What a beautiful site come and join us Hebden Bridge
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Considering just how fine if has been for the last few weeks I am surprised to see how quiet the site is, @clarinetman one would think more would have taken the opportunity to get their units out for a few days, especially to such a nice site.
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We liked Hebden Bridge when we visited a few years ago. Interesting area. We took the bus from Hebden Bridge to Howarth to visit the Bronte Sisters Museum. @nelliethehooker I wonder if its not so busy because it does not have a toilet block although it does have a few serviced pitches.
David
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@DavidKlyne the lack of a toilet block would be a good reason for us to use it!!😊
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we were at west Ayton Scarborough last week very few there, another lovely site fully serviced by toilet blocks etc service pitches and super pitches but very few people using it, weekend marginally busier, still think the club is pricing itself out of business.
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Poolsbrook Park - about half full week before last. We were there as a shake down visit after the winter and we had a voucher to use which reduced our average night price to something reasonable. About half caravans, half motorhomes. Interestingly, considering comments on this forum, even the service pitches were only half full, and entirely caravans.
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I think we retirees forget that people work during the week and also it's still the very first few weeks of the season, in fact these sites have only been open just two full weeks so to make any comments about how quiet and/or pricing at this stage is somewhat premature, especially talking about last week which would have been the second week?
I've never known full sites (apart from a few) in the first few or two weeks of any season and nor would I expect it but apparently other do for some reason.
But having said that try and get a full weekend on HB for the next three weekends, and as for pricing at SWA the premium pitches at over £45 and approaching £50 per night per couple are very popular (full a few weekends) over April and May. As always it's always the most expensive pitches that fill up first. Maybe a message for the club there?
Out of business? These kind of comments have been appearing for as long as I've been posting on CT (10 plus years) and yet the club is still here and yet the only sites that have been closing are the cheaper and more basic sites. What what I've seen since January is better than previous years - full to almost full on open all year sites. We Can't get into our usual five sites for a full week in June as well.
I have to say if I find a site less busy I just go and enjoy it, more choice, less people around using the facilities, but each to their own
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@Cornersteady I would have thought that as the offer for a free night finishes this week that members would have been make the most of it as soon as on those site that had only recently opened. Surely that was the club's idea behind the offer. I do appreciate that the bookings had to be made before the end of last year but with the deposit being so relative low members would take the chance that the weather would be good enough to get out and so take up the offer.
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@nelliethehooker Surely that was the club's idea behind the offer.
No I don't think that was the primary reason at all.
The offer was also to get people on sites over the winter season and whole year to date, to use the open all year sites as people don't generally tour then?
And like you (I think you posted you had used it like this - apologies of not) and myself and indeed many others who post on here, the offer was taken up earlier this year. The wardens at Melrose in February certainly said a lot of people were using theirs at this time. I think it's been a great success especially as this time it was for a minimum number of nights.
Additionally again for working people they would use their offer ay weekends.
Again, in my view, two weeks in is far too early for the 'sites are empty/overpriced' comments.
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@Cornersteady perhaps then the reason was just trying to encourage members to get out onto club sites, as against those of competitors, during the "slack" period. Whether it worked only they will know, but on the site where we used our free night there did not appear to be any more units than we would have expected to be there had the offer not been in place.
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There are two free pub stopovers in HB, for smaller outfits. Both look decent enough as a sleep over spot. Failing that, there’s a social club with MH facilities for either £5, or £10 depending on what you need. Club Site looks nice.
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@nelliethehooker I think it did work for two reasons, firstly this is the second or third time the club has done this offer and otherwise why repeat it if it 'made a loss' or was unsuccessful in some way? Secondly just by going on people posting on here it appeared to be and especially as it was people who wouldn't normally use a club site.
This one had the extra condition in terms on minimum nights, I hope they do more.
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The offer we used had no qualifying conditions beyond use between dates, and must be booked by date. I think it was a bit different though, possible a bit of an have this on us after the difficult COVID period, and the cost of living impact this time last year. Having to use it by booking a minimum number of nights isn’t as much of an incentive for us personally, as we often only want a single night at a site. That said though, if a free night brings down the nightly average we might stay a bit longer. Anything that gives better value is a positive.
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There have been three such offers.
This was the wording on the last free night offer which was sent in an email out in November/December:
To take advantage of this UK Club campsite offer, you just need to have made a new booking between 14th November and midnight on 31st December 2024, for a minimum two night stay arriving between 3rd January and 31st March 2025
I think that as all club sites only opened two and a bit weeks before the end date it was clearly aimed at the open all years sites.
There was another offer in about September 2024 that had no minimum night.
Just ensure you make a NEW UK Club campsite booking anytime from 24 September to midnight on the 13 October 2024 for arrivals between 1 October and 19 December 2024 (including half term).
And there was a an offer in November 2023:
Just make a UK Club campsite booking (or you may already have a booking) anytime before midnight on 31 December 2023, for an arrival date between the 1 January to 27 March 2024 (including February half term). You will need to pay the deposit or pay in full as usual - and we'll refund that and give you the night for free when you arrive. Simply present your voucher code to the staff upon arrival at Reception and they will do the rest
So that makes three free night offers. I really can only assume the first one/two was/were successful enough in term of income/stays… as I think people will have not just used them as a 'one night stand' If the first one/two achieved nothing while giving away free nights I don't think they would have been repeated?
Mine has 'saved' me £145! And I would have using club sites anyway in those periods.
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@Cornersteady we too have used all 3, each time as a final stop on our way home from a long trip, although I cannot be bothered to work out how much we saved, except to say that it meant that our stays were cheaper than staying on a suitable CL for the same period. However there are quite a few who have posted on here that the offer has not been taken up because they aren't out usually during the period when they are in active and that it is not worth the additional cost of heading out just to take up the offer, especially when there are relatively few sites open at the time.
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@nelliethehooker Is around one third of sites open relatively few? I would say not but I suppose it's all relative!
Also on top of that another 11 with extended opening times. The map shows them quite well distributed around the major population areas? Yes many posted they wouldn't but just as many posted they did, but as I tried to say, if it hadn't been successful in whatever way the club measures then why was it repeated twice? Personally I hope they carry on being offered, I'll use them glady and enjoy them without worrying. The club should be praised for offering these offers but if members can't be bothered to take them up it's not the club's fault.
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” can’t be bothered to take them up “ …..a little harsh, I feel. There will be many reasons why they were not used by members, eg time of year when quite a lot don’t camp, weather more likely to be bad, so don’t want to travel too far, sites not in appropriate places. You show a map but no key but I presume the orange sites were open, so only one open in Scotland?
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@Hja I think you've taken that selective quote somewhat out of context, the actual quote was
'The club should be praised for offering these offers but if members can't be bothered to take them up it's not the club's fault'
which links the fact, in my view, that it's not the club fault if people don't take up the offer, and I was replying to NTH's reply which alluded to the same thing I would say? Anyway I don't think it's harsh. I would apply the same words to myself.
As to the key, those dark red are the open all year sites, so there are five (not one) in Scotland with one (orange) extended opening dates site. There are far more sites in the UK than shown in that map.
Apologies but I thought I had made it clear that they were the open all years and extended opening sites sites with: 'The map shows them quite well distributed around the major population areas'.
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p
Of the ones shown in Scotland, I believe 3 of them are affiliated sites, which would not be accepting the free night vouchers?
And the Strathclyde Park site is not exactly a peaceful holiday destination! Nor easy to access the city from by public transport.
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Three? You mean two K? And of course it's your opinion about Strathclyde, others might find it a brilliant site to visit. I was thinking of a visit, what's wrong with it?
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Since I have not looked at the real map, I could not click to see the site names, but the affiliated ones look to be at Grantown on Spey (been there), Stirling …..is that The Woods? Difficult to ascertain the exact location on that one. And the one up the valley off the A74 near the border……in Newcastleton….Lidalia ( also been there).
As for Strathclyde Park……..far too near the motorway for our ears! Possibly OK for a stopover if one is not noise sensitive. Not that far from home anyway.
The other Club sites shown are Edinburgh, Stonehaven and Melrose I think, which we have used often in the past
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@KjellNN Actually sorry I've got it wrong, I wasn't counting Lidalia and have just surprised myself to see it's in Scotland! I thought it was Northumbria. Been there must be 20 years ago now, it's a members' only site but very good - just out of the way.
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Keeping our caravan there, I would say there is very little wrong with getting anywhere from there, but it does have some constant road noise due to it being next to the M74 and a busy junction. A lot depends on your attitude to noise, we can block it out, but others cannot so some will give it a miss.
It is good flat site with plenty to do in the park. Local transport is there with a number of stations to take you to Glasgow and Edinburgh although possibly you will need a car to get to these, as the nearest Bellshill is about a mile and a half away but uphill.
Busses run from Hamilton/Bothwell just on the other side of the motorway. You have a half hour service into Glasgow but it involves a walk over a bridge straddling the motorway and can be pretty windswept if the weather is bad.
If you have a car the site should be no problem as it is very close to roads to anywhere you are likely to want to go, even Loch Lomond is only an hour away, except in the rush hour.
Personally I would not be put off using it. Our family have used it on busy family visits and had no problem.
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