Now I understand the booking frenzy!
When I bought my m/home 10 yrs ago I joined the CC as that seemed to a Newbie to be 'what one did'. I particularly enjoy the freedom to roam which comes with a m/home.
Apart from staying on a couple of CC sites a total of 3 or 4 times out of the main season purely for convenience when summoned to family Do's, and maybe a dozen nights on CLs all my touring has been abroad in April/May/June/Sept/Oct; probably between 10 to 20 weeks each year in a couple of trips.
For unusual reasons I wanted to spend the next couple of weeks (July 8th to say 23rd) in and around East Anglia. Short notice I grant you. However all the club sites can offer is an odd night here and an odd night there and virtually nothing on Fridays and Saturdays which is simply too much hassle for booking and managing an itinerary.
I could go abroad tomorrow on the ferry from Newhaven (12 miles from home) and have the pick of spaces on dozens of sites whilst traveling down to say, the Loire Valley or beyond. Yes, I totally accept that the cognoscenti are quite right to think: 'Well, don't whinge, just go then' and that it's commercially 'a good thing' if the pitches are fully occupied. It's not preventing my trip as I will use CL's and BritStops. My point is not a whinge but merely an admission of my naiveté these past ten years with regard the availability of CAMC pitches when touring High Season in U.K. and a flash of realisation (and sympathy) as to why there's such a mad rush to book on opening day.
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A good post, we have, and even now 'un-going to work' still have, certain sites and dates that we want throughout the year and if left too late they get booked up. The problem is that the 'too late' time has gradually over the years got earlier and earlier. When we first started last century you could leave it till a few weeks, then before long it became a month and now half terms in October go in spring. Despite the claims on here that club sites are too expensive, or that there are better non club sites out there, or that there are too many rules, or whatever... the list goes on. The fact of the matter is exactly as you have found out. Club sites are popular.
So yes we book early and as you never know how early is early, if you want a certain date, or indeed a very popular site it may be best to book on 'booking day'.
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Spriddler Very good post, and as has been stated in numerous posts that is the diference with this over crowded Island, and the far more space and the thousands of sites on mainland europe,
Ps. also another reason to question the "rebrand" to get more people to come to sites, that a large proportion of are already under pressure to find spaces for the existing membership
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Sorry spriddler but i thought i'd look to see how bad it is and i found two sites that would accommodate you for the whole time and at least two others that were available for almost the whole time. I would book the one i preferred and if necessary hope there would be a cancellation for the odd day needed.
I don't think there's anyway round the booking frenzy (i don't take part!) as weekends will always go first.
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I thought it was a "touring" Club. Just turn up when you like?
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Well, I admit it was hard going as I'm not familiar with the search and book system but I spent a couple of hours this afternoon searching all the CAMC sites East of Cambridge, East Anglia, Norwich etc., and from what I remember (I didn't keep notes) Cherry Hinton was booked solid, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk Broads and Sandringham (plus others that I don't now recall) had only random days one day or a couple which would've meant dodging back and forth and back-tracking routes between sites to get a pitch. The only one with pitches for the whole period was Thetford Forest but I don't want to spend up to two weeks there.
I must make it clear that I'm not complaining as it must be good for the CAMC to have such a good take-up of pitches, but only that I was unaware of the situation after 10 yrs of membership.To be quite honest I had assumed that the (sometimes indignant) posts on CT about single period and multiple bookings 'on spec' on 'opening day' were just hot air. I can appreciate now that it's not greedy or selfish but a necessity.
I felt that I really 'ought' to see more of the U.K. and if I decide to do that next year I'll be poised at my laptop on opening day and just accept that I'll have to decide a tour route in advance and be more organised than I like to be.
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Last bank holiday I tried to book a site over the bank holiday, short notice in order to take my granddaughter away.
i had no luck with many club sites but did find a CS site with another provider.
what an eye opener! We found a great site, only 2 other caravans and a tent, sea on one side and wheat fields as far as the eye could see on the other.
flat single roads with no traffic for cycling with an eight year old, beach walks with the dogs,
a brilliant find and an enjoyable weekend.
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Not just club sites, have a look at Barleywood CL(North Norfolk) booking page, fully booked between April and October for the next 2 years!! I just accept that although you can still tour using a variety of sites it is more difficult during school holidays.
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The dates Spridler, is looking for is not during school holidays though. I have been amazed just how busy sites have become in many areas. I have been away since 7th June and return home 20th July. I plan my tour route and book in December.
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Spriddler, when you go abroad you stay on non- Club sites, therefore my advice is when you go to East Anglia do the same. Best regards to you.
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I would look here http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk
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agree that, if you want to go to a specific place at a specific time, the only way to guarantee this is to book early, even on frenzy day...
not my idea of what i want to do in the van, nor Spriddler's either, but for our New Year break (we spend a few days with pals) i generally have to succumb and join the fray....
even then, the booking system doesnt allow me to book my whole break in one go (it just 'stops' around the 3rd/4th Jan....) and i have to go back to it later in the year to book the remaining few days.
of course, the club system then treats this as two separate bookings, so twice the communication, documentation etc.....
i realise that these dates have to be rolled on at sometime in the year but ive asked many times why the 'change over of dates released' couldnt be (say) pushed back a couple of weeks into february, rather than slap bang in the middle of the popular New Year week......answer, we always do it like this.
yes, i know this, its mad, can you change it, please.....?
why? we always do it like this
you really couldnt make it up.
anyhow, Spriddler, it may well be that you could build a tour in your chosen area using the C&CC THS (temporary holiday sites) calendar.
there are loads to choose from and may give you the sort of informal touring you're used to
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Have I found another "reason" for lack of pitches in East Anglia,,as yesterday I booked a week on a site for this month and have just checked on my bookings and we have two bookings for the same week at the same site with diferent booking ref numbers
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Bet you dare not cancel one in case it cancels both?
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Exactly so. We haven't booked anything on frenzy day for 4 or 5 years now. Leaving aside school holiday dates (hooray, don't have to stick to them these days!) it's normally possible to book what we want once we've decided where to go. But if club sites are full there are always plenty of alternatives to choose from, and in Norfolk we found plenty of CLs or CSs every bit as good as club/commercial sites.
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Yes, SteveL, I actually prefer grass pitches which is why I enjoy CLs as they are less like car parks.
RJLJ...
[Great yarmouth was the other one that is free right through july and august...]
Yes, I saw that but don't want to spend all my time in one location, beside a racecourse.
I had the misconception that I could tour at will, staying one or two nights en route between selected places of interest on a circular tour, staying longer if I needed more time or moving on earlier than planned if necessary in the way I do when abroad. Maybe this is feasible in low season.
(I don't yet know how to find THS (temporary sites?) so must practice more on the website).
As I mentioned in my first post I have 'unusual' circumstances insofar that I'll be accompanied by a friend who isn't (yet) accustomed to the motorhome life or basic CLs - not to put too finer detail on the implications, so the quality of CAMC sites is important to maintain harmony and a willingness to repeat the adventure. Even the alternative of trying to book hotels is equally stressful and restricted at short notice and then one has to commit to an inflexible itinerary. I spent 14 years staying in hotels throughout Europe almost every week on business so I really don't want to have to do that for pleasure!
I do wish to repeat that I raised these thoughts in this 'Discussions' forum to express my surprise and naiveté, not as a complaint
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Spriddler - are you in the C&CC as well. If so, I can recommend an excellent CS at South Creake between Fakenham and Hunstanton. It's got toilets/showers a little shop selling home made produce (honesty box) and loads of information on the surrounding area. Good firm level grass pitches as well. Could spend a couple of nights there between other stays.
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.....ah, if you want 'all mod cons' then the options here become a bit more limited and will generate a bit more 'managing'.
to conduct your tour in the way you would like, and to be using campsites for 'your requirements', i know what Id be doing
good luck
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Bolero Boy....
[...to conduct your tour in the way you would like, and to be using campsites for 'your requirements', i know what Id be doing ...]
Quite so, BB, but I fancy a change after travelling solo for the past seven years....
I don't belong to the C&CC, Moulsey, but I may give it a go.
I really appreciate all the replies to my post which I feared might be misconstrued and generate ear-bending and dismissive flack. (How silly of me
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Spriddler, what about Fakenham Racecourse? We have used this lots of times, centrally located for North Norfolk, not far from coast, nice little town on doorstep. While since we have been, as we now use CLs, but it was always our preferred Club (AS) Site in area. Not sure if required in your case, but great for dogs as well. There are also dozens of excellent CLs and CS options in area, although not sure exactly where you prefer.
It used to be easy just to roll up at a Site and get a pitch, but certain ones, and weekends can be a pain to get into nowadays. We still don't book in advance though, much prefer to wing it and look for other options. Hope you get sorted.
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