Unfair treatment of a caravanner
Comments
-
OH has just reminded me of a call we had from a site in the Cotwolds years ago to advise the journey may be very dificult as there had been heavy snow and the last 5 miles of road had not been passable ,and that they had contacted another site who could take us until the following day
Ps as my memory is not that good now there may be others in the more distant past
0 -
I wouldn’t expect the the Wardens to be able to contact everyone to be honest. We are used to checking with sites if we have any weather doubts, possibly because we use a lot of CLs and of course they are very individual. We were hoping to use Nunnykirk early one season, which is all grass pitches. The weather up there had been wet, so couple of days before we were due off, I phoned. Simple answer to my question was don’t come yet, they were putting off all motorhomes, and explaining clearly to caravanners what to expect. Good management by Wardens. We did same last Autumn after lots of rain, Wardens said we would be fine, just stay close to roadway. Nunnykirk is a proper old throwback, totally lovely, totally unspoilt, very cheap. Lots of motorhomes using it, requires old fashioned thinking and preparation.
0 -
I wouldn’t expect the the Wardens to be able to contact everyone to be honest.
Well I expect them to try and contact those likely to be adversely affected by bad ground conditions. Say 20 arrivals, Half caravanners forced onto bad ground. 10 phone calls - they can try
0 -
Most of the numbers that booked persons would give these days would be mobile phones, and (as we know from the Pump-Kink Blitz) there are ways of sending the same message by SMS to multiple numbers.
So where is the difficulty in notifying people? In fact, it would give a warm feeling of being wanted if one was to get a message from the site 24 hours before due arrival just to confirm all was well.
0 -
I would have thought contacting people due to local conditions would be a head office event.
I personally would not have been happy to pitch my caravan in a water logged part of the site.
It's not just sinking into the ground, but the muck you would walk into the caravan. Never mind mats for wheels, what about the corner steady's ?
I can understand the reasons, but still poor practice.
0 -
Still does not answer why a motor caravan is given preference over a motor and caravan, totally wrong all this is down to warden discretion the club should treat all the members the same. (But we booked a service pitch.,.sorry we have a motor caravan coming in cleari off or use the grass)
Not April is it.
0 -
Irrespective of what pitches are open when you turn up the key rule is first come first served.
I will always go for a hardstanding if free and would be well annoyed if they had been put aside for later arrivals (health reasons etc aside).
Reason: I don't like grass in the wet is simple, having two dogs we are in and out the van all day and I don't want to be traipsing mud/water etc into the van.
Now if I turn up late and its wet grass or nothing because the other pitches are full then I have created that situation and have a choice of take the grass or look elsewhere.
And forget talking about the sites where access to the hard standing is over grass lmao
1 -
One day, and I suspect it may have already happened, a heavy 4000 kg motor-home or a heavy 2000 kg caravan or even a heavy tow car, will get well and truly stuck, up to its rims on a soggy grass pitch. Any of these scenarios will ultimately require recovering back on to solid ground.
There are two issues here for me :
The first issue is nothing to do with " if we are on a grass pitch will our feet get a bit muddy " , its to do with if the outfit, of whatever type, gets stuck, who and how will it be removed and put back onto solid ground ? I don't expect it will be the club with a tiny grass cutting tractor, and if its some external agency, who pays for this ?
The second and perhaps more important issue is why on earth are soggy grass pitches being sold for use in the early and late seasons in the first place ? Put in more hard standings and / or don't sell any grass pitches unless good weather and their availability for use is guaranteed.
3 -
The second and perhaps more important issue is why on earth are soggy grass pitches being sold for use in the early and late seasons in the first place ? Put in more hard standings and / or don't sell any grass pitches unless good weather and their availability for use is guaranteed.
Its our unpredictable summer that causes the problems.
peedee
0 -
I don't actually buy into that
If a pitch is already 2/3 inches deep in mud, guess what don't use it - if the forecast is tropical rain for a week don't go on a grass pitch if its the only option.
A CAMC site we use a lot closes down its grass pitches early to avoid them being damaged or people being stuck.
I've been on a CAMC site where the wardens have come round and warned people on grass that if the rain continues they would advise moving off site early or to another HS pitch if available
Its common sense and we as van(any type) owners need to use it.
1 -
I agree in part Solobay, however there are grass pitches and grass pitches. Some all grass sites that I have been on are fine even after heavy and prolonged rain. Normally I avoid grass on mixed sites. The problem is that as I rarely revisit a site I will have no idea how the grass pitches stand up and hence why the warden should make contact if there is a significant problem putting pitches out of use to motorhomes. I have no concern that I will be stuck on a pitch but I have been on a pitch where everywhere you tread, even on unbroken turf, the muddy water oozes up. Not a mistake that I have the slightest desire of repeating
0 -
We attend an annual local music festival, in August. It is held in a huge grass meadow on a farm. There are cars, tents, motor-homes and caravans of all shapes and sizes. I have no problem coping with the grass, or indeed the wet and some mud that these events can be so famous for. But there are tractors a plenty, on hand for any that need pulling back on to solid ground, which leaves me in no fear of getting stuck. On a club site, on the other hand, on grass, I suspect no such assistance would be forthcoming if needed. I would even, if required, be happy to use a club site's grass pitch if it was a bit wet, so long as the club would guarantee provision of a suitably sized tractor and tow rope to get my 3500Kg van back on to tarmac. In reality, however, that just isn't ever going to happen.The answer, I believe, is simply not to open grass pitches for hire in March to anyone.
1 -
Your post isn’t offensive, just boring really...........and as uninformed as your very first post.
We have used Club Sites with grass pitches for many years. The Wardens on such sites know exactly how to run their sites to keep folks from getting into situations they cannot cope with, be it getting stuck, or not damaging the pitch for the next visitor. They have to put grass pitches out of use, they sometimes have to assess which touring outfit would be best where, be it MH or caravan. Sometimes visitors cannot be trusted to use common sense themselves, and need guidance. It’s not discriminatory, it’s just good management of resources. If a site has a mix of pitches, and it’s likely to be busy, then a simple phone call can get the up to date information required, and if what is happening doesn’t suit the member, then choose somewhere else to stay would be my advice.
All this speculation, grumbling about who gets which pitch is down to an unsubstantiated, third party bit of hearsay off another forum. As we know, sometimes there is a lot of rubbish spouted on forums.......🙄
2 -
yes, but at least on CT you get a better type of rubbish
0 -
Ha ha.......bit too much recycling though at times! 😁
1 -
All this speculation, grumbling about who gets which pitch is down to an unsubstantiated, third party bit of hearsay off another forum. As we know, sometimes there is a lot of rubbish spouted on forums.......🙄
Not at all unsubstantiated TDA. Substantiated by Justus and a recent review by a member of the Blaidon Chains site.
Neither is it a case of asking caravanners not to use hard standings. In the instance of the BC site it is that allocated pitches were in such a poor condition that site tractor was seen to be doing the pitching, the warden deemed it necessary to deploy rubber mats under the wheels (presumably because the ground was very soft) and tow cars were being sited in the car park. For me it means that those pitches were not fit for purpose and bookings should have either have been cancelled or, at the very least, any booked arrivals should have been forewarned of just how bad the pitches were and the provisions that were being resorted to.
You say that the wardens action is not discriminatory. Well it certainly discriminates between single axle caravans and motorhomes no matter how it is wrapped up.
They have to put grass pitches out of use
Well if the pitches were allocated on grass in such a condition as reported they did not put the grass pitches out of use ..... but IMO should have done so.
0 -
I do not think the wardens would have a lot of choice, and may have needed to work with what they had. In that case they had to do the best with what they had and heavy motorhomes may have had to be given priority to preserve the grass pitches. The alternative would be to cancel some members trips which would be unpopular.
Perhaps the club might be wrong in that they allowed the sale of too many grass pitches when in practice history might have told them less bookings was a better idea.
No matter how discriminatory it seems to be giving caravans the hard standings and having motorhomes wreck the grass ones cannot be allowed. I say this as a caravanner who if I had booked that site could have been one of those given the wet grass. You just have to accept the realities of the situation and realise that the wardens were acting in the best interest of the club and its members.
0 -
You just have to accept the realities of the situation and realise that the wardens were acting in the best interest of the club and its members.
In the case of the reported conditions at Blaidon Chains I do not agree that the warden was acting in the best interests of members. We are not simply talking wet grass if tow cars are not permitted on pitch and mats are required. I, for one would far sooner have been contacted and cancelled or advised of the full severity of the pitch condition so that I could seek an alternative. To cancel some members might have been unpopular but so is dumping them on pitches clearly too bad for caravans and tow cars!
You say that it might seem discriminatory. I trust that you realise why it seems discriminatory? It is because it is.
If members were not cancelled or, at least properly advised before arrival then it is a poor show.
0
