C&MC staff towing caravans to pitches from storage
Hi All,
I store my van at Bridlington as I am an avid birdwatcher. This site is placed perfectly to access the cliffs etc. I am also a keen cyclist and promote clean transportation methods. Brid is a 3-4 hour ride from my homein lincs. That is ok for me but as you can imagine, I can not tow my van to a pitch. I ave asked staff if it is possible for me to cycle to my van and have them put it on a pitch (on the Brid site) so I do not need to use a car at all for my trip.
They said they are not allowed because of insurance purposes. Fair enough.
I would hope that the CC could use some positive thinking as to try and make this kind of holiday possibe. Whether that means investing a little more on the insurance or even charging a little for the service (to cover the extra insurance cost).
What a fabulous way to enjoy my holiday. Cycle there, cycle from my van during my stay and then cycle home. Surely this can not be deemed a bad idea.
Comments
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Google is showing me the names of two caravan towing companies in Bridlington. Can they help you by bringing your van out of storage and on to a pitch? But more to the point would the Club allow this?
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Yes, check with HQ, Andy, as I've witnessed the same thing.
A warden on here has explained the mini tractors have a towing limit of 2000kg so they are able to tow caravans but not MHs. I guess it could depend on what equipment they have at Brid.
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Would there not be added issues like having to leave keys for security devices, alarm fobs etc with the wardens ?
I like the idea myself as my van is now on a C&MHC storage site. and it would be great to ask for it to be put on a pitch and drive over there in our classic car but as I said above it seems a little more complex when you think about it.
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Are the CAMC missing a monetising opportunity?
The Friendly Club offer a tow on/off service at some of their sites, £6.70 a go.
The former 'Forest Holidays' or wotever they are now called since private equity takeover used to offer a tow on/off and pitch up option. Stored and seasonal units left a set of keys with the wardens. They'll know how to squeeze every drop of money out of the punters
Lots of commercial sites offer the service. There is a lovely old fashioned farmhouse site just below Widemouth Bay that do the service. Lots of weekending families making the trip without the hassle of towing. The owner would ask when you were arriving / leaving and pitch up for your arrival even if the middle of the night, then put the caravan away at a time convenient to him after you had gone home well after 12 noon on a Sunday with the caravan not being moved till Monday.
The Adult Only Bath Chew Valley site listed in the CAMC directory only do a pitch up service.
Seems a logical extension to the offering for new adventurers. The OP cycle to site is a brilliant way to enhance our hobby
No doubt someone will soon be along to tell you to go elsewhere if you don't like the CAMC offering
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There was a style of motor mover a few years ago that coupled to the tow hitch in place of the jockey wheel. One of those would let you move the caravan yourself.
They were fitted with a seperate 12v battery, but with an Anderson connector could be run from the caravan battery, that has been nicely solar charged while in storage.
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I've asked that a member of staff confirm whether or not C&MHC site staff are permitted to move members' caravans from storage to site etc.
Hoping for a 'official' response.
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Does this actually happen nowadays? It must be around ten years ago that I remember going on a CC site where there was a notice by the road saying to stay near the road as the ground was very wet and if you got stuck no help would be forthcoming from the wardens. This was after I had booked in with no mention of any problems at the office.
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Hi Andy,
Thanks for your feedback. We are pleased to advise that the Club is currently investigating offering this service to members. More information will be provided in due course and I will post on Club Together to let you all know.
In the meantime we hope you enjoy your cycling and caravan holidays.
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Thanks for the response Rowena.
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That will be interesting, I presume there will be a modest fee for this service....?
That should give us endless hours of opportunity to discuss....
a) The club has pitched the price just right.....(sorry couldn't resist the pun)....
b) It's way too cheap, how can that cost cover the warden's time......
c) it's way too expensive, blah, blah, the club's ripping me off moan moan.....
I'm guessing the least posts will support answer a)............
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The wardens didn't tow me off pitch at Soggy Old Hartley last month !!
Actually they asked me to inform them when I wanted to move and they fired up the tractor and brought round a trailer full of heavy duty rubber mats to lay out where my wheels were supposed to run. With a bit of a shove i got off the pitch & the Warden picked up the muddy mats and cheerfully wished me a safe journey home.
Anybody familiar with the situation at O H knows that each pitch is hard standing of about caravan size, but surrounded by grass so problems can ( and did ) occur in bad weather.
B
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I am a member of our club and have a Land Rover with a tow ball. I have no objection to helping a fellow member move a caravan on site.
There may well be other rmembers who would also assist if asked.
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Currently £6.70 as previously stated earlier in this thread and here:
https://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/ukcampsites/storageseasonalpitches/towing-service/
Thats tow in tow out
Benchmark set.
Wheel/hitch locks, alarms etc require relevant keys/fobs to be accessible, that may cause consternation and considerable debate
although the friendly club and others manage that easily. 0 -
Not so many years ago it was "accepted practice" on sites with seasonal storage that a set of keys for what ever leisure vehicle was stored to be lodged with the site staff and kept in secure key safe, and I know of at least 4 sites on the network that the site staff sited and returned members outfits to storage when time allowed, for "free
" and with full knowledge of the area managers ,even though "complaints " we're recieved from other members that the storage people's van were put on the "best" pitches before the weekenders arrived
Then H and S intervened and it was stopped
also the front hooks were taken off the the tractors for the same reason0 -
Another reason a "rethink" by the club is in the pipeline could also be that since the "goodwill gesture" by wardens of towing vans to and from storage was banned by "them who think they know best" at HO, the add income from storage has plummeted on some sites
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Back in our previous caravaning days for about the last 2 years we stored our 14ft Lunar at a site in Wallingford (Bridge Villa's) we could call on a Thursday and say were were coming up for the weekend, when we arrived the van would be on a pitch for us and after we went they would put in the storage yard again. I really do think the club is missing a trick here, as they used to say at work, "Sweating the Asset" I do hope something transpires from what Rowena has posted
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