Nick Lomas chatting with Keith & Michele

2

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  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,142 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2020 #32

    Which puts a somewhat different light on it. 😏

  • JollyKernow
    JollyKernow Forum Participant Posts: 2,629
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    edited May 2020 #33

    Morning

    We won't be vending anything for the foreseeable DK. (not sure about other sites) The idea is minimal contact and at a safe distance. 

    JK

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,859 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2020 #34

    JK

    Thanks for the confirmation. I assume that includes gas? If so I think members will need to be reminded of that as sites reopen.

    David

  • allanandjean
    allanandjean Forum Participant Posts: 2,401
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    edited May 2020 #35

    Hi steve, As I hope you realise I am simply 'thinking out loud' and chatting, as we would in the pub.........those were the days.

    If you didn't fee safe then I would expect you to act as you felt fit but feel there are likely people who, in the circumstances you describe, would feel safe.

    As for the 'plenty of virus about' all the info at the moment suggests that if that was the case then we would not be on the sites anyway.

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,303 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2020 #36

    I do realise a&j. Indeed it would be nice to chat in pubs again.

    Possibly we were being over cautious. The site had seemed fine in the week at 50% or less full. However, when we returned from our walk on Friday afternoon, it had a totally different feel. We left a day early, first thing Saturday. 

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited May 2020 #37
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  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited May 2020 #38

    As for the 'plenty of virus about' all the info at the moment suggests that if that was the case then we would not be on the sites anyway

    Oh how i hope your statement continues to be factual, but almost every day now we read of a second flare up in countries far more adept at handling this crisis than we have been, South Korea today,

    if we survive this week with all this glorious weather and packed beaches then i will breath a sigh of relief, and maybe we can say there is a big light at the end of the tunnel.

    Dont want to comment on club sites as we very rarely use them in normal circumstances anyway, but maybe we could learn from some of the commercial sites , where they have contract cleaners, and i have read where some are considering having onsite cleaning 12 hrs per day, which you find on some overseas sites, yes it will cost.

  • GTP
    GTP Club Member Posts: 536
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    edited May 2020 #39

    but you do wonder about the Club's Media strategy:-

    Does the club have a media strategy ?.   As you say David, unless the OP had put the link on here I would not have seen it.....is it so difficult to put the link on the Clubs official web site, or even its fb page ?

    What this Corvid-19 crisis has shown is a serious lack of Management leadership...and usually the buck stops at the top..

    Time for some new blood ?....

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,303 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2020 #40

    Certainly paying from your car could cause problems, if a lot turn up at once. Plus of course the limitations on mobile signal at some sites. Much better to pay the evening before, get your pitching instructions and confirm registration. Then you could just drive up to the barrier. I assume the vouchers must have a number. I have never handed the M&S ones I've had over, they just scan or record the voucher number and they are voided. Payment by cash would not be accepted.

  • Briang
    Briang Club Member Posts: 670 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2020 #41

    This is one question I asked

    How are we going to manage with Toilet Facilities when you are away from the caravan/motorhome going to the beach shops etc


    Hide 2 replies

    Carefree Caravanning

    16 hours ago

    Hi Brian, Hopefully all beauty spots & places of interest to visit will have measures in place for “spending a penny”. It’s still early days in the release from lockdown so we will have to wait & see what the developments will be. Many thanks for watching, best wishes to you, stay safe, Keith & Michele


    Mathew Forshaw
    14 hours ago

    New government advice from 11th May already allowed for public toilets to open. It's the local authorities playing politics thinking not opening them will put off day visitors. Hopefully the 'penny' will drop soon.

  • no one
    no one Forum Participant Posts: 216
    edited May 2020 #42

    I said before, I don't understand the 'free for all' pitch grabbing as you arrive at a club site, first in gets the best pitch, what's that all about?

    Ok I am a relative newby where it comes to Clubsites but have been to other sites including associate sites where you book an actual pitch, site pitch maps are freely available and should be linked in with the booking process like theatre tickets.

    if this was the case on club sites, it would make it easy to pay remotely, drive through straight to a designated pitch (does NL really think we pay a deposit for club sites?)without having to return to reception to let the wardens know which pitch you had 'found'.

    the other issue is the gate control keys on sites that have them, where they will need collecting and returning.

    I am all for self cleaning your bollard before and after use, at least you know it has been done rather than expect it and it not happening for one reason or another..

  • allanandjean
    allanandjean Forum Participant Posts: 2,401
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    edited May 2020 #43

     "an open air break would be valued by many members." 

    Ha Ha! So all is revealed-that it was the guy calling himself Nick Lomas said.

    I have never seen you both at the same time and, it would also explain why your avatar has changed-so we can't see that you are actually...........

    Now of to do some high risk Sainsburys shopping!

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited May 2020 #44

    I would hope to see more information on the club website. If you scroll down to the bottom of this page you'll see "Keep in Touch" on the right hand side with links to FB, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. None of them carry any up to date messages or messages via What's On at the top of this page.

     

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,142 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2020 #45

    "I said before, I don't understand the 'free for all' pitch grabbing as you arrive at a club site, first in gets the best pitch, what's that all about?"

    Although I'm not saying choose on arrival suits everyone, RJN, you can't beat seeing the site in the flesh for choosing the most suitable and level pitch. Note I didn't say 'best' pitch as that's subjective. What you consider to be the best, I might hate and vice versa. I've no problem at all with the first come, first served approach.

    Now, if we could book a pitch surface type, eg HS, I'd be really happy but the club turns deaf ears to that request.

  • harryb
    harryb Forum Participant Posts: 1,536
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    edited May 2020 #46

    or the club site at Barnard Castle

  • harryb
    harryb Forum Participant Posts: 1,536
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    edited May 2020 #47

    So which members took part in the survey on the site facilities and what were the questions?

  • no one
    no one Forum Participant Posts: 216
    edited May 2020 #48

    "I've no problem at all with the first come, first served approach."

    But isn't that why busy sites have issues with rigs arriving before 'arrival time'? potentially blocking roads etc.

    pre booking a pitch allows pre payment and confidence that no matter what time you arrive, you are guaranteed to be able to go straight to your selected pitch and set up without the 'driving round and round' looking for that tiny peg on the one or two pitches left. Which is even worse when its dark!

    If you don't like any of the remaining pitches at any particular site when booking, then you can elect to choose somewhere else.

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,142 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2020 #49

    I’ve no problem with it because I tend to arrive later and am quite happy to choose from what's available. Only tending to stay a night or two, we really aren't fussy.

    Not liking a pitch as shown on diagram is strange.

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,669 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2020 #50

    The idea of being able to book a particular pitch has been discussed at very great length in the past.  If it was to be allowed for all pitches, there would be much lower availability of pitches as people stay varying lengths of time, or you would have to move pitches during your stay.

    The warden allocating you a pitch would be a possible way to go, though I can forsee that that would not find favour with many!

  • harryb
    harryb Forum Participant Posts: 1,536
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    edited May 2020 #51

    According to "Live Chat" on the 21st May 20,000 members were picked at random to take the survey. When asked if I could take the survey I was told it was complete. I then asked how I could see the results and was sent a link which took me to the "Club News" page. Guess what, there's nothing there.

    20,000 is less than 3% of the membership

  • JollyKernow
    JollyKernow Forum Participant Posts: 2,629
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    edited May 2020 #52

    Hi DK

    We're looking at a work around so we can supply bottled gas safely. I'll post if / when we come up with a planlaughing

    JK

  • yellowbelly
    yellowbelly Forum Participant Posts: 32
    edited May 2020 #53

    A random sample of 20,000 would give a very representative view of members' views  -. 20,001 or 50,000 wouldn't result in a significantly different result.

     

  • Unknown
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    edited May 2020 #54
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  • Goldie146
    Goldie146 Club Member Posts: 2,448 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2020 #55

    Sorry, I've not watched the video - just the introduction and then was too lazy to watch it - but, who are Keith and Michele? Are they connected in some way to the CAMC? Or just a couple of YouTubers videoing their travels etc? 

    Did they approach the club? Or vice versa?

    Perhaps I ought to keep up to date and watch the film, instead of clicking on (usually) very funny parodies of recent events. I'm easliy distracted.

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,669 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2020 #56

    Yes, indeed, David, but I think you, and previously, we, are/were mainly travelling (elsewhere) in low season when sites are not so busy, and in areas where sites are plentiful and often very large.

    We have a few times seen what can happen on sites when a holiday period is approaching, pitches are reserved and then sit empty until the client arrives, or you are asked how long you plan to stay and told you can have a certain pitch but only for however many days.  

    On one site we were allowed to use a larger pitch ( the smaller ones were too short for our van) on condition we left by a certain date, this was fine as it fitted in with our plans.
     On another site this was not permitted as they had had problems  with people refusing to leave, so our only option was to use a rather difficult to access pitch, or go elsewhere, which was not really an option as there were no nearby sites.  Several nice big pitches were empty, but roped off, for the whole of our stay.

    With Club sites, it might work mid week in low season, but could easily leave a lot of pitches empty between booked stays in busy periods if booking short stays was still allowed.  

    A couple of years back we looked at booking a CL where you could book a specific pitch.  We found that for the 5 nights we wanted to stay, one pitch was available for the first 2 nights of our 5, another was available for only the next 2 nights, and 2 other pitches were available for night 5.  Who would want to move pitch twice in a 5 night stay?

    We went elsewhere.  Maybe what was available would suit someone else, but not us, who knows.

    I did however notice that there was a little footnote on the booking page that said that the owners reserved the right to allocate you a different pitch if necessary!   So, to maximise their bookings, you might well not get the pitch you had booked.  In that case, why allow pitch booking at all?

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,669 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2020 #57

    Every time the Club says how many members it has, it seems to include  all spouses/partners/children.  Dividing the amount paid in subs by the amount of the sub gives around 320000 "memberships" , and only the lead member would be sent any survey.   So 20000 is a bit more than 3%.

    However, do all of those randomly selected actually use Club sites?

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,859 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2020 #58

    Goldie

    They have a website here https://www.carefreecaravanning.co.uk/ and have a presence on You Tube, Facebook and Twitter. They seem to be relatively new to caravanning buying their first caravan in 2016. Beyond that I know no more than you. Perhaps they know the DG personally? 

    David

  • moulesy
    moulesy Forum Participant Posts: 9,402 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited May 2020 #59

    Are they UK Sites,  David, and at what time of year?  I ask because in all our years of caravanning in the UK the only such case I can readily remember was a Cornish site we used for several years for family gatherings and then only for full week Saturday to Saturday bookings. It won't affect us now, unless we return to touring but I doubt the practicality of being able to book a specific club pitch for say a 5 night break Thursday to Tuesday?

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited May 2020 #60

    The" holiday camp"type site we use for our annual "gathering" will normally give us the same pitches each year,but as we have been advised ,it cannot be guaranteed

  • harryb
    harryb Forum Participant Posts: 1,536
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    edited May 2020 #61

    K

    Point taken. It would be nice to know the answer to your question re who uses what.

    It should have been posted in the News column