Clubsite bookings 2021
Comments
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We are generally late bookers and start our tour with only the first one or two sites booked, further sites are booked a day or two ahead. However, what we don't do in this country is set off down a narrow country lane hoping that the CS/CL/small site has room for us. I would be very surprised ttda if you would do the same with your caravan or even campervan.
The difference abroad is that is exactly what we do.
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Mikel, yes we do.😂 The one thing that has never balked us is the width of the road. If it fits, it goes down, even if one of us has to get out and give hand signals. (We do of course pay heed to road width signs.) We got off Dartmoor with around four inch per side of motorhome a couple of years ago. It took us about a couple of extra minutes taking it carefully, but a couple of minutes is nothing having spent two nice weeks exploring somewhere we love. Our favourite CL in Cornwall was down a one car width lane, we spent weeks per year, for 15 years doing this with a caravan. We aren’t the problem, OH can reverse. It’s those we meet other way that can’t that are the problem.
Mind, I agree that in this day and age of the mobile phone and email, if it’s somewhere unknown, down somewhere that looks narrow on the map, I have the common sense to call Site before venturing down the very narrow bit.
We have taken our MH up Simonside, up Long Mynd, up the narrow NY Moors valleys. It’s what we bought if for, not to simply drive from Site to site via motorways and dual carriageways.
Edge of Caerhays Beach, down on Roseland in Cornwall. An “interesting” drive to get there😂
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I think the question is, "would you feel comfortable just turning up when touring," no phoning ahead, no checking availability, just picking a site and going for it.
For me in the UK the answer is no. I don't dispute that with phone calls and a fair degree of flexibility some sort of ad hoc touring would be possible. However, it would remove the pleasure of the spontaneity.
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It’s a tiny island, with a huge touring community, even more so after this year. It doesn’t get easier admittedly.
Once we get the chance to go overseas, the boring, not very nice part for us will be simply hopping over the Channel. I loathe ferries, it’s a drag down to the Tunnel. We would be going over for a long time to make it worth it.
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Caerhays isn’t particularly challenging if approached from Gorran. Plenty go there - you’ll find no shortage of MH in the car park during the summer months. If you want ‘interesting’ try driving to nearby Hemmick Beach - one of the nicer places you’ll find in Cornwall.
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Yes, we know Hemmick well, and Vault. The one place we couldn’t get our MH was down to Lower Penpoll from Lanteglos Highway, up to St Veep, then down, down to Lerryn😱😱 That’s a toughie in a wide car. I doubt we could get into Lerryn from St Austell side either, that little bow bridge in village is a bit of a spoiler😁
Cornwall we think is best with a car and van. Dump the van, then you can get everywhere. Or a very small camper. We like the tiny, tiny lanes.
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I think TDA's is even nicely littler than the Clubman 👍🏻
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Aye, it’s a grand little outfit, suits us down to the ground. Got all we need, including a bit of ground clearance. I do have to remind OH he’s not in Jeep. 🤣
VW AS Gatcombe JV, so nice wood fittings inside, although the interior takes some getting used to in the red. Lovers of modern beige, grey, white and graphite usually blink🤣 It’s covered in more muted throws for the pooch though. We saw one with upholstery all redone, looked very nice, but we truly live in ours, dogs, cooking, glasses of wine etc.... Anything pale wouldn’t last long.
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Steve, yes this suits you, I understand this. But you also have to understand that the members who work and have fixed holidays which their employer has not yet told them the dates, or people who have care responsibility and need to make arrangements that booking next year is not possible.
I resent the implication that we are in some way lazy in booking, booking what, the whole of the summer because we genuinely do not know what dates we can travel.
You also have to accept that by booking a lot of sites for a short period that you restrict the availability of those who do work to book weeks or fortnight breaks. I am not critical in that, I wish i had the flexibility to travel as much as you.
I get frustrated that whenever I look for the longer breaks as they are usually blocked by weekenders, I accept this but you have to accept that this is frustrating for a lot of the membership. And I am not doing it again but last time this was debated I demonstrated that 10 popular sites had no complete weeks between June and November. I accept this was for 2020 which was an exceptional year.
This could be resolved very swiftly by every member booking all their possible requirements when the dates are released, I feel a facebook campaign coming on. What then, total stalemate of the booking system.
At the moment the club own the lifejacket concession on the deck of the titanic, they are going to sell their product.
If you think that the club would not sell vacant pitches then as a membership we should be given the facts to understand this. What is the occupancy levels, by month, by pitch type, and what % of the membership use the sites, what is the level of cancellation.
I know this will never happen for no other reason than I do not think they have statistical analysis of booking trends across their business or understand how the demographic of the membership uses their services.
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"You also have to accept that by booking a lot of sites for a short period that you restrict the availability of those who do work to book weeks or fortnight breaks. I am not critical in that, I wish i had the flexibility to travel as much as you.
I get frustrated that whenever I look for the longer breaks as they are usually blocked by weekenders, I accept this but you have to accept that this is frustrating for a lot of the membership"
Phish, isn't it likely that those booking the weekends are in fact the working folk who can't get away mid-week so, understandably, grab the weekends? That is, people like yourself.
I don’t think you can blame any of us for using the club in the way that suits us best. Indeed, it’s exactly what you seek to do but find your efforts frustrated. Whatever system is in place, someone will feel unfairly treated and, glib as it sounds, I’m afraid that's life and most of us have had to work around the constraints of employment over the years.
Good luck with booking what you want this year.
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members who work and have fixed holidays which their employer has not yet told them the dates, or people who have care responsibility and need to make arrangements that booking next year is not possible.
But that applies at all booking any type of holiday club or not, why the club be different to suit you personally? membership of a club does not grant one the exclusive use at all times when you want it?
Do you write similar posts on all hotels/Thompsons/other holiday companies. or just the club?
but you have to accept that this is frustrating for a lot of the membership.
Really how do you know this is anywhere near true, where is your evidence, the posts on here?
they are going to sell their product.
Well and what else should a business do? What do you expect not sell their products?
If you think that the club would not sell vacant pitches then as a membership we should be given the facts to understand this. What is the occupancy levels, by month, by pitch type, and what % of the membership use the sites, what is the level of cancellation.
why? and do you ask this of other travel hotels holidays companies when you can't get a booking you want? Would you ask that of any a gym or example when you couldn't get in? What about a golf club? Squash club?
Sorry but it appears to be a case of you wanting a club site and complain when you can't. It happens to all, even me if I leave it too late. As you don't appear to get your monies worth or like the way the club is run why are you a member? serious question?
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Steve, yes this suits you, I understand this. But you also have to understand that the members who work and have fixed holidays which their employer has not yet told them the dates, or people who have care responsibility and need to make arrangements that booking next year is not possible.
We have been a member for 16 years. For the first 10 we had similar issues. Now we don't have any constraints other than our health. I'm afraid you have to work within your own situation, not expect the situation to be adapted to suit.
When we worked we also booked a lot of 3 day weekend breaks, as I would imagine a lot of working folk do. These were generally not at our first choice site, as we couldn't book far enough ahead.
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But that applies at all booking any type of holiday club or not, why the club be different to suit you personally? membership of a club does not grant one the exclusive use at all times when you want it?
No it doesn't, no other business or organization allows me to book as many holidays as I possibly need and then cancel at will without punitive damages. I am pretty sure Thompsons would have very high bookings and limited availability if they allowed their customers to book whatever they want and cancel days before they travel. They don't because it would be very inefficient way of running a travel business. It is really bad way to operate when booking algorithms and analytics are used by any travel business of this size.
why? and do you ask this of other travel hotels holidays companies when you can't get a booking you want? Would you ask that of any a gym or example when you couldn't get in? What about a golf club? Squash club?
Because this is run as a club and it is fair and reasonable for the executive to report to the membership the strategy and targets for their key activities and allow scrutiny of the achievement of those targets.
As you don't appear to get your monies worth or like the way the club is run why are you a member? serious question?
I am a member because I use some of the clubs services which I value. I never said I do not get value and as a member I have the right to question the policies and operation of the club.
Same old response, it suits us so go away, the weekends remain choked by the few.
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Steve, if you dont see that your own post totally explains the frustration and the dreadful inequality then I will never convince you.
I'm afraid you have to work within your own situation, not expect the situation to be adapted to suit.
Why, the club exists for its membership and will die with them if they do not change. The generation after me are not blessed with your loyalty or patience, they just move on.
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I fear nothing will convince you, Phish, so I'll just reiterate that the weekenders are probably working folk like yourself who won't thank you for wanting to restrict bookings. I'll also add that the club exists for all its members which is why it applies a fair booking policy and doesn't impose restrictions.
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Phish, I have some sympathy with what you are saying in terms of it’s difficult if you have relatively unknown dates for your holidays, until Summer gets closer. But you could do what we used to do, book a couple of periods provisionally, across the possible weeks, and then tweak them at a later date. This Club allows you, anyone, to do that without penalty at the moment, and it is possibly what quite a few folks do without making a fuss about it. We worked with a very nice CL owner who understood our holiday predicament, but also knew that throughout the year, we would spend days, weeks, months on their Site, spending our holiday money with them. That was on a five pitch Site, and it worked for us.
If you only get your holiday dates a few weeks notice, then that is very difficult, but is a term of employment you have accepted and wanting to change the system to accommodate you isn’t the way forward. That needs compromise.
I too hope you get sorted out for a nice break.
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Over the very many years we have been members of this club ,there have always been those who complain about weekends always full?
What as site staff will explain is not block bookings, of weekends ,but most are by longer stay members as they will arrive Friday,Sat or Sunday for between 7to-14nights leaving on a Saturday or Sunday to travel on or home,"blocking" weekends as some do not understand, could be 3 weekends
Some sites in close proximity of high populations (2hr journey?) then they could well be popular with those who work Monday to Friday and want some time away without long journies,
With this being such a small island with a growing LV hobby population then it may well be more of a problem without more sites coming on stream (if the NIMBYs allow)
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The booking system was changed a while ago as it was deemed that the present system would be fairer than the then old December booking stampede when we sat in a queue on the PC to make our booking then re join the queue to make another. We of course are now able to use the system to our advantage and book well ahead we don't cancel but we are able to tweak our booking if needed and to be honest I can't see deposits making much difference as I'm afraid this lark is getting too popular ie yesterday the last couple on earth I would have thought would join us phoned us to say they had bought a campervan
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We recognised change was coming over 20 years ago. We used to hitch up, roll down to Marazion, get a pitch, that was it. Then one year, we saw the “Site Full” sign go up. 2001 it was. So I booked a few weeks ahead after that, until we eventually dropped on a nice CL. That was booked up solid from May through to October, so we recognised the need to become very pro active to get what we needed. Never failed in the following 13 years we were still at work, and my OH only got his leave allocation in New Year. It’s nothing new, you deal with it, one way or another.
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First paragraph, you have misread, what applies to all holiday bookings is that you cannot book far ahead, yet for some reason you think the club owes you a holiday.
Because this is run as a club and it is fair and reasonable for the executive to report to the membership the strategy and targets for their key activities and allow scrutiny of the achievement of those targets
Name one other club that does this? In one sense it does report back on occupancy level and income, the true measure of a well run business.
I have the right to question the policies and operation of the club.
yes have you? I mean on here is pointless, but have you written in to the club or tabled a question at the AGM? or even voted?
I'm not sure what the same old response means bth? rather rude perhaps, I don't say that about your posts?
Choked by the few?
Well if it is a few then there cannot be a problem. But those 'few' are fellow members and with all your talk of it being a club you want them to lose their weekends away just so you can have your weeks away? Hardly fair is it?
As said above book ahead.
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Even that is getting more difficult. We never had an issue getting a pitch to tag on, but there’s a lot less slack these last couple of years.
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All site owners these days are far more profit and costs conscious now,so a lot more pitches are used where in the past (grass pitches)they may have been rested to "save" them from awning and groundsheet damage,
And with more hardstandings and service?pitches now being installed sites will have fewer pitches ,also spacing of grass pitches is now more in the last few years with the recent firebreak advise,/rules all adds up to less pitches available in the same size site
But even then as site staff we know some still on the network doing relief will say , it is very foolish site staff that release every pitch ,with so many "problems "that that can cause
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We simply broke free from Club sites (too busy), and CLs (too small). There are hundreds of decent, respectable, mid range, independent sites in UK, with pitches available at short notice.
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I quite agree ,although one main reason IMHO that club sites , both clubs are so popular is the majority of people do not like the "unknown", whereas when using both clubs networks (apart from the nitpickers) can be sure of good quality facilities on all the sites normally with good staff on hand if needed
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