5 van sites exemption etc

JVB66

 By "not turning people away" as you want? CL/CS owners by doing so   any holders of the 5van exemption certificate applied for under the rules/regulations  that they agreed to when applying,  could have it withdrawn which would mean thousands of 5 van sites could have to close 

Biggarmac

I have only been to one CL where I was not asked for my membership number.  This year there will be lots of CLs trying to recoup some of the income lost over the last 12 months.  If someone turns up who is not a member I cannot see what is wrong with them being allowed to join online when they arrive at a CL.  More members for the club and more income for the small business that is the CL.

Tinwheeler

Agreed, BM. The key issue is that they do join so they are members at the time they stay on the CL.👍🏻

Cornersteady

Yes nothing wrong at all. The same can (or could) be done at a club site too.

wildemere

As a CL owner on booking I ask for a contact phone number and the membership number, On arrival on site I have never asked to see the membership card, as my card has a name on it plus a number, but there is no way of proving the person presenting the card is the name on it. Without a photo of the member on the card. to me its worthless.  

Takethedogalong

Indeed wildemere.

I am very surprised that the Club still hasn’t got around to allowing those CLs who wish to do so, to join up new Members. All it would take is a phone call with new Member to HQ, take a card payment, give out a temporary Membership number to new Member, and let them get on with it. (Membership package to home address ASAP) When we used to stay on a hidden away CL in Cornwall, we often used to spend a day on the Site, and every day would bring in at least one, often two or three folks taking a look or popping in to see if they could stay. Lots were not Members, couldn’t stay, and moved on somewhere else.

I am not saying that all CLs should have to join new Members, only those interested, but some incentive for the CL owner would be good, and it would take very little to set up. We joined CADW at Caerphilly Castle like this, and visited lots more CADW sites that holiday. Our full Members pack was waiting for us when we got home. Club is so behind the times with certain aspects, still dragging its heels kicking and screaming into third decade of techno Millenium🤨

Fisherman

Its so far behind the times in not advocating for a amendment to the 5 rule. You see it as the network contacts, no  policing members usage and overcrowding. Result haemorrhaging of the network

viatorem

Just out of interest does the membership number get referred back to the club for occupancy stats or is it for your records only? 

BirchHillFarmCL

The operating certificate that we receive annually from the CAMC has the following condition:
“Only members of the Caravan and Motorhome Club on producing their membership cards may be accommodated on the Certificated Location and only for the purposes of recreation.”

We always ask for membership numbers and check their validity using a GDPR-compliant text service provided for CL Owners by the CAMC.

Ian Kelly
01691 622951
Holiday@BirchHill.co.uk

Birch Hill, The Cross, Ellesmere, Shropshire, SY12 0LP
www.BirchHill.co.uk

Birch Hill Farm - an award-winning hideaway in the beautiful lake-lands of Shropshire for members of the Caravan and Motorhome Club

If non-caravanning friends wish to join you, please see our new Glamping Pods - www.ArchersMeadow.co.uk

Fisherman

Who if anybody polices the rule. Certainly not the local authority. With the ambiguity of CAMC 5 Vans and CC 5 vans & 10 tents ( local authority looks at units) they dont want to get involved. Has anyone seen a club inspector? Its a   case of " let sleeping dogs lie" rather than taking a proactive stance to seek a change in this archaic ruling.

Takethedogalong

We have been on a couple of CLs when the voluntary inspectors have called. It’s rare but not unknown for us to have been on a Site that has had an extra van on for an odd night. What isn’t rare is that some Members don’t always realise that some CLs have a perfectly legal second pitching area adjacent, it might be a small private Site, it might be a second CL area, but conclusions are often jumped to and phone calls made.

We used to store one of our vans down on a farm that had a CL. It had six individual pitches, all separately landscaped. If we drove overnight and arrived around 9.30 am, we could get our van from storage, pull it onto a pitch, and be setting up, while someone else was doing the final pack up on another pitch. Previously we used to have to wait around, but owners came up with this well organised solution for all of us who were regular users, and it worked really well. Any Member new to visiting might have quickly taken umbrage, not knowing that only five vans were actually overnighting. The CL was regularly inspected, and ran like this for around eight years with no issues. Sadly, it is no longer on the network, but it wasn’t due to losing its certificate.

peedee

I am booked on a CL which now has a small licenced site adjacent. Originally it was just a CL. Oddly enough when I offered my membership number it was not required although I am booked on the CL section. I assume because they have a licence whether your a member or not is irrelevent. THe price is the same whether on the CL or the adjacent site.

peedee

Takethedogalong

We use a few like this PD, usually no difference in price.

I recall having a conversation with an ex CL owner who wanted to have a small private Site alongside his existing CL. Apparently powers that be at Club decided no, so he pulled out of Club network and went it alone, all legally done, and it’s now absolutely thriving, beautiful set up. 

Wherenext

I often get the feeling that the powers that be at EG are stuck in some sort of time warp, not found in this century for sure.