Empty sites
Spending a few days at Hurn Lane club site with our 10yr old grandson, it's about 40% full and I guess around 20 children here. Never seen this site so empty. It is peak holiday season after all. A quick look over the hedge into the rear of Holiday Resort Unity touring fields and it is packed. What's wrong? Pricing, activities?
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Two adults and a child, that going to be close to £35 per night. I’d find out what the next door site is charging, and what extras they provide and see how it compares. We thought Hurn Lane very expensive for what you get.
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There certainly is plenty of availability in August with one or two exceptions. The retired are not going to be attracted to venture out in peak seasons without good reason and families are more likely to be attacted to places with fun activities for the kids. The gap between commercial sites and Club sites in peak season is narrowing so for just a few pounds more a commercials site with greater facilities is likely to be more attractive to families.
I never took my family to a Club site for their main holidays. They always wanted somewhere with a swimming pool and/or beach.
peedee
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During the school summer holidays this year, we are doing the same as we did last year. We have found a small private site in the area we want to be and the price is £17 per night for a HS with EHU... If we find the facilities to be a bit tired, then we will use the van's facilities just as we do on CLs and on no facility sites. No way will we be paying anymore than £25 per night let alone £30 or £40. If CC have vacancies, I believe its because the price is too high. Hopefully some vacancies this year may result in a reduction to a more affordable level.
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Only for its regular clients,
Generally speaking the majority of familys will pay for a good holiday!
Mate at work has a caravan, on his second week of his young family holiday, in a hotel, in Greece! £4500, its cost. Price has very little to do with main summer hols for familys.
Another person at work, low pay, takes his trailer tent abroad, has one 2 week holiday every 2 years, it's all he can afford, but he still pays in excess of £2k for a good family holiday!
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As I said earlier Justus2 all the last 9 sites I have just returned from over the last 6+ weeks have been busy except for the last non facility C&CC site.
As Peedee says it is now a time of year for family holidays and perhaps they want the sort of sites with pools etc. I don't know as our main holidays in the UK with the caravan were touring. We did not hang around sites as we were out and about much of the day and moved every 3 or 4 days usually. Some sites would have a pool etc.
We would also have a 10 day break where we spent much time on a favourite small beach rock pooling, prawning, swimming, fishing and playing beach tennis etc.
There are sites to suit all.
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It just shows in numerous posts there are complaints that touring on speck is no more because sites are always full ,and plenty are ,looking at late availability, and then we have this thread saying some sites are empty?so touring on speck is still as wanted ,available,
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I don't consider phoning day before or even the morning of intended arrival as anything other than common sense. I would expect to find a pitch but would have no idea what events might lead to a full site and have occasionally been surprised when, unknown to me, there is a nearby flower show or cycle event etc
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Sorry off topic and wrong section, but to me on spec would mean having a site in mind but possibly going further to another if traffic was better than expected, or we didn't like the look of the first one. I would never consider trying that on this side.
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whilst there may well be certain sites that are under occupied (possibly due to competition with more facilities nearby) I have to agree with Steve and David that we wouldn't be attempting to tour here without knowing we had a pitch....it's a shame as it's the impromptu stopping that is such a big part of our touring style elsewhere.
the only way we do the same here is to flit between the C&CC THS sites where booking isn't required. many folk tour extensively, and cheaply, in this way...
but other than that, we wouldn't risk it...
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Scoutman - What's wrong? Pricing, activities? IMHO probably a bit of both plus others. It would be interesting to know what you think is wrong (guessing you are referring to club sites) & maybe even why you chose to take your 10year old grandson to Hurn Lane club site rather than the site next door. Some families, but not all, want the type of holiday experience being provided by the site next door Holiday Resort Unity both in the UK & elsewhere. UK beach holidays for us as youngsters whatever the weather.
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Some of you are not doing “on spec” properly here. We did Dales earlier in year, turned up at each site without a booking, including two Club Sites. Only time we phoned ahead, we had to move on from one site as the only pitch left was too awkward for MH. So we phoned because it was a very popular CL. We stayed three nights.
We toured SW last Autumn on spec as well. Again only one night we couldn’t get. The only disaster there was I chose a Club Site we didn’t know and had to be picked off the floor when paying in reception😱
Northumberland is usually very easy DD, so bit surprised, but of course I don’t know what sort of sites you prefer. I think we will be going up later in year, but won’t book anything. We do have a list we have used previously up there, so we have a good idea of what might be available.
😁
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Due to circumstances last year, we ended up booking a site for early August at the last minute. I had great difficulty finding sites with more than a few days together within 150 miles of home. I have just had a quick look and it seems it would be much easier this year. Particularly with reference to Hawes, which apart from some of the weekends has availability.
Last year we had one of the best summers for a long time, where as this year is more up and down. A prolonged spell of good weather could lead to a rush of late bookings. I suspect the more holiday camp type sites are booked much further in advance than is typical for a lot (but not all) CC sites. Weekends excepted of course.
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Touring "en spec" is fine if you like that sort of thing and plenty obviously do - and good luck to them.
For myself, I like to plan what we're doing ahead of staying anywhere - for me that's part of the holiday. So I'll look at what walks and attractions are available in an area and plan accordingly. Probably a throwback to having to cater for restricted times away, but I still do it even now we're both retired and have a bit more flexibility.
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I'm sure part of the 'difficulty' would be the time of the year we are in the uk.
we are usually home for Christmas and do a winter trip away....Jan-March and then we fit in any 'other' breaks before our touring time in the uk...May-Aug...then on the road for the Autumn trip Sept-early/mid Dec.
so, our main uk stint coincides with most everyone else's....which makes what I call impromtu, tricky...
we 'plan' as much as we know what area we want to visit, but knowing in advance what we are going to see or do doesn't feel much like an 'adventure'...
i guess having kids or a dog might make planning more of a requirement but, generally, we want to see what's around the next corner....we might like it and stay....or not...
i didnt even know I was going to have egg and bacon after my cereal and orange juice until five minutes ago....go on, live dangerously
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We are off to Cirencester tomorrow and noted that it is busy this weekend (3 pitches sat)and that is not a seaside or very child friendly area?.and our next stop is Black Knowl and is full this weekend,so where are these "empty sites" i did note that Hurn Lane has plenty of space so maybe it is not the type of site that families go to?,it is a fair walk to the beach with children in tow
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I think the majority of those who say prices on club sites are to high are of the bus pass generation (us included),who have not yet come to terms with how costs and salaries have increased since being retired (1994 me)and pensions have not kept up, and our children still working are very supprised that we can do what we do on our pension,but then one is in Turkey with his partner and five children,and that is the second holiday this year abroad they were in a hotel in France for Half term and i am sure will be away again for October half term they are talking about the Canaries
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Full weekends hardly compensate for empty pitches throughout the week. The C&CC have the right idea, where sites are not popular with families during peak times they offer over 60s a 20 percent discount in addition to the age discount. I have taken them up on this in the past.
peedee
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