Proportion of Serviced v Standard Pitches
Comments
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Although I'm quite happy to use grass if it looks dry and firm on arrival (in fact it would be my first choice) I have to confess that I'd never actually book it in advance. If the club does go down the road of booking pitch type I'm guessing it would have to go hand in hand with the conversion of more grass pitches to HS. This would also bring it into line with the situation on the newer commercial sites, such as Morris Leisure who, from what I can tell (I've never stayed on one of their sites) are 100% HS. So maybe there's more of a case for this than adding to the number of serviced pitches?
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Yes, I agree. I've given examples of our three stays on club sites earlier in the thread where that seems to be borne out. I'm sure there is some truth in the theory that on mixed sites some folk will book a SP to ensure a HS. However I'm not sure how significant a factor it is.
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I'm not sure if overall there will be a lot of difference. Currently in the winter months MH owners don't need to book one unless they want one, as grass pitches are closed. In the warmer, often wetter months, they currently might to guarantee HS. However, if booking a standard HS is introduced, these pitches will be booked by others who want to guarantee surface and once gone the service pitches, if not already booked will follow.
I therefore don't think there will be any downturn in service pitch booking, although there might be in overall bookings as folk refuse to commit to grass. However, these could well go at the last minute if the weather forecast is good.
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Going back to my original post I did mention that I booked a service pitch in order to guarantee a hardstanding. I appreciate that currently Cayton Village is out of step with the generality of Club sites. My approach to booking a Club site is to first of all look at the site plan on line and make a judgement on whether I think I have a pretty fair chance of getting a hardstanding, I will even go for a non awning pitch if that gives me a better chance. If that would be in doubt I would certainly consider booking a serviced pitch and in fact have done so in the past. Like most people on this forum I am not privy to Club statistics on occupancy rates, however I can use the power of observation. A few days ago we were at Burrs Country Park. A lovely site and all pitches are hardstandings. At the weekend it was full. After the weekend it was a lot quieter. The mix of pitches here are about a third serviced pitches to two thirds standard pitches. It was noticeable that on week days there was a lower proportion of serviced pitches in used compared to the standard pitches. OK that was only a snapshot over a couple of days and the following week it could have been totally different. For those that fear that the booking of standard hardstandings would result in more hardstandings I think the Club have already gone down that route. There are sites where there are restrictions on adding hardstandings be that for planning reasons or the lease holder not liking them or I suppose site leases being too short to make it economic to add them so the time when the Club is exclusively hardstandings is a very long way off.
David
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You should have waved on your way passed 😊 The newer part of the site by the East Lancs Railway, seems to have a high percentage of serviced pitches but favours Southport in being an open barren landscape ...... not somewhere I'd want to park my caravan (fortunately its a site I won't be using in the near future as Burrs is close enough to my house that I could push my caravan there 😉)
I'm currently sat on a huge grass CL pitch across the road from a CC site where they're packed in like sardines & all within half a mm of their respective pegs! 😃
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I'm basing my thoughts on some sites which stay open for longer and I was thinking of somewhere like Seacroft where many not so good pitches are kept open. I think quite a few of us have mentioned that booking a serviced pitch is useful there and in a few other places too. An interesting thing about the C&CC booking system is finding a serviced pitch available on a busy site, the other cheaper ones have been booked first. I do wonder if the club thinks they've hit on attractive formula with serviced pitched when they've actually created a false demand due to "bookable" hardstandings. Just a thought.
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I do wonder if the club thinks they've hit on attractive formula with serviced pitched when they've actually created a false demand due to "bookable" hardstandings. Just a thought.
It certainly doesn't make sense to me for motorhome owners to book a serviced pitch. It would be interesting to read more about why this is and I am open to persuasion otherwise. My thoughts are larger vehicles have larger tanks and can go days without requiring services and it definitely does not make any sense at all for these to be on service pitches. The smaller vehicles may not have full facilities or what they do have are pretty cramped and not for everyday use so are probably more inclined to use the facilities block?
peedee
PS If our thoughts are correct, with growing motorhome ownership there is even less chance of serviced pitches being used/required.
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Peedee
You obviously have your way of doing things and others have theirs. The way we do things might not replicate what others do. We rarely use site facilities preferring to our own. The lengths of stays are usually between 3 and 7 days so we will need to top up and empty waste water at regular intervals during a stay. I tend to do this on a daily basis just to keep on top of it. I suppose at a push our full tank of water would last two days and I suppose waste water about the same. We try and pitch near a service point if we can. If I book a service pitch it just makes the whole process easier. I could manage without it but quite enjoy the luxury. The main reason for using a service pitch is not necessarily the extra convenience but more about getting a hardstanding pitch. We were previously at Burrs and now at Buxton and both sites have 100% hardstanding pitches so no real need for a serviced pitch.
David
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Thanks for further input David. What you seem to be saying is that if you could book a hardstanding you would never book a serviced pitch.
The only time I have ever used a serviced pitch is when sites offer nothing else. This has mostly been on the Continent. We too mostly use the onboard facilities.
peedee
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Morning
So, if most motorhomers book a serviced pitch to secure a hardstanding (not in my experience) then that tells me they're happy to pay extra for that hardstanding. If that's my opinion do you think the watchers on here from head office haven't twigged the same? If pitch surface types are to be made available when booking I'd expect to see some very pricey gravel!
Just saying
JK
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I know that Brue but certain motorhoming posters on ct always seem to turn round to pricing.
Just out of interest, the site I'm visiting at present has I think 12 serviced pitches. 8 of them occupied by motorhomes with awnings nailed down and hosepipes connected to tap.
JK
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Just out of interest, the site I'm visiting at present has I think 12 serviced pitches. 8 of them occupied by motorhomes with awnings nailed down and hosepipes connected to tap
Obviously not stopping the night then! I assume you are not on a C&MC site JK, so out of interest what is the price differential? If not large and they are staying a week or more some might think it worth it.
peedee
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To be honest my responses on here haven't been about motorhomers just van users in general and the only way to secure a hardstanding with CAMC at present is to book a serviced pitch on sites where there are mixed types of pitch. This what some have said they do.
We're quite happy on the occasional service pitch we book but generally we don't bother, mostly on a cost and position of pitch basis (service pitches with the club aren't always in the best spots.) Which is why Cayton, mentioned in the OP is unusual as it is mainly serviced and the remaining non serviced pitches are not so good.
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Some say they book a SP in order to get a HS but my feeling is that those people are a small minority. The folk who book SPs do so, on the whole, because they want SPs for whatever reason. JK's observation bears that out if you think about it because those vans are geared up to SP use and there’s not a huge risk of being on soggy grass at this time of year.
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I guess you're right P, but Davids comment re his MH "I suppose at a push our full tank of water would last two days and I suppose waste water about the same" doesn't make that vehicle, or his use of it very self sufficient, which for us is one of the key qualities of having a motorhome....independence from services.
two days in Davids van translates to roughly 45 ltrs a day....
even using the van shower, as David does, we would be able to operate normally for six days or so, perhaps a little more...our 120 ltr being used at a rate of roughly 20 ltr a day incl the shower.
we drink loads of tea/coffee, wash up in the van, clean teeth, wash hands, use and flush the toilet.....
so, a van/occupant requiring water services every two days makes more of a case for the use of a 'serviced pitch' over someone who doesn't need water for three times that duration or more.
we wouldn't be on a club site more than 5-7 days and using the site showers wouldn't need to go near a tap.
we could even 'nail out an awning' (except we don't have one) and appear to be 'resident' for a week but this still has no bearing on our requiremnt to connect to a tap (SP) or not.
perhaps many folk don't realise how far their water goes, also many guages are hopeless from what I've seen on forums and if folk are relying on these they're quite possibly filling before necessary....
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I must say BB that your use of water is amazingly frugal!
If we are using the van shower we get through between 30 and 40 litres per day, we also wash up in the van, but have a separate flush tank for the toilet, so that would be an additional maybe 4-5 litres per day.
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My original thoughts go back to Cayton and all the empty service pitches (probably more in use just now due to lack of standard pitches.) Most of us are only guessing one way or the other, but if the club keep all those serviced pitches at Cayton it will be interesting to see the take up out of the main season. By the way I like the odd hardstanding serviced pitch and we're geared up for both and I'm definitely booking serviced if there's a good chance I might get mud!
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Kjell, perhaps we are....but without specifically thinking about it....it must come naturally....
a small pot of tea or two cups of coffee requires around 750ml of water to be boiled in the kettle...perhaps four times a day is 3 ltrs.
washing a couple of plates, cups and cutlery can easily be done in half a small bowl...again, perhaps 750ml 3 times a day..2.25 ltrs..
for two showers, I guess we use all the hot tank, 10 ltrs, although OH who goes second never runs out of hot, so perhaps 8-9 ltrs. a couple of litres of cold to bring the temp down to comfortable and that's 10-12 for the two showers....I am pretty speedy as I like to ensure that HM gets a fairly long one.
toilet flushing, hand washing and teeth cleaning may account for a further 2-3 ltrs.
add that lot up and it's about 20 ltrs...
knock off the 10-12 for the showers and I can see how we last 12 days or more when using site facilities...
we don't have lengthy rinsing of dishes as one might at a site wash up stall, nor clean teeth under running taps...perhas that accounts for some of the difference..
we filled the tank at Henley this week, spent 8 days on site (using their showers) and went home with the fresh tank reading 'half full'...
im sure others may well rinse crocks for longer, take two cycles of hot water for two showers, clean teeth under running water and used a sink full of water to rinse two cups.....so there is much scope for using water at a different rate than we do.....
as I said upthread, part of the benefit of us having a MH over a caravan is that we can be independent of mains services (water, electric) for many days.
if David has to half fill his tank every day that's not the level of dependency we would want to subscribe to, in fact it would severely influence the way we tour.
oh, I do drink a bottle of red a day in lieu of tap water
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That’s where we differ because I fall into the camp that says if there’s a good chance of ending up on a muddy pitch, I’ll go to a site where I’m guaranteed a HS pitch rather than pay extra for services I’ve no need of.
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Peedee
Never say never but you are right that if I could be guaranteed a hardstanding pitch I wouldn't bother with a serviced one.
Cayton Village is unusual in that the number of serviced pitches far outnumbers standard pitches (currently). At that site paying the extra gave me a far greater choice. That decision was made before we got there and arrival only confirmed that it was a sensible decision. I suspect Brue found the same?
If the Club went down the route of booking standard hardstanding pitches, personally I would not object to a small premium in the same way I don't object when booking a hardstanding with the C&CC. Perhaps a pound off grass and a pound on a hardstanding might even encourage more to go for grass?
David
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We are the same re van use.
On site at mo, but not on a service pitch, dont have them here, Our daily water consumption is 1 and 3/4 aqua rollers a day.
2 showers and breakfast washing up pretty much empties 1 roller.
Anything less cant be hygienic!
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We have a caravan and like to book serviced pitches if possible. Like KjellNN we will use around 40 litres a day as we both shower in the van so for us it makes life easier not having the filling and emptying to do. Perhaps we are just lazy but it’s our break so it’s one less job while we can be doing something more interesting. I understand that a serviced pitch for a MH might make life easier for them too but I do wonder sometimes why they take a serviced pitch and not use any of the ‘services’ provided on the pitch. Especially when a site is all hardstanding anyway. Each to their own I suppose.
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We don't and never have used the shower in the van, but I'd estimate we get through 20-30 litres of water a day, so I fill the aquaroll each day when we get back after walking. It would maybe save me a daily chore to be on a serviced pitch, but to be honest, where's the hardship in what takes a maximum of maybe 5 minutes there and back?
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I have always been intrigued by BB's water use. I sometimes wonder if he just uses wet wipes
Our water consumption in the motorhome is almost of the same order as it was in our previous caravans and I can't see any reason why it should be any different as the production of hot water and distribution is exactly the same. From what others say it is BB that seems to be out of line with his frugal water use if it can be defined as easily as that? It is a bit of a pointless discussion because we are all going to continue to use the amount of water that suits us and when it goes down we will replenish it?David
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If the UN find out, they will send him aid!
Or worse,
Comic relief will send a celeb dancer round to have a photo with him. 💃
Look what happened there,
David Lammy will do his nut! 🤯
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From what others say it is BB that seems to be out of line with his frugal water use if it can be defined as easily as that?
yes but you missed the point, he drinks a bottle of red wine per day, but he didnt clarify whether the per day was for breakfast, lunch, dinner or all 3
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well David i did give a rough breakdown of daily usage, which surprisngly, totalled the amount of our tank divided by number of days we can make it last....
we do shower every day (cheers wellys) but when on site we use those.
neither DK nor those caravanners who've responded spend many days away from sites and water supplies as we do when overseas...we travelled a section of the Algarve coast for five days just stopping in town beach parking areas where no water was available...
not wasting water (which is probably where much of the difference is) comes naturally.....
however, as David says, it's neither here nor there as to others habits..
...but it is relevant to us, as a two day 'service free' period in a van makes little use of what (to us) a MH is capable of over a caravan.
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We have no roller barrel and use little more water in the caravan than campers do in a tent. Old habits die hard !
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