Not moving with the times
Comments
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I like the C&CC sites and it's only their flipping booking system with its constraints that bugs me.
Actually, I thought the trend on here was more towards knocking CAMC 🤷🏻♂️
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I can cope with any confusion about the length of minimum stay and clunky technology etc, but I don’t like to pay more than necessary. Example: CMC Malvern Hills & CCC Blackmore. More-or-less identical sites next door to each other. 7 Sept for 2 nights, CMC £51.40, CCC £38.20. Why pay more? I’m currently putting together an itinerary for a 30 day trip, on that basis I could save a load of money
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well one reason is the one you've given a few times SB, maybe you've paid your membership fee and want something back (your own words) or as you have also said they might offer you something of value that you would pay a premium for?
But exactly why pay more, I've often said that, everyone has to choose what they think is reasonable to get what they want. No one is forced to use a club site.
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I thought that motorhomers would be catered for in the way many of us like to tour
I appreciate that many of you like to tour that way but it is not representative of the all MH club users is it? From the growing numbers of MH that have joined since the re-brand and looking at how many MH there are on sites at present it would appear not.
But why try and change the club to suit your own needs? As been pointed out there are other places that appear to cater better for your needs, use them?
btw you've said you like CCC, do they do things differently there and meet your touring needs better?
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Agree absolutely. When the Club's name changed I thought that motorhomers would be catered for in the way many of us like to tour. Being able to arrive and not have to "book in", but have some kind of prearranged payment or barrier card affair, allowing us to arrive later would be a start - the kind of Quick Stop (to use peedee's phrase) touring we enjoy elsewhere.
No idea why you thought that WTG.
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well not to me you did write
When the Club's name changed I thought that motorhomers would be catered for in the way many of us like to tour. Being able to arrive and not have to "book in", but have some kind of prearranged payment or barrier card affair, allowing us to arrive later would be a start - the kind of Quick Stop (to use peedee's phrase) touring we enjoy elsewhere
That to me suggests you would like to see those changes being applied to the club? But thanks for the clarification
Does the CCC that you like give you that style of touring you enjoy any more than the club?
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Nor me as it was pretty clear it was just a marketing exercise to make the club appeal to the growing number of new MH-ers.
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I agree, I just asked since the club is often signalled out by posters like PD and WTG (they are entitled to their opinions and I respect them) to suggest that it should when no other similar provider does.
As others have said perhaps simply having Motor home in the name isn't enough reason?
But as always there are many places where there touring style can be catered for, what is so special about club sites do they want the club to change?
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The more observant amongst you will notice that we have a little green banner under my avatar. We are brand new members, joined today. For one reason only, the CL network.
Those three months away gave us time to think and discuss what we got from the Club, was it still for us, could we tour without rejoining, etc... Bit of a split decision here really, I have a tour all set up for us consisting of no Club Sites and no CLs, other than one that happens to have a private site as well, so as far as I was concerned, we could have deferred longer. OH likes the variety and prices of the CL network, and quite rightly pointed out that all the CL Sites we might need for nearly the whole of the UK are in one little book, so it’s worth the membership to have this information, plus of course online.
We have moved away from using Club Sites more each year this last decade, primarily for two reasons. Firstly, for us, often on pitch for less than 14 hours, particularly when touring in MH. So £30+ just isn’t value for money for us. (Exception is possibly YRP, where we park up, and don’t roll a wheel for a few days, and we know how expensive any accommodation in York is) Other reason is that there are few Club Sites that we actually really like, where we might spend a day on the Site. They have tended to become very uniform, neat rows of little HS squares, rather close together where you are invariably looking at someone else’s TV, or on the edge of a conversation in someone else’s awning. There are exceptions of course, but these are dwindling more and more.
For long staying caravan holidays, Club Sites are ok, some are lovely, outside of the pricing issue. But for life in a touring MH, one that moves off site nearly every day, we have found better value on the CLs and small private sites.🙂
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- Welcome back!
- Must agree about the pricing issue of club sites. We only use them occasionally, during the off peak period, but manage to get away more often than most, mainly using CL's and the occasional commercial site. We generally dislike the regimentation of club sites and the lack of variety in their format.
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We are members of both clubs, we like the CAMC for their 5 van CL's we do find the booking system easier than the CCC but its the ease of booking and no deposits that at times can cause issues.
The CCC booking system is different yes, when you use it more and more you become familiar with it and its not that bad as WTG has already said.
If one knows which sites you have to stay a given length of time then you either avoid them or you factor in those stays to your tour simples.
We often stay just the one night on CCC sites especially on our way to the ferries. I like the fact that I can book a H/S so can arrive at whatever time suits us (usually late afternoon) and not worry that we are going to be on soggy grass.
The deposit can be a good thing if you like to travel at the last minute. Most folk think twice about paying deposits and not turning up, so there is less speculative bookings made, which means you often get onto sites at the last minute. I haven't stayed on a CS yet but might in the winter months when tents are no using them. Unlike some others we have been subject to 'noise' from tents in the past, not on either of the club sites but we tend to avoid them where possible.
One other difference between the clubs is their pricing, we often find that the CCC are up to £10 a night cheaper because of their pricing bands and the age discount. Its certainly noticeable here in Scotland just now when the CAMC are still on PEAK prices but the CCC are not.
Seasidebill, we used the CCC site at Malvern twice last year and found it very nice, at £9 a night cheaper than next door CAMC site. We also thought it a better nicer site when comparing the 2.
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The Camping and Caravanning Club started in 1901 as the Association of Cycle Campers.[1] Thomas Hiram Holding, one of the founders, is considered by many to be the father of modern camping. He also founded the Bicycle Touring Club in 1878, which became Cyclists' Touring Club, now renamed Cycling UK.[2] Holding wrote The Campers Handbook in 1908, to share his enthusiasm for the great outdoors. His love of camping derived from his experiences as a boy, which dated back to the mid-1800s.[3]
In 1906 the Association of Cycle Campers (now The Camping and Caravanning Club) opened its first camping site, in Weybridge. By that time the organisation had several hundred members. In 1909 the association split into three separate organisations, which joined again in 1910 as the National Camping Club. Two more name changes followed, in 1919 (The Camping Club of Great Britain and Ireland) and in 1983
1983 then?
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The name change was just an acknowledgment of the increasing number of MH's, achieved at considerable expense.☹️ I thought the sites always were very suitable for MH's, with the ability to book only one night if required and a fair number of generally level pitches, so no need to mess about with ramps.
There have been a few more nods in the MH direction with the speeding up of gridded waste disposal. Even if its design leaves something to be desired. Also about the same time diagrams were added to the site plans with wording stating either way in was OK. Yes I know it was OK before, but was never made that obvious. The direction issue is perhaps more applicable to MH's as an aid to front / back levelling.
The only real thing missing is the ability to book a hardstanding, unless it's a service pitch. This would be particularly useful in the shoulder months, when grass may still be in use. Otherwise you can't really arrive late on for fear of ending up on soft grass.
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Yes,I agree even for me with a caravan booking a HS pitch has always been a priority and I don't go to sites where this cannot be guaranteed.
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