HS or Grass - Essential?

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  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,957 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #92

    H/S are always our preferred choice in this country, so like others we look for a high percentage of H/S when choosing a site. Friday last week we stayed at Old Hartley, high percentage of H/S, advice from warden on checking in no M/H's over there as the ground is too soft and we can't tow you off. No problem there was plenty of other pitches, however for those who hasn't been to that site all the H/S pitches are accessed by driving over grass. Come Saturday morning after a night of torrential rain, driving over this soggy sodden grass was a challenge to say the least, luckily the site was closing for the season as most of the grass is now churned up mud.Frown

  • IamtheGaitor
    IamtheGaitor Forum Participant Posts: 529
    edited November 2016 #93

    Grass is great, on a dry summer's day we would prefer grass every time.  However what we dont want to get is a mud pitch. So in winter we opt for hardstanding because we have had too many holidays where one weekend away becomes a week or more of cleaning
    mud off everything.

    I am not that keen on gravel but I really dislike pitches topped with road planings where you get tar deposits on everything.  I know others dont like tarmac so I guess its personal choice. 

  • Dunclair
    Dunclair Forum Participant Posts: 127
    edited November 2016 #94

    When we were house hunting we viewed the home of a caravanner. He had two tracks across his garden for the main wheels of his van and a shorter one for the jockey wheel. He also had a paved space by his van door. I was pretty impressed with that.

    My point is that I don't understand why we have to have all or nothing. I don't see why CC couldn't use "Grasscrete" runways. That would certainly ensure that the Peg Police would be satisfied and we would all, grass and HS lovers, be satisfied. (Apart from
    those who haven't got a good word to say about anything at any time) It would make the sites look much better too.

    Will never happen of course. Far too sensible!

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
    1000 Comments
    edited November 2016 #95

    When we were house hunting we viewed the home of a caravanner. He had two tracks across his garden for the main wheels of his van and a shorter one for the jockey wheel. He also had a paved space by his van door. I was pretty impressed with that.

    My point is that I don't understand why we have to have all or nothing. I don't see why CC couldn't use "Grasscrete" runways. That would certainly ensure that the Peg Police would be satisfied and we would all, grass and HS lovers, be satisfied. (Apart from
    those who haven't got a good word to say about anything at any time) It would make the sites look much better too.

    Will never happen of course. Far too sensible!

    Strangely enough I prefer  hard standing in the 'awning' area where I park the car. Not bothered about the caravan being on grass

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,657 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #96

    When we were house hunting we viewed the home of a caravanner. He had two tracks across his garden for the main wheels of his van and a shorter one for the jockey wheel. He also had a paved space by his van door. I was pretty impressed with that.

    My point is that I don't understand why we have to have all or nothing. I don't see why CC couldn't use "Grasscrete" runways. That would certainly ensure that the Peg Police would be satisfied and we would all, grass and HS lovers, be satisfied. (Apart from
    those who haven't got a good word to say about anything at any time) It would make the sites look much better too.

    Will never happen of course. Far too sensible!

    Strangely enough I prefer  hard standing in the 'awning' area where I park the car. Not bothered about the caravan being on grass

    Not that strange at all. OH prefers to step out onto a hard area, and not wet grass which can get very muddy with all the going in and out. Better for drying the dog on too.

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,311 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #97

    When we were house hunting we viewed the home of a caravanner. He had two tracks across his garden for the main wheels of his van and a shorter one for the jockey wheel. He also had a paved space by his van door. I was pretty impressed with that.

    My point is that I don't understand why we have to have all or nothing. I don't see why CC couldn't use "Grasscrete" runways. That would certainly ensure that the Peg Police would be satisfied and we would all, grass and HS lovers, be satisfied. (Apart from those who haven't got a good word to say about anything at any time) It would make the sites look much better too.

    Will never happen of course. Far too sensible!

    Of course currently on grass areas, if space permits, the wardens are able to move the peg about to minimise damage in the area covered by the awning. If you were restricted to narrow runways, this would not be possible and could lead to worse conditions than would otherwise be experienced. Personally I will always go for a hardstanding, but if I end up on grass I prefer not to step out onto mud, as we only have a roll out awning and no covering to put down. 

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited November 2016 #98
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  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,311 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #99

    Of course currently on grass areas, if space permits, the wardens are able to move the peg about to minimise damage in the area covered by the awning. If you were restricted to narrow runways, this would not be possible and could
    lead to worse conditions than would otherwise be experienced. Personally I will always go for a hardstanding, but if I end up on grass I prefer not to step out onto mud, as we only have a roll out awning and no covering to put down. 

    Why no covering Steve?, we carry a variety of breathable mats ,heavywieght for longer stays and light stuff for the odd night and wouldnt dream of stepping out into mud.

    The main reason is that we only pitch on grass where there is no other choice. In this country that is very rare and abroad, where grass, or what passes for it, is more common, the weather generally means mud is less of a problem. 

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited November 2016 #100
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  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited November 2016 #101

     

    Why no covering Steve?, we carry a variety of breathable mats ,heavywieght for longer stays and light stuff for the odd night and wouldnt dream of stepping out into mud.

    The main reason is that we only pitch on grass where there is no other choice. In this country that is very rare and abroad, where grass, or what passes for it, is more common, the weather generally means mud is less of a problem. 

    Even when we used an awning we never used a groundsheet. Not needed on hard and I wouldn't want to carry a muddy groundsheet as we probably are on grass less than 5 or 10 nights in 120

  • Wildwood
    Wildwood Club Member Posts: 3,585
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    edited November 2016 #102

    We have never used a grondsheet either. We have only used it to store chairs and things anyway so never saw the need.

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited November 2016 #103
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  • IanH
    IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
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    edited November 2016 #104

    When we were house hunting we viewed the home of a caravanner. He had two tracks across his garden for the main wheels of his van and a shorter one for the jockey wheel. He also had a paved space by his van door. I was pretty impressed with that.

    My point is that I don't understand why we have to have all or nothing.
    I don't see why CC couldn't use "Grasscrete" runways. That would certainly ensure that the Peg Police would be satisfied
    and we would all, grass and HS lovers, be satisfied. (Apart from those who haven't got a good word to say about anything at any
    time) It would make the sites look much better too.

    Will never happen of course. Far too sensible!

    That's not a bad idea.......it would certainly help those people who apparantly have trouble understanding which side of the peg they are supposed to pitch (and apparently cannot see every other caravan on the site)

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited November 2016 #105

    Obviously we all do things differently.We live in ours, eat cook and if the weathers bad use it as an extended living space, when we just have the canopy out  we have a breathable sheet down and when the awning is fully in place we use interlocking tiles
    now. 

    We did on previous 'vans. Still did not need a groundsheet