Hello New Pitching Rules - Goodbye Caravan Club?
I have just returned from a few weeks away with the caravan where I experienced the ridiculous, misguided, ill-conceived, badly executed, utterly pointless, jobs-worth nonsense that is the "new pitching rules". Whoever sanctioned this needs to get out from
behind their desk and actually visit a few sites to witness the shambles that has been created.
I knew nothing of these changes before my recent trip and I was utterly dismayed to witness (first hand) their implementation. When I asked why these changes were being enforced with draconian discipline, the wardens sighed and kindly offered a rather limp
"new fire regulations..." excuse. In short, they were embarrassed - and I really, really, REALLY feel for them.
In Cornwall, there were a number of caravans pitched as instructed, offside to the peg, with porch awnings erected. This meant part of their hard-standing pitch space was not being used at all, whilst their towing vehicles, parked off-side to the caravan,
straddled the hard-standing and the beautifully mown grass - perfectly reasonable because of leaving sufficient space to service the aquaroll, etc. How long until members are reprimanded for leaving tram-lines in the grass though?
In the Cotswolds, I watched outfits repeatedly reversing, then pulling forwards, then reversing, then pulling forwards, then reversing and it went on and on and on, in an apparent attempt to pitch perfectly. I observed this whilst considering how much fuel
was being wasted with these excessive manoeuvres, how much additional pollution was being pointlessly generated (and how many clutches were being over-heated). However, it was here I witnessed the most poignant hypocrisy of these new rules when I watched wardens
politely ask members to correct their pitching (in accordance with the new rules, keeping mindful of the aforementioned fire regulations) when wardens repeatedly ignored three outfits with their electric hook-up cables visibly and tightly wound around their
winders but connected between the van and the bollard. This practice carries the very real risk of fire yet is was completely and utterly ignored; see
here.
Normally, when considering RISK, we look at the probability of an event occurring and then the likely impact or severity of it and from there an action plan is devised to minimise the risk. This leaves me thinking how many thousands of caravanning nights
there have been over the past few years, where no problem has occurred as a result of pitching with more flexibility than the latest Rules allow. In this I’m wondering just how many units have caught fire from the next outfit being pitched too closely. Have
there been any? Any at all??
I was so utterly dismayed and disheartened by what I saw that I cancelled my future plans for visits to Caravan Club sites. Instead, I went online and bought a membership for the Camping and Caravanning Club and I am seriously considering not renewing my
membership of the Caravan Club because I am repelled by pointless rules that are completley unjustified.