HS or Grass - Essential?
Comments
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Day we find pitching on grass a chore is the day we sell up and shuffle onto a cruise! The spirit of adventure is alive and kicking in this household at the moment! OH even has answer to getting MH stuck.....we just tow Jeep behind to haul it off!
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We haven't, but we could. We have two, a new Wrangler JK, and a fast becoming a classic TJ. Had the TJ 15 years, awesome 4.0 litre jobby.
Towed our caravan all over with TJ, we used JK to haul a couple of vans off a CL stuck fast after digging themselves into soft ground with motor movers this Summer. Our MH wasn't stuck though, so I think the caravan incidents were due to driver error!
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To answer the original question, we would definitely consider giving up if no H/S pitches available. Only had a couple of stays on grass in the caravan, which were deeply unpleasant due to wet weather. Now we have a motorhome, even more important not to
be on grass. Horrified to read in the latest magazine that the trial of being able to book H/S pitches is over and will NOT be rolled out across the network as we had hoped.
There is obviously a demand from members for this option to be available, as evidenced by previous threads on this subject, so come on Club management-listen to your members!Surely you mean that there's a demand by some for the option. From the result of the trial it would appear that the Club Management has been listening to the membership, just not to those that want all H/S pitches.
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Surely you mean that there's a demand by some for the option. From the result of the trial it would appear that the Club Management has been listening to the membership, just not to those that want all H/S pitches.
I think that there are plenty who want a hard standing pitch. The truth is that if booking HS were to be permitted then many who don't book well in advance and decide to have a weekend away at short notice
would have virtually no chance of a hardstanding, Not that many would have the oportunity on many sites if arriving at say 7pm on a Friday night.0 -
I find it sad that some of our members should only be able to cope with HS. I have been caravaning since the mid 70's in the days of gas lighting, toilet tents and no water in the van. Today I have a modern luxurious caravan with all facilities. But I hate
the enforced regimentation that the HS has brought about. I love the freedom of a grass pitch on a CL.BUT in adverse weather I will use an HS and be pleased to do so. My point is that none of us are exclusively correct. Some of us - mainly those who have grown up expecting all the facilities will always want the hardstanding. But some of us - perhaps a
bit older will want the ease of being able to put an awning peg in without requiring a jack hammer!TF
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I totally agree I would never go to any site where I might have to go on a grass pitch.
So if it's grass or nowt, you'd give up caravanning?
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It's not about only being only to cope with Hardstanding TF. We go to festivals, rallies and shows which are on grass. We cope very well on any surface, with or without EHU.
It's about value for money and inconvenience for me. If we go to a CC site as a family (which we don't anymore because we can't book HS) we are looking at about £40 a night. As manufacturers do not make caravans with beds big enough for my kids they sleep
in the awning. If we are on a CC grass pitch we are required to lift the groundsheet daily. This means dismantling the sleeping areas, lifting the groundsheet and the inner tent and replacing them every night. It's a pain in the proverbial and certainly not
something I want to do when I'm on my holidays.So we go to sites with HS or ones which are more laid back about the impact of camping on the precious grass
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I find it sad that some of our members should only be able to cope with HS.
Don't get too upset TF. I think that most of us can cope with hardstanding but many prefer not to. I go back to starting caravanning in 1980. I will use all grass sites but will avoid sites that are fifty/fifty as I want a good chance of HS. 70% will generally ensure a HS for me. Most want hard standing in wet weather. I also want HS in good weather as it suits my lifestyle. I like to wander in and out of the caravan in my slippers when we have been out most of the day and OH is sat outside and I am prepping the evening meal etc.
There are those who complain about HS taking over most of the site but will want HS in wet and to use sites in winter months. If you are happy using CLs and grass that is fine. It doesn't upset me and indeed there are some nice CLs I simply do not research them when touring.
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I totally agree I would never go to any site where I might have to go on a grass pitch.
We had a lovely time in Brittany in June and down into the Charente in September - eight or nine different sites, all grass, and not a hard standing in sight at any of them. I just don't understand the attitude in the post quoted above. It seems a bit rigid to say never.
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I totally agree I would never go to any site where I might have to go on a grass pitch.
I just don't understand the attitude in the post quoted above. It seems a bit rigid to say never.
What is to understand. It is simply somebody's personal preference. I will use all grass sites simply because of their location. Otherwise I prefer HS. If somebody has different preferences then so be it.
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"I find it sad that some of our members should only be able to cope with HS."
TF, who said anything about not coping on grass? It's someone's personal preference to use HS so why call it 'sad'? That's rather insulting to the poster.
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I agree it is a personal thing as to whether you want grass or H/S-our preference is for H/S. Getting home and having to spend 2 days spent trying to get all the mud out of a groundsheet that had been down for 5 days in extremely wet conditions, mud oozing
around our feet every time we stepped outside the caravan and trying to drive on and off the pitch a different way to avoid too much damage to the grass cured us of ever wanting to see grass again!! Even a dry week on grass in the caravan in Jersey left us
vacuuming bits of grass out of the van for weeks! So if you love grass pitches, we are more than happy to leave them free for you. Incidentally, we can honestly say we have never felt like we are parked in a car park just because we are on H/S!0 -
TW, - As you love to pick up on comments, let me explain.
I said " I find it sad" Please note I used the term "I" Not "It is sad". I also said later about personal choice, making it clear that I was happy for it to be that way. So I find your comment to me just as insulting!
Please also note that several people agreed with me.
Come on, - lets stop all this silly nit picking about what people said or didnt say, or even inferred, thats not the way of conducting constructive dialogue.
Regards
TF
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TW, - As you love to pick up on comments, let me explain.
I said " I find it sad" Please note I used the term "I" Not "It is sad". I also said later about personal choice, making it clear that I was happy for it to be that way. So I find your comment to me just as insulting!
Please also note that several people agreed with me.
Come on, - lets stop all this silly nit picking about what people said or didnt say, or even inferred, thats not the way of conducting constructive dialogue.
Regards
TF
What is constructive about seeming to denigrate people's choices by implying they can't cope?
It wasn't long ago that you were decrying the actions of CL owners for installing HS so I'm glad you now appreciate that freedom of choice rules and there are no rights or wrongs.
I responded to your post in terms of the way it appeared so please don't accuse me of 'silly nit picking' when others, too, have found your words unfortunate.
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I totally agree I would never go to any site where I might have to go on a grass pitch.
So if it's grass or nowt, you'd give up caravanning?
No, I would go to a comercial site where I could book a hard standing, that is exactly what I did in September, I was booked to go to Treamble Valley but decided I might not get a hard standing so I went to a commercial site which turned out to be much better,
so I will be going back there again next year. So that has cost the club 14 nights fees just because I couldn't book a hard standing.0 -
.... So that has cost the club 14 nights fees just because I couldn't book a hard standing.
What would you suggest the club does then? Gravel the lot? They can't please all the caravaners all the time etc etc Or maybe they should give you a couple of tons of granit chippings & you can take it with you where you want
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I totally agree I would never go to any site where I might have to go on a grass pitch.
So if it's grass or nowt, you'd give up caravanning?
No, I would go to a comercial site where I could book a hard standing, that is exactly what I did in September, I was booked to go to Treamble Valley but decided I might not get a hard standing so I went to a commercial site which turned out to be much better,
so I will be going back there again next year. So that has cost the club 14 nights fees just because I couldn't book a hard standing.This is one club site that I will not use again. Far too few hard standings given the poor ground conditions on site.
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I totally agree I would never go to any site where I might have to go on a grass pitch.
So if it's grass or nowt, you'd give up caravanning?
No, I would go to a comercial site where I could book a hard standing, that is exactly what I did in September, I was booked to go to Treamble Valley but decided I might not get a hard standing so I went to a commercial site which turned out to be much better,
so I will be going back there again next year. So that has cost the club 14 nights fees just because I couldn't book a hard standing....Thats how we got into Treamble valley then, thankyou
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In my opinion a site like Treamble with (after excluding seasonal pitches) is 50% hard and 50% grass is saying 'don't want to spend money on more HS as in popular location but, with the ground conditions we need some'. When I was there on grass the bottom
end of the site was badly cut up (think a tank training ground). Sitings by warden. The warden let me site myself with 4xf. I parked on grass on top part of site where there was no TV signal in 'The Glades' I did not cut up the ground but when I stood on it
the mud oozed up.When am I going back? When it is 80% grass with hard tracks between pitches.
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I totally agree I would never go to any site where I might have to go on a grass pitch.
So if it's grass or nowt, you'd give up caravanning?
No, I would go to a comercial site where I could book a hard standing, that is exactly what I did in September, I was booked to go to Treamble Valley but decided I might not get a hard standing so I went to a commercial site which turned out to be much better,
so I will be going back there again next year. So that has cost the club 14 nights fees just because I couldn't book a hard standing.Don't suppose you'd be willing to let us know which commercial site by any chance?
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Agree that you should never say never.
If, in some bizarre future world, there were no more hardstandings, then we would use grass. Just as we do on most French sites that we've visited.
But the thing is that the CC tend to charge top dollar for their sites, so for that I expect better than a field.
So the answer is simple......either use CC sites that have a high proportion of hardstandings.......or use C&CC or commercial sites, where you can chose pitch type.....often specific pitch, if you wish. Or use CL's with hardstandings.
And the latter options will probably save you a good bit of money too.
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We have not long returned from a week at Treamble Valley, it's a lovely site. Only hard standing pitches were being used. Some of the grass was a bit soft in places, bottom part of the dog walk, for instance but I was pleasantly surprised to see how well
kept the grass looked.Would happily of used the grass.We will almost always choose a grass pitch if available, and have this year used a lot more CL'S which all but one have been grass only. We choose a site on location rather than pitch type.
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We have not long returned from a week at Treamble Valley, it's a lovely site. Only hard standing pitches were being used. Some of the grass was a bit soft in places, bottom part of the dog walk, for instance but I was pleasantly surprised to see how well
kept the grass looked.Would happily of used the grass.We will almost always choose a grass pitch if available, and have this year used a lot more CL'S which all but one have been grass only. We choose a site on location rather than pitch type.
I guarantee that if you had been on a grass pitch when I was there you might have felt differently. Only hard standing at present? Sounds good. It has been dry around us recently, it can be wetter in Summer than at present. The grass pitches there are not
suited to wet weather - trust me on that!0 -
ET, it seems to be the trend for club site which have both grass & H/S pitches to close the former at this time of year. Perhaps that's why there appears to be relatively few pitches available on weekends during November to February on most sites.
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