CL Site Owners' Website
If you are a keen supporter of the CL network you might like to know that there's a dedicated support group for CL owners where they share best practice, information and encourage other landowners to set up new CLs.
The group liaises with the Club on a regular basis, but like the CLs themeselves, it is entirely independent. The group receives no financial support or direction from the Club.The group was formed in 2014 and now has over 600 members. Find out more on our website.
How you can help: If you are visiting a CL and think they could benefit from advice or support from fellow CL owners, please point them in the direction of the group. Likewise, if you know someone with a great spot for a new CL, the Owners Group website is a complementary source of information to the Clubs own guide for setting up a CL.
The group is entirely run by volunteers (all CL owners), is free to join and welcomes feedback from CAMC members, especially those with knowledge of the CL network!
Comments
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Excellent looking website. I need to return for a more detailed look through. It might explain a lot of the questions asked about CL's.
David
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A great source of help and information for all CL owners and I would thoroughly recommend.
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Looks a grand web site, well done. Is there anywhere for a CL user to add comments, or is it purely for CL owners and prospective owners? Is there a list of current members of your website, so that when visiting one we, as users, know whether or not to put forward the idea of joining to a CL owner who is not a member?
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Thank you all for your kind words and supportive comments.
To address a couple of questions;
How to provide feedback?:
1) Via this CT thread - which will be monitored
2) If you are on Facebook:- Via a Post, or a Personal Message on the CL Booking Page https://www.facebook.com/clbooking which is monitored daily by the admin team
3) by email: ted@clsiteowners.co.uk
List of Owners in the Group?
We have not published this yet, and currently it would be an admin burden to do so as it changes with the addition and demise of CLs. I would simply ask any owner you meet 'Have you heard of the CL Owners Group?' and if they say no, or are not sure, point them in our direction. We realise that some CLs simply 'dont do technology', but unfortunately we have limited resources and can only work effectively with those who have web / email access.
If you are on a CL site and would like us (the Owners Group) to contact a specific owner, feel free to email us their details (as above) and we will send them an email invite or give them a call.
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A tedious exercise but you could trawl the email addresses from the handbook.
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Surely the club could give out a document with all these details if asked? Might interfere with GDPR regulations but the addresses are already out there?
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Ted, I noticed on your new front page the comments about the "Dump, Fill and Run Brigade" and charging and extra £5 for these one nighters. My opinion is this will do nothing to help the CL owners it will simple drive motorhome owners elsewhere. It would be much better to offer and just charge for a stop off service exclusive of an overnight stay.
peedee
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Thanks Ted, an interesting read.
I would tend to agree with Peedee, I don't like the term "dump, fill and run" brigade as they are at least staying overnight. Are one night stays a problem, don't a lot of caravanners do this too if they are stopping over on long distances? Just my thoughts.
A very good web site though, well thought out, all the best for your future efforts.
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It’s a very good resource, and quite frankly shows the kind of commitment to CLs that HQ ought to have provided years ago. It’s a very informative read, and even without reading much deeper into the information at this moment, will give those new to trying out CLs much more information than the Club currently provides. The owners group is to be commended for developing this. We often mention to some of the CLs we use that there is a CL Owners Group, but we can now point them into looking at this thread.
I didn’t pick up on the phrase brue mentioned, but I do agree with what is said. We frequently only stop one or two nights on a CL if we are touring, but it’s never just to dump and fill. They represent somewhere safe, organised and legal for us to sleep, and we are happy to pay the overnight fee. We used to do this with our caravan, as well as the motorhome, and the one night stopover isn’t uncommon with those who truly tour about, particularly those with camper vans and Motorhomes. We stop because the CL will be in an area of interest to us, not because we need to “dump, fill and run”. We have found Sites we absolutely love, and now return to frequently for much longer stays, after an initial one night stop over. We do respect those CLs that stipulate a stay must be for two,three, more nights minimum at times, even if it means we move on elsewhere.
As I say, I think it’s a great website, not just for CL owners, but for those like us who love CLs.👍1 -
I totally agree with PD and Brue. Charge one nighters extra because they want to dump and fill? That's a rip off and not in the ethos of touring, to my mind.
We often use CLs for one night stops en route to our main destination. Sometimes we dump and fill, sometimes not. Perhaps one in three of the CLs we stop at will find us at the service point yet I'd be paying extra at each stop!
If CL owners, got their pricing sorted out fairly they'd not need to appear so mean spirited and anti one nighters!
If I find a site charging in that manner, I'll sure as hell boycott it irrespective of whether I need to dump and fill.
Now, as PD suggested, why not let members use the dump and fill facilities for a sensible fee without staying the night? That way you get to let the pitch to someone else and still get your fees. Win/win, I say.
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Perhaps the CAMC mindset is percolating into CL's. CAMC are steadfastly against "splash & dash" even for a fee. The name may have changed but the ethos hasn't.
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I can see I have missed something here, admit to only glancing through each heading...... charging one night stays extra?🤔
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Thank you for your observation on The Dump Fill & Run brigade..
This is, of course, a slightly contentious issue.
Whilst some CLs encourage one-night stays (in fact those near ferry-ports etc. its the mainstay of their business) others (like myself) find that one-nighters are of marginal benefit.
Brand new CLs trying to build a customer base may welcome one-nighters, but more established CLs find that a one-nighter can often 'block' a longer booking and will only consider having them to stay either to fill-in a gap or as a last-minute booking if it suits them.
CLs on popular 'Routes' such as the one around Scotland have found that motorhomes tend to 'wild camp' for 2 or 3 nights (for free) and then use a CL to drop 3-days worth of rubbish, empty their full-to-bursting cassette or tank and fill their fresh water tanks, all for less than £15 (average). This is not economic for many CL owners.
Some might say there is an 'opportunity' for CLs to offer a service whereby Motorhomes call in, dump, top-up and go. However, this practice may be seen as operating a 'waste transfer station' as the customer is not staying overnight. Also, it increases traffic on a site and still involves collecting money, book-keeping and generally being around and available on the off-chance someone wanted this. Personally, I wouldn't contemplate the hassle and invasion of privacy & use of my metered water, costly (to empty) CDP etc. for less than £30.
I hope this offers some context. There is no 'right' answer and I'm sure many sites will still allow one-night stays (particularly mid-week) but Owners are now more aware than ever of the costs of servicing visitors.
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Frankly, Ted, that makes me feel like a second class and unwanted customer. I actually find your term "The dump, fill and run brigade" quite disparaging.
Instead of penalising one nighters, why not price it fairly to all but offer a discount for staying 5 nights, or whatever.
I appreciate CL owners aren't running a charity and need to make a living but, if you run a business, you need to accept that the customer is king and not someone to be treated shabbily when their needs don't coincide with your concepts. Be fair to all or be the loser - it's your choice.
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Yes, I had missed it. We wouldn’t stop if charged an extra £5 or so above normal rate for a one night stop, but I suppose it depends on where CL is located as to whether or not CL owner feels it’s needed.
I need to get our handbook out, and mark up some CL possibles for different tours. We might have one or two nights in some places reaching our target area, then a week in the area we are aiming for, coming back a different route and having one or two nights on Sites heading back home. Prefer not to book, although I fear this year will be a bit different. A lot of the places we go are well off the beaten track, and owners are happy to see you no matter how long you stay. Plus we use small private sites as well. We have never paid more than £18 a night at any CL, including ones with good showers and loos, and touring in Winter. Appreciate others will love all the extras provided, and not mind paying for what they need.
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I can quite understand the Dump ,Fill and Run brigade, it has already been mentioned on other threads ,"as members why cannot we just stop at sites and empty our waste,toilet and fill with water ,
I have noted it twice on a non facililty site in the Cotswolds that did not have barriers ,where motor caravans ,have asked to "look round" and the site staff found them Servicing their LV, and on one occasion got very nasty when advised about it the costs of emptying the cess pits that memder would pay for in their pitch fees
so i quite can see it happening on a CL/CS
An add charge of £5 for one night midweek only is a bit steep but weekends it seems reasonable as even the cc do midweek discounts
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I think you might have misunderstood, JV. Ted is talking about those members who legitimately stop on CLs for one night, not intruders.
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JV, don’t forget to add the cost of membership. I doubt anyone who is looking to tour on the very cheap (ie mainly wild camping) is thick enough to pay out for Club Membership, which is the only way you can access a CL.
Not everyone who uses a motorhome wild camps. Others like us are perfectly happy staying on nice small sites and paying a reasonable amount to do so. It’s the main reason for being Members.
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I commend the attempt to support other CL owners - though the whole concept of CLs seems well out of date to me. I understand how CLs started 60 or70 years ago, but have never understood how this old fashioned, slightly snobbish idea is still with us in this 21st century inclusive, diverse, democratic age.
We ourselves have a long family history with different family members in the hospitality business - various relatives have run three or four pubs, a couple of wine bars, several restaurants, a cousin who had a chain of fish and chip shops, another with a travel agency, and one of my in laws who started from scratch and was awarded Best Guest House in Wales.
All of them took money from all and sundry and some became rich. But all of them would have laughed at the idea of running a caravan site which turned away "non members" and rejected young families with tents, appeared to have a bit of a prejudice against motorhomers, especially those who only wanted to stay one night, didn't serve food and drinks, and voluntarily put on a "five only" straitjacket. Business madness they would all have said - broaden your customer base.
So good luck to those trying to perpetuate the CL idea. But it seems a loser to me.
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JV, I don’t know. Possibly similar to those who don’t use CLs, but love to offer anecdotal unhelpful suggestions and heresay to those who do?🤔
Suggest we both leave it there in polite deference to Ted’s useful thread?
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We loved CLs from the very start of membership over 30 years ago. Back then they were a cheap, safe option of somewhere to stay, in an area you liked, with an outfit you had bought to do just that. Some were on farms, a bit of diversity to bring in some much needed income. Some were the orchards, gardens of lovely big houses, where the owners liked to welcome folks in the tradition of a bed and breakfast stay. Some were like minded touring folks who gave something back to a hobby they enjoyed themselves. Some wanted to keep things small and manageable, rather than going large site.
Most of our best holiday memories have come from CLs, their diversity, their simplicity, the relative freedom to just enjoy a little bit of someone else’s livelihood, be it a farm or similar, or a very beautiful garden. You rolled in, you picked a spot, you said hello. Next to nothing commercial, little fuss, as much interaction with your hosts as either you or they desired. Such CLs are still out there, some are now into the second and third generation of ownership, happily still remaining true to the original concept.
New CL owners, and more and more CL users, have different ideas on provision, there’s more hoops to jump through in terms of providing, more to meeting expectations of those moving into CL usage. It’s not easy trying to balance the two. With luck, they might be around long enough to see out the rest of our touring days😁5 -
Goodness, as many as that!! We used just 26 last year, well below the number we usually use, so are in a position to agree completely with what Tda posted. I can honestly say that over the years we've used CL's that we have seen very few of the "Dump, fill, run" brigade.
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During the war...
The Home Guard or Local defence Volunteers (as they were first known) had the initials LDV, which people said stood for:
Look Duck and Vanish.
perhaps that could be used instead?
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Both we have used have made us more than appreciate cc sites
Some years ago we stopped at one near Doncaster (a pub) on route to the Trax site at Hexham and were not allowed to park on the CL? so were put on some ground that was more like a cinder area bonfithat looked like it was used for bonfires
And another near Bolton Abb ey where the owner wanted us off by 1900 as he had a rally coming in and wanted to cut the grass ,which he started to do at 0530 at first light
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