Priced Out.
hi fellow members, am I the only one to find booking a site now to expensive. after 45 years of caravav/motorhome camping with the club I am now relegated to booking January or November as this is just affordable at 73 years old on a pension.trying to book for 2019 is a nightmare as i cant afford many days in july. pensioners need help, I don't want to pack it in yet but its close. love sandringham site as I try to get as many times as I can but each year it gets less. maybe ill win the lottery, happy camping.
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Comments
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Unfortunately the Club can't subsidise pitches on the basis of age or income, it has to be fair to all members. In the last year or two there seems to be an increasingly upward pressure on prices be that due to the minimum wage increases or the cost of electricity. How about trying to look for alternatives like CL's or cheaper commercial sites?
David
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Have you tried Cls? We actually prefer them but on most of them you have to use your own facilities which we also prefer. However nowadays more and more Cls seem to be providing at least toilets for those that want them and the sites are much cheaper than club sites.
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Agree with David, there are lots of CLs that can be visited for prices much lower than club sites at peak periods, There are also some club sites that cost £15 pn all season, have you considered them, or do you need full facilities? There are quite a lot of CLs in Norfolk/Suffolk if that's your area of choise that are much cheaper than Sandringham.
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I think it’s possible to get reasonably priced sites, even club sites, if you search around. Look for mid-week discounts as well as the options already mentioned above.
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For holidays when the weather should be better, we are using a mix of Club sites that are in less popular areas, CLs and C&CC sites where we get the age discount and can book a hardstanding, and where the peak periods are much shorter.
This coming Easter we are heading north for a 4 week trip and have booked Banchory Silverbank, where there is a mid week discount before the school holidays. We will then use 3 or 4 CLs or C&CC sites. Easter is not a peak period on Scottish C&CC sites.
Our next trip starts towards the end of June, at least a week before the Scottish school holidays begin, and 4 weeks before the start of the English school holidays. Our first site will probably be a reasonably priced Club one in Scotland, then we head into England where we will again be using CLs and C&CC sites. Unlike the Club, they do not hike up the prices of English sites that are near the Scottish border, or popular with Scottish visitors, as soon as the Scottish holidays start. This allows us to have a 4 week trip on full facility sites, if we wish, at reasonable prices.
We are also hoping to get away in September/October, but child care duties may prevent that, as they will also curtail our usual 2-3 month trips abroad . Oh well.........it was good while it lasted!
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Perhaps they think we motorhomers have deep pockets, which certainly isn't always the case.
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Looking back at our touring schedule I see that the last time we stayed on a CMC site was in May 2017. Last year we didn't use any and are very unlikely to do so this year, and it's simply down to the very high cost of CMC club sites.
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Apart from CLs, midweek discounts and fixed price £15 sites there are still a lot of vanning people who use the rally or THS route (other club) which greatly reduces costs.
The club says their utility costs have gone up and many seem to demand sites with facilities so it's a circle of ever increasing prices.
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Of course July is high season wherever you go either with C&MC, C&CC, Commercial site etc. There are other times when sites are more reasonably priced however I did just look at Sandringham and for a week in June or July it seems to be the same price about £26 per night and only slightly more in full peak school holiday season. Not saying you should not holiday in peak season its your choice but wherever you go prices will be higher.
Like others say try the C&CC you would get a discount but their peak price seems higher at £30 a night. Lots of Commercial sites and CL's about to try as well which may be cheaper but would likely need to use your own facilities and maybe not get EHU.
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We too are finding CMC main sites too expensive. I'm retired and on a pension and my oh is on min wage as a teaching assistant. So no mega bucks here, plus we are restricted to school holidays due to his job. £30 a night is far too much. Luckily we live within striking distance of Nunnykirk £15 a night, so that is our quick getaway weekend site. Otherwise we are having to look at CLs nowadays.
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This coming Easter we are heading north for a 4 week trip and have booked Banchory Silverbank, where there is a mid week discount before the school holidays. We will then use 3 or 4 CLs or C&CC sites. Easter is not a peak period on Scottish C&CC sites.
Ssssh! don't tell everyone about Easter we'll never get on a site
Our next trip starts towards the end of June, at least a week before the Scottish school holidays begin, and 4 weeks before the start of the English school holidays. Our first site will probably be a reasonably priced Club one in Scotland, then we head into England where we will again be using CLs and C&CC sites. Unlike the Club, they do not hike up the prices of English sites that are near the Scottish border, or popular with Scottish visitors, as soon as the Scottish holidays start. This allows us to have a 4 week trip on full facility sites, if we wish, at reasonable prices.
We to are doing the same as you but it will be on our return from abroad, we'll drop in and see the children on the way North but using C&CC sites and CL's. Last year was the first year of our membership to C&CC and have been very happy with it so far.
We went away in July for the first time since retiring 8 years ago but instead of using this clubs sites (way to expensive) we used C&CC as the English school had not broken up for the holidays, we even got the oldies discount which made it very worth while (about £10 a night)
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Our experiances with motor caravans in the past and seems so now, that it depends on the location with what the ratio is between the two types,and what other means of transport is available ,the upturn in motor caravan sales does not seem to reflect ,in a lot of cases, them being used any differently than caravans,other than needing to be on site with PT close by or with others who still have a tug
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I do wish you’d stop banging on about motorhome and public transport a bit JVB. Not everyone with a MH needs public transport, some of us, quite a few in my experience, actually use our MHs to get out and about in on a daily basis, no need for bus passes, bikes or having to stay on a site in a town!
Back to the OP. Yes it is perfectly possible to stay on some decent Club Sites, and not have to pay a lot of money, you just have to avoid the Sites where prices have been seriously ramped up for one reason or another. There are also some brilliant CLs offering hook up, loos and sometimes showers as well for under £20 per night. And then there are lots of very nice small private sites, again at very reasonable prices. Last August we did a three week tour of Northumberland and Borders, and I think we averaged around £12.50 per night. Similar with Devon and Cornwall last year in October. Leave out a disastrous decision on my part to use Hurn Lane for a night and we averaged £13.50 per night, and that included one CL with an indoor pool and spa!
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I do wish you’d stop banging on about motorhome and public transport a bit JVB. Not everyone with a MH needs public transport, some of us, quite a few in my experience, actually use our MHs to get out and about in on a daily basis, no need for bus passes, bikes or having to stay on a site in a town!
Many don't seem to use them and in summer we definitely notice a higher ratio near to towns etc with easy public transport.
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"I do wish you’d stop banging on about motorhome and public transport a bit JVB. Not everyone with a MH needs public transport, some of us, quite a few in my experience, actually use our MHs to get out and about in on a daily basis, no need for bus passes, bikes or having to stay on a site in a town!"
Absolutely agree with you there, TDA. I don’t think I've used public transport for over 20 years, unless you include ferries. The MH goes wherever we want to go.
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As In the past when we had motor caravans ,the situation has not changed , and as my post ,we have noticed, that seems you have not taken in, the proliferation of motor caravan ownership does not seem to have altered the way a large amount of owners either new to Lvs or conversions from tugging have changed the way they are used , as in not moving once on appropriate sites
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But then ,after being motor caravan users ourselves we tend to notice how many are ""static" when on site ,and wonder what made them change,or was it as happens"they are the latest must haves "
we have been here two day so far and the seven near us have not moved a 3 are set up with awnings Ps there is a 40 van rally all on EHU here this weekend and some have already arrived, several of which are motor caravans ,when it has officially commenced, i may just ask the RO if they get many on MCs on rallies ,when on grass
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It does make me wonder if other members are turning to 'cheaper alternatives' than Club sites, how much revenue they are losing?
In my case, this summer, we've decided not to spend 16 nights at Bingham Grange at a cost of £454.40 but to try a CL in a neighbouring county, with facilities and a swimming pool for £240
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And then they tow a car...
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