Disappointed
We spend most of our motorhoming time in mainland Europe but this year we have been in the UK instead for family reasons. We have not had much time for motorhoming but decided we fancied a few days away this week with the excellent weather forecast.
Unfortunately, for 3 nights for 2 of us on a Club site near us it is over £71 for the 3 nights midweek..... What has happened to the Caravan Club? No sense of proportion. It used to be about £45 for 3 nights? In France we can use free aires or pay
around €12 Euros a night at this time of year. A huge difference in cost.
Comments
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I have to ask, as it's not clear from your post if you actually stayed on the club site?
For me that sounds quite reasonable for a club site, I usually pay about £28 per night, yours is about £24. Club sites are about avarage in term of prices now. But once again if you don't like the price don't pay/go.
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The season seems to extend a bit further each year, we paid higher prices for our early September break (with the C& CC.) But since these organisations have big overheads you can't compare them to small enterprises in France etc....who funds the "free" aires,
is it the local citizens?0 -
Ufortunatley ,you like the majority of us, who do not realise how much costs and wages have risen in the uk, compared to what we were used to before retirement ,the job I had 20 yrs ago is still there but the salery is now over twice what I was earning ,and with an assistant now as more regulation has made for higher costs and admin
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You cannot compare costs of foreign sites with the UK, generally you are not comparing like with like. Don't forget you can also pay very high prices for the foreign sites as well especially in peak season.
I'm with Fysherman, THS can be very enjoyable and cheap especially in peak season. I had 5 days by the beach in August with one of my sons and grandchildren for £45.
peedee
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The season seems to extend a bit further each year, we paid higher prices for our early September break (with the C& CC.) But since these organisations have big overheads you can't compare them to small enterprises in France etc....who funds the "free" aires,
is it the local citizens?In France the local Communes or Regional Government pay to have the aires installed on the basis that it brings people in to use their local businesses and generates income that way. Some are free but most charge for electricity, water and waste disposal
but it is a fraction of Club site prices.0 -
You are right Cornersteady. We simply won't go. We will look for alternatives and leave the Club sites to those who are less discerning about cost..... CLs do seem a good option at present although we notice that many are now charging for miscellaneous 'extras' that push up prices. We love motorhoming in Europe because it is freedom compared to the UK where you have to use sites.
PS: It is a site we have stayed on regularly in the past but I regret no longer0 -
Agree with you entirely OG&S.
This week we will begrudgingly pay £21 to stay on a ferry pitch at Black Horse Farm CC site. No choice of pitch, no awnings allowed, an out of date toilet block at a place the back of beyond.
Fortunately, after a 40 minute train ride, we will be in a place where we will pay an average of less than £15 per night, choice of pitches, bars, restauarants, shops and pools on site if you want them and in some lovely locations.
The tired, worn-out saying of "if you don't like the price, go elsewhere" often quoted on here, reflects the attitide of the CC I'm afraid. But many people are doing just that.
Trotting out that expression at every end and turn will no longer be possible when the CC inevitably have to face up to reality (probably sooner rather than later) and charge realistic prices for the types of sites they offer.
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I've just had a look at some of the French sites and quite a few are charging similar high prices to sites here. Like others have said there are ways to have cheaper holidays in the uk, depends where you want to go and what facilities you want or don't want.
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One site that we plan to stay on will cost us 16 euros a night (about £13.60) and they do 7 nights for the price of 6.
They have a swiming pool and a restaurant that lots of locals use (so it's good!).
The toilets and showers are better than most people have at home and are cleaned numerous times each day - whether they need it or not! - but without closing them.
The pitches are fully serviced and even include your own waste bin (emptied daily).
Which CC site matches that?
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As stated before it is no use trying to compare sites that have other income streams that will help offset their costs,probably run as a family concern and employing "cheap"seasonal Labour with UK sites ,with a completly different cost base
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You can still do a reasonably priced holiday touring in UK, with or without facilities such as loos and showers. The trick is not to limit your options, make best use of discounts, and shop around. We are still averaging somewhere in £16 per night region,
and that includes peak holiday periods and sites with lots of extras.You certainly won't do it sticking to popular Club Sites though, cheaper to look at smaller private sites and book late, bartering on the price if possible! Some offer some great deals. (Not talking big commercial sites here, and not Haven!)
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One site that we plan to stay on will cost us 16 euros a night (about £13.60) and they do 7 nights for the price of 6.
They have a swiming pool and a restaurant that lots of locals use (so it's good!).
The toilets and showers are better than most people have at home and are cleaned numerous times each day - whether they need it or not! - but without closing them.
The pitches are fully serviced and even include your own waste bin (emptied daily).
Which CC site matches that?
Which site is that Ian?....
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Despite the increased competition in the UK out of season the Tea drinkers (Directors on £90K=) at HO only seem to keep the same old price regime going. No experimenting with prices, Stick up the prices,extend the peaks and then see nearly empty mid week
sites from October to April.Why I wonder?0 -
Club sites don't have to be expensive per se, but you do have to be discerning when you use them. We have spent just 20 nights on club sites this year, well down from previous years, at an average cost of just under £18 - not bad (in my view) for 2 adults,
2 dogs, EHU and porch awning. We've used more C&CC sites (we get the ACR which helps) and CSs and CLs at an average of around £15 - £16 a night. So not much difference. The higher (shoulder) season rates seem to have extended beyond school holiday dates this
year so we'll use CLs until the end of September.But the main thing is that we use whichever sort of site we use because we actually like them and are happy with what they offer. Couldn't think of anything worse than stumping up hard earned cash for a site we know we're going to spend weeks afterwards
complaining about!
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Club sites don't have to be expensive per se, but you do have to be discerning when you use them. We have spent just 20 nights on club sites this year, well down from previous years, at an average cost of just under £18 - not bad (in my view) for 2 adults,
2 dogs, EHU and porch awning. We've used more C&CC sites (we get the ACR which helps) and CSs and CLs at an average of around £15 - £16 a night. So not much difference. The higher (shoulder) season rates seem to have extended beyond school holiday dates this
year so we'll use CLs until the end of September.But the main thing is that we use whichever sort of site we use because we actually like them and are happy with what they offer. Couldn't think of anything worse than stumping up hard earned cash for a site we know we're going to spend weeks afterwards
complaining about!Agree wholeheartedly M, we choose what we want to see, what area we want to stay in then look at where to stay. There's nearly always a reasonably priced site of some sort that will suit us just fine. We are using a big Club Site in October, and that will
be less than £20 per night, so with some nice CLs for between £10 and £14 a night, our average will in the low teens per night.0 -
Agree with you entirely OG&S.
This week we will begrudgingly pay £21 to stay on a ferry pitch at Black Horse Farm CC site. No choice of pitch, no awnings allowed, an out of date toilet block at a place the back of beyond.
Fortunately, after a 40 minute train ride, we will be in a place where we will pay an average of less than £15 per night, choice of pitches, bars, restauarants, shops and pools on site if you want them and in some lovely locations.
The tired, worn-out saying of "if you don't like the price, go elsewhere" often quoted on here, reflects the attitide of the CC I'm afraid. But many people are doing just that.
Trotting out that expression at every end and turn will no longer be possible when the CC inevitably have to face up to reality (probably sooner rather than later) and charge realistic prices for the types of sites they offer.
Write your comments here...
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Agree with you entirely OG&S.
This week we will begrudgingly pay £21 to stay on a ferry pitch at Black Horse Farm CC site. No choice of pitch, no awnings allowed, an out of date toilet block at a place the back of beyond.
Fortunately, after a 40 minute train ride, we will be in a place where we will pay an average of less than £15 per night, choice of pitches, bars, restauarants, shops and pools on site if you want them and in some lovely locations.
The tired, worn-out saying of "if you don't like the price, go elsewhere" often quoted on here, reflects the attitide of the CC I'm afraid. But many people are doing just that.
Trotting out that expression at every end and turn will no longer be possible when the CC inevitably have to face up to reality (probably sooner rather than later) and charge realistic prices for the types of sites they offer.
Write your comments here...IanH ,bit harsh calling Black Horse in the back of beyond , when it's no more than 2/3 miles from The shuttle terminal .
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Club sites have always been towards the top of the price range but so many alternatives exist if you do a bit of research.
Must admit they seem to be really pushing the price boundaries these days judging by what many are posting on CT.
Only had 1 night on a club site this year so far.
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You seem to have only been using UK sites this year, BB, unless I've missed something. Are you missing the 'over there' experience?
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I think its not price per se but the lack of imagination by highly paid people in the CC to counteract the increased competition out there.As said here a lot of us now do look elsewhere and that means loss of income. Its much easier now with internet to
see what is on offer in any area and make proper comparsons incuding Google pictures of actual sites.You then makean infrmed decision something the club staff cant seem to grasp.0 -
I see our UK sites are once again being compared with some in foreign countries which operate under very different circumstances.
Just a reminder folks - this section is for discussions about "UK Sites & Touring" - the clue is in the title!
Cheers
Bugs
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