Being a Free Spirit
Having lived my working life with just about everything organised to the nth degree, I would love to have more freedom when caravanning in England. When travelling in France unless in real peak periods we can just go wherever we want, and stay or move on.
I am probably wrong, but do not feel this is possible in the UK. We find ourselves meticulously planning our trip taking into account departure and arrival times so not to be wasting time in a motorway service station. Retirement, has given us the opportunity
to just get up an go and see where it takes us. How do other Free Spirit caravanners achieve this freedom?
Comments
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I expect I could go off next week and travel the UK without any bookings, the main Bank Holiday rush is over and I'm sure I'd get a pitch in most places. Likewise here in the summer and in popular parts of France I might not be so lucky.
But...I have limited holidays, I'm retired but unfortunately not a free spirit and so I like to plan to get the most out of the time I have to enjoy holidays.
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With circa 2,500 CLs to choose from it's perfectly possible to be a free spirit in the UK
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We have quite liked being a free spirit abroad, although that was mainly tenting, plus some caravaning. However, there are far fewer sites to go at in the UK, and a lot of people going for those sites. That and the fact you rarely see signs on the road side
pointing to a farm, or municipal site, mean some advanced planning is required. Personally when I am lugging around 1.5 tonnes of van, I like to know there is a guaranteed place to put it at the end of the day. That IMO is not possible a lot of the year in
the UK. Far easier to plan ahead and then try and modify it, dependent on weather and site conditions, although we rarely do.0 -
It does depend on the time of year but outside the main holiday season you can be a reasonably free spirit. However it does mean that you have to have a degee of flexibility. No point saying I only want to go to that site or this site you have to be prepared to plan as you go along. I suspect it also means that you have to build in some commercial sites rather than just Club sites. I tend to book site no more than a week ahead.
David
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Totally agree MrH, I am going through that process now for a trip to Midlands,Yorkshire,Lincoln,Norfolk,Suffolk,Witshire in Sepember/October, in the UK we cannot take chances, I have already found CC Sites full on the weekends we want despite wanting
to stay longer than a weekend, this is causing me headaches, it is far easier going to France/Spain in September where we don't book, we decided this year not to go to France/Spain in Sept/Oct but visit friends and family in the areas mentioned. I hate these
members who book in December and then to cancel a few days before booked date, the only thing I can do is wait 72 hours prior to my needing a Club Site or going elsewhere either to the Friendly Club or to a Commmercial site. I do not have an issue paying a
deposit if that guarrentees me a pitch GrrrrrrrrrrrrrrAdmiral
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We still tour almost as unplanned as we used to do when we had our first camper van 30 odd years ago. Flexibility is the key, a willingness to use different types of sites, at different prices, and not getting up tight if first choice is rarely available. There is no doubt in our minds, (having done both) that using a small MH means that you can make the most of your days away. You are not tied to an arrival time, as you are not lugging a box around all over, you can take in activities and visits from the moment you hit the road. Our grouse, only a small one is that we have to roll up before 8pm on most sites to be able to get onto a pitch, although there are a lot of CLs that are very accommodating after a phone call. Longer daylight hours mean longer days out for us, going where ever the fancy takes us.
We ring ahead if we fancy moving on, unless we know that a CL might be busy, then we will book if we particularly want that site.
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Admiral, I might know some nice sites in Yorkshire to suit, ask if you want to know any. None Club I mean.
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We like the freedom of staying as long as we like or the fact you can change your mind and leave the next day without penalties, thats abroad though. In the UK we don't often go out in the main season since retiring, but in the winter months we do like to
tour and its so much easier as sites are less busy, the only problem we have in winter is that we do require a H/S so an awful lot of CL's are out of the question
but
club sites are much cheaper then so its not really an issue.0 -
We tour for as many as 10 weeks on a trip, but do like to book sites. During this time of the year we need to know that we can get in on a site during the Bank holiday weekends. It is much more flexible with a M/H I guess. During the summer and winter we
will book a few sites and then choise where we want to head while we're away, and then book on. We're definitely do not have complete freedom but the way we do it suits us.0 -
Some really interesting responses, thanks for that. I think in France, the French authorities are more pro camping and caravanning than in the UK. There seems more inclusion of sites in a range of publicity material. Signposting,as mentioned is better.
We have tended to use CL's just as odd one night stopovers rather than for longer periods. So we will give that a try.
However, I still think the arrival/departure time is an issue. For example when we wanted to go from Devon to Somerset the journey time was less than an hour. We had to vacate one site by 11.00am and could not arrive until 1o'clock so we sat in a service
station. Imagine doing that every day?0 -
Even CLs are now quoting " no arrivals before 12.00" or even before 2.00pm. In most cases this is not necessary and every phone call made on our trip last week requesting an early arrival was met with a positive response.
One site we were on never had more than 3 units but on 2 occasions units arrived minutes after the "book arrival time " of 2.00pm - just crazy!
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Even CLs are now quoting " no arrivals before 12.00" or even before 2.00pm. In most cases this is not necessary and every phone call made on our trip last week requesting an early arrival was met with a positive response.
One site we were on never had more than 3 units but on 2 occasions units arrived minutes after the "book arrival time " of 2.00pm - just crazy!
I asked on a fairly new CL why an arrival time of 2pm was stipulated and the owner said that was what the CC had told them to do and they didn't know any different. If it says that I always ask now if they mean it and have never been told that they do.
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To be fair, some CL's are on narrow lanes, so it is useful to know, nobody wants to meet another van on a narrow lane, as we did a few years ago, despite the CL having a 12.00 arrival, the pilock who we met was leaving about 14.00 hours. There must be rules
that the people departing MUST do so before MiddayAdmiral
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Admiral, I might know some nice sites in Yorkshire to suit, ask if you want to know any. None Club I mean.
Thanks, TTDA, near York on a Bus Route would be ideal must have Hook-Up as Mrs A's hair is a priority, thanks in advance
Admiral..
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To be fair, some CL's are on narrow lanes, so it is useful to know, nobody wants to meet another van on a narrow lane, as we did a few years ago, despite the CL having a 12.00 arrival, the pilock who we met was leaving about 14.00 hours. There must be rules
that the people departing MUST do so before MiddayAdmiral
You could just as easily meet a HGV delivering to the farms.
You are of course assuming that one of the 5 units is actually leaving that day which in many cases will not be true. Anyway, travelling along the narrow lanes is normally just for a few minutes why not live dangerously now and again!
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On the question of CL arrival and departure times, I suspect that there is a bit of guidance given from CC, but once CLs are established then things become a bit more relaxed. We have never had problems getting on one, staying a bit later, even arriving
very late, but if we need to do anything out of ordinary, we phone to discuss before we set off. There are still some happy for very late arrivals, say up to 11pm at night, providing arranged beforehand, and on the understanding that there is very little noise.
Not the norm, but on the odd occasion we have been held up, CL owners have been wonderfully accommodating, and it has been much appreciated. We are also very quiet!0 -
It can be very difficult to travel in the UK without booking but it is possible. Last April and May we had 9 days in Dumfries and Galloway followed immediately by 2 weeks in Northern Ireland. We didn't book anything in advance but sometimes phoned ahead
one day in advance or on the day itself just to check on availability. For most sites we simply turned up and didn't have a problem. On returning from N I we wanted Friday and Saturday on a site near Ayr. Phone calls to CCC Culzean Castle and CC Ayr Cragie
Gardens ascertained that both sites were full but there was no problem obtaining a pitch on a nearby CC Affiliated Site.0 -
Admiral, check out Cherry Tree Cottage. One of Nellie's gems this one. On our list to visit. Former CS that has expanded into a small private site, looks lovely and really good price. They have a good website, but Nellie has left a good review on the Caravanchat
website if you want to read more. On a regular bus route.0 -
No harm in dreaming HD. I spend a lot of my caring hours mentally elsewhere! Have you got your MH yet?
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Thing is about France the country is nearly 5 times the size of the U.K. with a very similar population size so of course they can cater for all sorts of recreational pursuits. We are just an overcrowded island. As far as arrival times are concerned I
find telephoning the CL and a chat to the owners often elicits a positive response.0 -
No harm in dreaming HD. I spend a lot of my caring hours mentally elsewhere! Have you got your MH yet?
Next wednesday we collect it , and i am already picturing ourselfs sitting in it somewhere watching the sun go down ,with a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich
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Cape Cornwall car park! Watching sun set over the Isles of Scillies, nice cup of tea, cheese on toast done in van, followed by home cooked scones (cooked in van) and a dollop of clotted cream! Heater on if it is a tad cool, no using ropey public toilets as you have your own!
(That was a "free" dream, on me. I only charge a small fee for a follow up!
)I beg your pardon, cancel cheese on toast, you have chosen for the bacon butty option!
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It will be a 'tad cool' as if the sun is setting over the Scillies from Cape Cornwall, it will only be in the winter months.
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