Time for reduced rate for "small" campers
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For solo campers some of the CC charges take some matching given the faciities. On the West coast of Scotland - Bunree from 15th April onwards would be £14.70 for Fri, Sat, Sun and £10.75 for Mon.Tues,Wed,Thurs. Taken for a week that averages at £11.87 a night if taken over a week. Many commercial sites have an inclusive rate for up to two adults
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I guess one problem with having different size pitches would be to possibly result in having, say, only small pitches available and standing empty while bigger units were turned away.
From the club’s point of view, once a pitch is occupied, it’s occupied and it matters not whether that’s by a 5m or 8m unit. The electricity usage difference is largely speculative and, as has been pointed out, the per person fee makes things much fairer to solo campers.
The west coast of Scotland abounds with other types of site but, in reality, they can prove more expensive than club sites as pointed out by Easy.
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I do find it curious that yacht marinas (offering a very similar service to campsites for temporary visitors) invariably charge according to the length of the boat ..... even though in a most cases every visitor berth is the same size. In the UK the charge is nearly always the same whether there is 1 person on board (and using water, showers, etc), or 10 !
Another curiosity is that it is rare for boats to be even 1m apart ... though if anything the risk of fire in a plastic boat is arguably greater in a boat than a caravan.
As for EHU, it is almost invariably charged as an extra only if you want it, and increasingly it is metered.
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Good point, I have never given a thought regarding single occupancy. It seems quite reasonable to me then and on par or below CL pricing. I can only assume larger units would normally relate to more occupancy, therefore higher pricing so fair dues all round.
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It is actually possible to achieve under £6/ night on certain (basic) C&CC Club sites if you are a solo camper over 60 and book a grass pitch 21 days in advance
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Sympathies kilda, it's how we started out. One suggestion that might make things a tad easier, in Summer, why not look at using gas for kettle and cooking, and use the club's economy pitches, which have no hook up. It would also open up the CL network to you, and a phone call explaining that you are a single occupant, not wanting a hook up, might get a discount at some of the less busy CLs, those happy to accommodate and take account of the minimalist visitor. We use a few no hook up CLs in Summer, and it's not a problem once you get used to it. Phones and iPads can be charged on the go, easy one pan meals on a camper hob, or BBQ. I am not sure, but you might be able to get a gas heater, but I would check out all the safety implications. Failing that, a good old fashioned blanket and a hot water bottle can be cosy! Oh, and cuddling the dog of course. Good luck.
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Sorry but going off topic
SteveL you state Some of the pitches at Baltic Wharf are only suitable for 6.5 metres. What happens then if you turn up with a 7.5m or greater unit and there are are only those smaller pitches left?
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I think Merve has been able to secure some great rate CLs since he moved over to a 'EHU not required' set up...
cheap(er) vanning is still available, but, even on small sites, ramping up the base level 'services' to include HS, toilets, showers, and EHU etc is bound to increase base level fees, too......
in summer, on grass on a basic pitch, some lovely vanning can be enjoyed at really low prices....there is a different demand level here, as many prefer to 'just plug in'....
obviously this fine but sites that provide more services must recoup their investment...
luckily, the govt hasn't taxed sunshine (yet) and the solar panel is helping many to stay for extended periods with 'their own' electric.
the C&CC temporary holiday sites (THS) are a great example of cheap (usually between £8-£10 a night), fun vanning, that adds in an extra bonus of not having to book and a come and go as you please approach.....you even pay on leaving, not in advance....refreshing
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Interesting idea but one i would be more interested in are more of the 'simple' sites where all you get is electricity and water and the fee is around £15 per night.
When we stay at Club sites (which isn't very often) we rarely use the facilities (toilet block) and would never dream of carrying washing up to sinks. We've always found a launderette in a town if needed. I've got all the facilities I need in the van.
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Paul, I'm sure there are many CL type sites with EHU and no shower/toilet block, which could keep costs low...
however, despite most modern vans (caravans and MH) having fairly decent showering facilities, many folk won't use them for various reasons, similarly toilets....
so, we get manufacturers making larger, more opulent washrooms and yet many owners end up not using them. their preference for site showers is probably driving up the 'need' for smaller sites to invest in toilets and showers (to embrace the wider audience) which has to drive prices upward, possibly then making them too expensive for those who are happy to use all their facilities.
I'm sure there are still plenty of sites to suit all our tastes, especially if we mix and match to suit seasons, conditions, weather etc....
good vanning
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I don't know N, I assume the wardens will try to stop this happening by placing smaller units on these pitches. However, if more vans like ours at 7.34 have booked than there are compatible pitches, there is little they can do about it. It would mean a hitch sticking into the road. Things would still be to get past, but far from ideal. Hopefully it is a fairly rare occurrence. On our multiple visits, we have never seen an overlength van in them.
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Where we shower is all based on the weather and where we are pitched:
- this country normally on CLs and typically poor weather it will always be in our very spacious caravan shower room
- abroad in great weather we will stroll across to the facilities block just wearing a pair of shorts ( or even just a towel!)
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It’ll be a typo. He obviously meant CS.
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You are quite correct that currently i am not a member but 'never say never'. If we find that the number/location of CS limits us this year then we may well return. I don't think we'll have that problem "over there" for the next couple of months.
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Personally, I would be happy if the Club adopted a price differential between non-awning, awning grass and awning hardstanding pitches. (There already is a difference in price for full serviced pitches.) However, I think a small unit should pay the normal pitch price, on the basis they have the use of the outside space on the pitch anyway. Just my personal opinion.
David
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As already commented on ,not everyone uses ALL the facilities but are still as such, charged for their use.
We have a large motorhome but we normally are out most of the day and evening so don't use the electricity .Just because we have a larger home does not mean we use large amounts of electricity.We use it ,if we do stay in ,as we would at home with care!
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I have just booked myself into Ypres for 4 nights in May, the great peace run.
30 euro's in total.
As I said earlier the choice for campers and small motorhomes is enormous, Just shop for the facilities that you want. I can make do without EHU and showers for a couple of nights so 2 nights on an Aire and a couple of nights on a full facility campsite.
It's the facilities I shop for, not the cost per metre, and if I was to book on a CC site for the facilities then I would expect to pay the same as everyone else regardless of space taken up.
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I agree Jen.
Looking at it from a commercial point of view, if you paid according to the size of the vehicle, it would be in the interest of any organisation to take larger vehicles - they would loose income on small vehicles. If an organisation could fill all it's pitches easily, how long would it be before sites started to put a minimum size restrictions on units. I think the whole concept of charging by size of vehicle is frought with difficulties.
Whatever system you have for charging, a site or organisation must have a projected profit margin (whether it's the Club who invests in the infrastructure, or a commercial site). It is logical that if smaller units were charged less, thenvlarger units would be charged more, to recoup the price difference. If the Club did this, but other sites didn't, then, quite simply the larger units would look elsewher for pitches. The result would be less income for the Club, which would ultimately result in price increases for smaller units.
So many issues here......
David
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wasn't there an earlier suggestion to charge on the pitch size, not the van size...?
if a unit (any unit) were happy to pitch on a 'small' pitch then it would be cheaper, nothing to do with big or small vans...
currently there are many smaller vans (or single units) who occupy only a third of the space of the typical car/caravan/awning/barrels combination...and these would easily fit on the smallest CC pitches.
perhaps this might be the opportunity to re-categorise the current non-awning pitches as the 'cheaper/smaller' pitches, so that a sensible differential be established between these and the 'awning' pitches where those with larger outfits and more kit can spread out...
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The difference between a club site and a commercial site is twofold.
The club still pretends to be a club and the members still believe they have the right to debate every issue.
When it comes to camping, which is the least benefit that I personally get from being a member, the club binds itself by all sorts of regulations, some of which are best suited to rallying in the 1930's when gas mantles were common in inflammable caravans, caravans were not much bigger than my camper and tow cars were not much more powerful than my motor mover.
A commercial camp site has no restrictions. It can change it's rules tomorrow to suit market and equipment trends, compete by offering a menu of services and basically compete by saying "this is what we offer, this is what you get and if you don't like it there are loads of other places to go".
On my own, in my camper, when I need a wash and brush up for both me and camper after days of wild camping, the CC is the best facility out there and will always get my business. When I am towing my Sisters caravan, the CC, by adopting a stance that is unique in the "campsite provider" spectrum, simply prices itself out of the market by wanting me to pay twice for units that are half the size of most.
My choice where I stay. It is after all a marketplace and I will stay where I get the best overall package.
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My choice where I stay. It is after all a marketplace and I will stay where I get the best overall package.
I couldn't agree more but the Club has a policy of one size fits all. That is fine for "pit stops" and for those wanting to stay for the duration of a holiday but in a market where motorhome touring is becoming more popular they are not going to attract those just wanting short stop overs, especially at £30 plus per night.
peedee
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I would imagine that the club don't really care if there are members who avoid using club sites so long as someone stays on them. They will most probably have a method of comparing occupancy rates year on year and if occupancy rates are low, the price comes down, if they are high the price increases till the pips squeek... That's how business works ..
There are plenty on here who stick with CC sites because " you know what you are getting " & they are " good value at £30+ per night "
But there are also plenty on here who have an upper cost per night limit beyond which they will not go, including me..
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CC pitch 'costs' or certainly 'value' is one of the most regular thread subjects on CT. i dont know whether the FB page has as much discussion in this area or not, I don't go there, perhaps others could comment...
either way, I can recall two main strands in the 'price' discussions, one where it's just become too much for members who are having to stop touring at CC sites as it's just too expensive, and the other where (coupled with the desire to ensure the pitch type of their choosing) members have suggested that a price differential across the portfolio (awning, non, grass, HS, etc) would allow/encourage members to 'go for' the type of pitch they wish for or that's best suited to their outfits needs.
we've also seen both praise and criticism re wardens discretion around pitch allocations in wet weather, and again regarding larger pitches being 'reserved' for (say) larger MHs....certainly a bugbear with many caravanners in the threads I've read.
so, if members were able to book the size of pitch they needed, along with the surface type (at an appropriate price differential) perhaps everyone would be assured of the 'best pitch' for their needs...
if service pitches have sprung up based on customer need, why shouldn't the other pitch types on a typical site also be 'bookable'?
...at a suitable/appropriate price point...
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Good points Justus and BB. All I know is that since I changed to a motorhome my use of Club sites has been declining year on year because when on tour they largely, with a few exceptions, don't meet my requirements any more. Last year I only spent 13 percent of my nights away on Club sites. It could be even less this year. I haven't used any yet this year and I have already had 57 nights away.
peedee
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Under CAMC rules, you don't have control of your pitch. Depending on the type, you are told what you may or may not have on it, where you can put it, how it is oriented. All pitches regardless of size are priced the same for any given site. "Over there" a pitch is priced according to size and you may, within its confines, set up how and what you will.
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currently there are many smaller vans (or single units) who occupy only a third of the space of the typical car/caravan/awning/barrels combination...and these would easily fit on the smallest CC pitches.
they may be a third footprint but with safety clearances they take near as much area since car and awning used by caravans make use of some of the safety clearance
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