Queueing at Chatsworth
Arriving at Chatsworth yesterday at 1305 we joined the back of the usual queue to check in. The Warden came along to say hello as normally happens... did we have a good journey? Where have we come from? etc etc. All very friendly. He went on to tell us it makes a change not to have abuse hurled at him for being made to queue and that he fortunately has been blessed with a thick skin so he's happy to man the radio along the lane, on busy days.
More than half of the arrivials on any given day give him much grief for not being allowed to head straight for the courtyard. Obviously not regular contributors on this forum, this wouldn't happen would it? However, it seems there are some Caravan Club members who do need to get a grip eh?
Merry Christmas, chill ;-)
Comments
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On a similar theme.......while we were at York Rowntree last weekend, a motorhome arrived at 11:30am on the Sunday and the couple were milling around waiting for the office to open (they have a very strict (and sensible) depart at 11:15 and don't arrive before 12 noon rule here).
We heard the lady say to her partner....."You should ring your brother and tell him to get here......look at all the empty pitches"
I think she would have changed her mind 30 minutes later when the charge of the light brigade arrived, to fill all those spaces!
(actually, it's a wonder that they weren't turned away, to wander the one-way system, because that's what often happens here).
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Actually, I blame the appalling education system. It's obvious that many Caravan Club members cannot read, otherwise this sad state of affairs would never happen. They would be able to read their emails confirming times of arrival and departure and also the guides that are sent to all members. I count myself fortunate that I am able to read and therefore arrive after the earliest time of arrival allowed, although usually I find myself having to choose from a smaller selection of pitches due to the non readers grabbing them before me. But I have right on my side and can act in a superior manner to them.
Merry Christmas to one and all
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Part of the problem lies in the instructions. The arrival times rules are not explicit enough and easily missed. The handbook and web pages should have this information in bold print and the acknowledgement should restate it.
Any one being rude to the warden should be reported to the club and a warning sent to them about their future conduct. Further trouble would then see them banned from club sites.
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There are odd times where folk might be caught out WW. We were ourselves last year at Berwick, when the club sent us an enjoy your holiday email, with earliest arrival of 12noon, despite having changed it to 1pm. However, in the vast majority of cases I believe members are well aware of the time they should arrive, a minority just choose to ignore it.
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would the world end if there wasn't a 12/1 o'clock arrival time & all new arrivals entered the site in dribs & drabs? Last time I went to a CC we all had to wait outside the site until it was deemed OK for us to enter by the wardens and that was despite it being gone 12. The site wasn't even half full, but obviously the wardens had their officious hats on .... Same site had new arrivals entering at around 11:30 as we were leaving.
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The lane to the Chatsworth site is a single carraigeway lane with few, if any passing places, the entrance courtyard area very small and would be tight for a couple of units meeting in opposite directions plus there is a narrow bridge over the river just before the courtyard, hence the clubs decision to apply a departure/arrival rule on this particular site. The club have decided to apply this restriction at Chatsworth, for the best reasons known to them, and I guess it works well. My point though is why get stroppy with the wardens on arrival? Senseless really, from what the warden told me, there seems to be a great number of bad tempered impatient members within the CC. Anyone abusive or unjustifiably rude to a warden should be refused entry and booted out of the club... without explanation.
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Isn't it strange how some folk blame the rules or those trying to manage them when they don't get their own way! Others just 'want' to be personally spoon fed with information rather than make the effort themselves to find things out. We have to take responsibility ourselves sometimes for our own actions and those occasional mistakes we make. Merry Christmas one and all!🎄
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Would the wardens be better doubling up in the office to process people quicker.No need for the "Attractions" spiel when booking in .We want quick access to a pitch, brew up
after a long journey and then look at what to do. They are extremely officious at Chatsworth in my opinion.
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Where we are, it is manned by one couple at this time of year ,only hard stands in use, and if members were a bit more considerate then it would not take so much cleaning of the facilties, which would, also give the wardens a bit more time to have something to eat and not have to face the pacing up and down outside the office
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Merry Christmas to one and all, I hope you're all having a great day.
Started this morning with a 5k run around the Chatsworth grounds... lovely. Then a couple of hours in the Devonshire mixing with the locals and now settling down to dinner with all the trimmings in the Bucc.
No matter how the wardens wish to run the site, whether or not they wish to give the tourist chat or not, is up to them... still no excuse for giving 'our' wardens a hard time. A tiring drive to the site withstanding, they work for us and our club and they don't deserve abuse just because your held up in a 10 minute queue to get on your pitch... as said, unecessarry warden abuse, club dismissal... no argument.
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We were at Chatsworth in mid December. We queued on arrival (13.15) for approximately 40 minutes, mainly because it takes a finite time for units to find and locate onto a pitch once they are on site. This situation is expected by a reasonable person. We found the wardens to be friendly and helpful (far from officious).
What was worrying was that when we arrived at the junction between the site entrance lane and the main road there were a number of units stopped on the main road waiting to turn into the lane (as a result of the queue). As a consequence, traffic was backed up along the main road for approximately 200 metres in either direction - not a good advert for the Club. Clearly its Members who are officious and arrogant, not the staff.
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Ah yes queuing at Chatsworth. We are local and do use the site quite regularly but mid week, well we can now. However to meet friends we have done a couple of weekends in Sept and Dec. We aim to arrive just after 13:00. On the first occasion we arrived at 12:50 so parked up in Baslow and had a walk. Members were queuing just inside the entrance up to the 'no queuing sign' backing up onto the road! On the second time we arrived at 13:05 to find ourselves well back in the queue. The marshalls have always been brilliant. When we arrived on Friday Dec 2nd we were one of 86 arrivals that day!
What can the marshals do if members arrive early and jump the queue? There is already a buffer, leave before 12:00, arrive after 13:00. They cannot turn outfits around and say come back later as there is no space to turn. Or could they? I would support a marshall right at the road entrance with any member arriving before 13:00 turned round at the no queuing sign and told to come back later.
Absolutely no need to be anything but appreciative of the marshals, especially at Chatsworth it is a BIG job, thank you marshals.
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Why do some Club members get so agitated about other people's arrival times?
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In the case of Chatsworth the solution is straightforward (albeit with a slight cost): put a barrier at the turnoff from the main road. Put it down at 1200 and up at 1300.
More generally, it seems to me that in some cases the rule is very necessary (and those who can't read should suffer some form of censure). In other cases (ie sites with 2 lane access and plenty of parking) there should be no reason not to have a relaxed regime.
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No idea, I'm not sure why the thread has moved in this direction. Queueing from 1pm at Chatsworth on busy days has been the case for years. It's to be expected, it is a biggish and popular site with limited space around the reception and a narrow lane in. The point raised is the attitude by some visitors towards staff just because they can't roll up, pay and pitch within a few minutes. Sure, after a long and perhaps difficult drive all you want to do is get on with your holiday, however, the wardens don't deliberately make life awkward for members. From what the guy told me the other day, there are a good many who give plenty of unwarranted abuse.
The club ought to refuse entry to the site to these types and withdraw their membership, a no tolerance policy if you like.
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All very well but the CC don't own the road or the rights to control traffic along it.
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We were at Chatsworth a few weeks ago. On arrival we were asked to stay in our motorhome until the people in front of us had booked in. When the people in front of us had returned to their units and entered the site we were asked to move forward to the line before booking in. All this seems perfectly sensible. The warden doing the marshalling was perfectly pleasant in his manner as was the lady in reception. I don't see the issue with people being asked to follow some perfectly simple and sensible instructions.
David
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When we arrived at Chatsworth in the school summer holidays there were no queues going in, the serviced pitches were 56% full and the rest of the site was 80% full. We arrived at 13:30 after a 4 hour journey. No point in arriving at the oft reported queue time for the sake of 30 minutes. Must be a CC foible of long term membership, do you get instructions or roolz to arrive at the busiest time? Seems odd if a constant cause of aggression is constantly undertaken time after time. You're on holiday, take a chill pill and arrive at a sensible time
On the way out there was a unit wanting to turn right despite the signage indicating exit left and turn at the roundabout. This then caused a queue of 3 units behind them wanting to exit in the easiest way. Obviously long term CC members flaunting the roolz
Have recounted at another site where there is a lane outside that people arriving before 12:00 had patiently waited for the entry time, to then have a unit race past the queue go into the arrival lanes, run into the office, book in, run back to the car and drive off with the passenger door open, bounce over a speed hump. They weren't young folk.
Perhaps the roolz of the CC cause this odd behaviour as never seen it on commercial sites. Recall it was similar to primary school, but that was over 50 years ago
Wonder if the ability to book a specific pitch would remedy the madness reported?
Works well at commercial sites where you can choose your pitch on booking. If Chatsworth is full of repeat campers it might be worth a trial as presumably the regulars know the pitches they want in place of taking pot luck and engaging in poor behaviour as reported above in this thread Funny old thing this caravanning lark.
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not in my opinion, both are inconsiderate.Perhaps at sites like Chatsworth and Rowntree Park York should have an even wider buffer between leavers and arrivers, say 11.00 oclock for leavers and 2 oclock for arrivers ? The problem is that too many members live close to both sites, and use them as their local pitch.Which means their travel time is very short. This puts members who live farther away at a disadvantage, and usually at the back of the queue !! they probably dont even see a queue, arriving at 3 or 4 oclock !
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Knowing which pitch one is going to be using through booking it specifically would make some of the queuing rush just not happen.
I can't recall staying in any hotel where one books in and is told to go around and look at the empty rooms and come back to reception to tell them which one has been chosen. Maybe the smaller amout to luggage in a hotel makes a difference.
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