Not moving with the times
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The only real thing missing is the ability to book a hardstanding, unless it's a service pitch. This would be particularly useful in the shoulder months, when grass may still be in use. Otherwise you can't really arrive late on for fear of ending up on soft grass.
I am ambivalent. I do not want grass on a mixed surface site at all. I check percentage of grass pitches and some sites I will not book if the percentage of grass pitches is say 25%. On the mixed pitch sites I have never failed to get hard standing in the last 15 years. If hard standing was bookable that would not trouble me as if all booked I would go elsewhere
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It’s not going to happen. Be great if it would, but I do not want to campaign to change things to “suit myself”. I cannot be bothered. Anymore than I can be bothered to campaign for Aires or to fret about the booking system with this Club, or the other Club, or bother about anything that people get exercised about on camping related Forums in general. If I cared that much I would do my best to get elected to whatever membership committee does what.
Never say never WTG... but I do agree with the above. There are changes I would like to see and they don't only apply to the Club but I am in the sunset of my vanning years and I am certainly not bothered if they don't happen in my time. I rarely tour in this country but if is forced on me in the future then there are many ways of doing so without using full fat sites.
peedee
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In 1963 the camping club as it was then ,started a motor caravan owners section (about the same time the cc accepted them as members)
In 1983 the camping club changed its name to include caravans to the camping and caravaning club
And apart from as both clubs have evolved. there does not seem to be much add facilities been added to cater for either with the ccc
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Without wanting to start sounding like an old record I will repeat what I have said many times before being able to book a hardstanding would be a major advantage to me as a motorhomer. I also accept that there might be a fair few caravanners who would also like to see it as well so it's not a one sided thing. The silence from the Club on this matter can only mean that they are concerned about losing revenue if they went down this route as the grass pitches would always be the ones left unbooked. However with a bit of forethought grass pitches could always be a bit cheaper or subject to say the mid week discount to encourage use.
David
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The only real thing missing is the ability to book a hardstanding, unless it's a service pitch. This would be particularly useful in the shoulder months, when grass may still be in use. Otherwise you can't really arrive late on for fear of ending up on soft grass.
I am ambivalent. I do not want grass on a mixed surface site at all. I check percentage of grass pitches and some sites I will not book if the percentage of grass pitches is say 25%. On the mixed pitch sites I have never failed to get hard standing in the last 15 years. If hard standing was bookable that would not trouble me as if all booked I would go elsewhere
Which is fine if you can arrive on site as the reception opens. When we use the caravan being on grass isn't a problem (although only if its decent) but when we use the MH the last thing we want when we arrive late in the day (which we tend to do with the MH) is to find the only option is a soggy grass patch. Which is why we tend to use C&CC sites more, oh and the fact that they are cheaper
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It seems quite simple to me, that if you want an HS pitch you should be able to book it but if you require a grass pitch then nominate that!
If you don't care which type you end up on just book!
After all it is only a choice between grass, hard standing or fully serviced.
Cannot the club do this simple thing?
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It does seem a bit odd that you can already book a Super Pitch, a Serviced Pitch, a Non Awning Pitch, a Non Electric Economy Pitch but not a hardstanding or grass pitch with electrics. It defies logic in many ways. One day perhaps!!!
David
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Which is fine if you can arrive on site as the reception opens. When we use the caravan being on grass isn't a problem (although only if its decent) but when we use the MH the last thing we want when we arrive late in the day (which we tend to do with the MH) is to find the only option is a soggy grass patch. Which is why we tend to use C&CC sites more, oh and the fact that they are cheaper
Indeed that is why I find it little problem. I suppose the question for CMC is partly. Would they lose out on more bookings because when looking to book all the hardstand had gone or by not being able to make a choice at booking time?
In my case the former.
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I’m sure you can find the answer to that question, JV. It’s a good point and it wouldn’t surprise me if occupancy levels were deliberately reduced in some cases.
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That is correct on some sites while Covid 19 is around ,although i was answering the posts about pitch types ,and the website at this time capacity to book a bigger variety of pitch type on sites that already have several, hence another reason grass and hardstands cannot be also yet available across the sites network
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JVB
I am perhaps being a bit dim but I don't understand the point you are making. You seem to be suggesting that the pitches that can currently be booked by type is because they form a minority of the pitches on the site? If you take as an example Seacroft, a site you know well, the number of serviced pitches out number the hardstandings with awning pitches. One can be booked and one can't. I appreciate that Seacroft is not a typical example. The ability to be able to book a pitch by type is perfectly possible, maybe needing a tweak to the software, but perfectly possible. The bigger problem is the willingness of the Club to do so. We all remember the failed experiment on booking hardstandings but I wonder if it was set up to fail by the way the experiment was instigated. If you are going to test something you need to do it across the entire network, otherwise, as was proved, people are confused! We have discussed subject many times and what we really need is input from the Club explaining their reasoning for not allowing the booking of hardstandings or grass standard pitches. Perhaps they see them as the same thing?
David
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For me the ability to book a H/S is upper most, awning or non awning I can live with especially for 1 night.
Just think what could happen if you had booked a series of sites on a tour of say 6 weeks and at some point the club got in touch with you to say that your next site booking had been cancelled because they had taken out the grass pitches due to them being to wet.
Under normal times that would be an inconvenience trying to phone around looking for a site to go to. If that was to happen just now with most sites booked until the end of September it would be more than an inconvenience it could be very problematic if you were to far from home.
When we had the previous MH we used to worry about not getting a H/S when on the way to the ferry. I would always book up very early to avoid the risk of being told the booking was cancelled because the grass was to soft.
The only other options was to book a service pitch (never did) or join the CCC and book a H/S with them
because of that we have tended to use the CCC more and more. Now we once again have a MH (and caravan) they will be getting even more of our business.Why the CAMC can't see what everyone else can see as perfectly sensible is a mystery. The trial was a joke, not enough sites chosen. Member confusion was a very weak excuse IMO as the booking confirmation clearly stated what kind of pitch you had booked.
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Don't know about St Davids but Incleboro was very firm and sandy. We had a tremendous thunderstorm when we were there with our MH last year and it just soaked it up. Would have no problems going back, would just take bigger ramps next time.😂
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so the grass pitches that get soft & churned up are not suitable & need better drainage .... also, those two sites have the option of moving the pitch over a little if needed, not something that is usually possible when the surrounding pitches are HS and in a fixed position.
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I'm going on the information that has appeared on CT at times when there has been very heavy rainfall. I've have never had a booking cancelled but I do know that some have.
I think the sites that have problems are the likes of Moreton in the Marsh, Stow on the Wold and Tewkesbury, I think one side of Ferry Meadows tends to flood. There are more sites but can't think of them at the moment.
We were on Sutton on Sea one year and a number of the grass pitches were out of use due to soggy ground. I would think that the likes of the seaside sites that are grass could be ok if they are on sandy ground.
Apart from this year our UK touring tends to be over winter or on the way to the ferries, so we have not had years of trying to second guess the uk weather. Sites in Scotland tend to be all H/S so no worries there.
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If a site has already multiple type of pitches on the booking site there may not be room on the booking site because of the mainframe at EGH may not be capable having extra room for more pitch types to be booked , as i said to enable all sites to be able to book all types of pitch .
your example Seacroft ,has 3 type of bookable pitches , serviced ,standard with awning and non awning pitches,
it would need altering to, grass non awning, hardstand non awning , hardstand with awning grass with awning and serviced pitches
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A while back we were promised changes or enhancements to the booking system. Perhaps the booking of grass or hardstanding pitches is already in the pipeline? The Club supposedly has a 3 year plan, if changes are not imminent they should at least be in the plan. Hopefully Covid hasn't disrupted this too much!
I would like to see every site have all types of pitches including economy ones.
peedee
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Good job we're all differenter then .... I despair when I see where the gravel of one pitch meets the gravel of another & sometimes more, so you have a sea of the infernal stuff. I don't want to have to use a Hilti gun to put my awning up or conversely some hardstandings are that loose that pegs just won't hold .... eg new side of Southport.
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Thanks for the clarification. However that is only a software and web design issue which could be overcome if there was a determination to do so? Obviously a big question mark over whether there is any determination of course
David
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