Standard or serviced pitch?
Hi everyone, newbie here! 
My husband is taking his towing test tomorrow and we are hoping to set off with our new caravan at the end of August (staying fairly local).
I wanted to head down to Looe in cornwall as the site looks nice for children of which i have 3! (8yrs,4yrs and 2yrs). I have looked at availability and there are only standard pitches available. I have looked at the difference between standard and serviced
but was looking for opinions on the reality of this and if it will prove more difficult with 3 kids in tow if we opt for the available standard pitch?
It says that serviced pitches provide drinking water hook up, is this instead of the aqua roll then?
I expect thats a really stupid question 
thank you in advance!
Comments
-
You'd need some extra equipment to hook up to a serviced pitch, so if you're new you might find it easier on a standard pitch. You'll be filling up your aquaroll from a nearby tap and emptying the waste water into a nearby drainage point. There'll be a loo cassette emptying point nearby too. Just a bit of extra walking involved, maybe the children can help too. Have a look at the serviced pitches when you're there and people will probably tell you what you'll need to set up on one another time. The majority of us just use standard pitches, hope you all have a good time.
0 -
thanks to you both for the replies. we have a 2016 sprite major 6 so a new caravan. Can you advise what extra equipment we would need? also, if you are sharing electric hook up, will we need a y piece ?
0 -
thanks to you both for the replies. we have a 2016 sprite major 6 so a new caravan. Can you advise what extra equipment we would need? also, if you are sharing electric hook up, will we need a y piece ?
You each get your own electric socket.
0 -
Looking at your age (I'm guessing) but still young. I would opt for the standard pitch to start out and see how you get on. The extra you will pay for a serviced pitch may not warrant the cost. Later if you do decide to go onto a serviced pitch then you
could buy an adaptor kit for your aquaroll to run off mains water.You will need a container to catch your dirty water that can be carried/wheeled to an emptying point. Also plastic hose to attach to the waste water points of your van to your container.
Electric is one hook up to one van, no splitters needed.
Bye the way. I think this is the first time i've heard of a newcomer taking a towing test. Did he take his test after 1997 if so is he taking it for a B + E licence. Let us know how he gets one.
0 -
brilliant thanks- in that case i think we have pretty much everything we need to get going as we have the aquarolls, waste container etc. I think we will stick to standard pitches for shorter breaks, perhaps if we go for 7 days plus breaks then we will opt
for the serviced pitch and buy the adaptor kits needed. Thats really helped, thanks, i was a bit nervous about booking a standard pitch as all the serviced ones were gone i thought they may be 100 times better than standards and didnt want to make a mistake
by booking it!yes we are a young couple, I am 27, my husband is 30 - he passed his test after 1997 and therefore has to take a towing test to legally tow the caravan. We didnt actually realise this until we spoke to the bloke who owned the caravan sales place and he
informed us one of us would have to do the test! Luckily we found out in time so could factor it into the cost of buying everything - just incase anyone else is reading this who also passed their test after 1997, it cost around £500 so be warned!0 -
Standard gives you everything you need, Serviced (which is really only semi-serviced as you still have to take the toilet off pitch to empty) means you get your own tap and grey water drain. A disadvantage on the rare occasions we have had serviced is that
because we didnt take the waste water carrier you had to carry the toilet cassette instead of just wheeling it along on the wastemaster.0 -
i was a bit nervous about booking a standard pitch as all the serviced ones were gone i thought they may be 100 times better than standards and didnt want to make a mistake by booking it!
Don't worry about booking a standard pitch. Serviced pitches are few and far between. In the case of the Looe site there are only 14 serviced pitches out of 215 pitches in total. The chances are that those 14 will have been booked for many months.
0 -
Best of luck with the test.
Not essential but many of us carry and fill a 5 litre water container daily for drinking water only - rather than drink what comes through the system. It's just personal choice.
0 -
We don't usually book a serviced pitch. When we tour we notice that we would not like the location of some of the serviced pitches and think that choosing to have a serviced pitch narrows your choice on site. On occasion when on a serviced pitch (some affiliated
sites have all pitches serviced) I am happy to wheel waste the 5m or so to empty or to take water in a contained a similar distance to top up thr aqaroll in passing. It would not be worth our carrying the extra kit we reckon. Normally on site for 5 days between
moves. The pitch location is more important to us than whether serviced or not0 -
I haven't ever done a serviced pitch on a CC site no need for the extra expense while I am still able to aquaroll. I have met one or two in Ireland and Scotland but didn't have the pipe work necessary. When my children were young water carrying was one
of their jobs And I don't think they suffered! Have a wonderful time and keep asking questions. Jill said it is personal choice about a separate container for drinking water - I look on it as a safety thing avoiding possible tummy upsets as it is not always
possible to get the pipes clean. Some people seem less susceptible than others so are happy to use the built in system. With the very young in your family I know what my choice would be. Have a great time.0 -
I never went for a service pitch until I booked a site that only had a service pitch free - unusual to say the least but I only booked it a few days before we went I suspect it was a cancellation. If possible I now only book a service pitch. Yes they spoil
you in never having to fetch water or empty the waste and some evn have their own chemical disposal point too. You will find that it's these pitches that always sell first.0 -
Like you EasyT we have found the service pitches are often not where we want to be located. Twice we have had to have one because that was all that was available on booking and once - The Firs - we chose one because we thought it would be a bigger pitch.
Actually on arrival there were much nicer 'normal' pitches so we wont do that again.We dont drink the caravan water we always use bottled anyway.
0 -
Like you EasyT we have found the service pitches are often not where we want to be located. Twice we have had to have one because that was all that was available on booking and once - The Firs - we chose one because we thought it would be a bigger pitch.
Actually on arrival there were much nicer 'normal' pitches so we wont do that again.We dont drink the caravan water we always use bottled anyway.
We have been to The Firs Twice. Once about 9 years ago. We were meeting friend. One had a motorhome and she brought one of our friends who used a one man tent on her pitch. We had 4 friends staying in a nearby hotel. We noted that there were a lot of grass
pitches and as we prefer hard standing we booked a serviced pitch next time. As we approached the site we congratulated ourselves on our forsight as there had been several days of heavy rain before our arrival. When we got there we realised that a lot of the
serviced pitches were on grass!! As it happened all the unserviced hardstandings were taken, Abd the remaining hard standing was a serviced pitch backing onto the toilet block which was fine by me. Out of bed 6.30am, walk to back of van and swing a leg over
the key Klamp tubular galvanised steel fence and straight into shower block,0 -
I think there is a huge gulf between the "serviced pitchers" and the" non-serviced pitchers", it is just opinion as in so many other decisions.
We tend to use our own facilities a lot (shower etc) as we have a very spacious shower, so for us a serviced pitch is nice, but not essential. We tend to decide on cost as they are £3.50 to £4.50 extra per night.
In winter we are more ikely to book a serviced pitch. That way we do not have to go out in the rain to fill/empty.
To use a serviced pitch, you will need the Aquaroll fitting that makes it into a cistern, enough hose to reach the tap, and about 6metres of extra waste pipe. Hardly a huge cost or a lot of extra weight to carry.
0 -
When we got there we realised that a lot of the serviced pitches were on grass!!
Slighly off topic, but just to say they are mostly all hard standings now at The Firs
We've only used 2 serviced pitches on a CC site and neither was by choice, just what was available on booking. As we are still fit and healthy and tend to use the facilities we prefer to save the money and have extra days
0 -
some CLs could be described as Serviced Pitches, as you can usually run the waste water directly into an adjacent hedge with a short hose....no wastemasters required.
similarly, should the tap be within a reasonavle distance a long hose (or two joined) would bring it within reach of the van, making it ....virtually serviced.
for those with onboard water tanks, imguess it would be 'serviced' as you could could fill without using any other container.
those with MHs whose tanks last longer than their stay (say 4/5 days) also enjoy the advantages of a serviced pitch without being on one....
0 -
thanks to you both for the replies. we have a 2016 sprite major 6 so a new caravan. Can you advise what extra equipment we would need? also, if you are sharing electric hook up, will we need a y piece ?
Write your comments here...
Take a tool kit, screwdrivers, pliers, wire, tape, some small screws. In time it'll grow to include fuses an electrical tester, cable ties, spare washers and seals, double sided tape etc. But start somewhere. With three children to wash, yes I know they just want to play, you may find a second 40litre aqua roll is useful. Also, you'll need to top up your toilet flush tank. We have a 4 litre plastic bottle for that. Although the CC sites all have electric hookups, many CLs don't. in the long term you may find back to nature sites with few facilities suit your family as an alternative to fully serviced pitches. We're happy with either, depending on the time of year and location.
0 -
On the continent it is fairly common to have one or more shared taps at the edge of the pitch which I find extremely useful. Where drains are provided the difficulty is having to carry enough waste hose to reach the drainage point so we have never bothered.
I would say also that it is usual on the continent to have hedges and bushes around each pitch so there is ample opportunity to dispose of grey water as long as it is free of waste food etc.Unfortunately most of the U.K. sites seem to have an open aspect with close pitching. You can avoid this by using CLs of course if that style of caravanning suits you.
0 -
some CLs could be described as Serviced Pitches, as you can usually run the waste water directly into an adjacent hedge with a short hose....no wastemasters required.
similarly, should the tap be within a reasonavle distance a long hose (or two joined) would bring it within reach of the van, making it ....virtually serviced.
for those with onboard water tanks, imguess it would be 'serviced' as you could could fill without using any other container.
those with MHs whose tanks last longer than their stay (say 4/5 days) also enjoy the advantages of a serviced pitch without being on one....
if talking here about a caravan, filling an on board tank in a UK van generally involves using a pump to fill from another container, or using a special connector as used when using a serviced pitch with direct connection.
Continental vans on the other hand usually have an ordinary filling point where you fill using a hose or a watering can.
0 -
We have just come back from 2 weeks away in the caravan on a standard pitch.
As others have said, it is no hardship to fill the aquaroller with fresh water and empty the waste water.
The kids got involved and argued over who would fill the water up and empty the waste (but left emptying the toilet cassette to me!).
Where we were the serviced pitches also had a tv aerial point, but two weeks without tv was no hardship.
I would recommend taking a decent sized watering can with you to fill the toilet flush tank. Also to have a decent length electric hook up cable or a couple of the 10m ones which you can join together if required.
0 -
As others have said, it is no hardship to fill the aquaroller with fresh water and empty the waste water.
The kids got involved and argued over who would fill the water up and empty the waste (but left emptying the toilet cassette to me!).
Also to have a decent length electric hook up cable or a couple of the 10m ones which you can join together if required.
It could be an age / aches / pains thing ?? and the lack of kids (grown up) to deploy, but we find the extra £3.50 well worth it. Unless only stopping for a few days we would always opt for service, if available. As too electric cables, I would opt for the
standard 25 metre. Even on CC sites there has been the odd pitch where it has been a bit close. We actually carry a 25m and 10m and use as appropriate.0 -
My first choice is a pitch with plenty of seperation from units either side. It seems newer sites now offer the absolute minimum so that awnings etc bring you far too close to your neighbours. The temptation when building serviced pitches is to cram them in so that the expense in constructing drains, water supply etc is minimised. With the amount of leisure time spent on site, unless you have a physical restriction, is it really a problem to walk a short distance to fill an aquaroll?
0 -
We have not stayed at any really new sites. However, on the CC and affiliated sites we have used service pitches, I have not noticed any significant difference in the size and spacing of the service pitches. That is except for the AS site at Grantown where
the service pitches are huge, you could fit two vans on some of them.0 -
DWG Hope your husband passed his towing test.
Write your comments here...Yes he passed!
cant wait to get away now.Have been reading everyones advice on here , thank you, some really helpful points beint mentioned too.
0 -
I would not pay £3 50 a night for a service pitch it is not worth the money. Aquaroll lasts 2 days so does the waste water.
Why pay £3.50 for something that is not used everyday.
In your opinion ...... for some that's small price to pay
0
