Bistros everywhere please!
Just tried Knaresborough club site precisely because it had a bistro and a bus stop. We are caravan veterans but new to motorhoming and so now seek out sites where we can walk into town or take the bus, not for us the towing of a little car behind.
What a great idea the bistro is. We didnt set our expectations too high, maybe chips and a burger but at least it would be close by but boy were we delighted?! The place was lovely, the beer great and the food was lovely. A great choice, even the bread and oils to start were tasty and worth going bcak for. My steak was perfect! And i am a fussy eater.
Can this be a plan to have bistros on many club sites? Please? Yes it wasn't exactly cheap but it was delicious, and so easy to wander back to the van, happy and impressed.
We walked to the Guy Fawkes pub the second night which was also good. The bus stop was handy for the town and the toilet block was lovely, very clean and welcoming. Top marks club!
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MM absolutely right....one of the many things that we like on sites (in places that others may not have tried....) is the different ambiance a bar, bistro, restaurant brings....in fact I think it brings a site to life...
....but, as above, it's not eveyone's cup of tea (or verre de vin)
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If the bistro's there and people don’t want it, they’re not compelled to use it so what’s not to like? 👍🏻
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indeed +1 but usually are these sites with Bistro's more expensive per night though?
Doesn't bother me as i go for location rather than having a bistro, but looking forward to trying this one and at Cromer
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I wonder whether it’s the bistro itself that pushes site prices up or if it’s something else - entertainment, recent refurb etc? Who knows.
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We take our bistro bar out with us! We love pulling up in somewhere off the beaten track and enjoying a cooked meal in comfort. No Beer though, that is reserved for back on sites😁
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We have used the one at Seacroft a couple of times and it makes a nice change. Will look forward to Liz's recommendation at Knaresborough when we manage to get there. I am not sure how many sites could support such a facility but I am happy for the Club to try.
David
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interesting point, I assume the bistro makes a profit?
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Knaresborough has had quite a bit spent on it fairly recently so no doubt the need to pay for that has pushed up pitch prices. Plus it is a popular site. The Bistro has been rebuilt too.
I thought the Bistro was run by someone other than the Club, so up to them to make it profitable, but presumably the rent they pay will take a while to cover the cost of the building.
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we gave Hillhead a try as it had more facilities than other club sites and found the bar and terrace really added to lifting the site.
the pool was also really good, very warm and we used it most days.
the weather was great too and the facilities really made the site feel different, much more like a 'proper' campsite
of course, we like no facs sites too, quiet ones with nothing going on, but, while I wouldn't want them on all sites, a bistro or bar can be a great addition.
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Yes I've to that place, Skegness isn't it?
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Yes, I think you’re right C, as I remember it shut down because LV’ers constantly complained at the prices & any change the owners made. Apparently it was a regular occurrence to hear folk complaining the place was better 40 years ago. . .Sad but true😢😢
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I like to have a nice pub/bistro/inn/whatever identified when I plan to visit a site, and whether it is walking distance, cycle ride or drive. In all the years I've never found a bad one. I think many of these nearby hostelries derive a good percentage of their trade from the caravan sites - some even offer discounts to campers - so have to keep up standards.
So having an excellent one on site, as there is at Knaresborough but can't vouch for the other(s), is a bonus as one can feel that some little part of the bill is finding it's way back to The Caravan Club in the end.
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We’ve been to Hillhead and Knaresborough in the past, and used the restaurants in both places for a decent meal. Last September we went to Bridport Bingham Grange and had two excellent meals in the restaurant there. Other sites we’ve stayed at in the last couple of years are Exmoor House, which has Dulverton and its shops & restaurants 5 minutes walk away, and White House Beach, with a good restaurant just outside the gate, and takeaways within walking distance. Last October we went to Lucksall affiliated site, near Hereford. The on site cafe was great for a breakfast, but we didn’t eat there in the evening, prefering to cook our own food, and eating out at the “Bunch of Carrots” a short drive away.
Sometimes we like to visit sites with facilities, whether CMC, C&CC, or commercial, and other times we’re quite happy on a CL or no facilities site. I’ve booked a week in June to go to Swiss Farm, Henley on Thames. It’s right next door to the CMC site, but it has a restaurant & pool. Thought it looks nice, and has excellent reviews. Yes, it’s more expensive than the CMC site (and we have stayed there previously in the pouring rain on the Queen’s golden jubilee weekend), but you can book a hardstanding (all of which have water supply) and we’ve gone for a fully serviced pitch.
You pays your money and takes your choice, as they say.
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I’ve booked a week in June to go to Swiss Farm, Henley on Thames. It’s right next door to the CMC site, but it has a restaurant & pool. Thought it looks nice, and has excellent reviews.
You may find it a lot quieter than the CMC site as well which would be a bonus for many! We used the site in 2012 to go to the rowing on the Olympic "Super Saturday" CMC site was full when we tried to book. Didn't use the restaurant.
David
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we're going back to SF for the regatta week this year....
went to HFO for a few days and quite liked it, but then moved down the road to SF and the ambiance is completely different...
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I quite like the idea of Bistros/restaurants on site. The thing that does worry me is pricing. If the place is under-used would this result in a higher price? Would it be an idea to make restaurants open to the general public? Would this increase capacity for use and therefore enable competative pricing? What do people think?
David
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