What I like about Caravan Club sites
Since buying our first caravan 16 years ago, we have visited a large number of CC sites. And I can say without exception they have all been nice places to stay. I like the fact that after driving for hundreds of miles I know that we are going to get a
good site to stay on, clean tidy and well maintained. We have used some comercial sites in the past but find it more of a lottery as to how good they are. One of which I would never stay on again even if it was for free. We were also members of the C&CC for
a year, but didn't feel there sites were as good. So well done to the Caravan Club and its wardens. I for one am very happy to be a member.
Comments
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Pity about the high prices they are now charging when there are better commerial sites around for less. We will use a CC site out of necessity preferring CLs which offer better value.
Having said that when we have stayed on a CC site wardens have been polite and helpful and site is well maintained. We also like being a bit adventurous and seeing new sites.
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I agree JD that CC sites are always a good standard, clean, well maintained and generally speaking good value for money. We don't use them as often as we used to, preferring CLs and we also use C&CC sites which are also good but perhaps not as consistently so as CC sites. (And we do qualify for ACR which brings their prices down a bit!)
We have also had some very disappointing experiences at commercial sites so now we only use ones which we have been to before and know are good (Waterrow and The Old Oaks in Somerset are good, but a bit pricey and Ross Park in Devon) or that have been personally recommended to us. Some have a great knack of looking good on their websites but when you arrive the reality's not quite up to the blurb!
Like you, we are happy to be members - if we weren't we wouldn't continue to be members would we?
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We like club sites too, like has been said the standards are usually very good, and they are often in very convenient places.
However we have started to use more cls now since the boys stopped coming with us. We have discovered we prefer them to the larger club sites.
So will probably continue to use a mix of both.
We will
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CC and C&CC sites are generally kept to a good standard.
The public toilets are normally spotlessly clean and tidy. at least for a few minutes after the Warden has cleaned them, but some of the sites are a bit featureless. The all H/Standing sites can resemble a supermarket car park. They are definitely on a par with the C&CC sites and together they give the caravanner a good spread of sites across the country.
Cl's of course are a step above, they are normally in more scenic locations and are not so regimented as club sites. Many people join the CC purely to access the excellent CL network.
K
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Wardens in the main have always been lovely but I have to admit, if we can possibly avoid CC sites we will. We cannot stand the regimentation and soulless feel. If we HAVE to stay on a CC site, we will always book a serviced pitch to make the misery worthwhile;
mainly Bearsted which is our leave from site when we are travelling to Europe and is conveniently close to home. We find CLs suit our needs and wants soo much more but I am not knocking those who find CC sites suit their wants and needs. Have fun everyone
and yes, if I wasn't a member of CC I wouldn't get the benefit of CLs so I guess it IS good value for money0 -
OP sounds like a letter in the mag......
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We tend you use CC sites as you know what you are getting. We have never had much luck with CLs they are normally full of run down unmovable workers and have not found a nice one yet. I am sure there are some just our luck. We have had hit and miss with commercial sites. We also love Old Oaks and National Trust Houghton Mill and Ilam. But up to try others.
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OP sounds like a letter in the mag......
Not the only thread running today that sounds like that either
I started this thread as I am sick to death of all the complaining on this forum about anything and everything. The Caravan Club is not perfect, but it does do a lot of things well, the sites network being one of them, and I just wanted to say so.
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I like the Club sites purely because of the good standard of the full site and it’s consistency generally throughout all sites, although I have only ever camped on Club sites for around 90 nights in the past 3½ years at the most. The thing that I feel really lets the Club down big style, considering it is such a main camping club with the biggest online facility I understand in the world for such an organisation, is the lack of detailed information readily available online for members to access. I know it is called the Caravan Club but many members use motorhomes too and tents so the lack of information about access to things in the immediate area for those without a car is very poor.
For example it will say public transport available within 1 mile but no mention of which company operates that service let alone a link to their website and timetables. No indication if it is a regular bus service 7 days a week or one every blue moon.
No mention of the nature or distance to local shops to be able to buy provisions during your stay, particularly important when touring and this is supposedly a touring club.
It will say the nearest cycle path is 3 miles away as an example and reference to the Sus trans organisation but no mention of any cycle paths, or not, from the site. Let aone any idication for how safe the roads are to cycle on, or walk in the absence of footpaths or lighting.
No mention of public footpaths from the sites to get to any facilities, like those mentioned above.
I do think all these things should be readily available online in the site information and be part of the format of information provided not left to an individual site description possibly including any reference. It should also be included in the negative so we have a full picture on what to expect there.
Instead you have to do all the homework yourself and this can take quite a long time, especially when touring, consulting perhaps google maps, google earth street view bus companies, train companies etc. etc. If the Club just did it once for every site then at least it would be readily there for all to see. Not everyone has a car or wants to drive or the ability or inclination to use the internet to find such information out.
I know some on here may well say that finding these things out is all part of the fun of planning your holiday but I really do feel it should be provided there for all to see from the outset. Some sites have poor internet reception, and as we all know it is not always available, so when you are touring and have not chosen your next site to stay what do you do then? Take pot luck? But why should you have to do this in this modern day age of advanced internet based information being readily available, it should be there on the Club site about what the Club is offering its members, or are we all not important enough. Perhaps someone at the Club may see this and take the suggestion to move forward on board. Fingers crossed. Regards, Roy
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The last six Club sites I stayed at were Chapel Lane and Wyatts Covert - to visit my daughters nearby, Crystal Palace to visit my sister in law, Burford when we were having a caravan serviced in the area, and BlackHorse farm and Rookesbury Park on the way to ferries at Dover and Portsmouth.
They were all adequate and functional, clean, tidy and efficient. I can't say I actually liked any of them. They just served a practical purpose - useful parking places.
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I love how we all get on with each other on site and the fact everyone respects each other. almost all sites are quite in the evening and when ever we have had trouble the wardens have always done all they can to improve or help. Only 2 sites out of all
the 20 CC sites we have been to in the past 7years I would not go back to! It would just be nice they stop increasing the price!0 -
I like the Club sites purely because of the good standard of the full site and it’s consistency generally throughout all sites, although I have only ever camped on Club sites for around 90
nights in the past 3½ years at the most. The thing that I feel really lets the Club down big style, considering it is such a main camping club with the biggest online facility I understand in the world for such an organisation, is the lack of detailed information
readily available online for members to access. I know it is called the Caravan Club but many members use motorhomes too and tents so the lack of information about access to things in the immediate area for those without a car is very poor.For example it will say public transport available within 1 mile but no mention of which company operates that service let alone a link to their website and timetables. No indication if it
is a regular bus service 7 days a week or one every blue moon.No mention of the nature or distance to local shops to be able to buy provisions during your stay, particularly important when touring and this is supposedly a touring club.
It will say the nearest cycle path is 3 miles away as an example and reference to the Sus trans organisation but no mention of any cycle paths, or not, from the site. Let aone any idication
for how safe the roads are to cycle on, or walk in the absence of footpaths or lighting.No mention of public footpaths from the sites to get to any facilities, like those mentioned above.
I do think all these things should be readily available online in the site information and be part of the format of information provided not left to an individual site description possibly
including any reference. It should also be included in the negative so we have a full picture on what to expect there.Instead you have to do all the homework yourself and this can take quite a long time, especially when touring, consulting perhaps google maps, google earth street view bus companies, train
companies etc. etc. If the Club just did it once for every site then at least it would be readily there for all to see. Not everyone has a car or wants to drive or the ability or inclination to use the internet to find such information out.I know some on here may well say that finding these things out is all part of the fun of planning your holiday but I really do feel it should be provided there for all to see from the outset.
Some sites have poor internet reception, and as we all know it is not always available, so when you are touring and have not chosen your next site to stay what do you do then? Take pot luck? But why should you have to do this in this modern day age of advanced
internet based information being readily available, it should be there on the Club site about what the Club is offering its members, or are we all not important enough. Perhaps someone at the Club may see this and take the suggestion to move forward on board.
Fingers crossed. Regards, RoyWrite your comments here...Google earth and Google are your friends, you will find most of the answers to your questions there.
K
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OP sounds like a letter in the mag......
Not the only thread running today that sounds like that either
I started this thread as I am sick to death of all the complaining on this forum about anything and everything. The Caravan Club is not perfect, but it does do a lot of things well, the sites network being one of them, and I just wanted to say so.
Well said JD
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OP sounds like a letter in the mag......
Not the only thread running today that sounds like that either
I started this thread as I am sick to death of all the complaining on this forum about anything and everything. The Caravan Club is not perfect, but it does do a lot of things well, the sites network being one of them, and I just wanted to say so.
Well said JD
+1
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Roy, A lot of the detail you want is in the site information leaflet which you can down load from each site details page.
The biggest plus points of CC sites is the consistency of the network, you know what you are getting when you book. It can be a bit of a gamble with commercial and other sites. There are better and cheaper sites but it is really immaterial what a site is like if you have good facilities on board and are not staying for more than 2/3 days.
peedee
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I love the way that the pitches are exactly spaced out and all the vans precisely aligned to the "peg". Also love it that everybody watches TV at night so you don't need to talk to anybody. Appreciate the extensive regulations so that we can all enjoy ourselves
without risk of upsetting one another. And the wardens wear uniform so it looks like their job rather than being the owner. The screening around the disposal facilities are works of art and avoids having to watch others perform this unpleasant duty.Ah, pleasant memories! We are going to Cirencester Park for one night next weekend to try out the new Motorhome. It will be the first Club site for about ten years. I hope nothing has changed!
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OP sounds like a letter in the mag......
Not the only thread running today that sounds like that either
I started this thread as I am sick to death of all the complaining on this forum about anything and everything. The Caravan Club is not perfect, but it does do a lot of things well, the sites network being one of them, and I just wanted to say so.
Well said JD
..+ another one
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I love the way that the pitches are exactly spaced out and all the vans precisely aligned to the "peg". Also love it that everybody watches TV at night so you don't need to talk to anybody. Appreciate the extensive regulations so that we can all enjoy ourselves without risk of upsetting one another. And the wardens wear uniform so it looks like their job rather than being the owner. The screening around the disposal facilities are works of art and avoids having to watch others perform this unpleasant duty.
Ah, pleasant memories! We are going to Cirencester Park for one night next weekend to try out the new Motorhome. It will be the first Club site for about ten years. I hope nothing has changed!
...I hope it never changes ,when you have OCD its just whats needed
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Roy, A lot of the detail you want is in the site information leaflet which you can down load from each site details page.
.............
peedee
Hi peedee. I have recently spent quite a long time researching such information for our tour of 4 sites soon and there was only 1 single bit of information on one site but nothing that was anything like detailed. It was for Blackpool South which said the busses from Peel Park ran frequently Monday to Friday but no additional help. Saying Peel Park was helpful in giving me a name to search for but still no help on how far that was, was there footpaths to the bus stop nothing about cycle paths into Blackpool or anywhere else or whether the local roads were suitable for walking/cycling. I looked at all the site descriptions for that site, Southport, Chester Fair Oaks and Buxton which prompted my initial response on this thread.
Regards, Roy
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Warden's, clean shower blocks, club sites, club members
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So, wardens are without exception perfect whatever they do, shower blocks are clean even 23 hours after the cleaners / wardens have set foot in them, club sites are all perfect in every way and everyone and anyone who parts with the best part of £50 every year for their own reasons is a delight........thanks for an objective and totally unbiased review.
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I like that they allow a few Motorhomes onto the Caravan Club sites, nice to have a mixture as long as its not too many.
Write your comments here...we make up a fair proportion of the membership now, and the number is growing, AND we are caravanners too, how do you square that circle ?
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So, wardens are without exception perfect whatever they do, shower blocks are clean even 23 hours after the cleaners / wardens have set foot in them, club sites are all perfect in every way and everyone and anyone who parts with the best part of £50 every year for their own reasons is a delight........thanks for an objective and totally unbiased review.
I think you are in the wrong thread here Ian, a question was asked by the OP and I answered it. You may not like or agree with my answer but there is no need for your rant. I haven't read all of this thread yet but I assume you have attacked everyone else's post or is it just me you are going out of your way to bully?
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