Club sites too expensive
We’ve just toured Wales for 3 weeks on a mixture of club sites, the other club and adult only private sites. Basically we found that C & M Club sites were usually more expensive than all the others. The private sites included free WiFi which actually worked and had great facilities.
So is it worth being in the C&M Club? Has the club just become too expensive?
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So is it worth being in the C&M Club? Has the club just become too expensive?
To establish that you would have to provide occupancy rates for the various sites you stopped on and compare that with like for like sites in the same area. Summer school holidays is an expensive time of year to go away, whatever type of holiday you take.
Personally, in most cases, I think the CAMC have pitched them just about right for the main peak. Although there are undoubtedly a few sites where they seem to have got it wrong.
However, although they may have the peak prices about right, the continual lengthening of the period, in many cases including the whole of July, I feel to be a mistake.
By the way, the free WiFi is charged for. The price just isn't itemised.😀
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I certainly only use the majority of sites during low season or the "no facs" sites at other times, which compete with CLs on price. It certainly isn't my first port of call.
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We were on a 6 week tour in May, two seniors. I found that the CC was cheaper or similar price to the private sites. I found little significant difference between CC and C&CC prices but felt that the C&CC would have been dearer than CC were it not for our age discount.
The CC scored higher than the other sites for me in several ways however.
1. CC sites 12pm arrival - others 1pm. I dislike 1pm arrivals.
2. Showers and washrooms. I am happy to use a non facility site but on the last trip the sites all had facilities. The provisions on the C&CC sites were probably the worst for me for me in that they generally had push button showers which meant that I could not regulate the temperatures. Even when I was one of the first morning users of the showers, once I had let the water reach the 'just warm' stage, beyond the third push of the button the showers were too hot for me.
3. I prefer to be left to simply chooser my own pitch rather than have one allocated.
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It is also about location for me but in any given area there is usually a choice of sites. I think the OP was comparing prices rather than saying he could not afford Club rates.From touring around at this time of year using a variety of sites mainly in the west country, I personally think the Club is not doing as well as it could. I think price is a factor and maybe the fact you cannot book the type of pitch required goes against them.
Comparing like for like as near as I can, a Club site I stayed on was £8p.n. more expensive than a similar one, that is a lot of difference and I have no children with me!
peedee
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Price versus value for money. Value for money is in the opinion of the customer. Personally I remain a member for access to CLs and the other services on offer. Rarely use club sites partly because of cost and partly due to the fact that they all look the same to me.
This is a personal view point and others will have a different opinion.
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So is it worth being in the C&M Club? Has the club just become too expensive?
If Club sites were the only factor in my joining, then no I would not be a member. But I am because of the other offerings mainly the CL network and insurance/breakdown services, I also use sites outside of the network but approximately £1/per week is not all the world for additional choice of location.
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Wrong Peedee. I used have used 6 C&CC sites this year. I enjoyed the sites overall. I was not keen on one of them as it was devoid of trees and was even less welcome than the new section of CC Southport site.
What I am saying is that there are particular aspects of C&CC sites that would generally make them second choice where the two club's sites are close together. Private sites would be third choice where they are in proximity to either club's sites.
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I suppose I would ask the OP was there a particular reason for spending three weeks touring in the peak period when prices are bound to be high? The Club tend to have a graduated approach to site fees with several bands throughout the year. Commercial site on the other hand often only have two price bands so value may well depend on the time of year. We used two commercial sites in June and I would say their fees were slightly higher than Club sites within 20 miles. We have spent 35 nights away this year and the nightly costs have averaged out at about £22.50 a night. That is using a mix of both Clubs and the two commercials sites previously mentioned. One major advantage of the CMC is the booking system with no deposits and pay when you arrive, unlike the commercial sites which wanted full payment on booking!
David
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One major advantage of the CMC is the booking system with no deposits and pay when you arrive, unlike the commercial sites which wanted full payment on booking!
Is this really an advantage to the majority especially to those who fully expect to honour a booking?
peedee
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Is this really an advantage to the majority especially to those who fully expect to honour a booking?
Well it's one less time I have to give my card details out over the phone, to someone I do not know, or put them into a website.
So there is that.😀
Having once had them fully reproduced on a confirmation email, I am a little wary about the security of some of these operators. Another time I received someone else's confirmation. Fortunately with only the last four digits shown, in that case.
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Is this really an advantage to the majority especially to those who fully expect to honour a booking?
I suspect that the majority do see it as a benefit.
Another advantage with CC sites is being able to amend. On a number of occasions having booked a series of 5 night stays we have decided to leave home 2 or 3 days early. We have not wished to stay on the first site for more than 5 nights and so have amended bookings to suit after speaking with the warden. When waiting for a couple of extra days on a site whilst awaiting a replacement for a holed power steering cooling pipe we cancelled the next CC site where we were only booked for 4 nights and increased the next two from 5 to 6 nights. Similarly we have reduced a booking from 5 to 3 nights as we decided to delay return home for a few days and booked another site for 5 nights.
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I doubt new members even consider it.
Probably correct. We certainly were not aware of the perk when we joined. All our tenting years on commercial sites, we had to pay at least a non returnable deposit.
Perhaps the CAMC should promote this aspect more in its sales pitch. It is after all possibly unique in offering this benifit.
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If I remember correctly, this club used to take deposits but dropped them when online booking arrived. Something to do with the system not being able to cope, I believe.
Using the no deposit booking scheme to promote joining the club could, I think, send out the wrong message and possibly invite abuse of the system.
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Being retired means being fortunate to be able to avoid high peak prices, but many cannot. The main advantage for us is the insurance and CL's. We occasionally use club sites if the price is low and if no other option in that location. A few pounds difference is ok, but when it's a £10 plus per night then it soon adds up if your away for 14 nights or more. Many quote club standard, but have been on sites where the facilities need updating, and on commercial site where the facilities are superb.
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Surely the more expensive that Club sites become relative to other providers of sites, the better, especially if it encourages people to use them in preference to CC sites....?
I like as wide a choice of pitches as possible when I arrive, so that I can choose sun/shade, proximity to toilet block, play area, dog walk, view, HS/grass etc,
The CC sites I have been on this year have been very close to full, in or out of school holidays, with an extremely limited choice of pitches.
So in answer to the question "Has the club just become too expensive?".......
The answer appears to be....... Obviously not.
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Many quote club standard, but have been on sites where the facilities need updating, and on commercial site where the facilities are superb.
It is always going to be possible to quote facts like the above. Equally there will be those where they are not superb.
Even where they are superb, I have always found the ratio of facilities to campers, lower on commercial sites. This has not generally been a problem as we tend to holiday off peak. However, I would imagine when full they would struggle. Club sites, even when full at weekends, seem much better provided for. I don't really have a problem with dated, as long as they are clean and functional
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It is not easy to compare sites, they all have their pros and cons. Site reviews help but in the end it is down to what each individual thinks is value for money.
Membership fees do inrease the cost per night depending on how many nights are spent on Club sites and what other value you get out of the membership.
peedee
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One mans meat as they say, look at the posts bemoaning that the "great site" at Binham Grange would go downhill now the cc have bought it, we stayed there in July and we and another couple who were with us,as others on site were not impressed with what we saw,and to bring it up to anything like as user friendly as most cc sites is going to cost a big amount of club funds,
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A good point K. We found ourselves at Rowntree Park this July. Never been before, way above our normal pitch per night price. But we did our homework. The site was 800 metres of nice walking from the event we were attending, we got a nice shady pitch to keep the dogs cool, the park next door was a lovely walk for us and them. Alternatives were: very expensive hotel rooms in City centre, worrying about trying to find someone to look after dogs, just going to event from home, there and back in a few hours. Even at the £30 plus per night, it proved on this occasion to be the best option for us. We had three nights booked initially, found ourselves having such a good time we lashed out and had a fourth night!
On to a different type of holiday, touring Northumberland in August. Ten days, we averaged £12.50 per night, used four CLs and the same Club Site twice.
The Club and it's CL network, plus it's no facility sites such as Nunnykirk, offers a great deal of variety and with good research, offers good value for money. Using it to suit what you want and need is the key.
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I think they have become too expensive out of peak period, both with price rises and the lengthening of the so called peak period.
We have not used any Club sites this year, and it does not look like we will as I doubt we can now fit in another trip. We had booked 2 Club sites, but had to cancel them...we do like the flexibility of being able to cancel if necessary and being able to amend bookings.
We have instead used 3 CLs and 4 CCC sites, some of which were better positioned for where we wanted to be, and all the CCC sites saved us money due to the over 60s discount and shorter peak period.
With excellent facilities in our van, we do not really need the site facilities, it just means a bit more work with the water and toilet, so I can see us following the same pattern next year.
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