Rip off Britain

He knows the saying about a fool and his money, Fysh! You won't find many local people in his eateries.

Are there many locals left in Padstow, or Sandbanks? Have they become dormitory towns for holiday home owners?

Conversely us grockles expect to get ripped off on holiday and plan treats once per holiday  It'll be a pint in a beachfront
bar this year 

Thankfully there are reasonably priced sites to find and use.

Emmets, KS, Emmets. You must learn our ways and terminology if you're going to try to insult us.

CC sites enforce rules to the letter????

I don't think so.........

You cannot add in the cost of ferries etc to French sites in order to compare them with UK sites. That isn't part of the site charge. You have to compare like with like.

Next someone will be saying that site in Scotland are expensive because of the driving distance......or alternatively Cornish sites are expensive for the same reason.

As I said before, France has a cost of living not too dissimilar to the UK......certainly near enough to make a comparison of caravan site prices a suitable 'like for like' comparison. And the UK (especially the CC out of peak season / mid week) are very
expensive.

I would think if costs for ordinary people were better on mainland Europe ,there would not be the thousands of people clambering to come here , including a french population in London alone as big as some French towns

Sites in Britain and France have very different cost bases and the prices cannot be compared. Here we enforce rules and regulations to the letter where in France they enforce those they feel like. Costs are very different especially land costs which are
far higher here and employment costs and tax are not the same either.. In simple terms if British operators could rake in more business by reducing fees enough to get enough extra business to cover the reduction some would.

Basically if you shop around you can get lower priced sites with some real bargains. It is not fair however to suggest our site operators are ripping us off when comparing them with something entirely different.

 ...So very true ,and because we have the second highest minimumd wage of all Europe,and the imported litigation society,all the legal eagles of most companies,now insist that anyone except their own employees  are contracted to carry out most tasks to minimise
any blame from "incidents"all at extra costs to the end users (US)

Of the European 18 sites we stayed at on our recent trip to Vienna 7 of them where in France. Most were municipals or former municipals. Under no stretch of the imagination were the facilities anywhere near the quality of those found on the average Club
site. OK you often had more room round you but few had any provision for the seriously wet weather we experienced. Funnily enough the one that did was the cheapest! The other 11 sites we used were in Germany and Austria. The toilet blocks in these two countries
are usually far superior to those found in France and a few far exceed the quality we come to expect from the Caravan Club. The downside, particularly in Austria, is that some but not all sites have relatively small pitches so they feel far more crowded than
the average Club site. A few of the sites we stayed at in Germany and Austria cost a similar amount as we paid at Black Horse Farm before we left.  I should add that we select sites for where they are which is mainly within easy reach of a town or village
or perhaps with easy access to public transport.  Cost is not the first consideration. Club sites are what they are, I happen to like them. If I was unhappy about the price I would look elsewhere although I have to say that when I have tried that, usually
because of location rather than price, I have often been disappointed.

David

That's a very interesting post, David. Good to hear a balanced view from someone with a wide experience of touring in Europe and can point out the pros and cons rather than the "been there once and absolutely everything over there is superior" type of comment.

Let's face it, there are good and bad sites in the UK and in Europe; there are expensive and economical sites in the UK and in Europe. The suggestion that everything on European sites is superior is as ridiculous as the suggestion that all CC sites are beacons
of excellence. 

What is slightly amusing in the context of the OP is complaints about the expense of CC sites from folk who for some reason feel compelled to use them. As has been suggested so often in the past, if folk continue paying those prices the CC will be happy
to continue charging them. If you feel they're too expensive, vote with your wallet and your wheels and shop elsewhere. It really is that simple isn't it? 

"Moulsey

I feel sure you are not including me in the "been there once" category, I travel abroad twice a year and have for the last 16 years ( plus about 10 earlier trips) and visited around a dozen countries  so I do feel qualified to comment especially as I have also toured extensively in the UK in earlier days.. Although cost is not a particular issue for us what can not be denied or explained away that we live in an expensive country and camping is no exception."

 

 

No, David, I wasn't referring to you as you have made it clear in the past that you have a wide experience of touring abroad. We also enjoy visiting Europe and appreciate different cultures and scenery, but we couldn't be away for anywhere near 77 nights. We do go twice a year though but base our breaks in hotels. Only last month we were walking in the mountains around Karanjska Gora in Slovenia.

But we also appreciate what's on offer in this country too. We visit the Cotswolds often and have never been faced with a muudy sloping pitch on a CC site in that area!  

You're right when you say we live in an expensive country which is why I've said in the past that comparing costs of sites in the UK with those in Europe is valid but only if accompanied by a comparison of costs of food & drink, fuel dining out and visiting places of interest etc.

We now pay £4 or £5 a night and enjoy some of the most beautiful places in Britain- non hook sites exclusively. Make our own electricity and save a small fortune. It can be done but it takes an investment to make it a reality ( returnable of course!!!)