What Would a UK Club Type Aire Look Like
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It’s 5 sites in total, TDA, and that’s what I was getting at above. You can bet the folk who want aires won’t want them in those 5 locations!
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There’s an Aire type stopover a mile or so from Nunnykirk, with services. It was full last time we tried. Fontburn Reservoir. Rothbury has a huge car park across the river, a few dedicated spaces for overnight and a CPD point would be great there, 400 metres into town.
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I must have missed one😁 We only know Nunnykirk and Bromyard. Yes, have to agree about locations of those two, lovely places if you like NT EH properties, walking, cycling. But the daily bus might be a bit of a wait🤣
No one has come back on my mention of unstaffed Aires being vandalised in this country. We like remote unstaffed stopovers, but are more intimidated by those located in towns. You wouldn’t camp in Clumber Park anywhere other than behind the Clubs barriers and reception I can tell you☹️
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Might High Onn be another on that list? It seemed to be mothballed for this year with a decision on its future delayed but perhaps has now been made? I think the fate of Bromyard Downs has been under consideration for some years. Shame really as its a nice little site.
David
Edit:- More details of site closures here https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-together/discussions/sites-touring/uk-sites-touring/campsites-closing-at-the-end-of-the-2024-season/
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You could well be right DK. Club is catering for those who want to take the kitchen sink, don’t want any kind of exertion while staying, need their location to be sanitised, manicured and patrolled. And for this they can set the prices at whatever they want as folks will pay it. If it wasn’t for the CL network, I think campers like us would be leaving in droves.
We tend to think of CLs/CS as UK Aires, but many are too remote for those used to overseas Aires.
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I have not said that I want the club to implement aire type sites I was asking what such a site would look like.
That may have been your intention however you posted:
My thoughts are that the club would have 3 options in providing a club type Aire.
I think that either options 2 or 3 should be trialed first before committing major expenditure to option 1.
Those part in bold are clearly saying what you think the club should do.
But why not table a question for the AGM as well as writing in to the club with your suggestions?
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GE, it’s no more personal than you made it originally. As has been pointed out, why couch the OP in the terms you did if it’s not your personal thoughts or wishes? 🤷🏻♂️
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I did not say that, GE.
Did you also miss the smiley in my post of 11.59?
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If it wasn’t for the CL network, I think campers like us would be leaving in droves.
If it wasn't for the fact we won't be touring for much longer I would leave now. May as well hang on for the final couple of years just for the convenience of having Club sites and CLs available just in case we need them. Ditto the C&CC although I am coming up for veteran membership there so worth keeping it for our final few years.
peedee
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We can’t tour at the moment for personal reasons, but have actually stayed at more Club Sites in last six months than we have in last 20 years. Purely for events close by, and only for a couple of nights each. Much prefer the CL/CS networks, and we have made good use of pub stops/MH stopovers recently and have really enjoyed them. Once we are back out and touring properly, I think our Club days might be over. Times have changed, they aren’t what we want or need now. Found some very nice CS sites, so if we did stay in a Club, I think it would be C&CC.
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Steamer Quay are all service pitches and I am guessing the pitch prices don't include electricity in which case prices are definitely a bit steep?
Some Continental sites do incude an Aire separate to their main site and I think there is one in Wales which has copied this model? The Club has recently or intends to expand some sites where land is available e.g. Sandringham so the opportunity is there at these sites if the Club was so inclined.
I'll throw another alternative into the pot, "Quickstops" These are operated by some Scandinavian sites, notably in Denmark, whereby for a dicounted pitch price for the night you have to arrive after a set time and leave the next day before a set time. This is used by motorhomeres and caravaners alike. I have used it but didn't much care for the long days it made on the road. If i recall correctly, arrival was after 9pm and departure before 10am. better for me and I suspect most would be arrival after 4pm departure before 10am.
peedee
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Peedee
On sites where the Club is expanding the site, you mentioned Sandringham and I would add Lady Margaret's Park. I think on both the extra space is being used for Experience Freedom rather than extra pitches? Having recently retired from motorhoming I am gradually becoming a convert to having static accommodation on sites and perhaps the Club think this would have a more worthwhile return on investment than changing sites to accommodate short term motorhome stays. The Club could argue that they already provide perfectly good facilities for motorhomes within the current sites?
David
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Exactly PD it has risen from 50% to over 70% in a few short years, highest membership ever (480,000 household was it?) and these new members with the MHs keep re-joining.
I think that the actual statement was that New members had increased from 50% to 70% over the last couple of years. There has been no breakdown of the actual percentage of current members between Caravan, Motorhomes and others.
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No there was, it was given in a club official meeting in April of this year as 65% motorhome ownership.
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You are not alone in finding smaller non facility sites more attractive.
Modern vans have everything in them that you have at home, why do we need big fancy facility blocks. I'm more than happy using my own thank you, at least I know who used the toilet last.
Carparks I must draw the line at but I'm more than happy for a nice CCP aire, especially on my way back from Spain in winter when most of the campsites have closed and the ones that are open are soggy grass.
We haven't use one single CMC site this year and I very much doubt we will. We have kept the membership on for the house insurance as we like the 90 days out of house cover. We like CLs but rarely use them now we are back in a MH. Wet soft grass and MHs do not go together and this year sadly we've all seen enough rain to last us for a long time.
On our travel down to the south coast for the ferry port we always used to book CAMC sites but not any longer they are just not cost effective. We now look for small private sites or we use the other club. Time I think to find another home insurer and let this club membership go.
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David, going by what we see over there more and more sites are putting cabins of some sort on. In fact yet another one of our go to sites this year has gone over to cabins completely.
Mind you on the other hand we have seen more and more aires opening up, to cope with the thousands of extra MHs on the roads. All looking for a 1 or 2 night stopover.
We became full converts to them this spring with the weather so wet in France we abandoned the campsites that were of little use due to churned up grass and soggy pitches. We sought out the aires that had stabilised pitches, many ex municipal sites, some had facilities some not. we discovered lots of new to us places to visit. They are very popular over there, open 24/7 365 days a year. Arrive at what ever time you ,leave whenever you like.
When we first moved from a caravan to a MH I didn't see the benefits of them, I do know. I'm still not keen on the over ,cramped car park type aires that so many seem to love but that's me. They do have a place in this hobby for many folk though.
Sorry to hear you have given up touring, enjoy what ever you do going forward.
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The majority of responses so far are as expected, however I did like the suggestion of partnering with local councils to use Park and Rides. The main concern expressed so far is that such an offering would be against the club ethos and would exclude some members. I think this could be overcome by the model the club already uses for Experience Freedom where there is a separate membership and fee. An Aire membership would also have a separate fee and the members who chose to join would only have access to the club Aires and not the main club sites and CL network, if they wanted access to those they would have to pay the additional main membership fee.
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I get the idea but I think you’ll find the £63 Experience Freedom membership is actually camc membership.
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the model the club already uses for Experience Freedom where there is a separate membership and fee
There isn't and you don't need any membership to stay on one of their cabins/pods, although club members get a 10% discount.
Post edit: Sorry didn't see TW's reply
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I wrote to Nick Lomas about 8 years ago on the topic of club "Aires" whether in new places or as low amenity sites within existing Club locations. I suggested that these would not reduce revenue and would increase capacity.
I received a polite and considered response which suggested that the possibility was something the Club was aware of and thinking about.
Its been a long "think"
High amenity and therefore high cost sites are exactly what I don't want or need. I have a campervan which is totally self sufficient for several days. However I do use Club sites some of the time for the obviously reason that they are in places I want to go.
In one sense the market will sort this out and private "Aires" will probably come if not proliferate in time but probably not in my "vanning" lifetime. It is in the nature of the Club that it isn't commercially agile.
To use an analogy I think the Club is a bit like a midddle aged man, comfortable with himself a little overweight and un-energetic who really doesn't want to rock the boat with dynamic change. I would prescribe diet and exercise to shake off the lethargy !! Oh and my gender reference is apposite too. The the Board is disproportionately male.
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Only 8 years ago BVM, I wrote to them on this subject 20 years ago. it was a follow up to one I had written to the National Trust about establishing Aires on their properties and creating touring routes from property to proporty. NT passed the buck to the Clubs. Here is some of the text of my letter.
"I remain unhappy at the clubs site provision for members owning motorcaravans and in September 2003 I wrote the attached letter to the National Trust. The Trust did reply pointing out that many of its sites are managed by the Caravan Club or the Caravan and Camping Club, therefore, I am now writing to you asking that consideration be given to the creation of continental style 'Aires'. There are many ways the Club could approach this. In co-operation with the National Trust is but one, others might be co-operating with suitable landowners like race course owners where the Club also manages sites. The Club might also like to consider setting aside an overnight 'Aire' area on current sites where land is still available rather than going to the expense of cabling these with electricity or consider investing in motorhome 'Aire' facilities at suitable CL sites in partnership with the owners? Not only would this be demonstrating a committment to motorcaravan owners but it may also be a way of cheaply improving member/pitch ratios.
Motorcaravan ownership is growing rapidly in this country, there is an increasing demand for secure, overnight stopping areas with limited facilities like those provided on the continent."
I think we have to face it the Club is never going to do anything and it will never be a Club entirely suitable for motorhome/campervan owners just looking for short stay stops close to attractions. Even 3 to 5 years is pie in the sky.
peedee
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“…a Club entirely suitable for motorhome/campervan owners just looking for short stay stops close to attractions”
One might ask why should it be such when there are numerous other members looking for something different? Still, it’s good to see you’re happy to have been a member for so long, PD.👍
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At least CAMC is coming a close second for you👍🏻. I doubt it can be turned into something it isn’t though.
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I doubt it can be turned into something it isn’t though.
Like the C&CC it has too much history to change its ethos. I cannot see things not changing in the country. As it stands towed caravan ownership is declining and the motorised version is increasing. Scotland has seen a rapid rise in motorhome tourism since it started encouraging such visitors. The problems it has given them has resulted in more and more "Aires" being established to cope with the increase in the demand for stopping places. The French started it, others have followed notably Spain in recent years. The opportunity in the wider UK is there for similar to happen here. Growth in "Aires" whether at a pub or elsewhere has been creeping in slowly and will hopefully pick up speed as demand increases. Who knows, there might even be some organisation waiting in the wings to do just as Camping Car Park have done.
peedee
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I would question just how some of the Club/Experience Freedom offers are put out to Members. Back in November last year, we booked two nights at Cayton Bay to stay alongside our close friends who can no longer tour for health reasons. (I’d add that we all remain Members.) Cayton was empty, a mere six, seven outfits on the whole site (top area was closed) possibly 3-4 pods in use, including our friends. We actually paid more per night to take our own outfit on a standard pitch than they did to occupy an ensuite pod, which obviously required cleaning once they had left🤷♀️ We actually decided to book a pod next time, as it was cheaper and less hassle than taking our own outfit.
The conclusion we came to was that just possibly, some of the quite high pitch fees, are subsidising other areas of what the Club provides.
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it will never be a Club entirely suitable for motorhome/campervan owners just looking for short stay stops close to attractions.
Then, as I've asked you before, why are so many MHs doing just that? The evidence from what I see is MH on sites stopping just for one or two nights? And also the club's own statistics? Why is the membership the highest ever with the highest ever re-joining rate? Why are so many new and existing members have MH and outnumber caravans? If what you say is true why are MH not going somewhere else? Why aren't all these MH using other providers? Why not use cheaper CLs?
Sorry PD but the evidence and particularly the statistics all show the club is entirely suitable for MHs, either wanting a short or long stay.
As for attractions, I can't think of one site I've used (and I don't stay on site) that isn't close to attractions? Are many of these Scottish aires close to attractions?
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