Where is everybody?
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That’s without booking in advance Steve. If you can book in advance, and can get in early for Travelodge DP prices, then it’s possible to get a room for two for £39. You can sometimes get special offers as well, even if booking close to date required. Their DP works both ways, book early, and get a last minute room. Depending on location, because we are close to East Coast mainline, we leave the car at home. Certainly would for York, Durham, Newcastle, Edinburgh. Even London.
Sometimes it’s just not worth to tow or drive, and I have had £8 one way tickets to and from Edinburgh. I learned a good deal about cheap commuting a few years ago, when I used to leave OH to drive up and down and I would commute back and forth. My best ever buy was a £25 ticket on Cornish Sleeper. £5 to London, day exploring in capital, a meal, then onto train at Paddington, find cabin, drink in bar lounge on train, depart at 11.55pm, arrive Penzance next morning😁 I loved it.
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"Personally speaking we stay on CLs/CSs because I actually prefer them to sites, whether they be CAMC sites or others."
Wouldn't disagree with that WN, so do we - despite having just booked Chatsworth, as I said. We like the more 'relaxed' atmosphere plus the fact that, generally, you have more space. We're off to our favourite CS, near Malton, for two weeks - next Friday and it will be our second visit of the year.
However, a lot of CLs / CSs we use are either closed in the winter or if they are open, we're likely to be the only ones there - so we're hoping that there will be a nice 'Christmassy' atmosphere at Chatsworth - as there was last time we were there at that time of year.
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Castleton Club Site used to be nice pre Christmas. Lots of lights in vans, village all lit up, some events on, and great pubs/eateries. It was very quiet last year, few folks about in the village when we had a day across there. We had a couple of nights at Newcastleton one year, on way back down from Scotland. Vans all lit up, bit of a buzz………it was mid November🤣 But great fun.
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Wherenext said "DKs assertion that people paying club prices are being criticised" All I can say Wherenext is that it sometimes feels like that. Maybe not criticism but there are often a lot of raised eyebrows which of course can be taken either way? It's not about where people wish to stay, that is up to them. There are those that wish to minimise their costs, but Club prices are as they are and we either accept or decline based on our willingness to pay. If we are willing to pay that should be accepted without inquest?
David
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Richard
Depending on the Christmas opening hours of the Big House I would have thought that Chatsworth was an ideal place to stay at Christmas. We have never stayed anywhere over the Christmas holidays, usually too much going on at home, however we have visited Chatsworth quite a few times in December and always enjoyed ourselves as did our Brazilian guests on one occasion, although in fairness they did find it rather cold! The House always puts on a good, themed, show each year. OK pricey but certainly an experience. There are lots of walks from the site and Baslow is easy walking distance as is the House and Gardens. You will obviously have your car so plenty of places to visit within a short car journey. As for Sandringham I am looking forward to the Experience Freedom set up there as it could be a good base with a car for us.
David
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There is certainly criticism of those that choose club sites and their prices. It's often under the surface, there are often many comparisons between club and non club sites often with detailed information as if those that use club sites need educating and there is the disbelief that others should choose club sites after all there are cheaper and better sites out there. Club sites are only full as people don't know there's better sites out there. It can never be that people like club sites? Club sites are called overpriced, said as a fact not as an opinion.
There have been comments, and these real past comments, for those that use club sites, such as 'more money than sense', 'why are people still paying for club sites?' 'daylight robbery', 'only for those with deep pockets' 'only for the wealthy'. Club prices are not 'reasonable' just that people are 'prepared to pay them'. People use club sites 'out of habit'. Too much 'effort to look elsewhere'. There is 'so much out there beyond club sites' as if we haven't looked. Maybe we have and decided club sites are really what we want. SP only used probably by OAPs. There's plenty more
It would be nice to let people use club sites without this.
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+1, especially the last sentence.
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That sounds amazing. I am hoping to do a couple of city breaks over the winter. Can I ask how you find out about such great travel offers?
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You've quoted me out of context David.
Whilst writing I would also like to challenge an assumption, brought about by DKs assertion that people paying club prices are being criticised. It was mentioned on another thread that M/homers were seeking Aires and such places as they were "cheap
That was the context. The main thrust being the words "brought about by...." Your post made it sound as if I was one of the people questioning paying club prices. You'll see my position on that at the bottom of my post.
I hope people didn't get the wrong impression.
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For Premier Inn/travel lodge I look at their websites or one of the booking website like booking.com. For trains and coaches I use trainline.com or even the company website. For flights look at the airlines own website or use Google.
But be warned those really low prices are usually for really booking in advance, not within a month but like months. That's fine if you want a certain date no matter what, not so good if you want to be more flexible. Also watch out for booking T&Cs, those low prices maybe not easily changed without some penalty and/or pay now and perhaps no refunds if you can't travel no matter how early you want to cancel or change.
Plenty of YouTube videos about getting good deals.
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Thanks for the tips David. However, I know the area really well - having been brought up in Stannington on the west side of Sheffield. As kids, Chatsworth was a day out and a picnic in the park for us. Spent many a happy hour splashing about in the river. That was in the days when everyone had free access into the park and you could park anywhere alongside the river that you wanted to. As a teenager, a regular hike for me was down to Rivelin Valley - across Redmire Moors to Stanage Edge and to then to Hathersage - and back! Certainly couldn't do that now
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Doh! I use Ytube for so many things and never thought of using it for that. Thank you so much.
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In all these discussions and peoples opions on pitch prices, no one ever mentions the clubs other offering and that's Club Rallies. In my point of view the people who give up their time to organise them and the people who attend them are the true club members.
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The numbers that rally are really quite small, could be because they mostly are off grid, rarely have hardstandings and facilities other than water and waste disposal. I gradually dropped out of such activities when I retired and changed to owning a motorhome from a caravan.
peedee
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Some of those are a few years ago now, so you have to look at things in perspective. But when I could only commute rather than do long stays, we used to plan a trip very carefully, firstly the area, then go on the train websites to see what prices might be, and then I would get an idea of when those super prices were released. It’s no good considering the busy commuter trains, say anything after 8.30am, but I sort of knew that 6am train wouldn’t be full setting off from Doncaster. So I got a ticket in the quiet coach for £8, and got off at Alnmouth a couple of hours later, met be OH, we were on a beach having breakfast by 9am. We had a few days together, then he dropped me off at Berwick station, and I had another cheap ticket to Doncaster, local train to my home town, bus up to where I live. The taxi from home to Doncaster cost me twice the price going out🤣 I have used Cornish sleeper a few times as well to do something similar. One time I stayed in Cornwall with my sister, my OH and her shared a ticket. He came down to us, then she had a ticket to go home. As Corners says, you need to work out the best options for what you want to do, well in advance, and then keep checking ticket release dates for the best prices. Same with Travelodge. When Mum was coming away with us, she needed an overnight stop on long journeys, so we would book a cottage, and then look for an overnight stop that was suitable. Sometimes a Travelodge, but more often a nice pub with rooms, but you can find some really good deals, even with a dog involved as well. 😁
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Funnily enough, I said to OH we ought to consider joining a local centre and trying some rallies. We have seen a few up and down, and the small ones look really nice, but it would be more of a sleep only option for us, not particularly interested in entertainment, but I guess it’s fine to do your own thing. A friend uses some of the other Club’s THS sites, and they seem nice. I wonder if Club is still doing rallies on Club Sites at quiet periods, I think there might have been a reduced fee, but not sure🤷♀️
But I am guessing PD has put into into perspective. Rallies possibly require more effort in terms of being on grass, not having facility blocks, EHU or piped water on tap, so it either suits you or it doesn’t depending on what you like. Much like overnight stopovers. We don’t need a lot of extras at the moment, happy to be self sufficient, but there might come a time where we do require more, so at least the Clubs provide this option. At least what we save on fees now, we can put towards holidaying in more expensive ways.
Edit. I’ve just had a look at Cornish Night sleeper. Two people, mid October, with a senior railcard is just over £75 (that’s for two!) one way, Paddington to Penzance. So there are still some great prices out there. Could be an argument for who has top bunk though🤣 You can get off other locations on the route by the way, I once got off at Par, taxi up to near Fowey, woke OH up in MH🤣
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Is that because Local Centres, have over time, very rarely interacted with this Forum? Looking at the Centre forum section one person regularly posts. I hear more about THS meets, which I understand are organised by the C&CC, but very little if anything organised by the Centres. From posts on Social Media its perfectly clear that many members have a very limited knowledge of how Centres work. We all have different demands of the Club. As for being the only "true club members" I expect some would take exception to that?
David
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Anyone who pays the joining fee is a Member. How you choose to tour after that is a personal choice.
All the details of Regions, Local Centres and their calendar of events are available on this website, can’t remember the exact way to link, but it is on here, because I was looking up our Local Centre a few days ago. You might have to join a local centre to get more information, but it is out there.
Found it……under Membership, drop down box.
https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/membership/local-centres/centre-contacts/
And a region link
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This is an example of August rallies for East Yorks Centre.
https://www.eastyorkshirecentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AUGUST-24.docx
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David when people post on CT that the club is no longer a members club I would imagine that all of the members who give up their time and are unpaid, to arrange these rallies for the benefit of other members and the members who run the Regions and the Centers, again unpaid would take exception to the view it is not a members club.
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The trouble is when people post that they are often not doing so from the perspective you are supporting. I am a 43 year member of the Club so I think I am in a pretty good position to make a judgement. I suspect when people say that they probably mean they don't like the commercialisation of how the Club does things? I suspect its nothing to do with the people that work very hard to organise Centre rallies. Now in the true sense of it being a "Club" then Centres organising rallies comes the closest to the meaning I would accept that. However across the wider membership I can't imagine that is the collective view? Of course Centres go beyond just being organisers of rallies as they host meetings organised by the Club that all members can attend. I just think I would like the Centres to be a bit more proactive on here and other social media to spread the word.
David
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I appreciate that this well off the OP's topic. It is fine having a ?ink to each centre but what is required is a comprehensive listing of the rallies or meets, be they just weekend ones or for extended periods. If there is such a beast would someone be kind enough to point me in that direction.
The different C&CC regions and DAs (District Associations), which are similar to the CC's Centres, have both Meets of up to 5 days, or so, which I think one has to book to attend, and THSs, Temporary Holiday Sites, which can be anything up to 6 weeks in length and one generally does not have to book a pitch. Some are on caravan sites, with or without use of the facilities, while most are on grass and one has usually, but not alway, have to use ones own facilities. The C&CC publish on line their magazine which has a section listing all the meets and THSs which makes it much easier to fit them in to a tour should one want to do so.
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Takethedogalong thank you for the comprehensive reply. Sorry to have hijacked the thread.
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It’s topical Nellie (where is everybody……one answer….. rallying?).
I’m not familiar with the Local Centres, and how they operate, never been on a Club type rally. But have seen a good few, and we have done 4x4 rallying (now that is a field next door to a mud fest🤣) and both tented and caravanned. I think you might be able to join/register at a local centre, then visit other area rallies as well, so it would be a nice way of widening our touring options. I think each Centre advertises its rallies, on this website or via links, but yes, a complete list would be very good👍 The big rallies don’t appeal to us, but I can see why they would to families….
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There is a complete list . Just Google CAMC Rallies
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Thank you ET👍 I should have thought of that 🤣
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Hja
Perhaps its chicken and egg? If Centres feel they are already successful enough then perhaps they don't feel the need to publicise their events to the wider membership. The reverse of that is I have heard at least one Centre that closed, but we don't know whether that was lack of support for the events or lack of volunteers? I suspect some members might be reluctant to join a rally for fear of feeling they would be outsiders? Be interesting for someone that rallies to provide us with some feedback. I wonder how many of those that attend Clubfest are also rallier's? I think the THS idea seems quite good as people come and go as they wish, I think Nellie mentioned he had stayed on one recently.
David
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There is Freddy
Centres, Rallies & Special Interests:
there's also one for national Rallies underneath that one in the discussions page:
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