2025 Monthly Open and Closed CL List
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North Wales has been expensive for a very long time in terms of most CLs. We looked at a Spring break some 15 years ago, but ended up taking a cottage instead in another popular holiday area, much better value for money. Gorgeous area though.
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But not always the case, as we recently paid £20 pn for a serviced pitch on a CL near Doreen and less on a similar one on Anglesey.
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OOps , it should read Corwen, not Doreen, on the post above... predictive text and not reading my posts after submitting them!
@CLMaddie the first new CL on the list is coming up as Hen Wen Caravan Site and not as you have written, "Bryn Hyfryd". Have they already altered their site name?
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@CLMaddie I appreciate that this is rather late but in your list of closures for June this year you have Holly House at Nottingham! There is no Holly House listed in the current Site Directory for there but there is one under Boston, Lincs which is no longer appearing in the CL web site. Could this have been the one that has closed, and you have just placed it in the wrong location?
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I had a look at this CL this morning and it looked a decent site but no better than many others. The views are nothing to write home about but the biggest drawback, apart from the price of course, is the constant traffic noise from the A590, a 1/4 ml away, and the link road to the Volvo/Kia garage which is 100 yds from the site entrance.
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NO! And I was just about to book my first CL as well so thanks for the update and taking the time and trouble to have a look.
Lesson learnt though, I'll just stick to club sites where I know what is published is more actually like what you'll get😊
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@nelliethehooker I must admit that after seeing the price I didn't look any further. Interesting to read your comments after checking it out.
@Cornersteady I'm not sure whether your comment is serious or not, knowing you don't use CLs and always prefer Club sites. But I can assure you that what is "published" by CLs is usually what you get. To help you, if you are serious about trying a CL, there are reviews. I use them as well, and have used some great CLs. But at the end of the day, whether using Club sites or CLs, it's up to yourself to check them out beforehand, with the help of Google etc.
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@InaD Well despite your assurances I would tend to disagree about what you get.
I base this on that there have been far too many (in my view) threads, posts, and reviews saying that the photos and description given do not match reality once people actually visit the CL. I can recall three in the last few months and of course in addition to this one.
Club sites tend to have more accurate photographs, better more detailed descriptions, including warning about possible road noise and the 'neighbours' and of course there are more photographs in terms of numbers (rather than the usually few given for CLs) which allows one to form a better mental picture of the site. Also of course there are far more reviews to deal with matters inside and outside the site and things like a site plan. The approach and map also help to give an even better overview as well as a star system.
I have never needed Google to check out any club site as the quality and surroundings is assured and I've never been disappointed with a club site. Also I find it alarming that Google is needed to check out a CL.
No, far safer to use club sites in my view. There is no point for me of course to risk money on what may turn out not to be as depicted or with things not mentioned that would affect my stay . Others can do as they wish of course.
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@Cornersteady , sorry, try as I might, it will not go red. To quote: "I base this on that there have been far too many (in my view) threads, posts, and reviews saying that the photos and description given do not match reality once people actually visit the CL. I can recall three in the last few months and of course in addition to this one.
Three in the last "few" months, in addition to this one, is hardly a lot, surely? And how many is "few" exactly? You don't speak from personal experience, only from what you've read on here, which I would say is hardly representative. There are many more reviews on other websites.
"Also I find it alarming that Google is needed to check out a CL". Why alarming? I check out most sites I'm considering by using Google, be it for approach roads, the surrounding area, the site itself and I'm sure I'm not alone in that; hardly what I'd call alarming.
Club sites may be "far safer" in your view, but in my view there is life outside Club sites, and we have found some, for want of a better word, "gems", far better than Club sites and in the process have discovered some nice places to visit, as well as some lovely people who own and run those sites. But as you point out, others can do as they wish of course.
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Glad I was able to help in a little way @Cornersteady However I disagree about the descriptions some club sites as be more accurate, especially with the photos, as of course the ones publish are specifically chosen to show the sites in the best possible light, which isn't always the case some CLs.
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You've lost me there on a few things sadly.
Three in the last "few" months, in addition to this one, is hardly a lot, surely?
Sorry did I say a lot? I just said 'far too many'. And few means exactly that, but if you want a definite number then in the last two, is that OK for you? And there have been 'many', I'm sorry I know you want exact numbers but enough to signal a recurring problem to me, many each year.
You don't speak from personal experience, only from what you've read on here
Again sorry, but did I post otherwise in any way? I made it very clear I was referring to 'threads, posts, and reviews' so yes of course what I have read. I really do think that is clear.
Let me elucidate further, For myself I have read far too many posts and threads where the written words and photographs do not match reality when people actually visit the site. Nothing to do with my personal experience only what people have posted.
Why alarming? Because in my view it should not need to be done at all, that's why I wrote 'I find it alarming'.
we have found some, for want of a better word, "gems"…
And for me that says it all in a nutshell. To have found something implies looking for it, making an effort, spending time looking, trying different sites, not immediately apparent. And of course spending money along the way to find these gems.
Now if anyone wants to do that then great as we agree, but my holidays are far too special to do this and take risks, time and effort to find a gem, no matter how inexpensive those sites are to find such gems.
To me all club sites are gems and all possessing the same high standard and quality and I do not need to spend time, money and effort to find them.
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Well you've proved my point there NTF - …in the best possible light, which isn't always the case some CLs.
I don't know but if I ran a CL I would most certainly post photos that would show my CL in the best possible light. I think if they don't it's a red flag for me.
Thank again for visiting the site. It is what is needed.
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@Cornersteady Hey, it worked this time!
Let's put this down to a difference of opinion, I'm not going into this anymore, as it's totally off-topic and I wouldn't be surprised if these posts are deleted.
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@InaD Opinions on which sites are better, or our views on the best way to tour, certainly they are differences of opinion. That's what a forum is all about - discussing them?
But that threads, posts, reviews that state that some CLs do not match their written and photographic evidence do exist in significant numbers and that is a fact not an opinion
Also it could be argued that NTH's post is yet another one in a long line and backs this up?
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I think you either like or dislike using CLs and what goes into it to be honest, no right or wrong. They tend to require more research than most Club Sites, but that’s down to the sheer variety and numbers of small sites out there, and I agree that it’s easier to get it wrong, but it’s easy to find a decent one that suits requirements.
Club Sites tend to be “known” entities, you know you will get the little green signs, the pull in at reception, staff always on hand for help, rows of pull in type pitches that require no siting effort, a bollard not far away, a tap not far away, I could even guess the colour the tiles will be in most loo blocks, and all the signage, the next to useless hair dryers, the squeegee hanging on the wall, the precisely parked outfits. As camping goes, they are comfort central, no effort required, conform or do not attend. Nothing wrong with this if it floats your boat, adventure can be had off site. Mind, we got Tredegar very wrong in terms of location, didn’t do our research. Lovely little site, but oh, the road noise from the adjacent busy roads😕 Some Club Sites, the ones that have had a make over like Clumber have more interesting facilities, and we still like the very old leased sites such as Lower Wensleydale and Bolton Abbey, and places like Yellowcraig that has bays of pitches instead of long rows, much more appealing to us. But as camping goes, Club Sites are as “safe” and unchallenging as you can get.
CLs offer individuality, interest, and a degree of “wonder what it’s going to be like” but the wise know to do their research and planning, which to us, (and those like us) is part of a real adventure. We have found some we always go back to, others that have been a lovely surprise, one or two to think hmm, ok for a night. All part of the excitement😁6 -
@Takethedogalong - I am inclined to agree with all you say - however, I can also see @Cornersteady's point. When we returned to caravanning, 10 years ago, I decided I wanted to find some CL/CS sites reasonably close to home - hopefully for regular use. I drew a circle on a map, the extremity of which was about an hour / hour and half's drive from home. I then plotted all the CLs/ CS's and drew up and list and we went out one day, without the van and visited them all.
Boy - did we find some horrors - like the one which supposedly had wonderful views of Filey Brigg, when in reality, the only way you could see it was by standing on the van roof! And the one that looked like a scrap yard - another where you couldn't hear yourself think for the traffic noise etc etc etc. None of these 'features' were mentioned in the site description or apparent from Google maps.
On the other hand, we did find some gems and we've used them regularly since then - invariably ones with loads of space, peace and tranquility, and absence of rules and ridiculous H&S signs - just common sense and consideration for others.
Perhaps Corners might like to try this approach because I fear he's missing out on some wonderful holidays and the lovely people we have met running such sites. I also feel we are doing our own little bit to help farmers who are having to diversify more and more, these days - just to break even.
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@richardandros dont disagree with anything you say. There are some places we have driven past that have made us pause for thought (that’s the polite interpretation🤣) and we actually cope very well with what might be considered basic sites, nothing more than a tap, bin and CPD. You can find locations that offer little more than this, but cannot be beaten for peace, quiet and views, but we always do our OS map and well written review research, so we don’t often get it wrong.
I think we have only ever booked two CLs and decided not for us, both of which were lovely sites, lots of extras, but on one the road noise was unbelievable, you couldn’t sit out and have a quiet conversation, and it went on almost all night, so we left after only one night. The other again was lovely, but we arrived to find only the one pitch left, and it was so unlevel, even we with all our wedges, waffles and other stuff just couldn’t make it work, so we decided not to stay. I didn’t do reviews for either, because I thought these were personal issues, and didn’t want to put off others who perhaps would have not even noticed what for us were problems.
As far as reading reviews of CLs goes, I tend to look for reviews by folks that I know share similar likes and dislikes to us, so it reinforces what we might expect. Photos can be misleading I agree at times. Like reviews, they are an on the day guide, and things can change. Once we can get out again, your favourite CS looks a promising one for us👍I am so glad we decided to start using CLs back in the late 1980’s (pre photos, websites, reviews, we were back then totally reliant upon research via maps), as we have found some wonderful places, and made some lovely camping friends down the years, and it’s a totally different camping life away from Club type sites, nice though they are. Good to have both worlds to dip into. We have stayed alongside Ostriches, sheep, Racehorses, rare breed cattle, livery yards, market gardens, garden centres, arboretums, stately homes, beach side, Loch side, half way up mountains, under Hadrian’s Wall and one time not far from the British Army thundering around in all sorts of tanks! We love variety and out of the ordinary. 🤣
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we value the variety that exists within the CL structure. We do our research as others have said. I can’t remember the last time we picked a bad one. Looking at maps gives us a good idea of road or rail or plane noise. But I wouldn’t go to a club site without the same sort of research. What I have noticed in terms of photos of club sites, given the age of many vans in the pictures, many photos are old. I think this might be changing a bit but not totally. I agree some CLs could do with more pictures but often the photos do give you an idea of site lay out. We find that useful because our tendency is to try and avoid those that look like mini club sites. We often stay on sites with no designated pitches.
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@Hja I've just done a quick trawl of several club sites and the pictures are really a mixture with rather more new than old, there's even photographs with solar panels on facilities' blocks which is a relatively new thing.
And the growing trend is for members' photographs to be used which I think is a good idea. But whether old or new is largely immaterial, outfits come and go but as long as the site leaflets and more importantly the site plans are new and accurate (which they are) then that's all that matters.
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@richardandros I appreciate what you're staying but maybe I'm just too old to start worrying and wondering, as TDA alludes to, about what a site will be like, or even doing the research necessary in advance which I would see as a chore. For some it's part of the fun but it's a chore for me.
Contrary to popular belief we have 'strayed from the path' in probably the first five/ten years of caravanning and have visited non club sites, CCC and even CLs. In all cases we have been disappointed and felt we have wasted our money and wished we hadn't.
We like our creature comforts. We pick an area we want to visit know the club site will be of the usual high standard and we'll be pleased with it. I don't want to look for gems which I'm sure there are, but I already know where the certain gems are, for us of course.
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Nothing wrong with how you choose to tour @Cornersteady 😁 it’s all about what makes you happy.
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@Cornersteady I think that you have misread, or misunderstood my poorly worded post. What I was attempting to convey is that some Club sites are certainly nowhere as grand as the photos that are displayed on the web site pages show, and that too applies to certain CLs of course.
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@Johnny57 - Hi again. Apologies to all for not updating my end of the changes:
New Service CLs for last few notifications:
Acres Farm - Chester , Cheshire
Culley's Meadow - Wooler, Northumberland (no EHU)
Thrunton Lowfield Farm - Alnwick, Northumberland
Orchard Stables - Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
Couldn't any deletions. If anyone else spots one leaving or a CL that seems to have been overlooked please post about it.
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Hi All
The please see below a list of sites which opened and closed in August 2025.
I have listed them by County, Listing town then CL Site. Sites with an * next to the CL name were previous sites that closed and have now decided to reopen as a CL.
Sites opened in August:
- Cleveland - Stokesley - Howe Hill
- Conwy - Colwyn Bay - Ffrith Wen*
- County Durham - Darlington - Creebeck Farm
- Lincolnshire - Spalding - Barling Deer Farm
- Norfolk - Holt - Green Farm
- North Yorkshire - Ingleton - Keasden Moor
Sites closed in August:
- Anglesey - Holyhead - Hilltop Holidays
- Anglesey - Menai Bridge - Rhydydelyn Fawr
- Berkshire - Wokingham - Bluey's Farm
- County Durham - Durham - Baxter Wood Farm
- Derbyshire - Bakewell - Mill Farm
- East Riding of Yorkshire - Market Weighton - Woldsway
- Gloucestershire - Dursely - The Beeches Caravan CL
- Highlands - Garve - Inchbae Caravan and Motorhome Site
- Leicestershire - Melton Mowbray - Wymondham Windmill
- Pembrokeshire - Haverfordwest - Headland Farm
- Pembrokeshire - Milford Haven - Lower Hasguard Farm
- Shropshire - Bridgnorth - Hazelwells Farm
- Shropshire - Market Drayton - Westwood
Thanks
Maddie
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