Adults Only CLs Annoyance..
Comments
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We are retired and as Mrs One looks after other people's children, as a Cub Scout leader for two nights a week (and some weekends) we have to take most of our breaks during school holiday times. I confess that we look for AO sites, and don't feel any embarrassment about our choice.
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No need for embarrassment One. We all choose sites for various reasons.
I just wish that the infinitesimal portion of my membership fee that goes towards supporting CLs didn't go towards supporting those that exclude me and my well behaved children who arent noisy and don't damage land or property.
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We are very happy to have children staying at our CL. Our son is an only-child and enjoys having other children to play, and the CL is big enough to allow guests to spread-out and not disturb each other.
The reality is that we seldom get more than a total of 20 children staying here in the course of a full year. A lot are toddlers carvanning with grandparents whilst parents are at work.
I have given this much thought over the years and reckon that it is because we live in a quiet rural location, without 'bright lights' to attract teenagers. North Shropshire and the Welsh Borders is a great area for
National Trust properties,
dog-walking,
cycling and
bird-watching, but these tend to appeal to adults rather than children.Ian Kelly
01691 622951
Caravan@BirchHill.co.uk
www.BirchHill.co.ukBirch Hill Farm – a multi-award winning caravan site in the beautiful lake-lands of Shropshire - exclusively for members of the Caravan Club
Read the reviews - look at the photos.
Number 1398 in the 2015/16 Sites Directory
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We do not deliberately select AO CLs but certainly tend to use CLs and non-facility sites during the school holidays because they usually have less children on them than one finds on full facility sites.
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Many thanks for everyone's input on this topic - some very good replies..
Just to allow me gain some context to all the previous comments, Would the forum members allow me to ask how many of you guys actually caravan with children or have the luxury of having piece and quiet in the van! :->
Many thanks for your replies.
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IJ, we've caravanned for nearly 40 yrs with the CC and so our children grew up going out with us in our van for rallies and most opf our holidays. Since they left home we've caravanned with our grandson and finally by ourselves. Does this help?
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We have only ever tented with young kids. Although ours sometimes meet up with us, on sites that allow tents, they are now in their 30's. We never seek out AO sites as we can holiday out of season. If we had to go away at peak times we would probably opt for the quiet option, which might be AO.
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We bought our caravan in order to take our son on holiday and to educate him about the wonderful places around the UK. He is now aged 12 and still enjoys his caravan
holidays.Ian Kelly
01691 622951
Caravan@BirchHill.co.uk
www.BirchHill.co.ukBirch Hill Farm – a multi-award winning caravan site in the beautiful lake-lands of Shropshire - exclusively for members of the Caravan Club
Read the reviews - look at the photos.
Number 1398 in the 2015/16 Sites Directory
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We bought our caravan in order to take our son on holiday and to educate him about the wonderful places around the UK. He is now aged 12 and still enjoys his caravan
holidays.Ian Kelly
01691 622951
Caravan@BirchHill.co.uk
www.BirchHill.co.ukBirch Hill Farm – a multi-award winning caravan site in the beautiful lake-lands of Shropshire - exclusively for members of the Caravan Club
Read the reviews - look at the photos.
Number 1398 in the 2015/16 Sites Directory
Thank you Ian for the great comments..
Its this " Back to basics" type of camping that should be promoted to all children and the caravan club has a huge role to pay in this ( amongst others ).
It brings great honest values regarding the outdoors and kids just playing and building dens etc.. Something that seems to be rapidly being lost in this modern age of xbox's and playstations etc..
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We bought our caravan in order to take our son on holiday and to educate him about the wonderful places around the UK. He is now aged 12 and still enjoys his caravan holidays.
Ian Kelly
01691 622951
Caravan@BirchHill.co.uk
www.BirchHill.co.ukBirch Hill Farm – a multi-award winning caravan site in the beautiful lake-lands of Shropshire - exclusively for members of the Caravan Club
Read the reviews - look at the photos.
Number 1398 in the 2015/16 Sites Directory
Thank you Ian for the great comments..
Its this " Back to basics" type of camping that should be promoted to all children and the caravan club has a huge role to pay in this ( amongst others ).
It brings great honest values regarding the outdoors and kids just playing and building dens etc.. Something that seems to be rapidly being lost in this modern age of xbox's and playstations etc..
I'm going to take issue with you there, Ian. Why should 'back to basics' camping be promoted to children? That is just your opinion, mine differs. These days children lead very different lives to the ones you and I did and I don't feel that is the way to go at all. I agree that CC has a role to play in promoting leisure activities but the Club represents us all, not just children In basic camping mode.
I'm not sure either that CL owners will thank you for spreading the idea that their sites are basic.
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We have not yet used an AO site but its not to say we wouldn't. By having them in the network of CL's surely this is a help not a problem. The way I see it for every couple that uses an AO site it means extra availability at the sites that do take children,
this has to be an advantage. If the AO CL's were removed from the network I can imagine it wouldn't take long before people came on CT complaining that there wasn't enough CL's0 -
I have to agree with Tinwheelers last post, you cannot compare children today with children 40 years or more ago. We caravaned with our children from the age of 4 and 2 until they were 21 and 19, they have done all sorts of camping, some of it extreme camping
as they got older. But school holidays usually found us on a beach in a hot place watching the boys having fun, and at the end of the day going back to a nice comfortable caravan.0 -
We bought our caravan in order to take our son on holiday and to educate him about the wonderful places around the UK. He is now aged 12 and still enjoys his caravan
holidays.Ian Kelly
01691 622951
Caravan@BirchHill.co.uk
www.BirchHill.co.ukBirch Hill Farm – a multi-award winning caravan site in the beautiful lake-lands of Shropshire - exclusively for members of the Caravan Club
Read the reviews - look at the photos.
Number 1398 in the 2015/16 Sites Directory
Thank you Ian for the great comments..
Its this " Back to basics" type of camping that should be promoted to all children and the caravan club has a huge role to pay in this ( amongst others ).
It brings great honest values regarding the outdoors and kids just playing and building dens etc.. Something that seems to be rapidly being lost in this modern age of xbox's and playstations etc..
I'm going to take issue with you there, Ian. Why should 'back to basics' camping be promoted to children? That is just your opinion, mine differs. These days children lead very different lives to the ones you and I did and I don't feel that is the way to
go at all. I agree that CC has a role to play in promoting leisure activities but the Club represents us all, not just children In basic camping mode.I'm not sure either that CL owners will thank you for spreading the idea that their sites are basic.
Many thanks Tinwheeler for your response,
Why should 'back to basics' camping be promoted to children?
Perhaps you should check out http://www.getoutwiththekids.co.uk/ for your answer to this..
I disagree with you whole heartedly - Kids still have to same vaules as they always did.
Can I ask if you camp with kids or not?
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I'm going to take issue with you there, Ian. Why should 'back to basics' camping be promoted to children? That is just your opinion, mine differs. These days children lead very different lives to the ones you and I did and I don't feel that is the way to go at all. I agree that CC has a role to play in promoting leisure activities but the Club represents us all, not just children In basic camping mode.
I'm not sure either that CL owners will thank you for spreading the idea that their sites are basic.
Many thanks Tinwheeler for your response,
Why should 'back to basics' camping be promoted to children?
Perhaps you should check out http://www.getoutwiththekids.co.uk/ for your answer to this..
I disagree with you whole heartedly - Kids still have to same vaules as they always did.
Can I ask if you camp with kids or not?
I'm not actually looking for an answer, Ian. You stated your opinion and I gave you mine. I think you are getting into the realm of things that are outwith CC and are wandering off topic from your orininal complaint about too many AO CLs.
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IJ, it's choice, the more choice the better for everyone Kids & Adults
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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.
Like OldGirlandStaffy, we would never stay on sites which advertise themselves as Adult Only. My sons were brought up camping and caravanning, and it's still the choice of holidays for both of them. They had great fun as children on campsites in this country and abroad, it taught them how to appreciate what we had in this country, and the differences between here and sites in Europe, they mixed with all sorts of people, and it helped to make them 'responsible' campers.
Both of them, as older teenagers, were allowed to use our caravan on a site in North Wales which 'allowed' them because we'd taken them there so often as children - and the site owner congratulated us on their behaviour, as did some of the other people camping/caravanning there.
Children learn their camping and caravanning habits from their parents, and responsible parents will bring up children who grow up to be responsible campers and caravanners. Hopefully, their children, too, will be brought up with the joys and benefits of camping and caravanning holidays but NOT on Adults Only sites!
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The British way of life.
The grown ups don't want children around them on a campsite - so they go to Adult Only ones. Then the children grow up and don't want to parents in the house needing looking after so they put them in a home.
i've never found another country where the two generations behave in this way.
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ET, they are out there-the selfless ones. Sometimes too selfless. I knew of one couple who had 3 teenage Children at Home, then took in ageing Parents who could no longer care for themselves, held down a job too. the Guy had a heart attack & died before
the Paramedics reached Him. The ultimate price paid for His selflessness. For the last 4 years of His life neither He nor His Wife had a Holiday due to being carers. They moved out of the Village unable to afford the mortgage as there was no longer a wage
being earned. The British way of life eh?0 -
I'm going to take issue with you there, Ian. Why should 'back to basics' camping be promoted to children? That is just your opinion, mine differs. These days children lead very different lives to the ones you and I did and I don't
feel that is the way to go at all. I agree that CC has a role to play in promoting leisure activities but the Club represents us all, not just children In basic camping mode.I'm not sure either that CL owners will thank you for spreading the idea that their sites are basic.
How much more basic can you get than a field with a tap and a pit for black waste? That was what I liked about them that and somewhere where there were no twiting curtains.
I think the definition of back to basics needs a little clarification. I certainly would not classify a CL as AD describes above, as basic. Not when you park a luxury Caravan or Motorhome on it. Basic, to me at least, means a small tent, shovel for toilet,
stream for fridge and washing. We have done both over the years and now much prefer the luxury caravan. As far as taking kids camping, it all depends on the kids. Some would revel in my definition of basic, others would be put off camping for life.0 -
steve, i think youve confused 'basic camping' (stream, shovel, etc.) with a 'basic campsite'.
not many of us on CT do the former but many of us take our 'luxury caravans and MHs' to the latter...
having a LV with all the facilities doesnt change anything about the site (aire, car park) on which its sited.
weve camped on many a CL, but none of them could possibly be described as anything other than basic.....field, tap, CCEP, poss toilet/shower.....
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We have used an AO site only once when meeting our friends who live in Scotland in the York area. We wanted somewhere with easy access to York without using our motorhomes. It was a private site with fishing lake bus stop right outside into and out of York.
Also friends not cc members.I'm inclined to agree with both Jaysee and Tammygirl really a bit of a dilemma
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steve, i think youve confused 'basic camping' (stream, shovel, etc.) with a 'basic campsite'.
not many of us on CT do the former but many of us take our 'luxury caravans and MHs' to the latter...
having a LV with all the facilities doesnt change anything about the site (aire, car park) on which its sited.
weve camped on many a CL, but none of them could possibly be described as anything other than basic.....field, tap, CCEP, poss toilet/shower.....
The point I was trying to make was more in relation to the kids. The opening poster was talking about back to basics camping being a good experience for kids. I was just trying to say that this would depend on what one considers basic and on the kids. Ours
loved the basic life, however friends kids hated it. The outcome might have been different if the baisic camping had been in a luxury van.0 -
Ao sites it seems, are just following the trend in a large portion of other types of the leisure industry where they are catering and very succesfully it appears, for an increasingly older population,who have had families and just want,to be somewhere quieter,not
that most children are a problem but as in all things the few spoil it for the many,0 -
I'm not sure why all the fuss about adults only CL's. The CC may well promote family values, but a significant part of its membership will not have young kids, or any intention of holidaying with them, so why should their needs not be promoted as well. The main sites all allow children, so all we are talking about here is a few CL's. After all if you go to a hotel there are adult only venues, as well as those that cater for a specific market like club 18 30. As far as I can see it provides people with choice and I see nothing wrong in that.
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I'm going to take issue with you there, Ian. Why should 'back to basics' camping be promoted to children? That is just your opinion, mine differs. These days children lead very different lives to the ones you and I did and I don't feel that is the way to go at all. I agree that CC has a role to play in promoting leisure activities but the Club represents us all, not just children In basic camping mode.
I'm not sure either that CL owners will thank you for spreading the idea that their sites are basic.
How much more basic can you get than a field with a tap and a pit for black waste? That was what I liked about them that and somewhere where there were no twiting curtains.
I think the definition of back to basics needs a little clarification. I certainly would not classify a CL as AD describes above, as basic. Not when you park a luxury Caravan or Motorhome on it. Basic, to me at least, means a small tent, shovel for toilet, stream for fridge and washing. We have done both over the years and now much prefer the luxury caravan. As far as taking kids camping, it all depends on the kids. Some would revel in my definition of basic, others would be put off camping for life.
...Our grand children ,apart from one,would never go in a tent,(our children did not have the option in the early years) but would always come with us in our m/vans or c/vans
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