You can now book your sites a year in advance

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  • Randomcamper
    Randomcamper Club Member Posts: 1,062 ✭✭
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    edited March 2018 #32

    I bet they do in March

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited March 2018 #33

    Depends on the recent winter weather and the type of ground the grass pitches are on,some sites grass pitches drain very well 

  • Randomcamper
    Randomcamper Club Member Posts: 1,062 ✭✭
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    edited March 2018 #34

    But I know that JV.....

    There is the odd grass site (New England Bay springs to mind) where grass copes......

    But let's open up grass pitches to commercial reality...........

    The Club fudged the last trial. Let us book H/S like every other provider of campsites.  If people book grass pitches, happy days for them.

    If nobody, or not enough book them on any given site, to make them viable, then scrap them...

    Why is the Caravan Club scared of customer choice...?

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited March 2018 #35

    We were on grass last week when in Anglesey 🙄

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited March 2018 #36

    I'm happy with grass. If you're not ..... and you're obviously not happy, then cancel your CC membership & use commercial sites that you seem very fond of.

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited March 2018 #37

    And we're booked next week for a site that has a large proportion of grass pitches, one of which I'll chose. I'll let you know how I get on

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited March 2018 #38

    Not every "other"provider? We are booked via a deposit !! on a comercial site later this year and to get hardstand we needed to pay a premium only it was more expensive than to book a serviced pitch on a club site undecided

    Ps if we were not meeting with others with deeper pockets than us, we would have gone to a cc site 20miles away

  • Randomcamper
    Randomcamper Club Member Posts: 1,062 ✭✭
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    edited March 2018 #39

    You may be happy with grass.  And I am quite happy to see whether your preference has any viability for the wider club membership. I know other people profess their fondness of it......great stuff, let's see who actually books them in advance, give us the choice, I am not afraid of choice, are you....?

    I don't want or need to cancel my membership, I had already headed off that rather tired and over used retort every time somebody suggests the club could improve some aspect of it's business, by saying that I had looked around and booked elsewhere where customer choice was available. I'm happy, now, to use any provider of camp sites that offers me the choice I want.  I  use many CC sites and would like to give them my money to be reinvested in the provision of more sites & pitches, with a choice of surfaces. But I was agreeing with a previous poster about avoiding grass.

    The Club can easily establish the popularity of grass. I am happy to see choice. Your rather over used retort is cancel your membership. Let's hope you never play any instrumental part in running the CC....

  • Randomcamper
    Randomcamper Club Member Posts: 1,062 ✭✭
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    edited March 2018 #40

    Ignoring the bit about deposits, which is a seperate subject, the gist of this then is that a H/S on a commercial site is dearer than a serviced pitch on a Club site....?

    I too have found that on occasions, I haven't said commercial sites are cheaper, just that they offer a choice.

    I would like the CC to offer more choice, but am happy to vote with my wheels when they don't offer enough choice.....

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited March 2018 #41

    The club's choice was the same as the commercial but cheaper both are "serviced" pitch

  • Randomcamper
    Randomcamper Club Member Posts: 1,062 ✭✭
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    edited March 2018 #42

    The club's choice....

    The Club doesn't offer a choice of grass or H/S (other than by booking a serviced pitch perhaps where available) on mixed sites, and seems unwilling to do so.......

    I didn't bring price into it.......

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,433 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2018 #43

    Thanks for the replysmile

    I too am a HS fan and won't go on grass.

    I think the club does care and does invest, looking at how new sites are all HS, and more and more pitches are being converted in to HS year on year the club knows quite well how popular they are. 

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,867 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2018 #44

    I do. It would be nice to have the choice when booking, can't see any reason why the Club can't do this. Whilst I am sure there is not much competition for grass pitches at least you would be able to book one if that is what you wanted?

     

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited March 2018 #45

    I do 

    Nobody is stopping you .... just don't think that everybody else wants the same.

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,433 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2018 #46

    except that while some do want grass, not many do. Look at any site and the HS pitches go first

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited March 2018 #47

    Agreed. But those that like to be able to use grass don't scream & scream about turfing over the gravel.

    Though I would if I could.

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited March 2018 #48

    Reinforced grass would solve the misgivings many have with regard to using a non HS pitch.

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited March 2018 #49

    I am not sure about that. I have no concerns about getting bogged down but simply prefer gravel to walk on around the caravan.

  • young thomas
    young thomas Club Member Posts: 11,357 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited March 2018 #50

    perhaps its a 'weather' thing but we love being parked up on a nice firm grass pitch in the sunshine and, given the choice in those circumstances, would avoid gravel like the plague, horrible stuff.....

    this large french pitch just wouldn't be the same pleasant place if it was covered in chippings....

    on some long term sites, the first thing folk do is get out a huge piece of plastic or webbing sheet and cover over the chippings to keep the stones out of the van and make the outside seating area more comfortable....

    yes, I can see the issue in poor uk conditions but it just needs decent drainage....investment doesn't have to always be in concrete, chippings and gravel.....

    leaving, say, 20% properly drained grass pitches would allow choice for those who prefer them and they could be removed from service in poorer conditions on sites that are not full all year round...

     

  • Unknown
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    edited March 2018 #51
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  • young thomas
    young thomas Club Member Posts: 11,357 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited March 2018 #52

    last year, in Spain, we were gifted a massive mesh covering from the German occupants of the pitch opposite...they didn't want it, so I took it home.....haven't used it yet, although we do have a smaller 'outside camping carpet' which makes hard lumpy pitches a bit easier on my delicate tootsieswink

    perhaps is my golf, football, cricket background that is behind my affinity with grass......

    in 2016 we were lucky enough to get down to pitch side during the '66 World Cup 50th anniversary celebrations...now that's real grass....smile

  • moulesy
    moulesy Forum Participant Posts: 9,402 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited March 2018 #53

    That's probably true, Corners, as far as pre-bookings go. On the other hand, in summer, given the choice we'd go for a grass pitch every time - much more pleasant for sitting out and more comfortable for the dogs. But would we actually book a grass pitch in advance? Probably not! smile

  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,957 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2018 #54

    Surely its all about choice, some like grass some don't. Personally I like grass to pitch on that looks like BB's photo but I would never book a grass pitch in the UK, not with a MH. 

    Having choice is what the club should be looking at, their pathetic excuse as to why they didn't follow up on the trial still leaves me confused winklaughing

    Choice is what others seem to be able to do but the C&MC can't or won't, so until such time they do I will use their sites out of grass season and the other club or commercial at other times, unless I know I can  1. arrive on site at mid day or 2. the site is fully H/S

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,065 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2018 #55

    Interesting thoughts on grass pitches etc... and fully understand the choice  issues.

    BB's photo of the French pitch got me thinking. It's so very like our all time favourite CL down in Cornwall. This has all grass pitches, lovely very large individual pitches, hedged and sheltered with Cornish banks full of colourful shrubs and wild flowers. (Two of the pitches are large enough to accommodate at least two vans, so you get a picture of how much space they have). The CL actually has six areas, so if one is spoilt by thoughtless visitors using a groundsheet, it can be repaired and rested. 

    We like grass pitches more, even with the MH. But like others we have been on some less than perfect pitches occasionally. I think the Club Sites actually perpetuate the problems of grass pitches nowadays. The spacings are so tight, there is now no longer the capability to alter the peg placings even a tiny bit, so all that happens is vans and awnings pitch up in the same place, making any problems even worse. In our early days spent on Club Sites, if you came across a grass pitch that was less than perfect, you just moved the peg slightly, or pitched up in a different orientation to compensate! Totally verboten nowadays. Hence the preference for HS pitches. Plus of course, they can make Winter touring possible. But I do hope we don't lose lovely sites like Marazion and Nunnykirk to the graveyard gravel.

  • moulesy
    moulesy Forum Participant Posts: 9,402 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited March 2018 #56

    Well if and when Crystal Palace site closes, there's a ready made replacement with grass pitches just waiting for us, BB! smile

    (Oops! That doesn't make much sense without the photo from BB's earlier post! surprised)

  • young thomas
    young thomas Club Member Posts: 11,357 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited March 2018 #57

    as it happens, we've just (Friday) booked CP for later in the year as part of a small tour, wanted to get there before it closed...ill check it out wink

  • PITCHTOCLOSE
    PITCHTOCLOSE Forum Participant Posts: 658
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    edited March 2018 #58

    We now have twelve frenzy days,and it will not solve the problem of wk end  bookings which effects anybody touring around, still there is always the supply of the commercial sites which fill the gap by insisting on higher fee's for fri sat or min 3 night stay. This club seem to be moving away from the tourist to the static wk ender on a season let or in a pod they not interested in mid week bookings so long as the wk/ends are solid.

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited March 2018 #59

    I was making the point that your comment about comercial sites giving the "choice?"is was not any different where we are going to a cc site 

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited March 2018 #60
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  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited March 2018 #61

    Maybe a minimum 5 night stay on popular sites then?