12 oclock rule

[MartinJ]

Just read an interesting letter in this months magazine about the 40 hour weekend - ie you must be on site by 8 oclock Friday night and be off your pitch by 12 oclock on Sunday.

As a working family our caravan weekends are precious. Sundays however are just a rush to get packed away ond off site by 12 oclock.

My suggestion would be that the big clubs change the 12 oclock rule to 4 oclock on Sundays only. That way those who have to be back at work on Monday can actually enjoy their Sunday on site whilst still freeing up pitches for those arriving later that afternoon.

I appreciate that some wardens (though not all) will do their best to accomodate later departures however some sites actually charge you for the priviledge.

Cheers, Martin.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

We were at Blackpool CC site earlier this week and they had a blackboard stating requested departure times

It seems good PR to allow late leaving when the site is half empty and should be applauded

On the other hand I have been on quiet sites where nobody was allowed on early even though there was plenty of room(and staff!)

One occasion at Oxford springs to mind where several motorcyclists with small tents were made to wait hours on very hot day before being allowed on to vacant pitches at noon .Jobsworth springs to mind

We wait on a layby if early as we don't want to get on the wrong side of the management!!

 

[RogerL]

This is an ongoing problem because of the conflict between weekend and holiday caravanners.

Those of us that tour just don't want to wait until Sunday evening to get a pitch.

A pitch is booked for a night, usually 12pm until 12 pm. If you want more than that, book an extra night. It's weekends when sites are full so paying a premium shouldn't be a problem.

 

[BeemerMal]

Martin J......I know it must be frustrating but in all the years we have caravanned with children and work constraints we have found most wardens have accomodated late stayers (as they do early arrivals) if at all possible.

However, playing devils advocate, sites need to have set arrivals and departure times and these need to be considered by caravanners, because if too many people stay after 12 noon the new arrivals would not be able to set up until much later. I have found most site owners and wardens do apply flexibility in their approach to this. It is usually the "jobs worth" wardens that always stick to the rules and they don't understand the word flexibility. The ones we found that stuck to rigid rules, out of busy periods, did'nt get a second visit!

At most CC sites the wardens put notices out asking for pitches to be vacated by 12.00 but they only do this if they are expecting a lot of arrivals that day. Normally, out of season, there are few arrivals on Sundays.

I liken the scenario to that of an hotel, although there is usually less preparation to a pitch than for a room. Check in is usually after 3.00pm but departure time is normally 10.00am!

 

[Thorpedo]

Agree with you Martin J and Watson, it's a jobs worth attitude.

I use a site in Cornwall where as long as the pitch is vacant they let me on whenever I arrive.

Out of the main season, as long as the pitch isn't booked and there is space for a speculataive arrival, they let me stay until I'm ready to leave which has been up to 8pm. They have a late leaving charge but don't impose it as they appreciate that good customer service reaps rewards in the long run.

Used another really nice site last year where they insisted I pay a late leaving charge even though the site was empty and it was throwing it down with rain, I won't go back there.

Vote with your feet I say.

Unhelpfull sites lose repeat business.

 

[MartinJ]

Hi Roger, all I am saying is that the rule be moved on Sundays only. Surely an extra 4 hours wait to get on site one day a week would not mean much change in schedule to those who are touring but it would make a big difference for those of us who have to re join the rat race every Monday.

If it was a rule and everyone knew about it then it could be allowed for when planning your schedule?

I would certainly object to having to pay an extra nights pitch fee for 4 hours on site.

 

[BeemerMal]

Quote from Martin L:

"Hi Roger, all I am saying is that the rule be moved on Sundays only. Surely an extra 4 hours wait to get on site one day a week would not mean much change in schedule to those who are touring but it would make a big difference for those of us who have to re join the rat race every Monday.

If it was a rule and everyone knew about it then it could be allowed for when planning your schedule?"

......................................................

Really Martin, is the problem that bad? Go to sites that allow flexibility in departure times or pay for an additional night!

What you now suggest totally contradicts your original post about a 40 hour weekend! You now expect those that arrive on a Sunday at 4.00pm must leave site by 12.00noon on day of departure reducing their time on site to suit you? We all know many working families cannot get on site at 12 noon but that is hardly the fault of others! Is it?

 

[RogerL]

Martin, pitches are booked by the night, not by the hour. I object to the concept that holiday tourers CAN'T move on a Sunday. Don't forget that we pay pitch fees 7 nights a week, not 2 like weekenders.

When demand permits, wardens do allow late departure on Sundays but when the demand is high you have to leave at 12 or pay for another night.

At peak periods someone else will have booked, and possibly paid for, the pitch you want to continue using for free.

Apart from the minority of wardens who apply the rule unneccessarily, it works well - peak periods off by 12, slack periods stay until you're ready.

 

[Gareth111278]

In busy times i think you've got to stick to the rules but i see no harm in giving the site a ring if you find you're self close by before the check-in time to see if they have spaces.

when we are on site and want to leave later i ask if its Ok to pack up & park the caravan out of the way and return for it later. Most place say its Ok or just to leave it on the pitch.

We were packing up at Sethornes in the New Forest 2 years ago and had people waiting for our pitch from 10am, earilest arrival was supposed to be 12!! Its not nice packing up unde pressure like that!

Gareth

 

[colin-yorkshire]

hi all

if a site is so busy that people are wating for your pitch at 10AM it time to find another site I think.

most site wardens and owners are flexible about arrival and leaving times if approached beforehand, afterall unless it was the middle of summer when the sun (if there is any) is up at 4AM it would be unlikley that the awning would be dry enough to take down before 10am let alone leave by 10AM.

my own view is if a site is really that busy do I want to be on there!! er' NO

colin

 

[rosies]

Hi all

In all the years we have been caravanning i have never had a problem with either coming on or leaving sites . Just simply ask and nine times out of ten the management are so helpful to your needs, but if they can't then there's a reason . Surely we don't have to make it a RULE , after all caravanning is about the flexibility of holiday breaks . If i could only get on sites before 12 noon would be an achievement , mind you it would only be extra work for me putting her ladyships bed away that she had just got out of , hehehe .

STEVE.

 

[Gareth111278]

Hi colin

It was end of August in the New Forest. In fairness to the site management they might have been doing a one-off-one-on system as there is no set pitch, you just find one on the area you've paid for. We were on possibly the best spot, right at the end of the site so no traffic came passed and we had woodland on 3 sides of us, pitty it rained every day!! So i expect thats why a family decided to stare at us whilst we dried everything and rolled out at 11.59am {LOL}

Gareth

 

[Dustydog]

I don't want to see hard and fast rules but equally I don't want to be pitching up after 5.00pm. By the time I've got the awning up and done everything else a late afternoon cuppa or pint helps us relax before our evening meal. I do see the wardens blackboards, only at very busy times, which usually ask people to leave by 12.00pm. We usually try to arrive at 2.00pm ish which is the best time insofar as most vacators have left and there is more choice of pitches.

The 2 nighters, weekenders have been covered elsewhere this week but I reiterate they are the majority of the abusers who hog reservations and don't cancel, but just don't turn up . If the CC reserved at least 25% of weekend pitches for the non 2 nighters I would be far happier. I don't want the CC taking deposits.

Cheers

Alan

 

[Alex_374312290]

I just never like to ask for something that I've not paid for, like a favour from the site. Is it not taking advantage of their goodwill ?

It would be easier I suppose if you already had a rapport with the warden(s), but to arrive Friday night, then on Sunday turn up at reception and ask to stay on past 12, doesn't sit well with me.

I'm not saying that it's right or wrong, just a personal thing I suppose.

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Alex,

Nothing wrong at all! You are just being an altruistic person. Shame more people aren't more considerate.

Cheers

Alan

 

[MartinJ]

Guys dont get me wrong I dont want anything for nothing. The last thing I would want to do is to insist on staying on a pitch past the time I had booked and paid for (indeed we never have or will).

Mal - the 40 hour weekend quote was in the letter in the mag - not a quote from myself. I just thought it raised an interesting point.

It does annoy me though that some sites will let you stay past normal checkout time for a fee yet they wouldnt think of knocking anything off my first nights pitch fee if I cant get there before 7 oclock at night due to work commitments. Maybe Im just being a bit naive here.

Roger - who suggested that you CANT move sites on a Sunday if you are touring. My suggestion was that your pitch would be avaailable from 4 rather than 12 on Sundays only to give the weekenders a few more hours leeway.

 

[RogerL]

Martin - it's not a lot of use if a pitch is only available after 4pm on a Sunday - what are we supposed to do for several hours with the caravan on the back?

On off-peak Sundays there's no problem - new arrivals still get a choice of pitch and weekenders can stay until the evening.

It's only a problem at peak periods on popular sites, even then the CC specifies 12pm leaving - many commercials require 10am vacating all year round.

 

[colin-yorkshire]

hi all

to be honest we have never had a problem with any site regarding arrival and departure times but then we only tour outside school hols so I suppose we go when it is at more quiet.

on the last day we like to get off early so take down the awning on the previous day.

not possible of course if it's just for two nights and I do sympathise with the w/enders who go at peak times though because on occasion we have had to do a overnighter and get charged full rate for only a few hours stay.

colin

 

[SteveW77]

I can't see the problem here, you pay unil 12.00 noon, if you want to stay longer, pay for the extra night. You can't buy half a newspaper or 3 slices from a sliced loaf, why should a campsite be any different. Why do people always want something for nothing?

Steve W

 

[RichardJ]

I can see the problems that some members have, we have had some ourselves, we tend to arrive as soon as possible, but more mostly around the 3pm mark, leaving by 12 noon does cause a problem, we often try to wait until the last minute before dropping the awning, and as we all know there is always dew etc around or rain, with the dew it takes acouple of hours to dry off.

As for paying extra, fine some places cgarge a fiver others do not charge while others will charge a full night, seems unfair sometimes, I do agree with the comments that if you do not turn up for the pitch you have booked, you should be charged....

The deposit system may be the answer, as stated on the site some time ago, how many members book well in advance, then decide not to go because the weather isnt good or some other excuse, then cannot be bothered to cancel.

Back to the thread, having to leave by 12 can be a problem, as you cannot arrive before 2, you do not have to clean the room, change the beds or anything silly, change the times from 12 noon to 2 pm and the arrival time to 3pm, still allowing plenty of time to set up, but will also allow awnings to be dried and packed away.

Weather here is gale force.... there are still vans in our local castle grounds, in the shade of the trees, snow forcast for tonight.

 

[RogerL]

Richard - beds may not need changing but pitches need mowing - at peak periods every site has a lot of movement on Sundays - that's why many commercial sites use 10am as a departure time, to give them time to prepare pitches for new arrivals.

What's the problem with weekenders, apart from penny-pinching?

A pitch night is 24 hours from 12pm until 11:59am the next day.

At non-peak times you can stay on, free-of-charge, on CC sites. At peak times, WHEN OTHERS WANT TO USE AND PAY FOR YOUR PITCH, it's fair to get out or pay up.

Weekenders only pay for 2 nights a week - longer-stayers pay 7 nights a week yet the weekenders want us to be second in the queue even though we contribute a lot more to site income.

 

[SteveW77]

change the times from 12 noon to 2 pm and the arrival time to 3pm, still allowing plenty of time to set up,

Presumably this is from a person who only uses sites during the summer months,no fun setting up in the dark and rain during the winter, I repeat,if you want to stay extra pay for it, why should anyone else be inconveience because you are tight fisted.

Steve W

 

[MartinJ]

Just to quickly reply to a couple of points raised -

Is it that much of a problem? - Yes at times it is. We are lucky enough to live in Derbyshire and like to use the peak district sites (chatsworth, grin low etc) as they are within an hours drive of our house. Its been documented on other threads on this forum how busy these sites get on weekends but outside of school holidays are considerably quieter during the week.

Penny picher - Definately not. We are happy to pay a full days pitch fee for a Friday when we are away for a weekend but can rarely get to the site before 6pm. We dont weekend all the time - we do as much touring as possible (usualy at least 5 weeks a year during school holidays at peak prices) so we feel we more than pay our way.

Inconvenience - allowing an extra few hours on site ONE DAY a week is all Im suggesting. Is that really too much to ask. How inconvenient can it be to set off a few hours later if you are moving / going to a site on a Sunday?

 

[RogerL]

The inconvenience of not being allowed onto the pitch until later is:-

What do you do with a caravan on the back if you left your previous site by 10am and have travelled 2 hours?

Arriving late means completing setup late, sometime into the dark.

When there is such a simple solution like paying for Sunday night, at peak times only, why be so inconvenient to others?

 

[Parksy]

I don't have any strong opinions on this topic because being retired we try to go away mainly midweek. Martin J has opened a good debate with a suggestion so the question is academic because we all have to adhere to the club rules and the discretion of the site warden.

Please continue to debate, but can we leave out phrases such as penny pinching or tight fisted? I know that no ill will is meant whatsoever but it reads more harshly than it was probably intended, and if I was a complete newbie to caravanning and this forum I wonder what I'd think?

Thanks