CLs instead of Club sites
Have a look - there are many CLs which offer EHU, showers and WC significantly cheaper than a pitch on a club site. Rarely (at present) more than £20 a night, most are significantly less .
Yes, you don't get 'street lights' , but there are hard standings in many and some are increasingly offering 'Super' pitches, and no infernal pegs either 
Comments
-
There’s a list of CLs with serviced pitches HERE
1 -
Shush, don't tell everyone, else there won't be any pitches left for those of us that already use them nearly exclusively.
9 -
No No No. Don't go to CL's. They are terrible. You won't like it. They're haunted. They have spiders, and Bogey Men, The other campers are nasty, and they will steal your pets. They are always full. No No No.
12 -
And, of course, there's the 'other Club's' offerings. We go to one tomorrow - £18 p.n. - hardstanding and grass pitches, toilets and showers, beautiful views across open countryside towards Dalby Forest, ability to 'plumb in' on certain pitches and plenty of space to spread out.
Compare that with Sandringham at Christmas (where we want to go - so not complaining) - just under £38 p.n. (before VAT reduction) and no serviced pitches. Probably not an entirely fair comparison because of the time of year, but it does sort of bring it home to you when the price difference is so large and CL/CS prices tend to be constant regardless of the time of year.
1 -
Haven't been on a single CAMC site this year. Had some cracking CLs though, some for only £7. If you tour for any length of time the savings certainly mount up.
6 -
It seems many of what seems to be (according to some)the age of many club members ,Older generation ,on pensions
. And modern day costs? OHs son on todays it seems salary and our pension ,he cannot understand how we manage to do so much, and still pay our daily home running costs
If the reports from the media are to be taken as gospel (even martin lewis) then I doubt any companies will be able to absorb the costs that are in the pipeline
0 -
There's also a pleasing lack of regimentation on CL's.
Of course there are those who prefer to see orderly vans all facing at the correctt angle and parked to that famous peg.
Which is a very good thing, because these people will prefer club sites and choose to go there, and be very happy, just as some folks swear by caravans and some by MH's, and both are equally right, for them.
The CL we've just used was basically a series of hard standings on an otherwise empty and currently fairly soggy field - and on Friday, very windswept too -, some pitches with EHU posts, and at one end of the site, water supply, disposal,bins, and that's it.
CS's likewise.2 -
There,s an infinity of choice out there - it really isn’t just a CL or a Club site.
2 -
In the 40 years we have had a caravan/motorhome we have probably used less than 10 CL's. Most of the ones we have used have been very nice. However with the motorhome we prefer to stay at sites/CL's where we can either walk to somewhere nearby, getting on a bit now so that usually means pretty nearby now! Alternatively with transport links. The very nature of CL's, and I expect the reason some prefer them, is that they tend not to meet my two criterion. Rather like the serviced pitch CL's that TW linked to it would be nice for someone to start a thread similar to the one on sites near towns, or villages but highlighting CL's?
David
0 -
We are increasingly booking CL’s over Club sites due to cost. Next year, apart from a few ‘travelling’ days on Club sites we have booked CLs as far ahead as next September. We like a hardstanding though, I can’t stand constantly picking up bits of grass in the caravan!!! We don’t use site facilities at all so serviced is a bonus.
1 -
David, I think of you were to open the Club app and view the CLs in a particular area you could pick up quite easily those which are close to towns etc.
it may well be that some areas can't get site licenses too close to town, for whatever reason, but CLs can...it's just a question of looking in the are you're interested in.
the app (and the CCC one) are so easy to use in this respect, you'll quickly get a view as the whether a CL/CS or a proper site will do the job for you.
0 -
DK, I am not surprised at what you say. Most CLs in this part of the inland Cornwall are in rural locations which are completely unsuitable for what you are asking for. A few caravanners use them and drive out by car, but motorhomers in your situation must find them hopelessly located - no buses, no shops, and nothing much within walking distance at all.
0 -
Yes, they do tend to be more rural, so difficult if you like to park up and not go out each day in your MH. Two places that I can recommend as safe and easy level walk of around 100 metres are for Pickering and Helmsley, both very nice and very interesting little towns. Not sites though, Helmsley you can use the big coach park which has a number of quiet parking areas a very short walk into town centre. Pickering, you ring ahead to Big Bear Cycles, who have now taken over what used to be Pickering Antiques. They have a couple of park up pitches, with hook ups. Again, 50 flat metres walk into town. Very much about touring these pitches, not intended for long stays. But handy, to combine with longer stays on proper Sites.
Sorry I can’t be of more help.
0 -
CL's often are better served location-wise than CAMC sites which, on the whole, are remote with no local attraction/interest or public transport link. If you are lucky you might find a pub about two miles away along an unlit road without a footpath. At least the choice of a number of CL's give you a better chance of being close to something.
4 -
😂 Our mantra is “ there are no bad sites, just poor research and choice”
One person’s poison is another one’s paradise😁
Seriously, it does pay to do a lot of research before going somewhere new, or if you can’t compromise a little bit. It’s not nice to roll up and find things aren’t quite what you wanted. Happens occasionally to all of us. We have moved on three times in last thirty years, so not too bad. One too much road noise, one a huge disappointment in terms of location, another very early one (back in our tiny camper when we needed a loo and a shower) we arrived in dark, but on checking showers out next morning took the healthier option and stayed unwashed😱 🤣
3 -
We once visited friends on a Cornish CL, they'd taken their brand new van to try out and enjoyed their stay. What we saw when we visited was a strip of grass alongside a broken farm track, grubby facilities, workmen's long stay old caravans (local road building) and chaos. They thought it was great! When they suggested we join them on a trip to Wales we declined....they were towed off on that visit. One man's heaven is definitely worth further research!
0 -
I like that Brue😂 I guess some of the places we have stayed wouldn’t suit a good few. I’d rather be on my own in a basic field than shoehorned into a small but tidy area.
0 -
It has to be a nice field😁 Good views, short grass, no mud. This is one we found this year. Shady at time of photo, but sunny most of day. Other photo is where I took the photo from, Kennet and Avon Canal about 20 metres away.
You can just see our closest neighbours, around 100 metres away😂
1 -
So then, if you want somewhere halfway convenient you stand a better chance with a CL than with a club site.
0 -
We were never disappointed with our CLs as we created our own little Black Book. Through my job as a Sales Rep then Manager I was abler to check many out and so never any bad surprises. Over the many years it has served us well from the tip of Scotland to the bottom of England . We do have our favourites, in particular the Pembrokeshire ones and few have changed or closed since 1978. Even to this day I add to the list if one is situated in a desirable place and comes up to our expectations. My guess is we are amongst other club members of our age group who do the same.
0 -
That made me smile ADP, I do indeed have a little black book for Sites. I started it in the 1980’s, way before t’internet and online photos or reviews. Would jot down the important details and a few notes on what it was like, how good for dogs, what was close by, etc...... it came in very handy as I could find Sites that had left or been kicked out of Club for whatever reason.
Nowadays, if we spot something that looks nice in passing, I have a good look online, take a look on Google Earth, try and find any decent reviews (as opposed to some personal gripe written in revenge) and then if we do consider it, I ring up and ask a few important questions. I do like recommendations from others we trust to like similar things we do.CY, you know that pictured CL. The land belongs to HM The Queen😂
Here are three more lovely examples of what we like, all with lots of space, HS if you want it, and nice landscaping.
1
