Cost of sites has gone mad
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We’ve just stayed for 7 nights on a serviced pitch on a site in Northumberland….prices have gone up but site set in a beautiful peaceful location….immaculate facilities block….we are both under 60 with no dogs. Took time to visit 2 other sites nearby…that are part of the other club…cheaper but no comparison on the quality and size of the pitches. For as long as we can, we will continue to use club sites but would certainly use CLs if in a location we were looking at and have suitable facilities.
Wishing everyone a great 2023 touring……enjoy 😉
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I'd much rather look at a tree, and the view beyond, on a piece of land away from hoards of folk, than be on a C&MH club site looking at row upon row of other caravans and Motorhomes & multitudes of other LV owners, and with no other view! But everyone to their own!
So far this year we have been away for 64 nights on 11 CLs, 2 C&CC and 3 Commercial sites, mostly H/S and all with EHU, at an average of £17.51 per night. Hopefully we will be able to continue in a similar vein throughout the year, and I doubt very much that we will use any CC sites.
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Sorry you didn't follow my reasoning. I first studied the maps and worked out a travel plan, stitching together sites and dates for the two clubs. It was reasonable to assume prices would be just slightly up on what they'd previously been when we'd used these sites in recent times, so I was not yet considering costs at this point in the planning process.
I then went on the two websites to actually start booking the various nights. It was only at this point that the charges became clear. Adding the second adult and clicking the specific dates revealed the astonishing increase in cost for the CAMC sites. It's not at all clear before reaching that point.
By now, I'd spent so long familiarising myself with the new website, and planning the itinerary, that I felt committed to continue and didn't have the energy to back out and start all over again looking for better VFM.
You could say this decision was for my own convenience, as another correspondent has pointed out. I accept that. Except, it taught me a lesson. CAMC fees have increased significantly, while CCC don't appear to have gone the same money-grabbing way.
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One site we're visiting is the popular Baltic Wharf. We've stayed there many times, and there has always been a premium for that site, which we accept. We've been used to paying £27 to £34 per night at this site for the past few years.
Specifically, we've paid these nightly rates on this site...
Oct-18 £27.60
Mar-19 £27.00
Apr-19 £27.00
Oct-19 £29.60
Apr-21 £34.20
Sep-21 £34.20and now
May-23 £52.52
This year I discovered our 5 nights there are suddenly ranging from £45 to £56 per night, with an average of £52. Ok, it's a bank holiday, but meanwhile, the CCC club site we book equally regularly has somehow managed to remain a reasonable £31 per night for the exact same 5 nights in May.
£31 versus £52. That is a really significant difference, so I'm afraid I have to agree with the original poster on this thread.
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re Baltic wharf Mikenbike put…
This year I discovered our 5 nights there are suddenly ranging from £45 to £56 per night, with an average of £52. Ok, it's a bank holiday, but meanwhile, the CCC club site we book equally regularly has somehow managed to remain a reasonable £31 per night for the exact same 5 nights in May.£31 versus £52. That is a really significant difference, so I'm afraid I have to agree with the original poster on this thread.
However, unless they’ve opened one without me noticing, the CCC site isn’t on the harbour side in the centre of Bristol.
Price comparisons only have any validity if you compare like with like. Plus I think your last price for September 21 will be artificially lowered by the Vat reduction. For us when we visit, as we want to be in the centre of Bristol it is good value for money.Just one additional point, as you have a MH and haven’t been since Sept 21. The site is within the new Bristol LEZ. If you haven’t done so, it’s worth checking if there is any charge for your MH.
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If you already own an outfit, Sites such as York RP and BW, are still good value, as you are very close to city centre attractions. You wouldn’t get any other kind of City Centre accommodation for a similar price per night. Hence, reasonable vfm. Car parking in York isn’t cheap, or plentiful either, so opting for a site further afield but cheaper might still not represent good value. Better option would be leave MH or car at P&R.
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If you already own an outfit, Sites such as York RP and BW, are still good value
I agree. Something like Premier Inn is around £100 a night for that period and parking costs an additional £20 a day. To compare Baltic Wharf with an unnamed CCC site is not realistic. I could compare it with CAMC Malvern at £32 / £35, which also wouldn’t be realistic.0 -
I don’t know BW Steve, we have never got to stay, so unable to compare it with anything. York is only 35 minutes from home for us, but we bought tickets for an event pre pandemic, and had no trouble booking the dates either side. Ended up staying a bit longer, as it was that glorious red hot Summer, so we relived our childhood trips and went round things like Jorvik, boat ride on river, walking the walls. It was superb for dogs as well, as Rowntree Park is next door, and lots of places in City let you take in pooches. We cycled from the Site along the river using the orbital cycleways as well. I think we paid £32 a night at the time, it was early July. Lots of eateries close by. YRP has very nice facilities, it’s a bit close set in terms of pitches, it has to be flood proof of course, so lacks the grass, hedges give a bit of landscaping though, and of course the park is next door. Dogs were perfectly safe to be left, they were tired out by day 2, so were practically begging to be left behind to sleep off a good walk, so huge bonus for us. A very different sort of break for us, we are normally up on moors or lost in middle of Dartmoor, but we enjoyed ourselves. We’ed still use it for an event, but not for a long holiday. I don’t think BW is anything like as good for dogs, but not sure?
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Ttda,
Both BW and YRP are virtually on the city centre footsteps. You can favourably compare the 2 sites for access to the City. In fact BW is slightly better for us as we could walk out from site and follow the river to visit the Clifton Suspension Bridge, over the bridge and down into the city.
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From the point of view of museums, restaurants, pubs, theatres, Cathedral, Great Britain etc. everything is within walking distance. Plenty of dog walking alongside the floating harbour, right outside the gate (key supplied) but it would be on a lead. Ashton Court and the Downs would I think be great for dogs but are 40 minutes walk away.
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Price comparisons only have any validity if you compare like with like
That's fair comment, so here's what we've paid at the CCC (Devizes) site in recent years.
Jun-14 £20.45
May-16 £20.90
Apr-17 £21.58
Mar-20 £19.15
Sep-21 £27.14
May-23 £27.60
(May Bank Hols 2023 £31)
Those rises are far more modest than those we've experienced at Baltic Wharf.
Note that CAMC's Baltic Wharf in Sep-21 was 26% higher than CCC's Devizes, a premium that was fair and understandable.
Two years later and this same CAMC site is now 68% higher than the CCC site for the exact same nights.
The CAMC site fee has almost doubled in the last 5 years. The CCC site has increased just 50%...... in the past 9 years.
Hopefully you'll feel that's a fairer comparison.
There is no doubt in my mind that CAMC's recent site fee increases have outstripped CCC's by some considerable margin.
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Thanks Steve and WN. Probably not dog friendly enough for us if it’s on a lead, on hard stuff sadly. Plenty of other sites suit though, and for those without a dog it sounds ideal.
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I’m not sure that a site alongside the Kennet and Avon Canal near Devizes equates to the quayside in the City of Bristol tbh, MnB 🤷🏻♂️.
I much prefer Devizes, btw, and would need to be paid more than £50 p/n to visit BW but that's just me😀
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I agree moulesy, there's no comparison at all, but why the need to compare anyway? Location to me is far more important than the price.
JK
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As TW says Mikenbike. My point was BW is a city centre site and popular, why wouldn’t the CC capitalise on it, especially as it is time limited. The difference in percentage rises between Devizes and BW don’t really mean a lot, they are run by separate organisations who price things in their own way and not all CAMC sites will have the same percentage increases.
We use both CAMC and CCC sites, plus others. Although now the CAMC have given up their unique selling point, they are no longer our default go to. However, for us it’s always location first rather than cost.
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Location (and convenience) first for me too. What's the point of 'saving' a few pounds if it's not where you want to be?
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JK
Having stayed at both they are different types of sites as you say but there is a connection in that they are both on the same waterway
I wonder if the average stay at Devizes is longer than at Baltic Wharf given the different nature of the two sites? We like both sites but for different reasons. Devizes because its close to the Caen Hill flight of locks, which is an engineering marvel. Baltic Wharf because it's right in the centre of the City with so many attractions so close at hand. I know some actually don't like busy cities but to me they have a vibrancy which gives me a buzz if not others. If I had to visit Bristol by other means it would cost me far more than a few nights at Baltic Wharf which would justify the price charged but I can see that those not keen on City life the money would be a waste. Just as well we are not all the same.David
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I like to do the odd City visit every now and then. Primarily for the history. Given how expensive it can now be to stay, it’s good that there are one or two Club Sites with very easy access, or right next to good transport links. Edinburgh was always a favourite with us. Never been to the Leith site, we used to get the train in from Yellowcraig via North Berwick.
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However you wouldn't need to pay those exorbitant prices at BW, or other CC sites, being an employee of the club, would you?
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Prices are clearly displayed even after adding the extra adult and you could have stopped there and then, it actually takes more effort to continue to payment and backing out is easy - just close the window. As I've said many times I've never bought anything if I thought I was being ripped off.
Yes club sites fees have increased but it's not money grabbing, that's just your view and not a fact of course, but again if you think that I still don't understand why you don't cancel if your trip is within 21 days and find somewhere better but I'll leave that there.
For my view club sites still offer excellent VFM.
Have a great trip.
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As to that question ‘has cost of club sites gone mad’ I think it’s now down to the number of folks that find this so. In the old days the prices were agreeable to most of the membership but today an ever decreasing number can afford these costs although they may still consider them vfm. This is all about disposable income, something that for many of us is being eroded with each and every day that passes it seems.
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"I’m not sure that a site alongside the Kennet and Avon Canal near Devizes equates to the quayside in the City of Bristol tbh, MnB 🤷🏻♂️."
Which is why I'm not attempting to compare the sites. What I've compared is the fee increase for each club over time.
Ok, my figures are only based on a tiny sample size of one site from each club, so that alone is not statistically valid, but taken with other people's figures, it does point to the direction of travel: the deeper I look, the more it appears CAMC fee increases have far outstripped the competition in the last year or two.
Some won't care a hoot and that's fine too.
I've only posted here because I believe what the original poster says is perfectly correct and my own historical figures very much support his assertion.
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