CL Minimum night stay
Hi
I recently tried to book a CL for 3 nights, only to be told by the owner they are saving the pitches for min 7 night stays, is this becoming the new norm in anyone else's experience?
Regards
Comments
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Obviously CL's are allowed to make their own rules regarding minimum lengths of stay but I would have thought that an insistence on a minimum 7 night stay is pretty unusual and hardly likely to encourage new customers. What CL was it?
David
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That length is unusual, outside of holiday periods. But we are in exceptional times, and you can’t blame CL owners for preferring a full week to a one/two nighter. Some CLs give a bit of discount if a full week is booked, so it’s swings and roundabouts.
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I’d go elsewhere and never consider them again but it’s their choice.
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Nah, you keep an eye on their bookings and then negotiate a last minute deal😂
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Nope, I’d swerve them regardless of any deal. No second chances given. 😛
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Some years ago a CL we used stipulated a minimum stay of 7 nights in high season (Drake House Farm, Clitheroe). Don't know how long that lasted, as we didn't go for some time until early last year, when I could see no mention of it anymore.
Perhaps a similar thing, ie only during high season?
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If their alternative is being full for two nights at the weekend and staying empty for the next five nights then they are making a sensible business decision.
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To answer your question Cybil then my experience is that it is not becoming the norm. Not had any CL insist on this length of stay anywhere in the last 30 years although I have stayed on a few over Bank Holidays that exceeded any minimum they would have applied, usually 3 nights.
Avoid them or put up with it. Up to you. We'd look elsewhere but also let them now why we were put off staying.
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The CL was Ashfield caravan site at Lockton, I can understand there attempt to recoup some lost money, but it doesn't feel in the spirit of CLs to act like main sites, they did comment unless it was late availability I could perhaps fit in my 3 nights, needless to say another site now has my business
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It would not suit us, we rarely stay anywhere for more than 5 nights.
Not a restriction we have come across anywhere before.
I see they do not mention the minimum 7 nights either on their listing or on their website, so there may well be many disappointed campers.
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The T&Cs actually say a minimum of 7 nights, but less if there is late availability. Sort of book in advance and it’s 7 nights, but happy to fit in those touring on a whim and taking up late availability. It also looks as though no deposit is asked for outside of the Bank Holiday and super popular Steam and 40’s Weekend. Swings and roundabouts.
Its a great CL, with lovely owners. We know them well, and have had countless stays here without any problems or issues. Sometimes for a week or two, sometimes for 3-4 nights. I suspect we are highly likely to be up there in next few weeks, depending on what’s available and if we rejoin.
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They will of course take you for more than seven nights, and happily fill in the rest of a half week, or a couple of days. It’s standard practice for B&Bs, cottages, pub stays...... As far as I am aware, it’s not got to be Friday to Friday, or Saturday to Saturday......😁
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It’s been a CL for 48 years, so it’s unlikely that they have transgressed such rules.
As for the thought that we might ask, we don’t need to, there are lots of small private Sites in the area, that don’t require Membership of anything. Some are even listed in the Sticky thread in this section. Some of course have both a CL area, and a small private pitching area adjacent. Lots of options to consider.🙂
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I am not saying either. You are speculating, not me. Or jumping to conclusions perhaps? 🤷♀️
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Not our experience of CLs, farmer run or otherwise, down the last 30 + years of using them.
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I would agree that some CLs are not that particular about sticking to the rules. We have stayed on several where there appeared to be 7-8-9 vans rather than just 5, and also one where the certificate was withdrawn temporarily, yet they still accepted our booking, saying it would be sorted before we came. It was not.
Over a year later nothing has changed.
One we used is no longer a CL.
Most however do stick to the rules
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There are some CLs that do this - At Smugglers Rock near Whitby it’s 3 nights for weekends and 5 nights for bank holidays. This effectively excludes most of the working population thus their target market is the retired folk. Consequently, we’ve never been.
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