Site Occupancy
Constantly, when I try to book a pitch during the summer months I find that all weekends are fully booked. This means that I am generally only able to book a maximum of 5 nights. If travelling any distance I would prefer a longer stay to make it worthwhile. I am sure there must be many other people who think the same.
Thus there are many midweek pitches remaining empty which could otherwise be sold . This seems to be a very inefficient use of pitches. Could the Club not consider reserving a number of pitches for bookings of say 7 nights or more . This would,I think, result in much greater occupancy of pitches midweek?
Comments
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This must be the most common post on this site!
Whatever the club does it will upset some people
I work full time Monday to Friday, when I try to book a pitch they are all taken, should the club keep back a number of pitches so I can get away?
This is only going to get worse as the club membership increases but the number of pitches available does not
Maybe the club should look at trying to increase the sites and pitches on existing sites
I have tried re-booking a weekend I had booked for Broadway in March which was a moved booking from Feb due to lockdown, the next available weekend I have been able to book is November!
Not sure what the answer is but I am happy to still be here and hopefully get away soon
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If lockdown is going to be lifted at different times in each part of the UK, but bans by foreign countries on travelers from the UK remain in situ, the problem of pitch availability is likely to become worse as staycation becomes the only holiday option ...
What a cheering and uplifting thought
Steve
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Would you penalise working folk who only have weekends to get away, Stuart? The fortunate retired folk amongst us can go at virtually any time but not so the workers.
As has been recommended many times, we need to be flexible and consider alternative sites if our chosen one is full but, above all else, get in there and book early. We are able to book 12 months ahead so take advantage of that.
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Tin wheeler
Thanks for taking the trouble to reply.
The point of my post was merely to suggest a way of increasing pitch occupancy and therefore revenue to the Club. Maybe use this revenue to increase the number of pitches where possible!
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Stuart I think flexibility is the key. If a CL is in our desired location that is our first choice. If one is not or it is full then we look elsewhere.
UKCampsites offers a great search facility and lots of reviews so you can generally book with confidence.
I've also found independent adults only sites tend to be easier to book at weekends and key holiday periods.
For May and June we have 1 x CMC, 3 x CL's and 3 x independent booked.
Colin
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I have to say, Stuart, that the impression created in your opening post was that you were very much dissatisfied because you were unable to book 7 days on some sites. The filling pitches point came across as a secondary issue and not the main point of your post as you now imply.
One of the good things about this club is that it treats all members equally. Nobody is discriminated against and we all have the same chance of booking. Often, people's personal circumstances curtail their ability to book or to use sites and some tend to blame the club for that.
As Steve L pointed out, there doesn't seem to be much chance of there being unoccupied pitches so I don't think we need have any fear on that score.
Extra pitches cannot usually be added to sites due to spacing requirements and new sites aren't easy to come by so, with a burgeoning membership, it's very much a case of first come, first served.
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I suppose you have to ask why there are many midweek pitches remaining empty and not being sold?
Is it because they are not being booked due to as you say people can't get a longer stay? or it is due to people working during the week combined with their children being free at weekends? There is no point is having a restriction set if there is no one there to take them?
Also during the summer there are the 'weekenders' but also those staying longer who perhaps arrive on a Saturday and stay to the f
The bottom line is that club sites are popular and more so at weekends and they only fair to all way to get a pitch is to book early. Perhaps full sites at weekends subsidise the empty weekdays.
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It's like any holiday your booking the demand is high at weekends and school holidays when working people want to get away and demand is low during mid week when working people can't get away it will always be the same supply and demand we can't blame the club for that first come first served
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Fortunately most of my bookings are midweek - except for long holidays. I booked them last month and have only booked serviced pitches. I didn't get all the sites I wanted, but managed 'work-arounds' - e.g. the dates I wanted at Exmoor House were taken so I booked Exbridge Lakeside, just down the road instead. Hunters Moon was also booked for our dates, so booked Bingham Grange instead.
David
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Reading last month's magazine the Club has been doing this over Winter with additional pitches at River Breamish and Barnard Castle. Thinking of sites we have visited there have been site extensions at Southport, Seacroft and Bridlington and additional pitches at Burrs and the New Forest. I am sure there are more. Planning permissions for new sites are difficult but extensions often easier because the locals realise the benefits brought to the locality by members.
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"Hunters Moon was also booked for our dates, so booked Bingham Grange instead."
be interested to know how you get on at BG, DSB, we used on a few occasions before the club bought it, and really liked it, it was certainly not what one would expect of a club site and i dont believe the club have gotten round to do any refurbishment, hence some very poor reviews from members, and i believe the previous owners crammed in some more pitches before selling. It used to have a really good on site restuarant but i believe that is no more, but good luck hope you enjoy it.
as for site occupancy and the booking system, I think this year now is exceptional , and possibly 2022 will be the same, and it is ok saying book early, if you are able to do this, but my SIL e.g. is not given her holiday dates until Feb/Mar so no chance of beating the rush, as i said previously, it would be good if there was some way of checking on just how many bookings are cxld and giving how much notice would be another key measurable, just maybe if you had some key measurables maybe somebody could write some software whereby you could go in a queue for a pitch at a certain site and be given 1st preference for a pitch if you were top of the queue when somebody cxld, system could send you an alert and give you a period of time to take up the offer, before moving down the queue or am i living in a dream world
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It will be interesting whether the rush for sites when they expect to open i 0n 12th April will remain? as at this point in time i understand? that all community facility blocks will be closed as per the ccc until mid May? which is how i read HMGs road out of lockdown,and is mentioned on our clubs website.
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Rtfs wrote ' maybe somebody could write some software whereby you could go in a queue for a pitch at a certain site and be given 1st preference for a pitch if you were top of the queue when somebody cxld'
That would only work if people waited around on the off chance. Reality is that they will have moved on. Could involve a lot of work for nowt.
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It can be frustrating when you are trying to book but some dates you want are not available.
The trick in my experience is patience. Keep checking and more often than not cancellations or further pitches being released means that the site magically becomes available for the dates you want.
It can get a bit stressful as the clock ticks round to the 72 hour latest cancellation period however. At that point it's best to have thought of a backup plan!
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I agrre that the Southport extension was completed some years ago, but that at Burrs is much more recent.
Your comments don't alter the fact that, in answer to the original post, the Club has been extending sites and adding pitches to existing sites for some time and continues to do so. This seems to me to be a good use of members' money!
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We have found as our holiday type has become more popular and even more so since staycations ,even more popular with people realising the UK (although small in comparison to "over there") has much to offer,
Sites that in the past could be booked at short notice are now getting busy at peak times ,but we still find that if a site is showing full especially at weekend when a longer stay is wanted it a call to the site concernered has except on very few occasions been positive
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I 'sadly' watched the Virtual interviews by Matt Albright yesterday with Club Personnel where they spoke about the issues in this thread.....
Some interesting points were raised: Yes, due to the expectation of 'staycations' over the next few years the club are looking at adding pitches but this is always subject to planning & licensing so obviously not something they can do ad hoc....
Experience Freedom doesn't take away touring pitches, the units are invariably placed in areas of 'free' space but allows for multi-generation family holidays.....
The whole idea to be able to book so far in advance is a 'perk/benefit' for current members so as to not be disadvantaged by someone just joining the club...
+ don't forget some sites have 50% discount for mid-week dates so whether you work or not taking leave outside of school holidays can be of benefit....
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"but we still find that if a site is showing full especially at weekend when a longer stay is wanted it a call to the site concernered has except on very few occasions been positive"
think you will have to call in more and more favours for this to happen now
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"The trick in my experience is patience. Keep checking and more often than not cancellations or further pitches being released means that the site magically becomes available for the dates you want."
and this is exactly my point, if when looking to book a particular site all pitches were taken, if there was then an option to join a "wait" list which, when pitches became available due to cxlation for example, a text message is sent to the head of the queue advising them of this, they could then accept or decline as the case maybe.
People who are working probably cannot spend hours per day checking the site in the hope that pitches may have become available. Not that i am too bothered as i seldom use club sites, and especially not this year
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Nothing to stop the CAMC being the first, well there is, it would take some extensive IT /programming
knowledgesome smaller sites do this if only as a courtesy call, so on some commercial sites, small, they have asked if they could contact me should a pitch become available.
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Yes, you have told us many times about your experiences over there, but unfortunately in the real world, many, would no doubt love to roam overthere and share your experiences, in reality they may still be working, get just 4 weeks holiday per annum, 2 weeks they have to take during July/August because the children are on school hols, so, if they want to go caravanning they have to make the best of what we have got over here.
Anyway, I have found the last 12 months of trying to get overthere, with ferry changes, not knowing which sites will be open when, and the possibility of having to have covid checks before you go, make sure you havent got any Danish bacon in your caravan because it is not allowed any more even though it came from Denmark originally, covid checks when you return, possible self isolation, and constantly watching the news to see if Mr Macron is about to close the borders or the ferry ports, just because he can, and there is more, doesnt sound exactly like a bed of roses trying to get overthere or stress free
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Even with the high staycations in the UK as you have posted there are plenty of pitches off peak ,as it seems the times you travel to your "reserved pitch" so where do you get the new idea? of trying in this tiny island to find pitches
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I am, certainly for this year, and I will really enjoy it, holidays away booked thru to end of September, with the exception of July/August, and we would not be camping overthere or overhere during those months, and have had no difficulty in finding sites/pitches, and if the weather is anything like today, it is going to be a bumper summer, I see you will be joining us in May, Southport is it ?
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Difference is David that they are not islands and just run one country into the next like England, Wales and Scotland. If you consider Wales it is similar in size to Slovenia. In the past I have gone with a friend for a short break (many times) and on one occasion stayed in France, Belgium and Germany on a five day break. Would have travelled further but for increasing snow. The EU within Europe is a large landmass
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