Loss of a gem
Updating my handbook from the Sep & Oct magazines, I notice that Higher Carthew Farm has closed as a CL. It was IIRC a regional 'top site'. The owner used to be a fgairly frequent poster some time back. What is the club doing to lose such quality CL's, particularly as this one was run by a club member. Do they really not care about the CL network?
Comments
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I have a feeling the owner posted his/her reasons on here, CY, but I can't recall the details.
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I have bumped up the thread in question CY, a few people commented, including you. Sad to see any CL go.
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Hello the owner posted that it was due to lack of bookings (and a bad review i think) which i initially found surprising but i noted that the site was adults only and also they did not allow dogs.
We also run a CL a few miles away from Higher Carthew and have had our busiest season since we started but 80-90% of our visitors do have children or dogs so i am sure that we would be in the same position if we chose to go down that route!
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I said that the AO/no dogs policy might affect take up at the time stuh, seems as though your experiences bear this out. Providing a niche market is good, but only if the niche supports expectations. Still sorry to see any CL go, but the owners make the final decisions. Hassle with dogs or children may have prompted the initial policy, but the ultimate decision to close is owner rather than Club related.
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Since the Caravan Club put up its Club site prices to silly levels I have never again used a Club site, not in at least three years! But our usage has gone up on CL's, and is now at the 50+ nights annually. ( all on CL's.) I have to say that in all my time using exclusively CL's, Children have never been a problem, and I don't think that many of my chosen sites were AO. I think it is because most users of CL's are at a point in their lives whereby their children are doing other things. But I would never find children an annoyance and I suspect that most CL users would have well behaved children anyway!
So site owners ask yourself the question, is your AO Policy increasing or perhaps reducing your bookings? I suspect it might be the latter.
TF
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I think it depends on different criteria TF. We stayed on a lovely that happened to be AO. It had a nice small private site alongside as well, and was well used. The owners had also excavated two very deep fishing ponds for visitors to use, and despite having children of their own made the decision to become AO in terms of safety and insurance.
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Can't fall out with that TDA, as you said it all depends on the criteria that different owners have. You will see that i have just reported on a different thread on Cowslip Cottage Chickerell in Dorset. That was a simply first class CL, and certainly allowed dogs. I don't think that it was AO, I didn't look, but that didn't spoil it either. As you say it all depends on the owners criteria, and they will have their reasons.
TF
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I wonder if CL owners who make them adult only do so because they think that is what the majority of their customers want? I suppose in the case of some they make them adult only because of concerns for child safety if for instance they are situated on a working farm. Given their very nature CL's seem to be left unsupervised, compared to say a Club site, which may also be an influence.
David
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In some ways, thats the attraction of them, certainly for me. No regimentation! Far less expensive! And back to the freedom that caravanning once offered!.
I truly believe that the Club site is so far removed from what caravanning once offered, is that it is totally an alternative concept!
I will follow the original concept, thank you.
TF
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