The Lake District
Comments
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Another vote for Keswick, particularly the walk to Threlkeld along the old railway line. We also like Coniston, bus to Ambleside or Hawkshead. My husband comes from the Lake District so it’s one of our favourite places.
Nora
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yes, expensive is a personal thing and you, or one, pays whatever you think is acceptable to get what you want. I have no problems with at all, it is your money. I was just commenting that people who keep saying that club sites are expensive should take note.
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True enough.
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Depends.
You dont really buy the caravan, more the depreciation.
So on the face of it, £350 per week for a lovely located and equally nice site with working bins, (see Sandringham rant) isn't that much.
The site is ideal for motorhomers with or without ebikes.
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Well, as we no longer have that money in the bank, it feels to us that we have bought the caravan!
The van is now 11 years old, we will not be buying another one at our age, we will keep it for as long as possible/sensible, by which time it will probably not be worth much.
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So you agree with me, a cheap holiday.
All joking aside, it is.
Leaves me wondering how many choose a site for holidays, and I'm using the holiday word deliberately, based on price?
There will be some, but in my lifetime location has been the overriding factor, and on the odd occasion when the kids came with, availability.
Skelwith Fold caravan site is kept beautifully, ideal location for outdoor minded people, good (almost) road to it, easy walking/cycling into town, some trails in and from the site, free drying room for your outdoor clothes.
If your a National trust member Wray Castle not a million miles away, in turn Lake Windermere to paddle in, an off road track from the Castle along its banks, cant remember its name, but the track leads to something viewing platform, another small Trust site. Ferry stop and cafe there too.
So to dismiss a site on price alone, I think there is a possibility to miss out.
Having said all that, I dismissed two sites last month on price, too cheap!
Complicated isn't it!
Ps we checked the cheapest one out, definitely cheap for a reason.
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And they are on the main bus routes to Windermere, and short walk to Keswick, perfection.
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Wray castle is interesting, I was talking to a NT member of staff and apparently the NT was 'embarrassed' by having Wray Castle on its books when they got it in 1929. The reason being it isn't really a castle, having been built to look like one by a rich family in the middle 1800's. It was leased to various official bodies and the finally opened it to the public just a few year ago. He went on to say that the irony is that now it is one of the most popular NT places in Cumbria.
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Collect NT fridge magnet's, when there in stock,
I know, but its a hobby!
Wray Castle circled.
Oh Claife Viewing Station is the other NT place I couldn't remember.
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I think Wellys that you have to realise that not everyone necessarily has the same spending power as they once used to, and vice versa depending on lower outgoings or inheritance etc. Some people, like myself, experienced a severe drop in income by having to retire due to health reasons. Sure I had a bit of liquid capital but we all know how the markets have been for well over 10 years now. So £350 may buy us as much as 30 night s on CLs or at least 21. We don't consider ourselves to be slumming, just maximising our income as best as possible to achieve as long away as possible.
Even when I had loads of disposable income we always seemed to work to the maxim that the more you pay for something the higher your expectations were and the more they weren't met.
Everyone to his own. Great that you can afford Skelwith. For a 5 night break out of season we may well splash out. Who knows?
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We do, American jobby.
Tried the caravan fridge, my stupidity, plastic door!.
.......
On the other topic, I used the word holiday deliberately.
I think reading between the lines of complaints regarding prices on CAMC sites, is it from people who are spending chunks of their retirement time touring around, therefore their annual nights away count is far greater than those of us in work who go away on 1 or 2 week Holiday's?
A caravan is a simple thing, but why and how they are used is varied.
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Yes, agree. Once retired there is very little opportunity to boost income, and interest rates on savings have been dire for many years.
We have never been ones for expensive holidays here or abroad, but having returned to caravanning in the late 90s, we decided to make as much use of our van as possible in our retirement, and try to spend 3-4 months away every year, here and abroad, though our wings have been clipped lately by the arrival of a third grandchild.
We have a holiday budget and try to stay within the planned amount. There are plenty of really nice CLs, and other sites, out there, many with excellent facilities, at modest prices, though those in the Lakes do tend to be on the more expensive end of the scale.
Our holiday budget would not go very far if we were to use sites at £40-£50 per night, we would rather use less expensive sites and spend more time away.
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I thought you also had a seaonal pitch and used the van at weekends. In that case, you incur further costs than just 1-2 weeks away. It’s your choice, of course, and your business but not everyone is fortunate enough to share that way of life.
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Tried the caravan fridge, my stupidity, plastic door!.
That's what blu-tack is for.
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that is very very true
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Ha,ha! I doubt there will be much cash left, but they will get at least half the house, once we are finished with it!
In fact, we are helping the kids now, this is when they need it most, when the grandchildren are little, children are very expensive.
Most couples need both to be working to buy a house these days, so when mum has to give up work for a bit, it puts a big strain on finances. Then when mum goes back to work, childcare is also expensive.
Then there are pensions to be thought about, very few workers these days will have a final salary pension when they retire, they have to pay in a good chunk of salary to these money purchase schemes to have any hope of a comfortable retirement. It all adds up.
Our "bank of mum and dad" budget is about the same size as our holiday budget.
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I agree with all of that. I do think that folks should stand on their own feet, but life doesn’t always deal a good hand. Our daughter and four (soon to be five) grandchildren are now unsupported, apart from benefits (the daughter works when she can), so it’s up to us to try to fill in the gaps, which we do gladly. I do consider myself lucky, as the majority of my pension (I retire in two months - yippee!) is final salary, so while we won’t be well off, we will be able to maintain a decent lifestyle.
Sorry for the thread drift...
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Quite a few issues raised.
I think what we are all saying the same.
Us folk in work are Time poor, were as retired folk are Time rich.
KjellNN puts emphasis on spreading his budget across as many nights as possible 3 to 4 months if I recall.
In general terms us working people, well Michelle and myself, have at the most 5 full calendar weeks to use. So for folk like ourselves looking at £350 per week isn't really that expensive, and money well spent if the site adds to the limited days holidays.
As for our seasonal pitch, the caravan then turns from holiday lodgings into a small house, and used accordingly.
I also agree re pensions, there is a pension time bomb on the horizon. Stakeholder pensions pay very little, a 32 year old putting in 8%, 6% matched by employer on £42k a year had a forecast of £60 a week upon retirement at 67. A work colleague.
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I read somewhere that ideally you need to contribute about 15% of salary in total from age 25 to have any chance of retiring on 50% of salary.
Our daughter now gets her contributions matched by her employer up to 10%, so a total 20% of salary, so as soon as she was allowed the extra 10%, we helped her increase her initial matched 5% to the 10%, as she had just taken the biggest mortgage she could secure.
Back to Lake District sites.......We used the C&CC Derwentwater site at Keswick last year, excellent position and nice new toilet block. Even with the over 60s discount it was over our average £20 per night, but balanced out by some sub £15 CLs.
Looking at their Kendal site for this year, just a few nights stopover on our way south, has anyone any comments on it? Or any other suggestions?
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C&CC Kendal is OK for a stopover, Kj, but not a site for a longer break in my opinion. To be fair, we’ve not been for a few years (perhaps 7) but the facility block, although perfectly usable, was antiquated at that time.
The site is pretty easy to access, especially from/to the north and Morrisons is nearby for any restocking of provisions.
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