Wet and soggy
Hi all.
What with the really wet weather that we've been having and climate change, is the club going to invest in more hardstandings and re enforced grass pitches? Bearing in mind the increased popularity and sales of Motorhomes.
Whats your thoughts?
Comments
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As ET says the CAMC has been increasing the number over the years. However, there are some sites where even if it was allowed the financial benefits would be questionable.
Take Clumber, which has a large number of very well drained grass pitches that can be used for a substantial part of the year. By the time they are taken out of commission the existing hardstandings can cope with demand, with just one toilet block out of two open. Personally at sites like this I would think it questionable if the club would ever get a return on the investment of increased hardstandings or grass reinforcement.
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As a motorhomer I would avoid grass pitches for all but the main summer months to the point of making sure I went to a site with hardstandings. As has been said the Club have been installing more and more hardstandings over the years and no doubt will continue to do so assuming they are not restricted by planning permission or lease conditions. I would much prefer gravel/granite chips to reinforced pitches as I maintain they sort of pitch can be dangerous having used them on some sites.
David
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No.. the CMC does not need to spend loads of money creating ugly gravel pitches reminiscent of urban car parks. ----There is nothing wrong with Grass Pitches. I've been to the "all grass" Dunnet Bay CMC site many times with the Motorhome, in all types of weather and never saw anybody having any problems. Likewise the CMC site at Altnaharra is completely natural . There are loads of other sites similar..
If the rival organisation, the C&CC can have lots of grass pitches on their sites with no problems, what is different about CMC customers ? Could it be an age related issue ?.
This obsession with gravel seems out of keeping with holidaying in the countryside and enjoying nature.
K
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On most sites I will not use grass pitches as I dislike muddy footwear.
Dunnet Bay and similar all grass sites are a different matter altogether. Many CC grass areas are unfit after prolonged rain.
We were on site at Shawsnead bear Aberaeron a few years ago. There had been a couple of days of rain. Probably because of the fact that it was persisting down I used the car to pitch the caravan rather than the mover. As on many sites maneuvering can be tight. I accidentally ran my offside front wheel onto the edge of a grass pitch. Result was a metre long trench 6'' deep. Not fit for purpose.
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Handstanding for me on all sites as soon as possible as well. It will happen, all the new to the network sites have been all HS, and more and more pitches are being converted.
For me a site is not a 'resort' where I stay on site each and every day, it's merely a base to explore the surrounding area.
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We're quite happy to use grass pitches in summer, but, given the choice, early and late season, which is mainly when we use club sites, we'd opt for HS. I can see the argument for more HS given the unpredictable British weather - I think virtually all the newer private sites are entirely HS and it's always possible to covert grass pitches to HS whilst retaining sufficient greenery to avoid the "car park" look.
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Would have to disagree with your comments re both of these sites. You've obviously been very lucky. I've been to Dunnet Bay when a number of pitches have been out of use because of ground conditions. As for Altnaharra it is wrong to think of that as being a 'no hard standings' site. More than half the ehu pitches are on non grass ground and I've been there many times when the sign was up asking people to not do tight turns on the grassed areas as the ground needed to be protected.
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The C&CC do, of course, have lots of grass pitches and these are used without problem - but on most sites almost exclusively by tent campers. Having said that, we used a grass pitch at C&CC Wolverley last year with no problem whatsoever.
I do think that C&CC sites in general have more attractive landscaping and although the pitches may not be as big as CAMC pitches, we've found the sites to be greatly improved over recent years.
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Most of the main club sites close the grass pitches through winter. We don't mind either but faced with a chewed up muddy pitch at the same cost as a clean level hardstanding on a mixed site can be annoying. Our M/H has rear wheel drive so we are slightly more capable of getting on and off soft pitches, but not always.
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I was on a CC site somewhere in the South West coastal area about 10 years ago. Majority of pitches were grass. The warden was towing outfits on and off grass unless the owner had 4WD. I chose a pitch that nobody seemed to want as it had no TV reception. I towed on without cutting up the ground but when you stepped on the ground the mud and water oozed up around your feet.
The main part of the site looked more like a tank training area with deeply cut up ruts on all the tracks. The grass pitches should have been closed and bookings cancelled. That would certainly have done me a favour.
In the sites that I have used since I have not been forced to use grass against my will. There are some sites such as Dunnet Bay where I am totally happy to use the grass.
I have once been asked to use grass since and refused as the pitches were not adequate for my needs. On another site the warden did say that he would be grateful if I used grass. As I did not require gratitude I used hard stand. If pitches are not fit to be used by all members then take them out of service.
I have no concern in towing on or off grass nor with pitching but I also do not intend to patter about on mud and especially so if spending £25 to £35 a night in some cases.
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Dunnet isn't so bad as it's on quick draining sandy soil. Sandy coastal areas are a bit better than some. St Agnes can get soggy, sometimes the opening dates get delayed there due to water but in good weather the site is good. It's also in an area where hardstandings would be rejected due to protected natural features and coastline etc. Overused grass pitches ruined by awnings etc are the worst.
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The question asked by the OP was “is the club going to invest in more hardstandings and re enforced grass pitches?”.
It’s not a question we can answer. We can speculate and state our preferences but the question needs to be addressed to the club itself.
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Is that a definite maybe?
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Dearer to install? Or capable of generating greater revenue?
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I think with usage more HS pitches are a must, look at the grass pitches towards the end of the season, most are wrecked beyond use, dead grass where some members will use groundsheets and not lift them, and of course unusable through the winter months, a HS makes more sense as can be used with minimal maintenance, drainage is far better, but as a diverse club you pays your money and you takes your choice, be a boring world if we all agreed, what works for one doesn't work for another, it's called life.
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Hi
I think it's a definite with the investment in more hardstandings and serviced pitches as that's what the majority of members seem to want, not so sure about re enforced grass though.
JK
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The change will be driven by commercial pressure (what else..?)
We have booked substantially more C & CC sites & commercial sites this year than ever before, because you can book a H/S, especially now we have a M/H and not the Disco & caravan we used to have....
I want to pre-book a H/S. If I'm going to be paying £25-£30 per night I don't want to sink into mud thanks..............
And let's be honest, the comment earlier in the thread about the cost of installing H/S is laughable....scoop out 6" of mud/grass with a JCB and tip in some gravel, we're not talking about rocket science here, if the Club can't find a contractor to do that simply & cheaply I'm very happy to arrange it for them for a modest fee...!
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That's funny because that's exactly what me & my lad did with our front garden, but without the JCB....
Dug out 6" of soil, tipped in some hardcore, ran a "whacker" over it from our local Jewsons, then topped over with more attractive chippings and the whacker again.
In 5 years its supported two motorhomes absolutely fine with perfect drainage etc.....
It really isn't difficult JV, don't pretend it is....
If me & my lad can construct a H/S with hand tools in a weekend, the club should be able to find a contractor to do a whole site with some machinery very quickly.....
Happy to advise them if they need help.......
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I want to pre-book a H/S. If I'm going to be paying £25-£30 per night I don't want to sink into mud thanks..............
I think it is the weekenders that are left to grasp the soggy end of the stick when they arrive after work. A problem that I thankfully have not had for 10+ years
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H/S every time for us in the UK mainly due to the weather.
Its not hard to make a campsite look attractive, there is no need for them to look like car parks.
A bit of imaginative planting, breaking areas up goes a long way or how about like the new site at Scarborough, it has hedges in between the pitches. If the wardens are not having to go out cutting grass almost everyday then they will have time to trim a few hedges a couple of times a year
the obsession with everything being neat and tidy has left us with some very boring sites. 1
