Awning carpet

margaret cleveland
margaret cleveland Forum Participant Posts: 1
edited July 2021 in UK Campsites & Touring #1

For the first time ever, we have been asked not to have a carpet (even a breathable one) in our awning. Surely, a little area of discoloured grass is part for the course for site owners. Any thoughts?

Comments

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,142 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2021 #2

    I think it's par for the course for site owners to quite reasonably preserve their pitches in the best possible condition for the next occupant and if that's what the site owner or warden says, then so be it.

    You don’t say if this is a club site, CL or commercial site but the club says the following in its site rules.

  • heddlo
    heddlo Forum Participant Posts: 872 ✭✭
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    edited July 2021 #3

    I suppose it’s all to do with the look of the grass perhaps?   The groundsheet issue is just one of the reasons we will hardly ever use a grass pitch as I don’t like damp grass being trodden into the caravan. I honestly could not be doing with lifting the awning carpet every day or two!!   If we can’t get a hardstanding pitch, on a CL for instance, we don’t use the awning at all just a canopy. 

  • dave the rave
    dave the rave Forum Participant Posts: 806
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    edited July 2021 #4

    A selfish attitude if I may say!Damage to grass can take weeks to recover and what harm does it do to not have a groundsheet?

  • dave the rave
    dave the rave Forum Participant Posts: 806
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    edited July 2021 #5

    Have you tried removing your outdoor shoes when you enter the caravan?

  • Unknown
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    edited July 2021 #6
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  • heddlo
    heddlo Forum Participant Posts: 872 ✭✭
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    edited July 2021 #7

    Always!  The caravan carpet never has outdoor shoes on it, but the grass still gets in somehow!!!🤨🙂

  • dave the rave
    dave the rave Forum Participant Posts: 806
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    edited July 2021 #8

    I would not want to use a pitch where the grass is discoloured so it is for the benefit of the customer!

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2021 #9

    Problems arise when pitches are used over and over again, the grass just dies and turns to earth, ok if the weather is dry but mud is the result if it's wet. There's nothing worse than a dank smelly pitch.

     

  • Unknown
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    edited July 2021 #10
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  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited July 2021 #11

    A CL generally has a little more room to jiggle pitches about and don't have pegs to be rigidly pitched to. So if the grass is a little faded, people have the option to pitch next to it rather than in exactly the same place as the previous awning. The grass where my breathable awning goes is as green when we leave as it was when we arrived.

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,681 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2021 #12

    We much prefer grass pitches to hardstanding - except in the depths of winter when grass really isn't practical. We use a breathable carpet and even after two weeks on the same pitch, it hardly discolours the grass.

    What does do the damage, though - are the two triangles of heavy black fabric that sit at the corners of our Kampa air awning - that are designed to keep it 'square' - and other than banning awnings altogether, there isn't much you can do about that.

    Add to that, the spots where 4 wheels sit, and, in our case, the large plates on the bottom of the E&P hydraulic rams, the heavy duty plates on the steadies, the aquaroll that hasn't moved for two weeks because we're plumbed into the water - oh, and then the wastemaster which always goes back in the same place.

    We are invariably on CLs or CSs - so as said above, there is scope for the next occupant to position slightly differently and give the grass chance to recover - but I think that some 'wear and tear' on a grass pitch is to be expected. It soon recovers.

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited July 2021 #13

    I take it from your "soon recovers" with ref to grass you have noted after some one has used a "breathable?" ground sheet for two weeks or more how soon it recovers?,

    It seems from conversations with site staff that ,soon? will probably mean two weeks or more depending on the weather ,that the pitch is unusable?surprised

    Hence as the season progresses more grass pitches are taken out of use

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,681 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2021 #14

    I'm not that bothered about club pitches.  I think I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times a grass pitch on a site run by this Club has been available. Even less after 'they' ruined Rosedale by making that all hardstanding.

    My experience is largely derived from CLs and CS's - where as I said, the opportunity is there to move around a bit.  We now have friends that run both types of site - both are very 'pernickety' about their grass - and neither are bothered about the 'damage' caused by awnings and tell me that once it has been cut - and a few days have passed, it normally looks as good as new.

    We are returning to a CS next month, that we have been to twice this year so far and it has been very busy.  I will take a photo and post on here of what it looks like and am confident that it will look as pristine as ever.

    One of the problems with Club sites is that because you have to park so precisely next to the peg, wheel, steadies, aquaroll and wastemaster marks are invariably always going to be in the same place - or thereabouts -  and therefore it's not surprising the grass is soon ruined.  And that's without an awning!

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,681 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2021 #15

    Totally agree ED. If, when we arrive at a CL, if it's obvious that someone else has had an awning up, I always position my van so as to leave that space as clear as possible to give the grass chance to recover.  As I said above, that's the problem with Club sites in that there isn't the space or leeway in the 'rules' to do that.

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited July 2021 #16

    but as R&R said, it's not the grass under the breathable ground sheet that needs to recover, but where the wheels had stood & the corners and edges of the awning were etc

  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,957 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2021 #17

    We rarely use an awning even in this country, can't be doing with the faff of up and down every few days. I suppose if we stayed longer we might.

    Over there where we usually holiday, you can find pitches completely ruined by what they use, a plastic sheet goes down first then a carpet. By September the grass pitches are just mud. 

    If we are on a grass pitch, like we were at the Wirral site we don't bother putting down an awning carpet as we like to just sit out on the grass. If we are on a h/s pitch we tend to put down a small woven plastic out door mat by the caravan step. We then take off our shoes and leave them there.

    I personally hate to see grass pitches ruined by inconsiderate use but on the other hand I wouldn't like to have lift carpets every day.

    With the other club, who have lots of tent users, they have to re-seed and rotate pitches all through the summer, you can hardly ask folk to move their tent on a daily basis.

  • papgeno
    papgeno Forum Participant Posts: 2,158
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    edited July 2021 #18

    I don’t often use a grass pitch but the last time I did I didn’t notice any damage to the grass from our breathable ground sheet. I did notice that the awning skirt had caused a bit of yellowing

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited July 2021 #19

    But then as most others who say there is not a problem with "breathable ?"ground sheets they are looking in from the outside,  ,not from the site staff aspectundecided

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited July 2021 #20

    I can't see it matters where you look from ..... the grass grows through my breathable ground sheet so the grass is as green when I leave as it was when I arrived.

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited July 2021 #21

    undecided really?  I wish I could note? but it is not as you describe surprised especially if you have had it down longer than a couple of dayswink

  • mickysf
    mickysf Forum Participant Posts: 6,474 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2021 #22

    I guess in these times where we now find practically all sites fully booked and pitches receiving no rest bite  the opportunity to rotate and rest areas is at a minimum. If constantly used the grass will suffer and the ground can turn sour. Even with breathable groundsheets the shade created by the awning will have a detrimental effect over the whole of a season. I totally understand the need to manage the pitches. In the past we have, like many others, avoided those pitches which looked in need of rest too so I guess the considerate amongst us helped the situation. But as said, I have never seen sites fully booked like this.

  • HarryTheHymer
    HarryTheHymer Forum Participant Posts: 153
    edited July 2021 #23

    Is the purpose of sites recreation, or to display immaculately groomed grass?

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited July 2021 #24

    Anyone looked at Centre Court baseline. Grass is not a particularly robust surface and needs treatment with care. Obsession with turning the awning space into your lounge at home will result in stressed grass. Spot stress such as wheels, steadies and ramps are seldom in exactly the same spot and are small enough to recover readily.

  • dave the rave
    dave the rave Forum Participant Posts: 806
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    edited July 2021 #25

    I believe that the better the outlook,the better the experience.I have an intense hatred of other peoples selfish attitude and ,in my opinion ,care should be taken not to cause distress to others.Would you carpet your lawn at home? I dont think so!

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,427 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2021 #26

    Well I would say having a good pitch surface for one's outfit would come first? 

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,142 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2021 #27

    It’s obviously recreation, Harry, but that is greatly enhanced by having a good surface to pitch on. 

    The grass doesn't need to be "immaculately groomed" just in a decent condition. After all, nobody wants a bald muddy patch to put their awning on.

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited July 2021 #28

    .. undecided really?

    Yes! really!

  • commeyras
    commeyras Club Member Posts: 1,853 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2021 #29

    Same experience as EmilysDad.  After 2 weeks at Hillhead recently grass under my breathable awning as good as surrounding grass.