Expensive CL's
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Hi Steve874
I just came across this discussion.
I run a “basic CL” or “Off Grid CL”
IF YOU USE OFF GRID CLS YOU MAY FIND THE FOLLOWING OF USE can see how many CAMC Cls out there!
I have produced a sheadsheet database of the CAMC non EHU (Off Grid CLs) It is available for anyone to view with the link. Click here to open the Non EHU CL sheet
The default view of the sheet should be CLs sorted by County. There are currently 434 listed on this sheet along with the postcodes. You can scroll up and down the list on the right vertical scroll bar and left & right on the bottom scroll bar. There are links to the CLs page listing on the CAMC website in column 5 which should open a separate page and take you there, to the right of that there will be a blue dot if they have images to view. To the right of this is a range of facilities available a dot against CLs row means available. If you view the Non EHU CL Google sheet by clicking a sharing link or from the link above on this page on a computer you will be able to sort data by filtering what you do or don’t want (there are some “filter views” already set up! “A-Z County”, “A-Z CL Name” , Postcode, etc) Look for Filter Views along the icon menu bar above the sheet for to the right will be a down arrow if you click that it will show the filterviews already set up go down and click the one you wish to view. You can also you hover over the top on the right of the column header (the cell where the letters are) a down type arrow will appear or if you see you will be able to sort sheet, click it and click sort A-Z (this work on the the dots as will group them all together!)If you find an issue or would like us to edit/add an entry please leave a comment on the sheet page or email me. We will update the Google sheet monthly after going through the Club Magazine CLs update page.
We have now produced a Google Map to show the location and info of each of the non EHU/Off Grid CLs visited in the April 2018 updated database Click here to view. You can zoom in on the area you are interested in and click the icons, this will bring up the data on the CL.
Or both avail via your website
Regards, John Clifton, NEWTON GROVE, Barford Road, South Newington, BANBURY, OX15 4LN
E: newton.grove@btconnect.com
P: 07722 918265
W: newtongrove.co.uk
See Sites Directory 2017/2018” on page 440, entry no: 1273,2 -
That looks grand Johnny. I hope that a mod will find a way to make it a sticky, just like the Fully Serviced CL one, so that those that want a non-facility CL have a good place to start their search.
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Have just spent 7 glorious nights on a CL at Mildenhall Suffolk. Lovely large but secluded glade, with EHU plus water and waste facilities to each pitch. Pitches were not actually defined allowing you to pitch any which way, so provided you had longish waste & fresh water pipes, there was no lugging of aqua roll or waste master required. Summerhouse full of Books and DVD's for members use. Wildmeer Farm Mildenhall Suffolk . Outstanding. They even provided 7 days of uninterrupted sunshine!
All for £12 per night, - £84 for the seven nights. Why would I want to use a regimented club site??
TF
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I think that the requirements probably depend on how long you have been caravanning. We started with a second hand Ace Globetrotter with a foot pump for water and gas lanterns (no electric). So we are used to 'making do'. Having had 5 caravans now over the last 30 years, only our latest one we bought new.
Even at 6'4" I prefer to use my own shower - why trudge across fields to get to a shower block.
So our view of using Club Sites and 'top end' CLs - is why? We have our own amenities on board. Admittedly, with all the mod-cons caravans come with now, if you are going to use your caravan for all of the year EHU is almost essential.
However, we do like to hook up and go away for a weekend a lot, but the cost of some of these CLs is making it less of an option.
One thing we have noticed is that when we joined the Caravan Club back in 1988 there were over 3500 CLs and we know of a few CLs that have either been closed down by the Caravan Club or forced to due to H&S requirements. Plus, in general, CLs then were not necessarily a business - rather a bit of a side line for a farmer to get a bit of extra cash.
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The simple fact is that most caravanners want EHU. Probably most campervans also and particularly in colder weather.
We did not have a caravan with EHU provision until I installed it on a caravan in about 1995 as that van no longer had the warmth of gas mantles and no exterior vented gas fire! Also most pitches on main sites were including EHU in pitch prices. No battery on the caravan usually as simply plugged into the back of the car for power to run lights and water pump. Quite easy to manage without caravan battery of EHU for a 7 week tour.
Up until the upsurge in EHU (was that at the end of the nineties) all a CL owner typically needed was access to foul drainage and a water tap. Many ran a second hand toilet set up with perhaps a brick surround for plack waste and a grey water drain into same pipe run. The other set up cost was some stone in field access and sometimes a row of flags for caravan wheels.
For most CLs to be successful in attracting good footfall EHU is now required by most.
I rarely use CLs these days but have a 5 night stay booked on a CL in September as part of a tour. There is a toilet and shower facility which we may or may not use and EHU. Happy to pay £18 a night.
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A CL isn't exactly a money making enterprise with the limitation of 5 units. There has to be some profit to make it viable to keep the CL viable.
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Recently we have stayed on a number of CL's and when speaking to the owners have said the Caravan Club have advised them to put the price up.
Am I being cynical but could this be a tactic used by the club to bring the prices nearer the cost of Club sites to fill them up. Not so much in the summer months as the cost to stay on club sites are very expensive and still get full. But in the winter months they need filling and therefore they drop the prices slightly nearer the CL prices to tempt them away. People who don't mind either CL or Club sites would probably opt for the Club site mainly for the shower blocks.
I love CL's and enjoy the smaller sights and have only used the Club sites as a last resort as I am lucky to have toilet/shower and appreciate not all caravans have such luxuries and need CC sites.
However I just hope CL owners do not over price themselves by the CC tactics!!
I now have a solar panel to get the best use of all CL's and will probably only use CL's with hook ups in the winter months.
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I think you are wrong to suggest it's some sort of tactic by the Club to narrow the price gap between CL's and Club sites. I am sure the Club are advising CL's to charge a realistic price for what they offer in order for those CL's to survive as CL's. Even if a CL charged the same as a higher priced Club site they would be unlikely to make a lot of money!I would have thought it only common sense for the Club to discuss with CL owners current trends on pricing. At the end of the day the owner of the CL has to arrive at a price that works for them.
David
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At the end of the day the owner of the CL has to arrive at a price that works for them.
I agree with that, but not at that "suggested" by the club representatives.
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Nellie
But surely you accept that if the Club have a new CL wanting to open that part of the discussion is likely to be about pricing as someone starting from scratch might have no idea what to charge? All the Club would do is suggest a range on pricing, probably depending on facilities offered, as a match against what other CL's are already charging. It is a little bit of a conspiracy theory to suggest the motive of the Club is to drive up CL prices. However they will have an eye to the main chance in wanting to keep CL's open so pricing and advice is important.
David
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I cannot believe that anyone wanting to open a new CL does not know what CLs in their neighbourhood are charging. It does seem strange to me that most of the new ones opening have a price that is the same or above those around them and are offering less facilities.
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They have a thread on this very same subject as well.
Also they have the same suggestion that the CCC are also advising on high fees for new start ups to bring the nearer into line with the club sites.
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We have been taking meter readings every week on our CL, we have one meter which feeds our Shepherds Hut with hot tub and the shower block for the CL this has averaged about £40 per week since the beginning of Jan, the other meter feeds the CL and information hut, we have a third meter for the house, the CL and Info hut had averaged £120 per week, since we started the experiment we have had 195 nights booked and have spent 990 on electricity, an average of £5.07, February was exceptionally mild this year as during Jan the average was £7 per night. I appreciate that over the year the average will lower but I hope this gives you an insight into how much electric is used and why CL prices are having to rise.
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To which must be added an element to cover the installation and maintenance of the electrical system.
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good post, at last some meaningful info on how much power is being used by a typical plugged in van, especially the £7 for Jan, and a 'mild' Feb still over £5.
so, almost £50 a week in leccy in a typical uk winter week....no wonder site prices all round (club and CLs) are forever rising..
do you offer a non-EHU rate at your site?
some vanners are very 'power aware' and realise that electric cost have to be passed back to the customer....that £50 adds a whole lot to the bill for someone who may be using CLs as a budget option as club prices are also spiralling ever upward...
so, some are turning to Solar for their electrical power requirements (yes, a bit tougher in the uk in Jan, I'll grant that) and gas (perhaps much cheaper from a pump) for heating, hot water and cooking.
at the moment, both customers and suppliers (cl owners) are between a rock and a hard place in that a lot of vanners fell they 'need' EHU for their stay yet the provision of that (basic?) service is rising constantly but the supplier has little choice but to pass the cost on...
so, we get high priced CLs and much contribution to threads like these yet the Cl owners are pretty much powerless to do a lot about it.
but the customers can with a bit of a change in mindset..
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We did have one person ask for non ehu rate but then still used the information hut and showers (contrary to our latest review they do work) and toilets!! a bit hard to police.
Add to the electric, C&MHC membership, PL ins, additional house insurance costs, as you have to have business insurance, water costs, refuse costs, electrical testing, internet installation and monthly charges, mower costs and I know not all of these are relevant to all CL's and there you have it, not much of a wage to be on call 24/7 7 days a week.
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Why would not paying for EHU preclude someone from using the facilities on offer? That’s two different things.
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are you for real
1. shower...tick in the box, never used shower in our caravan
2. toilet...tick in the box. use toilet in caravan mainly overnight for a pee
3, information shed...tick in the box, helps for forward planning
4. would i pay extra for these ...tick in the box, even if near or at club price , most CL's that i have used are beautifully situated, and after a week away with the Gkids, the tranquility you so often find and dont get always on a club site is just bliss.
5, wage ouf of a CL...maybe not but surely you would expect some profit, why else would you do it
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I have just realised which CL you run gibbo456, and a rather stunning example, with superb reviews and booking rates for main season. 😃The advertised price is exceptional for your location and level of facilities, but correct me if I am wrong, don’t you encourage an honesty system for shower usage? I am not sure if other aspects are via the honesty system, for example the washing machine, maybe other aspects of the information Hut? No criticism intended by the way, I think it gives visitors a great deal of choice in terms of some of the facilities you offer, but rather than upping the pitch price, perhaps folks are not being as honest as you would like? I mention this because we had a lovely stay on a not dissimilar site to yours (in terms of prices and facilities). It also offered a heated indoor pool, spa pool and showers via the honesty system. We decided to use the pool, we had it too ourselves after two families had had their time. The honesty charge was £3 person for as long as you wanted (great value, it was a lovely facility) What I did notice was that ours was the only money in the honesty box! And I don’t think money had been collected by the CL owners.
PS, is your sister site run similar? And if we found CL fully booked, could we join C&CC via you? 😁
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"PS, is your sister site run similar? And if we found CL fully booked, could we join C&CC via you? 😁"
Yes, very similarly and you will be handed a form to join C&CC on arriving at the sister site.👍🏻
We've not stayed at Gibbo's CL but would stay at the CS again with no hesitation.
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With the chickens. 🐓
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