Finding a suitable pitch
While parked on site with my caravan, I have had another driver searching for a pitch, get stuck in a dead end and unable to reverse out, try to get through a grass space between two caravan pitches. Unfortunately for me his caravan side swiped my car causing considerable damage. I have now lost three days out of a seven day stay.
It got me thinking about how the C&MHC assign, or don't assign pitches. Wouldn't it be better when booking online to have a site plan on the screen so that you can see which pitches are available and select the one you want then? This would stop the problem of cruising around a site trying to find a pitch and the resulting problems of collisions with parked vehicles/caravans.
Comments
-
Which pitchs are available changes by the moment as people arrive so no chance to pick when booking.
You have a considerable gripe though with the numpty towing the caravan. Really should not be allowed on the highway when showing that level of incompetance off it. I do hope you told him so in no uncertain terms.
There was a time when peole were drummed out of Clubs for such Ungentlemanly Conduct.
0 -
When sites have bits like that, the warden usually tells people noti drive in to look, but to stop and use their legs, so that was indeed a numpty.
If he was incapable of reversing, he should have unhitched to turn the van.
Pre-booking a specific pitch would mean less availability, when sites are very busy, so not a good plan for the Club if they want to maximise income.
0 -
The only site I've been on recently that specified the pitch they preferred me to use is Salisbury Hillside. There the lovely, soon to retire, warden on duty told me that the pitch they had in mind is pitch 23, just room for one Ducato, easily levelled by just going in nose first, and close to the service point as well.
One other site is Cherry Hinton where Arrivals are lined up in sequence, told to go, find your pitch, come back & get your Key fob and, like the Ark, you'll be let in two by two
!0 -
I don't think it's realistic to expect the club to change a successful and much liked policy (choosing a pitch on arrival) on account of one careless idiot's actions.
I trust that the culprit admitted responsibility and was responsible (financially) for the necessary repairs?
1 -
Sorry to hear about your misfortune Smartalex.
Unfortunately, I don't think that booking specific pitches is really an option at the moment. It would put too many restrictions on the system. It's quite difficult to explain this in a post, but it could very well result in the Club not being able to sell as many pitches - this is the crucial issue (as far as I can see). At the moment, the Club have felt that they are not really happy with members even booking a hardstanding or grass pitch, so to book individual pitches is certainly a step on from that.
In addition, there is the problem of pitch management. If a pitch has to be closed, for whatever reason, the person on that pitch would have to be 'layed off'. The Club has always adopted a 'first come first served policy'. Under this system you could very well have a case where someone who has booked 6 months ago is 'layed off', whereas someone who booked last week (on a different pitch) would be allowed to come.
Of course, It's not just one reason, but a combination of these factors that result in the Club not allowing folk to book specific pitches.
David
0 -
A twerp tried to tow his caravan across grass between other cars where he shouldn't have. If the pitch was pre-allocated he would still be a twerp and would still drive like one. It's not the club's responsibility to avoid collisions, it's the drivers.
0 -
At the moment, the Club have felt that they are not really happy with members even booking a hardstanding or grass pitch,
Perhaps this is the reason some folk are members of both clubs.
I like grass pitches for preference and if this club cannot give me one then I check with the other club. I have in the past been annoyed to be allocated a hard standing only to find that grass pitches were available yet was not allowed to take one of them whereas others were.
0 -
Don't know if anyone has stayed North Ledaig but you are escorted to your pitch by the warden. Everytime we are led down to our pitch I think it's so patronising that we can't be trusted to find and get on to pitch on our own. But in the circumstances here it might have worked our better for everyone.
Sandy
0 -
At NL you pitch the van on the HS and park the car on the grass. You know exactly what would happen if people weren't escorted and shown how to pitch.
Anyway, as had been said, NL is an AS and it's not unusual on commercial sites for people to be escorted to their pitches.
0 -
If we go to a club site we haven't been to before we always print off a copy of the site plan from the website before we go so we have an idea of the layout. We did it this when we went to Ramslade.
We had booked a service pitch so I highlighted those on the plan so we new what we were aiming for. When we arrived the site was quite busy but we could see from the keys still hanging up behind the desk the pitches that were free, had a quick look on the map where they were and set off on foot to look at them.
You can do this at Ramslade as there is the LNA to park up so you can walk around the site but you wouldn't be able to do this at some sites where there isn't room. We're often at Chatsworth but, for anyone that doesn't know the site, you cannot leave your outfit at check in and walk around the site looking for a pitch although the site is easy enough to manouvre around.
1 -
The only "alocation " of pitches we have had is when, as usual, we book an awning pitch then find a nicer non awning pitch but although it has stayed empty through out our stay we were not allowed to take it at the time as we had not booked one
0 -
We've changed from one type of pitch to another upon arrival, provided there are spares its not been a problem. I find most wardens are happy for you to do this provided you ask first we did this on a site recently, had booked awning pitch but found a non awning one suited us better, warden happy to change it.
0
