Adult Only Club Campsites Trial
Hi everyone,
We wanted to let you know that following the successful adult only trial at Moorhampton Club Campsite in 2025 and the feedback we have received from members, we will be extending this approach next season. We’re expanding our adult only UK Club campsites trial to include Camelford Club Campsite, Clachan Killin Club Campsite, Hebden Bridge Club Campsite, The Firs Club Campsite and Shawsmead Club Campsite, giving you even more places suited to couples and solo travellers. We've selected these campsites in the trial as they have experienced low levels of family bookings in recent years yet are much loved and popular with solo and adult bookers. After careful review, these are considered to be the perfect Club campsites to trial as adult only destinations.
We’re an inclusive organisation, and we understand that not every member has the same needs. Family groups often prefer our many Club campsites that are set up to cater for young children and families. Similarly, we have solo or adult groups who would prefer to holiday on an adult only campsite. We remain committed to supporting family touring across our network, with our members benefiting from excellent family facilities and great offers for children, including under fives stay for free and those aged five to 17 stay for just £1 per night on many of our UK Club campsites.
Comments
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it’s like asking passengers on a bus if they agree with free bus travel, what a disgraceful approach for the club to introduce I joined in the 1970 with young children, those children now 50 year olds are members with their children and so it goes on.
I sincerely hope they have a rethink the club should be welcoming to all at all sites.
Ps an interesting development, I rang the club to register my opinion and asked as I have a seasonal pitch booked and paid for will I be allowed to have my grandchildren visit me on site the answer was that this change does not effect season pitch customers! How’s that going to work when I have a visit from my grandchildren when everyone else thinks it is adult only.
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I can appreciate that for some this might seem a strange if not unwelcome decision? But surely the Club is just trying to reflect what is happening in the wider campsite marketplace? Looking at all the adult only campsites that seem to be popping up there is clearly a sizable demand. It's entirely a guess on my part but I doubt whether half the members have children/grand children so that leaves a large slice of members that might prefer an adult only environment? Their only option until now has been to use one of the adult only commercial sites which then probably brings into question whether their membership is worthwhile? I am sure the Club have looked very carefully at the occupation stats for sites that are not popular with families. If they were proposings sites like Clumber Park become adult only evenI would agree that they had lost the plot! However that is not case and the munber of sites is quite small. It could just be that making a few sites adults only would provide members with more choice but may well result in some underused sites being retained in the network, time will tell?
David
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I wrote a letter to the club when one site was given a 'trial' as adult only saying I was not at all pleased with this development. I have no children, well under the age of 18, so it doesn't affect me but I still think it is wrong. I got a well worded diplomatic reply saying it was just a trial at one site where few families go. I still hold to that view but obviously the trial was successful, though how and why hasn't been shared,
But to take a dose of my own medicine club membership and using club sites is not manadotory so there it is.
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This is a wise and sensible decision by the club, who are catering for what the market is asking for. You only have to look at recent Top 100 sites from Practical Caravan magazine, where 40 of the sites listed are Adult only.
The Club is also investing in family oriented sites where play areas are being updated, and so are appealing to a broad swathe of customers.
The Club is not acting disgracefully by adopting this approach, neither are the members who book the sites, ourselves included. They are acting pragmaticaly by giving choices for everyones needs.
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Dr William Stables will be turning in his grave.
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I have no view one way or the other and have found myself on Adult only sites (and 2 dog free sites) on several occasions, rarely because of that fact alone though. The sites chosen by the Club (apart from The Firs) seem to be those that wouldn't attract families in great numbers. The Firs is new and I thought it was acquired as a future alternative to Chatsworth so would have thought it might very well be suitable for families.
However if the club has decided that these chosen sites can gain more "bums on seats" by making them adult only then it will have been a good decision and I think that's what @Cornersteady was referring to as a dose of his own medicine. I've always thought that if we had of been blessed with children then I would have sought out more child friendly sites than the CAMC.
Strange we've not had many posts from members who have taken their children to those sites and how they feel about losing the opportunity in future.
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If it helps keep some of these small, underused sites open then it’s worth a try by the Club. It has lost far too many of the smaller quieter sites over the last five years or so.
I’m honest enough to admit we don’t always enjoy being away on sites with a lot of children around, but we recognise that it’s a personal choice by us, and we simply kept away from Club Sites during school holidays. I doubt we are alone in this preference, and it’s not because we don’t like children, but my work was very child centred and I did like some time away from them.
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we also tend to avoid club sites weekends and school holidays because of children. Like takethedogalong I have spent a life time working in child centred work and appreciate what I hope will be peace and quiet away from families.
There have been people on various Facebook sites complaining that they did take their children to these sites. One person has a seasonal pitch and has been told they can still have their grandchildren to stay. Don’t know how that works. Maybe the club is seeing this first year as an interim.
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Banning children from campsites is just such a sad British story. I camped and caravanned in 10 other countries and it didnt happen anywhere else I went. What a sorry state of affairs here in Britain that we have come this.
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You make it sound as if it’s every campsite in the country, Euro! It’s only a handful of underused, out in the sticks, mostly minimum facility club sites.
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@Tinwheeler If it is very successful, then maybe more sites will become adult only to the detriment of children. If that arises, the unintended outcome could be less c.ampers down the line
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Ah, Burts, neither of us are members so we're already in the less campers 'camp'.
Seriously, there may well be a future decline in numbers but I can’t see it being due to this recent move by CAMC.1 -
I had a look on the ukcampsites website to see how many adult only sites there are in the area surrounding a couple of the proposed CAMC sites. Hebden Bridge had over 50 sites available to choose from with only 5 of those being adult only. Camelford meanwhile had 60 sites of which only 3 were adult only so I don't think those people wishing to take their children or Grandchildren with them will be short of opportunities.
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I agree Tinny, not having families on a few sites won’t have much of an effect imo. These aren’t the first choice for families anyway, unless it’s because someone has a seasonal pitch, and then they can stay. I know lots of people/families around here, home and Mum’s neighbours who are putting their tourers onto seasonal pitches. Some are going for AO, some are going for family sites with lots to do. I think the fuel costs are part of the issue, and that’s sadly only going to get worse. There are hundreds and hundreds of sites, all different, and definitely something for everyone out there.
We found ourselves on one of our very favourite Club Sites one Autumn break, and what we didn’t know was that the local schools were on holiday. It was awful to be honest, too many badly supervised children, the facilities were in a terrible state despite best efforts of Club staff, and we didn’t enjoy it all. It was this that prompted us to use CLs during school holidays. I know that most children are well looked after, but it only takes being pitched up next to those who aren’t to completely ruin a holiday.
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Well done to the Club for conducting these trials. Sadly, not all parents supervise their children when on site, and the result, as others have mentioned, is that members use commercial 'adult only' sites or CLs during school holidays. The Club needs to be commercially viable, and if adult only sites are popular with members, then I say open many more, so that everyone is catered for.
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Addressing Member Concerns
It is evident that some fellow members are feeling upset regarding the recent developments within the club. I would like to share my perspective in response to these concerns.
Offering a Variety of Site Choices
The introduction of adult-only sites has already been trialled and has proven successful. As a result, the club is planning to continue expanding these options. Alongside adult-only sites, we also have sites that are specifically designed for families, as well as areas dedicated to pets. The club is not forcing anyone to attend a particular type of site; the key principle here is choice.
Personal Preferences and Family Needs
In my family, we have two daughters who each own their own caravan and we also have grandchildren. Therefore, we will naturally be drawn to sites that accommodate all the needs of our family. However, there will be occasions when we choose to visit adult-only sites as well. Personally, I find it reassuring and pleasant to have the option to select the type of site that best suits our preferences at any given time.
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