possibly looking at AO as an option.But to talk about AO sites "going against the ethos of camping" and depriving "families of the chance to enjoy the pleasures of caravanning and camping" is palably absurd and I felt I had to say that. If the ethos of camping had to involve children then
how come so many couples or single people without children or whose children are grown up still throughly enjoy it and take part in it. As for the notion of deprivation: are there not 100s, indeed 1000s, of sites where children are welcomed? There's all the
CC sites just for starters.I don't think AO sites, either the owners who have presumably well tested their business model, or those who fill up such places will lie awake worrying about you not pitching up.
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Apoligies Kennine - I misread your name in my previous post!
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Just to clarify we have been member's of the CC for 5 years+ ( CCC 15 yrs + as we had a tent).
My main point after searching through the CL network it often comes to the point our "perfect site" is AO - i have nothing against AO sites and agree with some of the posts many do enjoy these rather than family sites for obvious reasons...
Just a thought, but perhaps they need to make better use of the the catergorys within the campsite search?
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Ian, I suggest you contact CC about your member status not showing in your avatar.
As for the subject matter of the thread, I really don't see a problem. What is an ideal site to you wont be to someone else. We are all different.
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And me. I won't use them at all whoever they belong to. I find the whole idea of banning children throughly objectionable. What is it about some British people to want to do that?
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That's a club members choice if they want to use an Adult Only site or not.
Is that not a good thing if some people want to be without children around them for their holiday break that they may be able to find somewhere.
It must be noted that there are plenty of adults that have never had children or lost children and there is still a small minority that do not discipline their children that does cause stress for others.
Many Cl's do not cater for children and this depends on their age. (meaning pool, swings, play area) Peddling around a farm on a bike might not be safe.Plus many other safety issues.
There are members on this forum I expect that have had children kicking balls onto their caravans , shouting, screaming, crying and also had troubled noisey neighbours at home ....that just want to be without children
There are 1000s of sites across the uk that cater for children.
I have good information that many of the CC CL Adult Only sites are very busy.
Why? Because there is demand from the public
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And me. I won't use them at all whoever they belong to. I find the whole idea of banning children throughly objectionable. What is it about some British people to want to do that?
Banning children? Hardly, ET, and that's rather an extreme comment. It's more a question of some people preferring peace and quiet at a time when children are on holiday and, rightly, enjoying themselves in the way children do. There can be all sorts of
reasons for not wanting to be around children at a given time and if doesn't make people who use, or run, AO sites either child haters or in favour of banning them.0 -
Having seen the damage that certain children have done to walls and trees on some CLs it's no wonder that the owners have selected to make their sites Adult Only. Some parents these days seem have no regard for other's property and this attitude is conveyed
to their children, who are allowed to run wild and have no respect for what is not theirs.0 -
[quote] Why? Because there is demand from the public [/quote]
In my view this is the most likely reason for a CL being AO
Whether the Club should grant exemptions for AO CLs is another matter. I don't believe that it should. If a CL wants to be AO I believe they should sort their own licence and/or planning issues out rather than piggy backing on the CC exemption.
Most members won't agree with me and that's fine. But when a CL uses the Club to get going in the first place yet excludes a section of the membership because they travel with children it's hardly following the inclusive ethos of the club.
They wont get my money.
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