Membership safety or greed ?
Morton in Marsh site, it seems the 6 metre distance rule between outfits is the maximum here, not minimum on most of the pitches. What is the Club's logic for cramming so many very narrow pitches together if not just for profit ?. We were at the Broadway when a motorhome caught fire and the caravans and a car either side of it were also destroyed and were much more than 6 metres distance between them. None of this is the Wardens fault at Morton on Marsh, as they are equally ashamed of the site layout, but blame starts the Area Manager and above. The site should be closed on Health and Safety grounds, and revamped with fewer and much lager pitches.
Moderator Comment - Moved from the Story Section
Comments
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I agree 100%, this is a very tired / scruffy site, but with its location it should be a jewel in the Club's inventory. It seems that virtually every comment made about this site is of the same theme, so who ever in the Management is blocking the obvious should be sacked , and let the restoration begin !!
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I think the site has been refurbished in recent years and as it's popular no doubt gets a lot of wear. I wonder if this story was intended as a review as it won't get much attention in the story section which is more about travel and places visited.?
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I think only the toilet block/s was refurbished. The pitches on this site are way below the accepted standards of other CMC sites. We are currently on this site and to pitch to the peg would have meant we would have been in the hedge! I suspect the problem is that to make this site up to the standard of the best would mean losing 20/30 pitches!
David
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Er .... I think you've just "agreed100%" with yourself, osprey!
M in M used to be one of our favourite sites, because of its proximity to the village and the walks direct from the site, but we've only visited in (very) low season for the past couple of years so there's always been plenty of space. But haven't visited since the pods went in!
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The 6m rule has often been discussed on here but (I think) never from the not enough space angle as usually some poster claims that 6m is too much and not needed for fire safety(wrongly in my view) .
It is actually 3m between outfits (an outfit being car, awning caravan/MH) and 6m between adjacent walls of a caravan/MH. The 6m rule comes from guidelines/rules/advice from the fire services and local authorities so the site probably passes on the H&S front.
Having said that after having read the reviews (I've never been) it does appear below the standard expected of a club site and needs attention.
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I think the only way to get M in M safety standards improved is for members to boycott the site till the pitch layout is altered. The one and only reason is the pitching arrangements is why I will not visit this site.
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The times I have stayed on this site I have pitched on the west side and never had a problem. However the side of the site in question here was full at New Year and did seem very cramped with no space to spread out. The thing that did cross my mind when looking at this side of the site was, although it does need an amount of investment on refurbisment of the pitches disappointingly the club had spent that money in the building of several pods.
Do pods qualify for a place in the club when on the site they were erected, the pitches are in need of much improvement. Could the space allocated to where the pods are have been put to better use for the members by extending the site for that purpose. Surely with complaints of this nature priority must be given to maintaining the site for what it was intended. Members with mobile accommodation. Not those who do not partake of our pastime.
We are the Caravan Club and Motorhome Club.
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The last time we were at M-in-M the site was 100% full and the grass pitch we were on .... I'd asked specifically if there was any grass .... though 6m from the outfit to our side was within spitting distance of the caravan behind us on the other side of the hedge. A trainee/new warden even commented on it to her 'mentor' as they walked passed us.
M-in-M is, as discussed above, in a great location but the pitches are way way to small such that on many, your car has to be parked in front of the caravan (& awning) rather than at the side as is usually the case.
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But they’ll make much more money from the pods. Doesn’t the C&CC have a town centre site in MinM? Never been, but sure I have seen a sign.
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M in M was one of our earliest sites 12 or so years ago. Loved it generally close to walks, town, lovely little musuem, buses etc. We went a couple of years back and it didn't feel the same, felt a bit crowded, just thought it was us. We were on a different part of the site. Thought it was us but maybe it wasn't 😉
Edit pods weren't installed on our last visit.
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Just an idea – Whilst I realise income from the pods will probably be used to pay for them maybe some of it could be used towards upgrading the pitches/site.
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We used to visit a lot and stayed there when the western side was being refurbished including a new facilities block. The east side has always been more cramped however we usually stayed on this side. The clue is in the marsh bit of the name, surfaces can crumble more easily in the damp and wet. The dog field which was very marshy now has pods so the east pitches must feel even more crammed in as the open field view has gone for some. To me it's one of those utilitarian sites, busy but in a good spot. However if the club "over does" things it will kill the goose for some. At present I have no desire to return.
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Slightly off topic, can someone explain to me which section of the membership the Pods are aimed at ? who would join just to access the Pods ? can understand with the C&CC as they have many tent members..we dont....i dont think.?
Stayed a M in M a few years ago, but in a M/H so didnt notice that cars have to park across the pitch.
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It's only on the old part of the site that seems restricted,as it was built when a big c/van were15ft body lengths ,the more open later expanded part of the site has much more space,,even so if in the Cotwolds now we much prefer Broadway or Cirencester although for motor caravans MiN is better for public transport and shops which seems a draw for most
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We last stopped there about 3 years ago. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay, it's a great area. However, it was a busy September and the awning pitch we ended up on was small to say the least. Because of a fence up the left side of the van, there was no room for the car on that side and putting it in front was not an option as it was then partially blocking the road. We only had a small roll out awning so we ended up moving this right back on the rail and putting the car in on that side. No way would there have been room for even a small porch awning. IMO marketing these as awning pitches is grossly misleading. At most they should be described as small awning and more truthfully non awning. It wouldn't stop us visiting again, particularly now we have the MH. Although it doesn't sit high on our revisit list.
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Yes, daughter and partner certainly are not members in their own right and they used one at Coniston.
The pods were all in use along with the glamping pods and Airstreams. I suppose allows family and friends to join you on site without having to buy an outfit, and or cheaper than other accommodation?
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M in M used to be a beautiful town matched by the site. Now both are crammed and somewhat tawdry. We went last June for a specific reason and spent a lovely sunny week on a non awning pitch and walking in the colourful countryside. However, there are better towns and sites in the Cotswolds.
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I agree with that and suggest Burford as a town to visit instead of Moreton in Marsh - Wysdom Touring Park is within walking distance of the town, has hard standings, and is open all year. It's Adults Only which some see as an advantage and some as an outrage.
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They are aimed at members who want a bit more luxury, but very useful for those family members and none members who don’t own a tourer. Accessible for disabled users as well. And probably appeal more to younger members, again maybe due to towing restrictions. Can’t blame the Club for jumping into the Glamping trend. Friends of ours have used Coniston Park, they are longtime caravan owners, but said they enjoyed themselves. When they go up in van, daughter and son in law stay in either a glamper or a camper pod.
You don’t have to be a member to use pods by the way. And the CAMC has welcomed tents on quite a few sites for decades, I know because we have used at least four sites that take tents. 😁
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It’s pretty HD, crammed with tourists like most of Cotswold towns. Bourton is a nicer place. But take your own nice bread and food. We didn’t find a decent bakery in any of towns, only supermarkets, lots of touristy stuff, and inflated prices for most regular items. There is a nice Fish and Chip shop in MinM though. Motor Museum in Bourton is really good, very interesting. Only time we have stayed round there, we used CLs or Club’s Notgrove Site, now called Bourton I think, but not close! Bourton has a big central car park, you should get MH parked up fine this time of year. Couple of hundred metres stroll into town centre from there.👍
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Moreton is a nice town Husky, good market and plenty of shops and eateries. I much prefer it to twee Broadway. I really like it there it's just for some of us the actual site is less appealing but it's not awful! Have a good time.
Edit there is a bakery and cafe on the high st plus a specialist baker and deli nearby.
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, still ,were still going and enjoy our stay 