Cancellations
Comments
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The reason some sites are closed is down to the local Council planning policies and not C.C.I would also think that the pitch cost would be quite high to cover the cost of heating the van and for some the awning. I would love to be out on the van over the winter but the thought of towing home on snow and ice frightens me.
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We started caravanning in 1972, we never used to book anything, right up till we sold the caravan in 1983, but these days it is very different.
We don't bother going away in winter, unless it is for something special, days are short, weather poor, plus, and these are the main reasons, we need some time to catch up on things at home, spend time with the family, pursue other hobbies, plan our future
trips, etc.Could never fit in going to work these days!
I don't think there are enough caravanners/MHers who wish to be away in winter to make it economic to keep all the sites open all year.
Even if a Club site is closed, most of the time there will be other sites available for the hardier amongst us.
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We started caravanning in 1972, we never used to book anything, right up till we sold the caravan in 1983, but these days it is very different.
We don't bother going away in winter, unless it is for something special, days are short, weather poor, plus, and these are the main reasons, we need some time to catch up on things at home, spend time with the family, pursue other hobbies, plan our future
trips, etc.Could never fit in going to work these days!
I don't think there are enough caravanners/MHers who wish to be away in winter to make it economic to keep all the sites open all year.
Even if a Club site is closed, most of the time there will be other sites available for the hardier amongst us.
Write your comments here...I also have heard it said, KjellNN, that many caravanners put their caravan to bed for the winter. However, judging by the number pitches around us that are occupied, here on the Brighton Caravan Club site, it's hard to believe
that there aren't enough winter caravanners to keep sites open all year. Both the next door pitches to us are occupied. On one side there's a caravan and on the other side there's a motorhome. So if so many pitches are being filled on the all year sites, surely
there's a case for more club sites to stay open all year?0 -
I don't think you can realistically extend your observations to encompass all sites. Brighton is a popular destination, temperatures are more likely to be higher on the south coast, and London is not far away. SE England is densely populated.
Many sites further north or in more remote areas have pretty low occupancy rates over winter. I would think that the weather is a big factor.
As you have found, only Brighton and Gatwick are open on the CC network in the area at present, so if you want a CC site you have little choice. This will push up occupancy and give a false impression of demand.
Unless the sites that are open are totally full, it is difficult to make a good case for opening more in the area at this time of year.There are also planning restrictions to take into account.
How many commercial sites in the area find it profitable to be open at the moment I wonder?
With the weather we have had here in the last few months, we would not really want to be away in the van.
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Well, Malcolm, that's totally different to Meathop Fell where we stayed a fortnight ago. We only stayed 4 nights, from Mon-Fri, but during that time the maximum on site was 20 units, out of a total of 102 HS pitches. The site has midweek discount, so for
2 people it was £14.55 per night, not a fortune. Even for the weekends either side I seem to remember something like over 70 pitches available.So I don't think you can generalise, just because Brighton is well occupied, it doesn't necessarily follow all other sites are the same.
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I suspect that the availability of another CC site open all year in reasonable proximity to Worthing is the real aim, rather than an across the board opening of CC sites.
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When we first joined the club there were a few more sites open all year but having visited somewhere like Looe in winter we found it virtually empty. Big sites like Moreton are often only busy at weekends, I feel the balance is probably about right.
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I think the club try to keep as many sites open as they can, as others have said sometimes closing for winter is sometimes a specific clause in the lease., there is usually a site open in most areas, and if not there are CL'S or commercial sites.
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It's usually sites near big cities like London, Brighton, Bristol, Birmingham, York etc. that seem to stay open all year.
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Chirk site as 73 hard standings. We were there last week and the average attendance was 8-12 units per night. At weekend Late availability shows 40/45spaces.If there was a MWD would more people use the site.Also if the cancellation period was dispensed in
winter would more take the plunge. What would you do if you had booked for today with the attrocious weather. Cancel I guess but at what cost.0 -
id say the cancellation policy was already pretty 'generous'....waiving it completely 'for winter' doesnt seem likely.....
also, if you were travelling 'tomorrow' youd have a pretty good idea what the weather would be like, certainly accurate enough to make you think....
i agree that low prices will attract in midweek, but many of those in a position to take these up will be deciding close enough to the 'date' to have weighed up the imminent weather...so are unlikely to cancel.... they just wont go/book if too dodgy...
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I agree entirely with Fisherman, if the cancellation period was suspended for the winter period It would certainly encourage me to make bookings. I know the weather is never going to be good at this time of year, but having the option to cancel if it is
going to be dangerous to travel would give peace of mind.0 -
I'm not so sure BB, many have their vans in storage so there can be a fair bit of preparation involved in going away, spur of the moment is not always possible.
No doubt a bit easier with a MH.
Even with our van being right outside the house, we would need at least 2 days to prepare for any trip at this time of year as we do not leave anything much in the van over winter.
And with the recent rain, getting anything out to the van without stuff getting soaked would not be easy!
I do keep an eye on the forecast, and though they usually get the type of weather correct, often the timing is wrong, which of course would also influence the decision to travel, or not.
If you have booked, then deciding today not to travel tomorrow is no use when 72 hours notice is needed. only
It would depend on where you wanted to go, some sites would need to be booked, others are less busy. For us the weekends would be the problem as we just don't do short trips/midweek, so mainly we would have a plan in mind and would book in advance.
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while i agree those in MHs (especially stored at home) can react more quickly........but wouldn't a 'zero impact' cancellation policy for xx months of the year ('winter') just encourage block booking of the honeypot sites on frenzy day..?
..imho, Its bad enough already at 72 hrs...
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If all the site were open all year , there would be many empty pitches due to their location, with the recent high winds no way would I want to be on an open exposed site, with the heavy rain no way would I want to be in flood area, and if we had snow I
would not like to be in a remote area, and sometime the route to the site can be an issue. Who is going to absorb the extra cost of staffing and maintaining a half empty site, and the extra draw on the electricity.0 -
Chirk site as 73 hard standings. We were there last week and the average attendance was 8-12 units per night. At weekend Late availability shows 40/45spaces.If there was a MWD would more people use the site.Also if the cancellation period
was dispensed in winter would more take the plunge. What would you do if you had booked for today with the attrocious weather. Cancel I guess but at what cost.Doubt it: when we were at Meathop a couple of weeks ago from Mon-Fri, a site with MWD and 102 HS pitches, there were at most 20 units per night.
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From these posts it appears that CC sites are too expensive to attract customers particularly through the wnter months.How can it be economical t keep say Lady Margaret-Chirk open in winter with 8-12 units per night. No doubt HO answer will be to cose it
and not look at making it cheaper for members. After all a "club" ethos would be to make the winter usage more attractive.0 -
It may be winter opening on some sites is a service to members but on others any income might be just a bonus as it needs to be occupied to run the storage area. On Strathclyde Park you have over 300 caravans paying near £400 a year so any caravans on site
are a bonus for the club.0 -
I'm not so sure BB, many have their vans in storage so there can be a fair bit of preparation involved in going away, spur of the moment is not always possible.
No doubt a bit easier with a MH.
Even with our van being right outside the house, we would need at least 2 days to prepare for any trip at this time of year as we do not leave anything much in the van over winter.
And with the recent rain, getting anything out to the van without stuff getting soaked would not be easy!
I do keep an eye on the forecast, and though they usually get the type of weather correct, often the timing is wrong, which of course would also influence the decision to travel, or not.
If you have booked, then deciding today not to travel tomorrow is no use when 72 hours notice is needed. only
It would depend on where you wanted to go, some sites would need to be booked, others are less busy. For us the weekends would be the problem as we just don't do short trips/midweek, so mainly we would have a plan in mind and would book in advance.
Write your comments here...Couldn't you just phone the warden to check whether the site is full and whether a booking is necessary? If there are plenty of vacant pitches, there should be no need to book. Just exercise the freedom of the road and turn up!
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If all the site were open all year , there would be many empty pitches due to their location, with the recent high winds no way would I want to be on an open exposed site, with the heavy rain no way would I want to be in flood area, and if we had snow I would not like to be in a remote area, and sometime the route to the site can be an issue. Who is going to absorb the extra cost of staffing and maintaining a half empty site, and the extra draw on the electricity.
Write your comments here...I agree, cariadon, that we have had rather a lot of storms this winter and severe flooding in some areas but this may not necessarily be the norm. On the plus side, it has also been a very mild winter and I have spent some mornings or afternoons sitting in the warm sunshine of the awning feeling as though it's summer!
If more sites stayed open in the winter, there would be more choice of sites and pitches and maybe no need to book or cancel a booking. People could just turn up like they used to do in the good old days!
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I'm not so sure BB, many have their vans in storage so there can be a fair bit of preparation involved in going away, spur of the moment is not always possible.
No doubt a bit easier with a MH.
Even with our van being right outside the house, we would need at least 2 days to prepare for any trip at this time of year as we do not leave anything much in the van over winter.
And with the recent rain, getting anything out to the van without stuff getting soaked would not be easy!
I do keep an eye on the forecast, and though they usually get the type of weather correct, often the timing is wrong, which of course would also influence the decision to travel, or not.
If you have booked, then deciding today not to travel tomorrow is no use when 72 hours notice is needed. only
It would depend on where you wanted to go, some sites would need to be booked, others are less busy. For us the weekends would be the problem as we just don't do short trips/midweek, so mainly we would have a plan in mind and would book in advance.
Write your comments here...Couldn't you just phone the warden to check whether the site is full and whether a booking is necessary? If there are plenty of vacant pitches, there should be no need to book. Just exercise the freedom of the road and turn up!
That would very much depend on where one was going to, but with the preparation needed for setting out, as far as we are concerned we would need to be very sure we had both a pitch, and some reasonably decent weather!
Hence the reason we don't often go away between November and mid March........the weather!
Why go in winter when you can go in Spring and Autumn when the days are longer, more NT places are open, and the weather is hopefully better?
Plus, even retired people have commitments, some look after grandchildren, some do voluntary work......my OH is the Treasurer and Hall Keeper of our local Guide Hall, a voluntary post that needs her to visit the building at least once a week, so for us to go away she needs to find someone willing to take over......not easy. We cannot just up-stakes and head off.
Caravan may be spacious and warm, but we prefer our home comforts at this time of the year.
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I'm not so sure BB, many have their vans in storage so there can be a fair bit of preparation involved in going away, spur of the moment is not always possible.
No doubt a bit easier with a MH.
Even with our van being right outside the house, we would need at least 2 days to prepare for any trip at this time of year as we do not leave anything much in the van over winter.
And with the recent rain, getting anything out to the van without stuff getting soaked would not be easy!
I do keep an eye on the forecast, and though they usually get the type of weather correct, often the timing is wrong, which of course would also influence the decision to travel, or not.
If you have booked, then deciding today not to travel tomorrow is no use when 72 hours notice is needed. only
It would depend on where you wanted to go, some sites would need to be booked, others are less busy. For us the weekends would be the problem as we just don't do short trips/midweek, so mainly we would have a plan in mind and would book in advance.
Write your comments here...Couldn't you just phone the warden to check whether the site is full and whether a booking is necessary? If there are plenty of vacant pitches, there should be no need to book. Just exercise the freedom of the road and turn up!
That would very much depend on where one was going to, but with the preparation needed for setting out, as far as we are concerned we would need to be very sure we had both a pitch, and some reasonably decent weather!
Hence the reason we don't often go away between November and mid March........the weather!
Why go in winter when you can go in Spring and Autumn when the days are longer, more NT places are open, and the weather is hopefully better?
Plus, even retired people have commitments, some look after grandchildren, some do voluntary work......my OH is the Treasurer and Hall Keeper of our local Guide Hall, a voluntary post that needs her to visit the building at least once a week, so for us
to go away she needs to find someone willing to take over......not easy. We cannot just up-stakes and head off.Caravan may be spacious and warm, but we prefer our home comforts at this time of the year.
Write your comments here...I remember years ago in the 1980s when I worked in the Londis offices wages department, one of my colleagues described herself and her husband as fair weather caravanners. They would never set out in the rain. She said it did sometimes
happen that the weather was ok when they set out but later developed in to rain. To do that, they would not have been able to advance book sites at all. That's what it was like then. You could just turn up and a pitch would be available. Advance booking was
almost unheard of!0 -
....but you cant expect all the 'risk' to be on the CC side of the agreement.....
you want to book and the cc to guarantee a place (as its a hassle to get going) yet you want to cancel 'on the day' (without penalty?) if its raining.....
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....but you cant expect all the 'risk' to be on the CC side of the agreement.....
you want to book and the cc to guarantee a place (as its a hassle to get going) yet you want to cancel 'on the day' (without penalty?) if its raining.....
Write your comments here...If it's winter and sites are half empty in certain areas, like others have said on here, and you are happy to stay on such sites, the best thing is don't advance book. Make your decision on the day, according to the weather and just hitch up and go. Then there's no question of 72 hours notice to cancel. All you have to do is arrive at reception and the warden will check you in without any advance booking.
If you want a guaranteed pitch then simply book it on your day of departure.
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....but you cant expect all the 'risk' to be on the CC side of the agreement.....
you want to book and the cc to guarantee a place (as its a hassle to get going) yet you want to cancel 'on the day' (without penalty?) if its raining.....
Write your comments here...If it's winter and sites are half empty in certain areas, like others have said on here, and you are happy to stay on such sites, the best thing is don't advance book. Make your decision on the day, according to the weather and
just hitch up and go. Then there's no question of 72 hours notice to cancel. All you have to do is arrive at reception and the warden will check you in without any advance booking.If you want a guaranteed pitch then simply book it on your day of departure.
That is certainly what we did a week ago. We wanted to air the van out after we picked it up from service, as it is kept in storage. Service department phoned up at 10 am Friday to say it was ready, I phoned the site and booked Friday and Saturday nights.
We arrived at 2pm. Even on the weekend Clumber was only about half full.0 -
...... we would need at least 2 days to prepare for any trip at this time of year as we do not leave anything much in the van over winter.
Blimey ..... what am I missing ??
I decided to come away on Sunday evening. Logged onto site and booked onto Meathop Fell, from where I write this reply
Monday, went to caravan & within 35 mins was hitched, lights checked and on my way
Two hours to site including a coffee & loo break (for me and the dog) and then 45 mins to pitch, fill the aquaroll, erect the canopy and I've been chilling out ever since
What am I missing that takes 2 days to get ready ??
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Our caravan is always more or less ready to go. We often look for cancellations at Chatsworth for a weekend. Chuck some clothes in a bag, leave home at 12 for the storage yard 5 minutes away, hitch up and we're pulling into Chatsworth at 1pm.
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