Arrival Times
I'm sure this topic has been done before but I suppose I want to rant.
Last week we were at Trewethett Farm site in Cornwall, we were there for a special "landmark" birthday for my Wife. With this site the main attraction is the fantastic sea views you get from some of the pitches. Given it was a special occasion I very much wanted to give my Wife the perfect birthday which included a pitch with a great view (but I know we're not entitled and like everyone else we take our chances). When I booked, the site told me pitch allocation was 1st come 1st served which I fully accept. The day before we left I again rang the site and was told arrival time was 12 and not before. We were travelling from NW England but hey thats my problem.
We arrived 5 miles away from the site at about 10:30am so I found a lay by parked up and waited for the 12 o'clock arrival time. We got to the site at 11:50 to find 6 Vans in front of us all booked in and walking around the site to find a pitch (with this site you walk around to find your pitch then go back and collect your Van).
Of the Vans that arrived early I saw at least 2 of them with fantastic pitches with the great sea views that I wanted, yet I played by the rules and got a pitch with a limited view that was left. I am really angry. Over the next few days I saw Vans arriving and pitching up around 11:15.
I now feel like I'm a mug for playing by the rules, I don't really blame the members for arriving early, its the Club staff I blame for telling me 12 o'clock knowing the they'd let Vans in before that.
The next time I want a specific pitch at a Club site I intend to turn up when I want and ignore the rules.
Comments
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Logic tells me that even if you all arrived on the dot at 12pm, there would always be one at the head of the queue and one at the end.
There was a similar discussion recently about arrival times.
I think people change pitches at the site you've mentioned. It's known as the Trewethett Shuffle and is the only way to get a front pitch if you don't succeed the first time.
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Sadly it is a topic that is regularly raised and discussed by members. I have yet to see a comment from staff regarding this.
It seems that there are those like yourself, and us, who will park up and await the arrival times and others that don't.
Until it is fully enforced by site wardens, if this is what HQ want as policy, it will continue.
Often there are reasons for times such as narrow access, we are gather, and there was a thread where someone arrived early and was turned away!
We have been on sites where arrivals started at 10am.
I'm not bothered particularly by arrival times, we arrive when we are ready, BUT if there is an earliest arrival time it should be adhered too.
I expect HQ line will be warden discretion, as with late departures. Pushes the issue onto someone else, no confrontations for HQ and no back up for wardens. So really you can't blame the wardens if they choose not to make a stand. Often making a stand causes blocked roads if early arrives refuse to shift. Thus could cause site closures if locals or the police, rightly, complain and want it sorted. So damned if they do damned if they don't. A little like the frenzy day bookings etc. It's just the rules they are set sorted 😉
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It's one of the things I don't enjoy about arriving on a club site, the timing and scramble for a pitch on busy sites isn't exactly a relaxing or pleasant start to a holiday. One good thing though, not everyone wants the type of pitch you want and when we stayed at Trewethett we had to move from our front sea view pitch due to bad weather flooding the pitches but we could still see the sea well from the row behind.
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Yes we did thanks, the coastal path walk is spectacular. TBH usually I'm not bothered about getting a certain pitch and I generally take what comes. But the fact we'd travelled a long way and had twice rang the site to be told deffo 12 o'clock and then get there to find 12 o'clock was really 11:15. Added to the fact it was Mrs FB landmark birthday.
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Same site, different wardens = different interpretation of the rules. We were kept waiting till the warden deemed it was 12 o'clock (it was actually 5 past) when we arrived at a site recently , but different wardens were allowing units in at 11:30 as we left. Just pedantic wardens on some sites that have half empty/full sites but rules are rules ......
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The same thing happened to us many years ago, by the time we arrived at 12 all the pitches in the main section were bagged. We ended up at the top of the sloping field. Our intention was to move but once we got the van levelled, we decided it was quiet a nice location, plenty of room and still a sea view. The only draw back would have been if mobility was a problem, as it was about half a mile to the facilities. The site in its wisdom, although only mid September and still full, closed the temporary facilities in the field. I think I found that more annoying than the earlier arrivals, as it would have been easier for them to do something about it.
As far as ignoring the rules in future, only you can decide on that one, personally I don't consider it an answer. If it bothers you that much, write to the CC. Complain directly to the wardens. Although much to much stress invoved in that in my opinion. I will continue to arrive on or after the appointed time. To date we have never failed to find a pitch we were happy with, even in the above case.😀
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Been there and seen the "shuffle", seems like a big hassle to me!
And yes, people habitually arrive early, when we were there some were queued up by 10am.
On our first visit we were on a pitch near the block, last time we had a sea front one below the block. On the evening if our last day I removed the Alkos etc and packed the car. Someone must have been watching as, while we were eating breakfast, an Aquaroll appeared next to our pitch number, and a fellow knocked on the door to check that we really were leaving!
However, about an hour later, the Aquaroll disappeared, he had apparently found a "better" pitch higher up where the occupants were leaving earlier than we were!
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Economy and pitch in the same sentence on a club site? I'm flabbergasted.
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That is a classic comment in a thread about brinksmanship!! Well done.
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When I arrive at site it is usually between arrival time and 20 mins past. I try and play by the rules in that regard. It is unusual on most sites to have more than a couple in front.
If I arrive early for some reason it would be because I had arranged to do so with the warden whether on a commercial site or a club site. I consider that to arrive ,say, 7 mins early is forgiveable but to arrive 40 mins early without agreement is simply ill mannered.
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i would guess that this is a more or less spot on assesment of the reality of the situation.....
Therefore the Club has two options......
1) Try & introduce some sort of small penalty for early arrival, a fee or a similar system to less than 72 hours notice of cancellation where you get warnings then sanctions etc.....However if the wardens won't enforce the 12 noon arrival they won't want to enforce this either....
so..
2) Scrap arrival & departure times completely. I always leave a site by 9am on my departure day and a new arrival is welcome to my pitch. Some people may leave at 4pm and leave the "best" pitch vacant. A late arrival gets as good a chance of the "best" pitch" as an early arrival, and the long queue of vans checking in at noon is history.....I know BB has promoted this for a long time, and I am now convinced it is the way to go......(And if all staff are cleaning the loos, find a pitch and report to the office later)
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TT, I thank you
i think you're right, too....but youre in a sticky wicket on this forum, lol
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This rule (leave by 10 - arrive after 12 ) was no doubt to give wardens the chance to cut the grass on vacated pitches. I see no reason why it should apply to sites that are mainly hard standing. The only exception being those with very narrow access roads as having witnessed some members reversing skills havoc would not even come close
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Even the sites that are mainly hardstanding usually have grass separators. These are best cut when the pitches are vacant to avoid the risk of stone damage to adjacent cars or caravan. Depending on the site and peg position, when the pitch is occupied aquarolls and wastemasters are sometimes on the grass.
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I think we have to ask what is it that drives a minority of members to tip up early at a site when they know full well the stipulated earliest time of arrival, that time at which the majority will adhere to. The answer is to steal a march over those considerate members amongst us in an attempt to simply get what they want. What is more, they then, it appears, blame others for 'having' to do it, and making them do it. Furthermore, they will expect exceptions to be made for them knowing full well that on several sites once landed there is little possibility of being turned back due to approach circumstances which places everyone in very difficult positions and just 'assists' them in getting their own way.
As far as doing away with arrival times I really can't see that working as folk would turn up at any time of the morning, day or night in order to steal that march! You would still have to have an opening time so that won't work! Also, those few who turn up early would probably 'hover' over favoured pitches waiting for them to be vacated causing more issues and angst for members and staff.
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This rule (leave by 10 - arrive after 12 )
Not a rule I have come across. I have been on CC sites a lot and usually arrive at 12 and leave at 12 is the site rule (not affiliated sites). Some with a narrow access such as Cheddar are arrive at 1 leave at 12.
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