CAMC Route Planner - errors with Directions to CLs
Despite our CL 'Birch Hill' appearing on the drop-down 'search', the CAMC Route Planner directs potential guests to the Birch Hill suburb of Bracknell - 177 miles from Birch Hill CL.
https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/uk-holidays/planning-your-route/uk-route-planner/
This is our CL - we are still in Shropshire -
https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/certificated-locations/england/shropshire/ellesmere/birch-hill/
This is where the CAMC route planner sends our guests -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birch_Hill
Apparently this problem affects other CLs.
Ian Kelly
01691 622951
Holiday@BirchHill.co.uk
Birch Hill, The Cross, Ellesmere, Shropshire, SY12 0LP
www.BirchHill.co.uk
CL Number 1280 in the 2019/20 CAMC Sites Directory
Birch Hill Farm – relax at our award-winning hideaway in the beautiful lake-lands of Shropshire - exclusively for members of the Caravan and Motorhome Club
Comments
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Love the disclaimer added on:
Disclaimer – Routes provided may include roads unsuitable for vehicles towing trailers or caravans. There may also be specific weight, width or height restrictions. For caravan-friendly local directions, please use the directions on the relevant Club Site or CL Site details page or your Sites Directory and Handbook for the final approach.
How many folks you had turn up a day late Ian, after following the clubs directions?
Just tried the route planner to yours from home. It takes me to your site but coming in from Penley instead of Ellesmere. I know from when we stayed last year this route is a no no, thus the disclaimer.
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Hi Dave and Vicki,
I'm surprised that it brings you to Birch Hill CL at all - I've just tried it again and it still takes us 177 miles away.
Did you try typing 'Birch Hill' into the CAMC Route Planner, or did you type-in our Post Code? The mis-routing occurs when the name of the CL is auto-completed by the CAMC website.
As regards 'unsuitable for towing' routes - that is another matter - I did a test of the system for the notorious A170 'Sutton Bank' in Yorkshire and it beggars belief that the CAMC should offer a caravan route planning service that suggests such a dangerous and unsuitable route.
Ian0 -
Hi Ian
I typed in Birch Hill Farm CL.
Auto complete explains a lot.
If I use Vicki's details on here, auto complete adds a dot to her email address, so we never get a reply.
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The only directions supplied by the club that I trust are those published in the site directory, and only then after checking them against a map. You only need to see the distance given between certain sites as they use line of sight distance and not that by road!! eg the nearest sight to Tredegar House is given as Hurn Lane at 19.68 mls while by road it's actually 54 mls!!
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Surely a route planner is just that a device to plan a route from A to B so that you get a general idea of suggested roads and mileage. I would have thought that if you were heading for a CL that is hidden in the middle of the countryside that you would automatically use other means to highlight the exact final position and not rely totally in a route planner? I still use MSAutoroute for general planning of trips but wouldn't rely on it to get me to the door.
David
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David,
this is not just 'any' route planner - this is the route planner on the website of the UK's premier caravanning organisation: a member-led Club with a multi-million pound turnover.
I was shocked when I discovered that it recommended the Sutton Bank route to members. Surely we could invest in access to a route planner that is useful to members.
Ian5 -
I’m afraid that is the problem, Ian. It is just ‘any’ route planner obtained off the shelf rather than being specifically designed for caravan, or club, use. The route planner does not follow the specific directions to reach either CLs or club sites.
I feel the problem is compounded by site directions being less than obvious on the web pages. We are invited to ‘view on a map’ and then find the directions tucked away. How much better would it be to have a button labelled ‘Site directions’? Many is the time I’ve read reviews where members have got lost by blindly following sat navs and often those people didn’t even realise site directions existed. I know the directions are in the handbook as well but I doubt many people travel with the book to hand these days.
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I completely agree with Birchillfarm. It would be very useful to have an accurate route planner to sites included as part of our club membership. I would be extremely happy for a portion of my membership fees to be invested in this, as I always get the blame when we take a wrong turning or end up on a scary road!!!
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I often see this type of post in 'Discussions'. Whether the CAMC is right or wrong, they seem reticent to chip in and make their thoughts known. For this stream, David has implied that we cannot take the 'bespoke' route planner as anything other than a guide. If so, what's the point of buying it? Come on David, as BH Farm says, CAMC is a multi-million pound operation. As such, they should have proof-tested it before selling it to us and I would have thought that Sutton Bank would have been one of the first one's tested. As TinW suggests, it's just one off the shelf!
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Same here Nellie, we always use hard guide checked against a map for driving to unknown locations. The now notorious “closest Club Site” has always been a joke unless you are a crow and can fly across Bristol Channel. 🤣
Sutton Bank is fine for Motorhomes, but not for caravans. They have to do the tortuous winding narrow detour......🤔
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OH has our copy on her knee for the last few miles too, ET.
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I very much doubt it is a bespoke route planner and TW is probably right that it was purchased "off the shelf" Before we had the internet we all used to find sites, didn't we? Now we have the luxury of sat navs, GPS on our phones and access to the internet there is plenty of opportunity to work out where a CL is without the Club spending a massive amount of money on a custom built route planner even if one were available. Perhaps what would be more useful would be for members making these demands to point the Club in the direction of a suitable route planner which could replace the existing one? Has anyone come across a route planner that is completely accurate?
David
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