ricky_s said:On the Caravan Club site you can pick a date and then get a list of available pitches for that date range. I've just tried for just one Saturday in March and it looks like I need to travel quite a way to find a pitch that's available.
Not been away in our van yet and was hoping for a site near to us in West Sussex just to try things out overnight but looks like I will need to look outside of the club.
........I always think if you are taking a break in your caravan then it is better to be in a different area to get a change of scenery.
To that end why not try the CC club site at Rookesbury Park in Wickham Hampshire........ 42 odd miles west of you along the A27 and about an hour away (Arundel bottleneck permitting).
They currently have vacancies in March and they open on the 18th.
Gafferbill said:ricky_s said:On the Caravan Club site you can pick a date and then get a list of available pitches for that date range. I've just tried for just one Saturday in March and it looks like I need to travel quite a way to find a pitch that's available.
Not been away in our van yet and was hoping for a site near to us in West Sussex just to try things out overnight but looks like I will need to look outside of the club.
........I always think if you are taking a break in your caravan then it is better to be in a different area to get a change of scenery.
To that end why not try the CC club site at Rookesbury Park in Wickham Hampshire........ 42 odd miles west of you along the A27 and about an hour away (Arundel bottleneck permitting).
They currently have vacancies in March and they open on the 18th.
That one is on my list for when I have a few days alone. B)
Hi Ricky.
When we worked we did long weekends away, Friday and Saturday night ' home late Sunday afternoon or Monday. We looked to drive for no more than 1.5 hours. Roughly 60 ish miles. It's amazing just how many places CC sites too within our grasp.Should be similar for you bar the sea.
I note the CC Centenary site in the New Forest is available bar one Saturday in march.Too far?
When we worked we did long weekends away, Friday and Saturday night ' home late Sunday afternoon or Monday. We looked to drive for no more than 1.5 hours. Roughly 60 ish miles. It's amazing just how many places CC sites too within our grasp.Should be similar for you bar the sea.
I note the CC Centenary site in the New Forest is available bar one Saturday in march.Too far?
I am afraid the club has too many members and not enough pitches which must be losing them members. They do make healthy profits and really need to spend a bit more on getting more sites.
Dustydog said:
Unfortunately we can only go on the Saturday this time so was hoping for something a little nearer.
Cheers,
Ricky
Parksy
Moderator
There are always 100's of pitches free, maybe though not where you want to go. We, and we use CC regularly (including York, Chatsworth,Baltic Wharf, had to cancel York in January because of flooding, and that was booked after Christmas) always get a pitch in CC, somewhere, generally where we want. I don't know whether the 'knockers' ever really want to or can go on CC sites. 38 years membership and still prefer their sites, and still happy with them (PS - we are also C&CC members, but we tend to use them as a last resort!)
KeefySher said:
I do keep coming back to this one but think it may be a little too expensive because you need to stay for two nights on the date I want to go away.
ricky_s said:
They appear to have brought their prices inline with reality since they launched. School holiday periods (non main summer) are akin to the nearby CC and commercial sites, if you take in to account the membership fee added to number of nights per annum and if you get a full service pitch c/w 16/32 Amp EHU and Satellite connection and WiFi that are extras on CC and some commercial sites if they are actually available.
You won't / shouldn't get any ear ache for your first trip if you go there
which must be priceless
KeefySher said:You won't / shouldn't get any ear ache for your first trip if you go there
Good point!
I've finally booked somewhere, Brighton CC site next week and will be going on my own as it is too cold for SWMBO and she has to work anyway.
I'm on a serviced pitch to make things a little easier for this first trip.
I'm on a serviced pitch to make things a little easier for this first trip.
ricky_s said:I'm on a serviced pitch to make things a little easier for this first trip.
To make full use of the pitch:
Do you have the mains adaptor and food grade hose (and suitable tap connector) for your aquaroll so it autofills?
Do you have a length (just shorter than the length of the van) of waste hose to take the grey water direct to the drain?
WoodlandsCamper said:ricky_s said:I'm on a serviced pitch to make things a little easier for this first trip.
To make full use of the pitch:
Do you have the mains adaptor and food grade hose (and suitable tap connector) for your aquaroll so it autofills?
Do you have a length (just shorter than the length of the van) of waste hose to take the grey water direct to the drain?
Not yet.... Thanks for the heads up though.
Quote - "You won't / shouldn't get any ear ache for your first trip if you go there which must be priceless"
I would get some earache (mainly from self) but also from my better half if I even dreamt of paying those ridiculous prices.
I would get some earache (mainly from self) but also from my better half if I even dreamt of paying those ridiculous prices.
Gabsgrandad said:
Do you use CC Serviced pitches in high season, or school holidays and at weekends? Captive market for those of us with school age children. Those prices may appear ridiculous if you are able to use off peak, mid week CC sites, but are on a par with CC and other commercial offerings.
For reference, last summer we paid £32 for grass pitch, no wifi, no satellite connection +£2 membership fee on CC site for our main holiday week 2, £30 for fully serviced hard standing pitch with wifi and TV on a commercial site for week 1, both on the coast.
For Xmas we paid £92 for 4 nights fully serviced hardstanding pitch with indoor swimming pool facilities on a commercial site within 1 hour of home. The nearest CC site with no swimming pool and actually open for Xmas would have been £176 + £8 membership fee on a non serviced pitch; and a 300 mile further round trip.
The CC in our experience thus far are, as can clearly be seen, erring on the higher side. The only CC site of lower price was a rally at Longleat.
The Brighton CC site for this weekend is £8.30 per night more than a commercial site with better facilities, both fully serviced hardstanding pitches. On the commercial site a 10% discount for visits 2-5 is applied, and 6+ commands a 15% discount, which for us makes a £10.10 per night difference presently, but rises on future visits.
The CL network is reasonable, but again higher than a 5 van site, generally.
Oh and the CC has rules and rules and rules. It's a holiday after all.
ricky_s said:I've finally booked somewhere, Brighton CC site next week and will be going on my own as it is too cold for SWMBO and she has to work anyway.
I'm on a serviced pitch to make things a little easier for this first trip.
There is a useful article on waste connection here:
http://caravanchronicles.com/2013/05/26/connecting-your-drainage-on-serviced-pitches/
Sir Gab, with you 100%. I can't believe the prices people pay for pitches. Still at least it keeps lots of people off the cheaper pitches giving us more choice!! Each to their own but part of the fun is going for water, seeing swmbo empty the toilet. No wonder things are so much less sociable these days.
Martin24 said:
I'm paying £34 for two nights for a serviced pitch at Brighton. Mainly booking a serviced pitch to avoid the mucking around with cold water in this weather plus I want to try out the shower etc. and don't want to have to worry about the grey water.
I will still be very sociable to anyone around me
. I must admit though that in my head the site is going to be empty apart from me because of the time of year and weather, hope to be proved wrong.
Parksy
Moderator
One of the best things about owning a touring caravan is that we can vote with our hitch and leave a site which isn't to our taste or perhaps to linger for an extra few days if we really like a particular site.
It's the same thing with pitch fees.
Some little hidden gems are well within the price range of most of us and we visit time after time, some price themselves beyond the budget that we set for ourselves so we avoid these places, but it's for the individual concerned to make their own decision.
The cost per night of a pitch can be the prime deciding factor for some, and others choose facilities that they want, with less regard for cost. The majority of us are somewhere in between
It's the same thing with pitch fees.
Some little hidden gems are well within the price range of most of us and we visit time after time, some price themselves beyond the budget that we set for ourselves so we avoid these places, but it's for the individual concerned to make their own decision.
The cost per night of a pitch can be the prime deciding factor for some, and others choose facilities that they want, with less regard for cost. The majority of us are somewhere in between
Parksy said:The cost per night of a pitch can be the prime deciding factor for some, and others choose facilities that they want, with less regard for cost. The majority of us are somewhere in between
That sounds like me. :cheer:
If you look at the prices of roughly similar sites in the North East in the current mag you will find the prices generally within a similar range to the club ones. The smaller private sites do often have the advantage of being family run and able to evade some of the costly legislation that puts up costs for larger operators like the clubs and big operators.
My feeling is that generally club sites are competitive, but you will find examples of private sites that do undercut them but equally there are examples of many charging substantially more. Basically with club sites you know exactly what you are getting so people keep coming back if that is what they want and the mostly full sites do prove that.
When comparing costs you cannot use the non member supplement as part of it as anyone using them for any length of time would be better off joining. The number of none members on the sites is very low and on one occasion on booking in we witnessed the warden not even knowing how to calculate the supplement in September suggesting she had not had to do it all year. On another one the warden gave them the hard sell and sold them a membership as it was cheaper for them.
My feeling is that generally club sites are competitive, but you will find examples of private sites that do undercut them but equally there are examples of many charging substantially more. Basically with club sites you know exactly what you are getting so people keep coming back if that is what they want and the mostly full sites do prove that.
When comparing costs you cannot use the non member supplement as part of it as anyone using them for any length of time would be better off joining. The number of none members on the sites is very low and on one occasion on booking in we witnessed the warden not even knowing how to calculate the supplement in September suggesting she had not had to do it all year. On another one the warden gave them the hard sell and sold them a membership as it was cheaper for them.
Another reason I picked a CC site is although I've never been to this particular one I have a very good idea of what it will be like.
My parents have a van and stayed on a site about 10 minutes walk from my home, when he was showering the flow of water stopped when someone else turned on a tap to do their washing up :huh:
My parents have a van and stayed on a site about 10 minutes walk from my home, when he was showering the flow of water stopped when someone else turned on a tap to do their washing up :huh:
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