UK touring - Do you need to book in advance?
Hi,
We have started planning our 2 week "big" summer holiday and are going to stay in the UK this year instead of our usual trip across the channel. We'll be going end of June, so out of school holiday time.
Can anyone advise me please - is it possible to tour around, doing a few nights here, a few nights there without booking in advance? Are pitches available in most places if you just turn up?
We haven't really decided exactly where to go (but are having fun looking!), but on the possible list is North Wales, Lake District, Northumberland coast and Scotland. The reason for asking is that we've never really tried it before, but have always struggled to get availability mid-September in Devon and Dorset, especially on club sites, and that's booking 2-3 months in advance. I'm not sure if that is particular to the location or time of year?
Any insights appreciated, TIA.
Comments
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if your tour includes weekends in decent weather then my answer would be 'no' its not easy just to turn up on a whim and expect a pitch....many will have booked months previously....anyhow, im not sure the club grasps the concept
you certainly wont be able to feel a sconfident about leaving things till later in the day, as you might have on your previous excursions...
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If you were a caravaner then yes it would be best to book. Even with a MH (who can turn around easier and wild camp) I would say yes. Its difficult to predict in June which sites will be full and which won't. Certainly at weekends you will struggle to find a free site. The Lakes is very popular even off peak. Have have a look at the search and book for the sites you're interested in to see how it is now. Some weekends may be full already. Some sites without EHU or toilets may have more space as they are not as popular.
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I would book - certainly in the Lakes. Scottish sites are often full at that time too. School holidays in Scotland start several weeks earlier than in England.
I'd rather be certain of a pitch than take a chance as I fear the days of touring and turning up on spec are long gone. It can be different in a summer of foul weather, mind.
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Don't forget that schools in Scotland break up at the end of the 3rd week of June, so sites up here will be busier then and possibly will also have an impact on the english/welsh sites too. At that time of year I wouldn't chance it like we do over the water. Winter is about the only time you can tour properly in this country (that's if you can find any open)
If you are willing to chance it then CL's will be your friend, we often when on our return from over the water just book 1 site ahead at a time using the 'Late availability' for the weekends or CL's, if you are a member of the other club then you will have more choice of course and could use THS's
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If you have the Dates of your holiday already to hand
Acorn, then book your Club sites asap then spend your
time browsing for information round those areas At least
that's what I tend to do.
Should you find an area without CC sites you can check
out the CL network, or even, heaven forfend, Commercial
sites !
A B M
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Thank you all for your replies.
I suspected this would be the case, but thought I'd check just in case we could get away with it, as it is more fun
we don't want to waste precious holiday time trawling round for a site though.Thanks also for the heads up about Scottish school holidays, we hadn't even considered that.
So the CLs - do they tend to be less booked up at all times in your experience?
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Regarding CL sites - there are so many to chose from. At the end of June some will be full, some will never be full. It will depend on the area and facilities offered. If you did decide to use CL's I would suggest a thread in the CL section asking for recommendations for your areas.
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When we first retired we booked a site in Dorset and then planned to 'play it by ear' from there on our intended five or six weeks trip. Mentioned it to the warden that we didn't know how long we would be staying and she looked at me as if I was mad and recommended getting booked up for the weekends if nothing else.
We use the CL network a lot and I am pretty sure that you will always find somewhere in the area you want as there are so many of them, but of course it won't be the best in the area as that will probably be booked up.
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LTC, love your first para......'as if i was mad'.....
all visitors must book!0 -
Very rarely book.Its what a motorhome is all about- flexibility. Tour Scotland extensively and never a problem. Keep some water in your freshwater tank. Have a couple of 5 litre drinking water and you are free. Can change my fishing flies at 11pm in late May/June so no need for EHU. You can also wild camp or just ask a local farmer if yo can pull in and you will find them very accommodating.
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Very rarely book.Its what a motorhome is all about- flexibility. Tour Scotland extensively and never a problem. Keep some water in your freshwater tank. Have a couple of 5 litre drinking water and you are free. Can change my fishing flies at 11pm in late May/June so no need for EHU. You can also wild camp or just ask a local farmer if yo can pull in and you will find them very accommodating.
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We nearly always book in the UK...sometimes only a pre telephone call but a few weeks before if we stay on a CC or similar site.
Most of our travels are in Europe and we virtually never book although we tend to use Stellplatze and Aires etc with the occasional campsite.
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I am with ET ,Sun -Thurs nights in June is not normally a problem, except on the few well known "honey pots" and if you are also thinking you like where you are, a word with the site staff we find normally gets a positive outcome for the w/end
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Flexibility is the key. We seldom book more than a few days in advance when we tour, unless one of the places we decide to use usually gets very busy. Club Sites are a case in point. Some, usually those with lots of facilities, HS, close to cities or coastal hotspots such as Scarborough, Looe etc... Will be busy.
However, if you are adaptable and able to use sites such as nice CLs, small private sites, farm sites, the other Club's network of CS sites, then you can tour quite easily without too much booking ahead. Having the capacity to enjoy your holiday without needing HS, EHU and shower/toilet blocks will make things a lot easier, but I appreciate that this doesn't apply to everyone. There really is nothing nicer in the height of Summer than finding a hidden gem of a site and having it almost totally to yourself, and immersing yourself into the landscape, sharing it with local wild life and avian visitors.
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We used to AD, for example, when we used to stop at Threeways/Marazion. It had one area that had no hook ups, so it seldom got booked up. Likewise with places such as Nunnykirk, Much Wenlock, Bromyard Downs. Experience taught us that most folks like a EHU and/or HS, particularly if weather is a bit changeable. We can manage perfectly well without either of these, at least other than in a very cold wet Winter. Nowadays you would have to check if a Club Site is your intended destination, especially if a weekend is included.
CLs, especially some of our favourites, have become more popular, so if we intend staying a long time (say a week) in one place, I would use mobile to check. If we are touring, then we usually look at options in area, bearing in mind CLs/CS's only offer a maximum of 5 pitches. We went to North Norfolk in August Summer before last, phoned whilst on our way down, and found ourselves completely alone on a lovely back of beyond CS! All the towns, villages, Club Sites were heaving at the time, so we were rather lucky! Mobile phones have made checking sites a lot easier, so we do take advantage of this nowadays, but finding a site full and moving on has found us some hidden gems!
I have to add that we won't pay silly money to stay on a basic site, it has to represent good value, so that is a self imposed limitation for us.
I like the idea of being able to move on and know you could get a pitch on Continent though, but we would have to like the site, be our kind of place, or we would look at other options.
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Sadly to say weekends seem to be getting a problem for those of us who like to travel on a whim so you will need to book or be prepared to trawl round for alternatives. I like to move on if there is a rainy day forecast - might as well drive in moderate rain than get wet looking round! Sites away from the CC can sometimes be useful - I have found the other club booking system can lead to weekends not being booked up so much in advance.
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You said it all in your last sentence. Would you want to rely on the list to be sure of a pitch? I'm sure that I wouldn't
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Normally I would say, stay as flexible as possible and don't book in advance. Unfortunately you're wanting to visit the most popular places in the country, but at the end of June, you shouldn't have too much trouble. I don't think that the Scottish school holidays have a lot of influence on availability.
When you say Scotland, where do you mean - it's a big place. Some places will be crowded and other places will be quiet.
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