Disabled Members

tristar
tristar Forum Participant Posts: 30
edited August 2021 in UK Campsites & Touring #1

I am wondering if its best to phone the site direct and talk to the wardens prior to arrival to request a pitch reasonably close to the toilet facilities as my wife needs sticks for walking.

This is what we usually do but it does take up the time of the wardens and I feel as if I'm creating extra work for them.

Is there a better process for requesting a pitch by phoning the club direct or do as I usually do and phone the site,

Thanks

Raymond

 

Comments

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited August 2021 #2

     I think this comes under the term "special requests" when booking and it's probably better to continue what you have been doing. 

    It says in the booking section blurb to try and give 14 days notice when doing so but I don't know if you've found this yourself?

    smile

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,669 ✭✭✭
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    edited August 2021 #3

    Best to phone the site direct.

    In the past, we found it better not to ring more than a  couple of days ahead as if too far ahead the request could get forgotten, but this seems to have changed recently.  

    As we were using mainly serviced pitches, either CAMC, CCC, or CLs, we only had to contact one site on our recent tour, and were told they would do their best, but that giving more notice would have been better.

    Not sure why, as it is our experience that a warden will select the most suitable pitch that is available on the day of your arrival, and place a cone or marker on it to reserve it for you.

    I had not seen anything in the "booking section blurb".......but then I did not think to read it, having been booking sites for over 20 years!

    Brue, have you a link for the special requests thing?

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,860 ✭✭✭
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    edited August 2021 #4

    Kj

    I am not sure there is a link but part of the booking process for each site. 

    At the moment I think I would take a belt and braces approach as its not so easy to get through to site receptions during COVID, although hopefully it is now getting back to normal. So probable best to mention it on the booking and then try and phone a few days ahead? Perhaps JK will come along and advise the best approach.

    David

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited August 2021 #5

    The "special requests" can  be seen on this section by scrolling down. LINK

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited August 2021 #6

    Since my OH has become more reliant on needing to be close tothe facilities  one thing we have been advised by site staff is to please ring the site concerned, if beedi g a pitch nearer the facilties ,in all staff wee have had dealings with advise that most sites do not have dedicated disabled pitches ,so to ensure we can get you as near as possible, on the booking pages special requests,  may not note them until the day of arrival when we may have been able to save a pitch before

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited August 2021 #7

    Even the ones that do have designated pitches would no doubt welcome a request well in advance, it must be quite difficult keeping an eye on usage and getting the timings right. Some probably have to be coned off more than a day early to prevent use.

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,669 ✭✭✭
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    edited August 2021 #8

    As far as I can see, in on line booking, when you  come down to the special requirements bit, it just says to ring the site.  Did a trial booking for Edinburgh and also clicked on the "access statement" link, which told me "page not found"!

    Following brue's link, I read what it said about 14 days, but going  back one step and trying to see how you get to the page brue linked to, I was totally stumped.  And it is not a page I have ever seen before.

    We first joined back in 1998, and when on line booking was introduced you got a special requests box where we could request a pitch close to the disabled facilities, but, for reasons I never could understand, that was removed after a couple of years.  So now you have to ring every site you are booked on, which does not seem like progress to me!

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

    Just click on the last right hand visible info "how to book a site" which is at the top of my link. smile (You have to work backwards. HOME is the final bit on the left, you are just retracing the search steps via this method.) My page link is "important booking information." 

  • tristar
    tristar Forum Participant Posts: 30
    edited August 2021 #10

    Thanks everybody for your responses.  It does say in the special requests as was also pointed out by the other posters that its best to contact the site wardens. I didn't realise it was 14 days notice was required. Been a member for a long time so I've never really studied the important booking conditions thinking I knew it all.

    I'll continue to phone ahead as usual as I've always done.

    Thanks again to all.

     

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited August 2021 #11

    In 2019 I was using a stick and found best to phone at least 3 days ahead. On Trewethett The warden put a cone over our peg a few days before our departure.

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,669 ✭✭✭
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    edited August 2021 #12

    Got timed out on editing my post.....

    just wanted to add that as far as I can see, there is nowhere on the on line booking to enter a special request of any  kind.

    In the past we started ringing all the sites before we left home, but requests often got "mislaid" and we were advised at that time not to ring too far ahead in future.

    We have also found a few times that no notice has been taken of the length of our van (8 metres) resulting occasionally in only rather short pitches  being available, mainly on the older sites where not all pitches are of the same size.  This would be another instance of where wardens may have to plan ahead and allocate pitches.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited August 2021 #13

    I just did a dummy booking and "additional requests" comes up with the advice to contact the site directly.

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,669 ✭✭✭
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    edited August 2021 #14

      Maybe I need new glasses......but When I go back to the "how to book a site" page, or access the same page directly by other means, I cannot find anything to click on to take me to that next page you linked to!

     Next steps I get up are booking a year in advance and length of outfit.

    This is the page I get

     

     

    https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/uk-holidays/useful-information/how-to-book-a-site/

     

     

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited August 2021 #15

    A total mystery KJ, I've tried to replicate it and I can't find it except in my own link!! Perhaps CAMC IT team are burying stuff as soon as we dig it up....laughing

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,669 ✭✭✭
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    edited August 2021 #16

    Well, glad to hear it is not just me!!