The big winter shut down
Comments
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When we have gone away in the winter months there has never been any problem in finding sites open. The restricted opening weeks are subject to more often than not to planning restrictions. Some years ago my eldest brother owned and ran a commercial site in Dorset, this was subjected to an 11 month licence, it proved impossible to gain permission for all year opening. Before the "over there" brigade say things are different on the continent, vast numbers of sites in France open only from April to September, there are still sufficient sites open for those requiring them.
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Glad to read that it has not been dismissed out of hand JVB. It doesn't have to be at existing sites. it might be a potential way of increasing site capacity by acquiring land which is too small for major development but could be made available for those not requiring full facilities.
peedee
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We van all year and find plenty of sites throughout the UK open when we need them. Mix of CC, Cls and commercials. Easy to find by search on internet. It could be said that the club might look at the locations of those closed eg Brecn Beacons seems an ideal pace to be open all year but may have planning restrictions.
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At the moment there seem to be enough sites open, places like Moreton in Marsh can be virtually empty after the New Year rush. The balance is about right with CLs etc still available. Many won't travel to Devon and Cornwall in the winter, we do because it's near but long winter journeys don't attract many.
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But we're talking about club sites here, not waste ground.
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There are many sites on the CMC network which stay open during the winter months. They are listed on the website.
On the other point about operating some sites on a low amenity basis during winter, I do believe that it's a great idea. No need to open the facilities block at all. Just provide somewhere with hard standing, drinking water, grey and black waste disposal and and electricity..
The very minimum of duties for a single warden.
Could be a real money spinner.
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I think if you have had the "pleasure"of being on a site when they have "visited"with their "membership"card, and the problems that the site staff have to deal with when on site and after they have left, you would not have even considered posting your comment
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A French site owner told me that they are licensed for a set number of days a year. When I pointed out that they were closed for Easter she said no problem I would be wasting days as no one would be around.
i guess that Thetford closes due to it being staffed by volunteers?
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There are continentals who use caravans in winter sports areas, and of course there are the hundreds of OAPs who go to refugee camps in southern Spain, but other than that the mainland Europeans simply don't Caravan in winter. It's a very British thing.
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My guess is that the bottom line is, that if a site can't guarantee to break even, or make a slight profit it will probably remain shut for the period it can't pay the bill.
It would be interesting to know if the Club is open g more sites over the winter than it did, say, 10 or 20 years ago?
David
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About a third of Club sites are open all year, I have never seen any full in the winter. Rowntree has come close but even this site has mid week vacancy. There probably isn't a case for more to open unless it can be done more cheaply which with rising costs is unlikely unless current operational methods change.
peedee
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Looe used to be open but when we went there were less than twenty vans on site. Like Hillhead which closes after Christmas sometimes only parts of these big sites are open and even then they're under occupied except over Christmas and New Year.
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Single warden?or more likely a couple, and even then under the working time directive,they will have to have time off, so another couple will be needed to cover who will have to travel to the site and/or other similar sites,so not that "cheap"to keep sites open,facilities or not
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The sort of site I would like to see opening longer, ie until Christmas, is Bladon Chains at Woodstock because of events going on at Blenheim Palace in the run up to Christmas. The problem is that it only has about 30 hardstandings so economically probably not worth extending opening even if they could. The two sites we have used in recent years in December have been Chatsworth which we always find pretty full, at least 75% and Longleat which was the opposite and perhaps 25% was on the optimistic side! It would be nice to have Black Knowl open all year once the work is completed.
David
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as mentioned earlier, no need for wardens at all.....or showers, or toilet blocks.....for the sites that 'might be able' to make a go of it all year round...
card entry, easy entry barrier systems, auto charging via member card (for those who wish to sign up, but a condition of access for this type of low cost, low charge site......say £10 a night), a dozen or so pitches, mostly HS close to barrier, 'newly designed' MHSP so as not to impact on rest of site, which is effectively turned off till wardens come back from winter break...
Ah, hang on, we have a CC sponsored aires systems for members only.
should work really well
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