Loosing More CLs, why?
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Lynette, appreciate your post. It would be good to see us put your CL name on your posts, you may well get other members looking it up and hence the prospect of more visitors.
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This thread keeps trundling along and I think CL numbers will continue to drop until the Club decides to promote these sites more than they do at present. We only have a selected audience of members who can use our sites therefore our only advertising can be through the Club magazine and to place an advert would probably kill our revenue for a year, but a mention in an article could be worth a lot. It is also worth mentioning that a Caravanner / Motorhomer who opens a site will have a different view on how they want to run their CL as they will operate it as they liked to tour other sites ie. No extra Hidden Charges just a flat rate, Flexibility of arrival / departure times, no long lists of rules, Good access, Good spacing between vans, No deposits if there is no problem in that area and hopefully a genuine welcome to all. If the site is part of a business, then no doubt other things will apply. Lastly the Club must need CL's otherwise they would not advertise the numbers in their adverts, so come on give us a little back.
David www.perthshirecl.co.uk
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As Nellie says Lynette what is your CL called. Simplicity is what I want other than I must admit electric.
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Simple CLs in grass fields in the depths of the countryside attract some middle aged and elderly couples - but those are the very people who are switching to motorhomes and going elsewhere. So CL customer base is shrinking.
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M/Homes are notorious on Grass, to the detriment of the owners and the mess they make on Grass whilst being extricated. Apart from known grass sites in summer we would not risk a grass Cl in the other seasons and we use year round. If Cls are to prosper they must 1) be fair and open on pricing. 2) ensure their details are up to date, 3) for long season provide EHU and had standings. Nothing else is essential and yes I can sympathise with the "back to basics people" I suspect I speak for the majority of present day users.
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I don't particularly like grass CL pitches in any season and for that matter the Clubs economy pitches unless the site is known to me to have good well drained ground otherwise I agree with you Fisherman. CL owners would be wise to put in at least one bookable hardstanding if they want to cater for motorhomes. Not everybody wants EHU but I realise not to have it available limits pitch use. Ideally I think there should be an option to pay for electricity or not.
peedee
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Some CL loss is due to owners selling as it was in our case at Horse Copse CL. The new owners have carried out work on the site, especially the hard standings, and very good it looks too. They changed the name of the site and have decided to go with Freedom Camping, one of the other organisations that have an exemption certificate.
Perhaps this is the reason some CLs disappear, that there are now other organisations that have certificates, apart from the original ones.
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Says as much about the club's way of working as it does about those stealing. Sorry it should be possible to secure the supply. If I were a CL, or the club for that matter, optionally EHU would need to be secure, sadly not everyone is trustworthy and that cuts BOTH ways.
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I didn't realise that your old site had been taken over by a Freedom Camping member. Took a bit finding but it does look good, as you say. Just a pity that they don't quote pitch prices on their web site.
Hope you both are doing well.
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Having just stopped on a small commercial site with metered EHU, I now see why the club has included a price for electric in their site fees. They must be making a huge profit on it!!!
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Pitch fee was £11 pn (+£1 per dog). Site had free wifi, 2 free showers and a separate toilet. Site had 12 pitches and it was nearly full the time we were there. It used to be a CL, too. It cost us less than £1 pn for electrics. Wish the club sites could match these sort of prices.
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That's as maybe, but I know what I paid for 5 days metered electric and it was less than the difference that the CC charge between a pitch with EHU and a non-electric pitch per night.
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So how can that be for the club? If this price is included in the pitch price there will be those who are paying more for the electric they use (profit) and those who under pay by using far more electrical applicances including aircon or awning heaters, electric ovens and rings not supplied with a van.
One assumes that it will be the total club electric bill, with or without HO, for the country rather than individual sites??? So if the price of electric goes down those who've used the site get a refund or fees are reduced? Almost impossible to check or enforce I would think, but I'm happy to have it explained. No gripe about the cost of a club site it published and you accept and book or go elsewhere, where if they supply electricity included in the pitch price the same applies.
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Whilst one is paying an all-in charge, electricity could be quoted separately on the basis that it is the rental of the bollard equipment that is being paid for. The Club just choose not to do so.
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At Glen Nevis the electricity charges qutoted says the fee incudes the installation of the supply. gets round the technicality. The last few posts shows that Cls are moving to small commercials or more friendly providers. Naturally as no one can justify the 5 rule in this day and age, and getting the planning at a small fee is quite easy to get.
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It's OK to say "Let's keep it to 5 vans" but CLs are closing! We need to find a solution and quickly. 8 vans would be no problem for me but sites closing is! I would rather caravan with 7 others than not caravan at all. And with the lack of pitches, it would be a great increase in pitch places. I often find myself on the CL completely alone and yes, it's nice but we have to be real. A change in the law is needed.
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I used to argue the same way for an increase in numbers, Merve, but I have come round to the fact that CLs are closing because few people want them .
In the Overseas Section I often recommend the nearest equivalents to CLs in France and Holland - and whether it's 5, 7 or 25 pitches (the limit for French Aires Naturelles de Camping) very few people are interested. The vast majority of people want "full fat" campsites, and they delight in finding sites with pools, water slides, restaurants, playgrounds, camp shop, bike hire, and all the trimmings, and they come back excited.
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Despite the Friendly" club having 15 units ( Perhaps 5vans & 10tents_ ) the diehards here poo poo any suggestion for an increase. There is no way it is viable for a Cl to put in hard standings and EHU with the 5 van restriction. So more will close. The planners look at UNITs and don't bother in differentiatng between Cl and CS, likewise the highway authorities which are consulted look at Units. No wonder new entrants go for planning,and encouraged to do so by the Farming business consultants. which in the scheme of things is cheap, and gets passed under "devolved development" without going to full panning committee.
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In Winter we opt for HS if available, but we carry heavy duty bridging waffles to put under front wheels, as we prefer not to restrict our choices if possible. Our MH isn't huge though, so probably easier for us than others with larger outfits. Having said that, it has been the caravans that got stuck on one of our favourite grass CLs! Towed out with our Jeep! A good way to make friends!
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[Deleted User User] - can you point me towards the place in the CAMC website or Sites Directory where is states "the CC Ltd ban on the the wardens using their site tractors to pull stuck vehicles off"?
Ian0
but then what part of pitch price is for the power used
