Haven ....never again

It was a few years back BB but good to hear its been improved

v9

Well we just got back from Haven touring site at Point Clear (St Osyth, Essex) and this topic caught my eye.

Former static van site.  Ground mostly flat but very, very uneven - think 6" block under one steady.  Although grass pitches, there's a lot of rocks and concrete just beneath the threadbear grass leftover from its former existance I suspect. Some say the
63 pitches have EHU and water.  That's not strictly the case.  The services bollards do have water 2 water taps each but these are for filling-up rather than connecting-up - which means that if you're unlucky, as we were, with 4 vans sharing a bollard 2 might
connect their water up leaving you to walk further until you find a free tap or disconnecting your neighbours water for a short while.

Don't go expecting 'Caravan Club decorum' on-site - noisey neighbours kept us awake one night well in to the early hours, cars sped around the dirt tracks etc.

The single toilet block is best described as 'ageing and adequate', there's no real security, anyone can drive on and off the *vast* site unchallenged or un-hindered by a barrier.

We didn't avail ourselves of the bingo and free entertainment a 10 minute walk away as we were there to discover bits of the Essex coast we'd not visited before and, in that respect, it fulfilled its purpose but I wouldn't go back there, especially during
school holidays.

Oh and access to the touring park is via the main entrance where you discover umpteen very caravan-unfriendly speed bumps along your route and the only way in and out of the site by road is via the lovely little village of St Osyth via what must me the smallest
and busiest crossroads you can imagine.  It was a real challenge getting the 'van around a tight left turn.

On a positive note, it was CHEAP at £40 for 5 nights for 3 adults and a dog and the lady who booked us in was very friendly and helpful.

PS Do we have a web-site anywhere for reviewing caravan sites Trip Advisor style and reviewing the things that caravanners are really interested in?

NigelH, you could write up a story type review about your Essex Haven stay in the Stories section on here, if you can add a photo or two it would make it even better. 

I only deal in actualities.Just returned from Haven - Pwllheli. Superb Euro pitches, Excellent very clean facility block. Far superior to anything I have seen on CC sites. No noise, well away from the Haven main site. Many of the vans on the pitches were
empty- guess like seasonal pitches at CC. We wre there out of school holidays and mid week. We could not extend over the week end as site full. Cost £9-80 per nights all in. Much better than the Cls we were thinking of using and far superior to our near CC
site at Lady Margaret Park, and about half the price.

CC refurbishers should go and look at the new Haven tourist sites to see how it is done. I understandHaven spent £2M on that site

I only deal in actualities.Just returned from Haven - Pwllheli. Superb Euro pitches, Excellent very clean facility block. Far superior to anything I have seen on CC sites. No noise, well away from the Haven main site. Many of the vans on the pitches were empty- guess like seasonal pitches at CC. We wre there out of school holidays and mid week. We could not extend over the week end as site full. Cost £9-80 per nights all in. Much better than the Cls we were thinking of using and far superior to our near CC site at Lady Margaret Park, and about half the price.

Good to hear! We're there next weekend for a week

Briang- CC sites have deteriorated in that time scale. Pointed out this was a new developed site- As it is now not some fantasy of years ago.

I went to Lakeland with an open mind and the euro pitch we had was probably one of the best pitches I've ever been on in terms of space, access to water and waste etc. If either club managed pitches of that standard I'd not look elsewhere. 

The standard pitches were not so good, grass which became waterlogged, lack of pitch definition etc.  Even at the incredibly low price I would probably not have stayed. 

Research is essential. There is no guaranteed standard. That is probably where the clubs do well

Yep- a CL well of the beaten track for me and the non EHU ones normally are!

In any business if you are not ahead of the curve then you are really behind it (or not even on it)

Things are changing.

But if Tesco were going to buy some Sainsburys stores or going to run them on a management basis it would make sense. 

Just crossed my mind 

Well, here we are back from the Haven experience at Seaview, Weymouth. Guess what? I'm with the OP - never, ever again!

The site as a whole was pretty much what I expected and being mid-week in October was quiet. The facility block was spotless and probably superior to CC standards. The CC offer which got me 3 nights for £21.99 would have been a bargain if we hadn't left after one night due to the appalling state of the pitches.

We had a Euro fully serviced pitch 7m x 7m. It was part concrete slab and part reinforced grass (some are part chippings on other sites). The problems started when we found there was insufficient room to manoeuvre onto the pitch without using the adjacent and opposite pitches. The concrete slab sloped and was only just big enough to get all four wheels on to. It was difficult to open the driver's door or locker doors due the the very close proximity of the hedge. Where would a caravanner place water containers? There was no room to walk behind the MH, again due to a close hedge and the fall in the ground. There was a corresponding rise in the ground at the front of the pitch. There was no way a van could overhang the HS as has been described earlier in this thread so size of units is definitely restricted here.

The worst aspect of our pitch, and others were the same, was that the reinforced 'grass' was reinforced mud. It was a complete mess, a total disgrace and not fit for purpose. I know that CC and other responsible operators would have taken such pitches out of service. I have never come across such a situation on a CC site or, indeed, any site.

I'm glad to report that the touring area was well away from the jammed in statics but it was close to the main complex building and we were disturbed by noise from the boiler house/plant room to the extent it kept us awake.

I know some people have had good Haven experiences in North Wales and the Lakes but others, including myself, have had awful experiences which makes the whole Haven concept unreliable.

I have never pretended that CC is perfect but, compared to Seaview, there is no contest. Those who knock CC sites should visit Seaview - it was an eye opener with regard to pitching conditions.

"i also agree with you regarding the pitch condition, again we were there in a lovely dry period and had no problems, but damp conditions might well have been an issue."

There you are, BB. Different conditions made your experience better than ours. Those pitches should not have been in use this week. If I could post pics on this forum you'd be able to see for yourself. 

I said the site might suit some people and I'm pleased you were happy even though you're not likely to return. 

Good effort? 8 out of 10, eh?

I'm glad we didn't use a newer site first as this would have been an even bigger disappointment. On the plus side, it led us to finding a superb commercial site near Wareham. Better than Hunters Moon for less money and a fully serviced pitch.