It's a bit unfair
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never had difficulty finding alternative sites, mainly because i never tour during peak season July/August.
Its not difficult to find sites in July/August either as long as you stay away from the hot spots. Adult only sites are the best bets. Last week I had had no problem booking into the adult only area of the Ludlow Morris Leisure site in August to meet up with friends.
peedee
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I don't follow the discussion group every day so this may have been asked before. Are there any penalties for making numerous bookings throughout the year and cancelling nearly all of them a few days beforehand, so as not to incur the cost of the booking?
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With this clubs booking system there is no penalty if a booking is cancelled before 72hrs of arrival, if a booking is not taken up (non arrival)a computer activated letter is sent , if a booking is not taken up on the third occasion all remaining bookings for the current year are cancelled by this club
There is not any financial costs to those who fail to turn up
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Grandchildren duties are not necessarily confined to school holidays either!
In fact we are "released" for school holidays as our SIL is a teacher.
Otherwise we are booked for every Wednesday and Thursday, and have to arrange to swap with the other grandparents if we want to take a decent break.
Medical appointments are not too numerous at present, but it is bound to get worse as the years go on.
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Medical appointments are a tie and can't be helped but the child care duties referred to are voluntary. It's not in the same league as being contracted to work for an employer.
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T, you go for it you are doing nothing wrong. The club runs on the first come first served rule. As soon as pitches are booked they’re off the market. Retired folk do everything voluntarily, those that work are under contract so it’s only fair that you lose no sleep over enjoying your weekends away👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻.
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Life circumstances ebb and flow with time. What the wise do is make the most of what comes your way as much as you can. Some periods are good, some can be not so good. Some periods have barriers to being able to do what you want, some periods are make hay while the sun shines!
Been with this Club now, with a couple of short breaks, for nigh on 38 years. Things have changed a bit, but on the whole it’s been circumstances out of the Club’s control when it comes to getting pitches. The mantra we use is don’t expect anyone else to sort out your holiday. Depending on what kind of things are currently going on, the main thing I do is anticipate and plan if I know there might be barriers looming in terms of getting away. Barriers at the moment are caring for elderly relative, and Covid. Oh and the simple fact that half of UK seems to have discovered camping and touring🤷♀️
Not a problem really. Booked some Club Sites late last year to ensure we would get away, despite not usually being our first choice. Thoroughly enjoyed first trip away at Ferry Meadows, cancelled second at Warwick as weather better here, (two weeks notice given), found an alternative to Moreton Site more than two thirds cheaper so cancelled next weeks trip there back in February, and we still have our booking at Marazion in September. We have deprived no one of a pitch anywhere, at any time. We have picked up a couple of cancelled pitches ourselves in fact to have a spur of the moment trip away.
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A friend of mine was in Cornwall for 15 nights and in that time 6 yes 6 different motorhomes came next to him. This is why you can't get more than a couple of days. Look anywhere and you will see what is happing. You book a year ahead and find when you get there there are less than 5 pitches available. You should be able to book your pitch if you book a year ahead. To many motorhomes staying no more than a couple of days.
This was the same at Hillhead in May this year motorhomes staying for a couple of nights then moving on. No room for someone to book a week or 2 weeks.
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Goodness, are you hoping to impose a new rule for minimum stays?
What impact can it possibly have on anyone if 1 MH uses a pitch for 6 nights or 6 MHs use it for 1 night each? It's about freedom of choice and use - long may it last.
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Could be us Briang, we generally only stop for 2 / 3 days, although have not been to Hillhead. It’s allowed. I suggest you plan ahead. As others have mentioned, if your circumstances should not allow you to go, it is perfectly alright to cancel at a later date. We are currently away for a week on one site, just for a change. It’s a service pitch we booked a year ago.
Plus have you not thought that MH’s only stopping for short periods are filling the gaps. As we decided not to go to France late on, we didn’t book anything for September until a month ago. So we mopped up the odd available days, so improving the clubs finances.
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If you've committed to helping out with family duites it's much the same, children or adults sometimes need your total committment just like employment. You can't let people down even if it's voluntary.
Further back on here I was looking at a post about the chore of looking for cancelled bookings but it's much the same as people using Lastminute.com etc looking for a holiday. It's something many do and it works out quite well.
Whatever the club does there will be cancellations and some will be glad to take up the slack.
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Some of us use caravans for touring, two, three nights here or there, occasionally only the one. Not everyone feels the need to plonk down for two three weeks in same place. Likewise, sometimes we book a week with MH somewhere, and it doesn’t go off Site. It’s called choice.
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Yes, exactly!
We were not forced to look after the grandchildren, we love it. We missed a lot of our 2 older grandchildren's early years as I was still working , and they stay about an hour's drive away, so we are very happy to look after our daughter's 2 little ones.
Nathan is still a baby, but he will join Callum, who is now 3, at nursery next year. Childcare is very expensive, and difficult to find, just a half day 5 times per week works out at about £600 per month, and you pay 50 weeks per year, whether the child is there or not.
We, and the other grandparents offered to do 2-3 days per week, but our daughter thought afternoons only would be enough for us! We go to her place in the forenoon and while I do various DIY items, OH does dishwashing and laundry, so DD can at least relax a little in the evening.
Having offered, we cannot just say....."right, we are off on holiday next month, see you in 6 weeks"
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We tend to book a maximum of 4 nights at any site and then move on, sometimes only an hour or so away. The idea of staying for a whole week or a fortnight in the same place is just not appealing at all. If we did however, others wouldn't be able to book our pitch for a much longer period than our current usual 4 nights on any site. eg we recently did 3 weeks away in Scotland on six different sites, that's just how we choose to use our van, you see more things with little or no use of the vehicle from each site.
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"Having offered, we cannot just say....."right, we are off on holiday next month, see you in 6 weeks"
You can actually. You volunteered. It's not at all the same as contracted employment. It's your choice to give up your weekdays thus curtailing your options for going away.
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That's a bit harsh TW, there are many around acting as unpaid carers apart many committed to volunteering to help out in other ways.
Sometimes people get called into work during their time off! Life just isn't straight forward enough to compare who can go away and who can't.
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I’m with Tinny Brue, I have GK’s but I only volunteer when it suits & I won’t be pressured. I too love them but I have a life & GK’s are a small part of that life. I’m not interested in living my life thru them or with them👍🏻
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I agree AD. When we first started touring, with a small camper, in our mid 20’s, we tended to move on every 1-2 days. Then we got a tent, tended to stay put or do a split site fortnight, as putting tent up and down took more effort. Then 20 years with caravans. Long four week stays in one spot in one van, which we left in Cornwall. Other smaller van we used from home and toured with. Caring circumstances made long holidays impossible for a couple of years, so that why we bought our current MH. Went back to 1-2 night touring.
For us, caravan is about get there, set up, stay on a Site. MH is about hopping from Site to Site. However, we do occasionally do the opposite.
Decision has been made on our old van. It’s to be renovated, parts have been sourced, list of things to do finalised, budget agreed, it comes home for work to start in a fortnight. Given ourselves a couple of weeks, (delivery of parts dependent) to get it up and on the road. So it might be on its way to Cornwall in September🤞0 -
Don’t think charging a deposit is any good, years ago they did, problem was, they were booking sites in west/east then whichever had the best weather that’s where they would end up. If I have been booking a site for the same dates by mistake it normally comes up as already booked. I do get mad when wanting a super pitch for a week but there are none available because all the weekends are booked.
Moderator Comment – Please don’t use Block Capitals when posting, it is against the T&C’s of the forum.
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"Having offered, we cannot just say....."right, we are off on holiday next month, see you in 6 weeks"
Well going off topic into grandparenting duties but you brought it up, yes you can, it is their primary responsibility to look after their children not yours, I think the key is you offered and you can withdraw that offer.
Otherwise we are booked for every Wednesday and Thursday, and have to arrange to swap with the other grandparents if we want to take a decent break.
Again your life your choice but personally I think that if you want to take a decent break it is up to your children to make alterative arrangements and not up to you.
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I was making a comment regarding booking pitches with the amount of motor homes being sold this is only going to get worse. If you read my post properly. I book a year ahead and when i get to the site there are only a couple of pitches available. You might have 1 empty pitch for 1 night then it is filled with a Motor home. This should be changed so when you book a year ahead you should be able to book your pitch. This is not a dig at motorhomes.
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Briang, I am still trying to work to what you're saying (probably my fault) especially the:
You might have 1 empty pitch for 1 night then it is filled with a Motor home.
What are you trying to say, that after one night it is taken by a MH the following night? What is wrong with that? Nothing in my view? Would it matter if a caravan filled it? Also maybe that MH booked a year in advance too?
Are you asking to book a specific pitch? And if so how would that change the situation you're describing?
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People who work have mostly no choice about when they take their time off. People who voluntarily tie themselves to care of grandchildren have every choice.
So, Brue, it's not harsh at all but completely factual.
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