Caravan Club prices question

I don't think you can compare as they are two different markets. If those French sites did not charge low prices they would be empty. They don't have the same touring tradition as the UK, certainly as far as caravans are concerned. Its one of the reasons you are seeing and increasing number of mobile home variants on French campsites as the French are now more inclined to hire something rather than take their own caravan. Years ago they would place their van onsite for up to three months but that tradition seems to be fading away now. Out of season you tend to see more French motorhomes using sites. We stayed at a site on the outskirts of Limoges at the beginning of October last year. It cost £12 a night but had only a dozen or so units on site. The Club site at York is always full despite the prices. It was also not long ago that the Club site were not making a profit but a small loss so another reason for prices being higher here.

David

When it comes to out of season/ mid-week discounts, the CC do not seem to have grasped the concept that half a loaf is better than no bread.

Well put, CY.  Only yesterday I was checking a few CC sites out for the end of February, beginning of March.  Considering a stay at York Rowntree for a few nights followed by 3 or 4 at Wharfedale, Grassington.  York works out at £19.60 per night for 2, Wharfedale
at £20.10.  Admittedly, they offer MWD, but Fri, Sat and Sun it's £20.10.  I could understand York being the more expensive site, as it's one of the "honeypot sites".  Wharfedale, in fact, has gone up by £3 per night compared to the same period last year.

Many of us on here know or in my case think I know quite a lot about France and understand this pricing difference . However France is a special case it has had a long tradition of camping and the  provisions of many sites for quite short seasons but
if you widen the question to look at site fees in the rest of Europe there does not seem to be any one answer to why they almost invariably provide better facilities at lower cost.  Lower wages could be a factor in Spain and Portugal but how are high cost
countries like Austria and Germany explained away? 

BTW Welcome to the forum and your  overseas touring interest particularly welcome

Perhaps it is just that we are such a captive market, literally. If we want to go outside of our small island it involves a ferry, or the tunnel, and expense. This is not an issue for longer stays but is for  2 / 3 weeks, which for the majority would be
at the higher priced time of the year in any event.

When it comes to out of season/ mid-week discounts, the CC do not seem to have grasped the concept that half a loaf is better than no bread.

Well put, CY.  Only yesterday I was checking a few CC sites out for the end of February, beginning of March.  Considering a stay at York Rowntree for a few nights followed by 3 or 4 at Wharfedale, Grassington.  York works out at £19.60 per night for 2, Wharfedale
at £20.10.  Admittedly, they offer MWD, but Fri, Sat and Sun it's £20.10.  I could understand York being the more expensive site, as it's one of the "honeypot sites".  Wharfedale, in fact, has gone up by £3 per night compared to the same period last year.

I appreciate that it's a few weeks off yet but don't forget that the A59 is still closed around Blubberhouses as this will probably affect your route.  

steve, one could probably get away with this sort of 'generalisation' to a degree but how does it explain the myriad methods employed to extract every last penny from the customer...

six price bands....'shoulder' seasons (no one had ever heard of these a few years ago)....more peak/shoulder/high periods than non peak...

I did not say we were not paying over the odds. Just trying to find a reason for it. Short of huge numbers deciding not to use campsites in the UK things are unlikely to change. Where as the Germans, living in any of the large downs close to the French border
can just nip across for a long weekend, if they reckon there sites are getting too expensive.

....but, as AD was saying, even 'high price' Germany has 'cheap' camping.....at full facilities sites....

 

The point I was trying to make is that there is more competition. If French sites are cheaper Germans can easily get to them. We on the other hand have to get on a ferry.

Never going to happen, but it would be interesting to see if German site prices would increase, if they were charged an amount similar to our ferry fares for leaving the country with their caravan. I think they might.

Dr. Nigel, All the other countries in Europe have plenty of fully equipped sites with an abundance  of pitches, plus Aires everywhere for motorhomes  too - therefore competition limits camp site price increases.

The UK has plenty of Ill equipped CLs  in isolated areas which few people want, but a shortage of well equipped sites and no motorhome Aires, therefore there is little need for our campsites here to compete on price. 

 

 

Half a loaf prices available at our place Ina!  You can park in our drive for a small fee!  Between both places - and ideally placed for long cycle rides!

Thanks Val, are you diversifying?  Half a loaf sounds attractive....

Its interesting how many people like to compare the UK to France, natural I suppose as they are our nearest neighbours. However perhaps the contrast is not so great if we were to compare to Itally where prices outside the discount schemes generally remain
high throughout all seasons. Funnily enough I have not seen people complain that prices in Italy are high compared to France?

David