Is it a rip off?
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I made a similar point about empty pitches when I toured the West Country in peak season last year. I wasn't believed. The thread has unfortunately been removed or I would quote it but no doubt those who insisted I named sites will recall it. I suspect the demographic of the Club is biased towards seniors who can go away at any time and unless there is good reason to do so in peak season when prices are high, this period will not be their choice. The best thing the Club could do at such unused sites is offer a discount to seniors to make them more attractive. Mid week discounts, if available, are not enough if you want to included a weekend in your trip.
Ah Black Knowle! I have just been looking for a week there to no avail so I am off to Setthorns instead.
peedee
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I made a similar point about empty pitches when I toured the West Country in peak season last year. I wasn't believed. The thread has unfortunately been removed or I would quote it but no doubt those who insisted I named sites will recall it.
Really? Whoever disbelieved you PD? Not I. Although your posts held no substance for me as I had no idea which sites you were talking about - you did not say. I have no recollection of the time of year involved.
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Last year we cancelled 3 weeks at Sandringham C.C., and booked in at adult only site with serviced pitches, in Cornwall, instead. Saved around £200 - which is some difference. Amenity block not up to C.C. standards, but we never use these anyhow - van facilities better than any of the public-use options.
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Have just spent Easter weekend, 2 Adults, caravan, got grass pitch for
£15 per night at a small commercial site just off the South Downs.
By the way, as everywhere else in UK - what terrific weather.
Club sites too expensive, on the whole.
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Are you willing to share the site's name and whether you'd recommend it, redface?
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Was that before the hoards broke up for Easter Kj?
We have used Banchory quite a lot at different times of the year and have never seen it full although it is usually busy. On the other hand Stonehaven much more expensive site is mostly full specially at weekends.
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Probably, we went there on 25/03 for a week,
We used Stonehaven 2 years back, September I think, it was only busy at the weekend. Too expensive for us now.
With the other club, we used Craigellachie on Speyside, we were the first arrivals for 2019! Apparently not a busy site according to the warden, only 6 vans there when we were there. Dingwall was very busy.
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Many don't caravan before April, often mid April and finish come October. We do the same except for about 15 nights in December. Obviously working folk with children tend to be using sites in the week only during school hols and those without still want to use there leave in better weather. I can't see Mid Week Discounts having much effect on that pattern.
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No member is forced to use this club's sites , the fact that the prices are regarded as high by some members can only encourage others to look at alternative pitch providers.
We had booked 2 club sites for a summer tour of Yorkshire then on to the Lakes , but having a look on tinter net discovered a wonderful CS site at roughly half the price of Wharfedale & then an independent small site in the Lakes at lower cost both are now booked & the CMC sites cancelled.
Location will always dictate our site choice but there is a vast amount of pitch availability out there to suit all pockets , we all have the option to choose....... which as got to be good for everyone.
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Possibly the case out of season ET. However, in peak summer holiday some sort of discount mid week might fill a few more spaces at less popular sites.
As I put above, Bridlington was at most two thirds full mid week, during one of the best summers we have had for years. Yet another 5% rise (based on two adults) for peak 2020 surely cannot be the way to address the lack of bookings.
OK at York Rowntree where the increase is 8% it will work. It is a very popular site and they could probably gone for a larger increase, or further extending peaks, without any loss of bookings.
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Steve
We found that with Bridlington two years ago. £32 a night during the second week of July. We moved onto Poolsbrook where we were charged £23 a night. I appreciate that Bridlington may well command a premium over Poolsbrook because of its location but £9 a night seems a bit OTT. I think here in England we sometimes forget that the Scottish school holidays start earlier and that is the only explanation I can think of to justify the price being so high? We liked the Bridlington site and will hopefully go back but we will be inclined to look at the slightly cheaper times of year.
David
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David
It's the same with Hawes, which is a very popular site. OK not the seaside but £3 cheaper at £32.50. It has also had a revamp like Brid and the percentage increase for 2020 peak is less. There seems to be no logic in how prices are set, at least from my perspective.
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NTH, Yes I would recommend it provided you accept that the facilities on offer are not quite up to club's super standard (toilet block basic, showers 50p a time, no roof over the washing up sinks) It is one field of 4 acres, has EHU in the price.
If you are a member of the other club its listed on p385 under Henfield X10 but site is actually in Small Dole. Is called 'Farmhouse Caravan & Camping Site', see it on the internet.
Plenty of walking available on the south downs, notably the South Downs Way
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Thanks Redface, I'll keep it in mind for later in the year.
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Not from our view perhaps but I've just done a quick calculation on my phone here while waiting, say a 100 pitch site at £30 per night running at 60% full puts up its prices by 16.6%. Even if the bookings drop by 16.6% the overall loss is only £50. If the the loss is 10% of bookings the profit is £90. The break even point is about 13% loss of bookings.
So maybe this sort of calculation is taken into account when putting up what prices on which site?
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yes I am sure that is in there too.
Also the club can look back at it's historical data and 'predict' how a certain price increase will affect bookings?
Does a price decrease increase bookings?
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Club will be using demographics to up the prices on some sites as well. Those sites such as Hawes, YRP, Cirencester, Bristol, Moreton, Broadway are much beloved by folks who park up and walk into a close by town centre. So Club knows it can get away with charging more, because that’s what a lot of folks want/ need. Something further out in sticks, NYM, Nunnykirk, Marazion, a lot cheaper. Something nice for everyone.....
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My point with Hawes was that the price increase was about 1.5 % less than Brid, starting from a lower base. I would have thought it could have stood more based on its popularity. York with an increase of 8% 2019 / 2020 peak does make sense. Hawes not so much so.
I appreciate there will be purchase / development costs to be covered at Brid. However, I am not sure the current pricing policy is going to do anything to recoup them. Being easily able to book a pitch for 9 nights, at short notice, during the school summer holidays / heatwave. Tends to suggest the increase in size was not really warranted. Especially as the club have since bought another site on this section of coast.
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I would think the club see E Yorks as a popular family holiday destination for vans and is going to make the best of high prices during the school holidays etc. Can't imagine what the cost of a re-furb at Cayton is going to be, maybe they will go in with more s-pods and similar units?
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Do you actually factor in purchase costs in pricing a pitch. I would have thought not it being a capital cost rather than an operating cost? No doubt some level of depreciation for fittings might be factored in but cannot see the purchase cost being a lot to do with pitch prices.
peedee
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Hmm, a difficult one really, do you buy something (a new site or two) because you know you can pay for it in the future with an income stream or because you have spare capital to spend? Somewhere along the line there is a either a profit or a loss on your activities.
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