Booking a hard standing pitch
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I think they are converting more and more, as evidenced by the announcements in club site news on here and in the magazine. But it could be argued that grass pitches cost more to maintain and hence no differential is needed?
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But it could be argued that grass pitches cost more to maintain and hence no differential is needed?
If that was the case, which to be honest I doubt, then it is even more reason to scrap them........they are less popular to most but cost more to maintain ?........bin them..
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Yes, quite possibly, especially if site users are not prevented from covering the grass and reducing it to a bare muddy patch......as we found on one (all grass) site a couple of years back.
With the amount of rain most of UK gets, grass pitches for caravans and MHs are not really suitable most of the time.2 -
well grass pitches have to have the grass cut, takes time? effort, petrol? Repair when they are too damaged to be used, losing money due to lost income when they are out of action?
And yes get rid of them all, remember I'm not in favour of grass pitches and will never use one. Said so many times.
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100% percent agree with you.
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If booking hard standing pitches were allowed it could possibly create a “Honeypot” type scenario when booking 1st starts for the year ahead meaning less hard standing choices for those who are unable to book at that moment in time. IMHO the system of choosing on arrival is fair for all members.
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Maybe we could all toss a coin on arrival..... Heads # H/S , Tails # Grass .....just a thought , or we could just leave it on a first come first served basis....😘
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Setthorns is C&CC/Camping in the forest isn't it though? And we know how popular the C&CC booking system/deposit system is with many folk on here!
Personally, I'm for keeping the CAMC system as it is - simple and effective for most people's wishes.
We've used both clubs this year, we're quite happy to use either system - I like being able to select HS with C&CC, I like being able to book flexibly with CAMC - just two different systems, both have their advantages.
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+1😇
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I'm not saying the CC should change it , but it showed on that site that members don't always book the hardstanding first given the choice .
both clubs have their good and bad points , but in my opinion the C&CC have more better points , and I will carry on using both clubs
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Agree, and also, maybe you can't have both? As HD says the site was half full? Perhaps its easier to be able to book a pitch when your sites are not that popular to begin with?
I still come back to the site where there is an empty pitch if I want to extend my stay, but someone has booked the pitch I'm on. For motorhomes perhaps it's easier but not for caravans with maybe an awning attached. I think it would led to a loss of possible income? hello warden, do you have 5 nights free please, well yes we do, but they are over two pitches as some have been reserved?
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I still come back to the site where there is an empty pitch if I want to extend my stay, but someone has booked the pitch I'm on. For motorhomes perhaps it's easier but not for caravans with maybe an awning attached. I think it would led to a loss of possible income? hello warden, do you have 5 nights free please, well yes we do, but they are over two pitches as some have been reserved?
But surely that situation would only happen IF there was no more H/S pitches available. Because of the first come rule, no pitch is booked by number, so it doesn't require you to move pitch unless all H/S are booked and you have to move onto grass. The choice would be yours do we move to grass or move sites completely.
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JVB. I presume as both clubs are over a hundred years old quite a few people have managed to camp by whatever means on sloping and flat sites?
The booking systems are different, which one is the best is difficult to decide.
(I prefer a pre-booked type of pitch, whether I've chosen a hardstanding or a very basic non EHU grass pitch doesn't matter, but it's good to choose.)1 -
Reflecting on my last half dozen stays on C&CC sites I can't actually remember booking a hard standing pitch, but the one they have ready for me each time has always been hard. And with lots of grass pitches unoccupied.
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Grass pitches whether suitable are dependent on the type of soil that the site is made up of, as if the ground is of the type that drains well, the grass that a lot of people still prefer is quite adequate for all types of liesure vehicles ,and i hope grass pitches remain , but as stated with our unpredictable weather the site owners/leasers need to be aware of the their sites that have poor drainage and do more to improve the pitches for the vehicles more likely to have "problems", but of course it also depends on the lease holder also being agreeable, and although the cc handbook states sites as club owned,"fake news" that is not the case as a lot are leased
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£1.05 cheaper actually.
having a price differential has often been mooted, say, add £1 to HS, take £1 off grass....giving a £2 difference, a 95p variance on CCC (well, we like to be our own club....)
incidently, adding EHU to a grass pitch is £4.10. so grass, no electric is a good value option and certainly not restricted to just tents.
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We recently booked a non EHU pitch at the C&CC Slindon site. It cost £9.60. When we got there we were offered an EHU pitch as there were a few spare, but our grass pitch was lovely so we declined the helpful offer. (Very nice small site, in an open area of NT woodland on the edge of the Sussex Downs.) I really do enjoy having this choice for price and pitch.
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Been there, Brue, absolutely lovely....and the village, too
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The club did trial this and said the results did not justify the implementation. Essentially that means if you are happy to get either type carry on, but if not choose your site carefully or go elsewhere.
The club is short of sites and is not going to worry about the odd site night lost as someone else will take it in most cases.
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yes good post.
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I find it quite entertaining watching new arrivals ducking and diving, me I just find a pitch I like, mud or gravel no problem.
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i must say that, with this being one of the driest springs on record, all the grass pitches we have used have been in tiptop condition.
i realise it isnt always like this......but when it is, IMHO, having a grass pitch is a much nicer experience, sitting out with no shoes on (no sharp gravel pieces to avoid) feels far more like a holiday environment.
obviously, HS come into their own at wetter times of the year but we may be in warmer climes then....
so, with us using mostly THS and CL type sites in spring/early summer and overseas sites late summer and winter, we dont get to see too many HS pitches, usually at New Year and the early spring.
there was a post about vans getting stuck (on wet pitches) earlier and we have been on some pretty wet pitches at times.
Salisbury CCC last New Year was appalling, but we got on/off ok, but the pitch was horrible.....we did get stuck on a CC 'featured' site in France (Vaux sur Mer) but the owner's 4x4 did the trick (a small section of the site was IMHO too wet to be used).....so it does happen.
but, due to our annual 'timetable' we dont get to see too many very wet grass pitches.
some sites weve used in the uk are all HS, but we generally choose grass (where theres a choice) if the weather and ground conditions are ok.
we usually have the luxury of being able to 'know' the weather for the vast majority of our trips as we dont book any (bar the New Year one) more ths a few days in advance.we will be going away (probably) next week, dont know where yet, and would have no qualms about being on a grass pitch, in fact nicer for us.
so, being able to book HS/grass is a 'nice to have' because not everyone wants/needs HS all the time, but the system would allow a 'tick in the box' when necessary.
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