Wardens Reserving Pitches for MHs in Wet Weather
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As I have rarely met fellow members of such low intelligence, I think your idea of less bookings is probably right.
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On the Booking Trial, reading between the lines as we are often forced to do with the Club! The confusion, where it existed, was causing a problem to wardens in trying to placate members who did not book the right pitch. It seemed from what little was said at the time the warden input about the trial was more influential than members? My own view was that if you are going to allow booking of individual pitch surface you have to do it network wide so there is no room for confusion but you can imagine if a member came from one site where they had a free choice to one where their options were limited it is perhaps understandable that confusion could occur? Personally I would like to be able to book a hardstanding but as the Club installs more and more of them that personally requirement might become a bit academic as the majority of pitches will be on a hard surface?
David
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Personally I would like to be able to book a hardstanding but as the Club installs more and more of them that personally requirement might become a bit academic as the majority of pitches will be on a hard surface?
In the last 10 years I have not missed out on obtaining a hard standing. I came close at Seacroft and Hebden Bridge - both a Saturday arrival - obtaining the last hard standing standard pitch although one was later freed at Hebden by a late departer. I have been asked 3 times to take a grass pitch to save hard standing for any motorhomes and declined on each occasion having viewed the site
There have been sites that I have not booked however because of a low number of hardstandings
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ET, sorry but your opening statement is incorrect. The review doesn't say "hardstandings reserved for motorhome", it actually says four pitches suitable for motorhome's. There are no hardstandings at Nunnykirk, and we know from lots of visits there that the Wardens down the years have always given good advice about ground conditions, especially this early in the season. Couple of years ago, they advised us to look elsewhere when I rang up to check ground conditions prior to booking. Given the snow and wet Northumberland has had this Winter, I suspect conditions are not good. The advice has always included best pitch for anything depending on where pitches are located, and how easy the run is off the site road.
An easy mistake to make, but it's just normal helpful visitor information that anyone is likely to get, and perhaps the reviewer is unaware of this.
I am with Nellie on a new name for this Club, coping with anything that includes wet weather, a bit of soft ground, a slightly uneven pitch seems beyond a lot of folks for one reason or another nowadays. The 70 and 80 year old touring couples we meet on CLs in their classic vans have a good laugh at a lot of folks a good deal younger, a whole lifetime less adventurous!
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ET, sorry but your opening statement is incorrect. The review doesn't say "hardstandings reserved for motorhome", it actually says four pitches suitable for motorhome's. There are no hardstandings at Nunnykirk,
It has already been addressed TTDA and I said that it was still relevant as I have been asked to leave hard standing for motorhomes in the past in conditions when IMO pitches should have been closed..
coping with anything that includes wet weather, a bit of soft ground,
I can cope with soft ground TDA but I refuse to spend 5 days with muddy footwear for anybody.
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At the time of day that you say you arrive I wouldn't expect you to end up on grass.
However there are many members that don't/can't arrive at 12 noon and do end up on grass despite booking a pitch months in advance, this is one member which doesn't like the pitch lottery.
Until the club can offer me a h/s by choice I will be very selective of which and when I use C&MC sites, hence joining the other club who do offer a choice.
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with modern vehicles easily twice the weight of the regular van 30 years ago I think most grass sites are becoming unfit for purpose.
It is not the weight of the outfit that bothers me it is traipsing over muddy grass pitches which are often awning damages as well
At the time of day that you say you arrive I wouldn't expect you to end up on grass.
A problem on a few sites if we arrive on a Saturday
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I get a little bit tired about hearing that "wardens have to manage the site". Until the "first come first served" rule goes and you're able to book pitch type I would be most aggrieved to be asked to use a particular pitch because others were being reserved for MH's due to the weather!
Same as wardens reserving pitches for friends. Don't say it doesn't happen because we've seen it this week!
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How do you distinguish between managing the allocation of pitches and reserving for friends? How can you tell the difference?
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Hi
In times of prolonged bad weather, in my opinion, it would be very incompetent of me if I didn't "manage the site". We like to our visitors to have full choice of pitches but at times, if you'd care to read from page 272 of the handbook, it clearly states that at times a pitch will have to be allocated. The coning of pitches is part of that allocation. I don't have any friends so don't have many cones
JK
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Some years ago at the New Forest Centinery site we arrived to be told by the warden that we would have to take a grass pitch as hard standings were being kept for MHs. It was high summer but very wet. After a discussion with the warden we reluctantly took the grass pitch, complete with mud patch outside our door where an awning floor had killed the grass. After three days of walking mud into the van and trying to walk across It to get to the toilet block we packed up a week early and moved to another site. I wish we had refused the pitch. Now that site has many more hard standings. If the club allowed hard standing pitches to be booked it would go some way to stop some of the 'too early' arrivals . Members should be treated the same or allowed to book a pitch type - simples.
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So I, with a caravan, would have to go on grass whilst a MH gets the HS? So very wrong! First come first served except in bad weather if the grass pitches are waterlogged or my friends are coming so I'll put a pitch "out of service" for them.
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But I do want to ask.
Even if they were known to the warden there could still be a good case for allocating them a particular pitch.
Unless you have inside info, or have quizzed all the parties involved, it has to be summation.
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I can understand what JK is saying, but if, as a caravanner, I was travelling any distance to a site, I wouldn't be happy about being asked to use a pitch was deemed not suitable for a different unit. So in such conditions, perhaps wardens (or maybe someone at HQ) could be charged with contaciting expected arrivals to advise of the possibility and offer the chance to cancel a booking (obviously without attracting the dreaded email!)
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Reserving of pitches just shouldn't happen, 'no ifs no buts' just NO, unless its for a Blue Badge holder.
Motorhome or caravan should have the same choice, we pay the same price so why not.
Members arriving 3 hrs early to site to guarantee a H/S is just a selfish attitude as seen on one site last weekend. I do wish the warden had turned this selfish member away and not allowed him on site until 12 noon as per the rules, its the only way to teach them a lesson.
However until such time as the club allow the booking of H/S pitches they are actually an accomplice in this attitude.
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The first sentence in my post does say "in prolonged bad weather"
Did you take the time to read that handbook? Just trying to explain why some of us do what we're paid for.
Just for your info mbee1, I run an all grass site yet I still use those cones, I know my site better than any visitor and make sure there's a suitable pitch for ALL my arrivals. That might not please everybody and it doesn't happen regularly. It might be wrong in your eyes but at least I don't have to turn people away
JK
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Good post, M. I explained earlier in the thread that it has happened to me.
I'm guessing that the official response will be that anparticular pitch type is not guaranteed so they see no need to pre-warn those due to arrive.
We know the answer - bookable HS pitches.
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For me the issue of first come on site works some of the time ie when the weather is favorable.
However when the weather is bad I would much prefer the wardens or HO phone those who booked last and cancel their bookings or advise them due to the lateness of booking they will be going on grass.
I really hate it when booking months in advance, I arrive at a site mid afternoon to be told only grass left, it matters not whether I am a MH or caravan. I booked months before many that arrive at 12 noon and grab all the H/S pitches. First come just isn't fair in those conditions.
Which is why we prefer to holiday elsewhere, at least over there you can turn up, have a look, if you don't like go elsewhere.
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Hi again
As many know, I run a well drained all grass site. This year has been very challenging with the weather, we've had the "I've got a big four by four" drivers with a caravan that gets stuck fast, and the seven and a half ton RV that hardly leaves a mark, but I'd like to state that we, as will other sites try and be pro active and call all arrivals in advance to advise of conditions, sometimes up to a week in advance. I can't magic up hardstanding pitches, I have to work with what I've got, as will other sites on our network. It's sometimes a hard call deciding which pitches are suitable to any particular outfit, but that's our job to make sure everyone gets sited. We then reassess to see if movement to a more prefered pitch can be achieved in time.
JK
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Cheers M, I know this is a contentious issue but we're tasked to work within the rules and bye laws. This year has been tough so far, but cancelling anyone's booking is a complete last resort for me. We have in the last couple of weeks managed to get people onto other sites, not all club I hasten to add, to get them a hardstanding in the area while we've been bogged down. We've had four dry days now and I've given up my rest days this week to catch up getting the site back into shape, so normal business resumes here, our grass is back to it's loveliness
It's now beer o'clock so I'll bid you all good evening
JK
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We were contacted by the wardens at Stamford a couple of years ago, there had been some torrential rain and parts of the site were flooded. The warden said the forecast was better but gave us the option to cancel. I thought it was a great service. We went in the end, site had dried up and we were fine on a grass pitch.
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There speaks the knowledge and wisdom of a 'grassroots' specific site manager. Surely that's what managing conditions and situations is all about, knowing the site and trying to ensure that most of us are accommodated as best possible. Afterall, compromise is the spice of harmony for the reasonable! I'm sure most of us are reasonable folk!
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The site in question was all HS - no grass. Some pitches are "nice" in that they have a grassy area to the side or rear where you can sit out if it's nice. Others have no grassy area at all and some parts of the site are like a car park. We go to this site often - we're booked in 7 times this year and we've just got back from visit 2. We have a number of favourite pitches that we like to get if we can. In this particular instance we were told one of our favourites was "out of service". No worries we found a pitch. Later that same afternoon the "out of service pitch" was clearly in use by a friend of the warden.
It was too far away from the toilet block to be "disabled", but they weren't anyway and they were clearly best buddies with the warden!
I reiterate - we all pay the same and until there is choice of pitch, be it grass or HS, I would argue the toss if I was told I couldn't have a particular pitch without good reason. The fact that it is wet and a MH should have HS over me is not good reason assuming I arrive first!
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