CC...is it worth it ?

[sconny]

We have been looking for a mid easter two night break. For a standard pitch for a family of four with a dog at Barnard Castle CC....£61.80.
Further down the road in Appelby is Wild Rose a large company ran park with restaraunt fully stocked shop, heated shower/toilet blocks which are immaculate, plenty for the kids to do (heated outdoor pool in the summer ) who i thought would be sky high. The same dates come in at £52.00.

Oh and the CC are now charging forty quid a year for the pleasure.

I do realise off peak is better value with CC but this should also be reflected at peak times as well.

John

 

[PhilFraeHowMill]

John, I often wonder the same, being to some super private/independant sites after careful reviews of UKCS. Cheaper and every bit as good. However, through the CC, I`ve had some very good deals on insurance, and you get the mag every month. I think bottom line is they need to be careful they don`t price themselves out of the reach of some of their members. Best Wishes Phil

 

[TonyG]

Hi John
we are members of both the CC and C&CC and last year only stayed on their stes on 3 occasions, opting for commercial sites for the very reason you have described, cheaper and with more facilities.
I am beginning to question if i am going to renew my membership of these two clubs very questionable value for money!!!!

 

[Parksy]

I've always found it difficult to understand why both the CC and the C&CC charge more for pitches during school holidays.
Both clubs seem to take the line that the high school holiday prices are the 'normal' pitch prices and that at other times outside 'peak' periods the prices represent discounts from the 'normal' prices.
Some commercial holiday parks begin to look very attractive when the pitch prices are compared particularly when the level of childrens facilities offered on commercial holiday parks are taken into account. The cleanliness of the toilet / shower blocks is often quoted in the clubs favour but my favourite commercial sites are just as **** and span and well run.
I wonder if any government will ever be brave enough to introduce legislation which makes it illegal to discriminate against families with children? That would put a stop to high prices during school holidays.

 

[Gagakev]

Hi John
we are members of both the CC and C&CC and last year only stayed on their stes on 3 occasions, opting for commercial sites for the very reason you have described, cheaper and with more facilities.
I am beginning to question if i am going to renew my membership of these two clubs very questionable value for money!!!!

Sorry to go "off topic", Tony I dont get your avatar pics, I mean a screw and a U

 

[Gagakev]

I have yet to join any of the clubs, never been a member and up to date we have always used private/commercial sites.
Happy to pay up to £18.00, normally a lot cheaper off peak and have never paid more than £38.00 peak.
On that note I was thinking off joining, to go to the rallies but put that on hold till after the P, Caravan Rally at Stowford.
Never been to one before so time will tell if its our cup of tea, then perhaps it will pay for itself.

 

[Dustydog]

I do try and use both CC and commercial sites throughout the year.
I lke the CC for it's magazine and othe available benefits.
However whilst the standards are high they are not as good as some sites from the Best of British Parks.
We stayed at Wild Rose 6 years ago. An excellent site but mostly statics and some very noisy kids. Whilst the facilities were pretty good we found the pitches very tight. We had a SA then and had to physically manhandle the caravan into the prescribed pitch area.
It was quite a long walk to the showers.
It seems to me all organisations offer loss leaders at some time or another. The CC do have some excellent discounts but obviously Easter seems a problem. We stayed at an Affiliated CC site at Xmas and found it amazingly cheap for the two worst weather weeks in the year.

 

[602]

Hi,
I agree with everybody. Wife says don't join. But as insurers seem to offer 15% off your premium if you are a member of a club, it seems to make sense to join something, get something for nothing (in theory).
£40 membership fee represents 15% of a £266.66 premium. Of course, you may prefer to be a member of a single marque club, or a local club, which may be acceptable to the insurers, and will probably cost less.
602

 

[Parksy]

...............
On that note I was thinking off joining, to go to the rallies but put that on hold till after the P, Caravan Rally at Stowford.
Never been to one before so time will tell if its our cup of tea, then perhaps it will pay for itself.

The Practical Caravan rally at Stowford is a rally in the sense that organised activities take place but to all intents and purposes the actual conditions are similar to those at any other commercial caravan park. Stowford offers electric hook ups and clean well appointed shower / toilet blocks, a heated indoor pool, mini zoo, children's play area as well as two bars and a cafe / restaurant.

The C&CC local rallies that I often go on are sometimes held on either commercial or C&CC sites or certified sites with ehu and other facilities often available especially during the colder months. There is normally no need to book, it's ok to just turn up on the day which means that if the weather is bad it's no problem, just give it a miss that week. Our first local rally is in late February on a c.s./ rally field with ehu and toilets with a pub / carvery next door and entertainment on the Friday and Saturday nights in the village hall where we take our own drinks etc. We take a cool bag with my cans of beer and wine for Herself and a couple of glasses. The Friday night disco is more for the youngsters so we swerve that one and go to the pub instead but the Saturday night 'social' is usually excellent. Apart from our particular d.a. agm on Saturday afternoon, again out of the cold in the hall, there is no organised daytime activity although the rally site is close to the river Severn and the Severn Valley Railway for those who want to visit it.
Many of our summer weekly rallies are held on rally fields, often in picturesque or interesting locations but with minimal facilities, often a drinking water tap, a drain and an elsan point. Rally goers use their own onboard facilities for showers and toilets which can take a bit of getting used to at first

Sometimes there are things organised such as walks, bouncy castles for youngsters (I've had a go though

) and the annual big event is the 60s and 70s weekend with the very large marquee and stalls, caravan accessory sales and of course live music during the evenings for that weekend.
Other rallies are quiet affairs with perhaps a dozen or so units where we sit outside enjoying the warm evenings and chatting to fellow caravanners who are generally friendly.
Another benefit of C&CC membership is the temporary holiday sites where district associations (members can go to any) reserve sections of commercial and certified sites which any C&CC member can book at discounted prices.
C&CC rallying isn't everybody's cup of tea and at first it might seem a bit cliquey difficult to get to know people. Don't be put off by misguided first impressions, after going along to a few rallies you will find that you are 'one of the crowd' before you know it

 

[garyc]

definatly worth it. We use CLs £7-10 per night always with EHU no overcrowding, grandchildren 6 and 4 love it.

 

[Philspadders]

if you like small, quiet sites with only a few vans , dont mind sharing 1 loo, 1 shower, you have EHU, a large field to play in and it only costs £10.0 per night and you use them a lot the answer to your question is yes.

 

[Gagakev]

...............
On that note I was thinking off joining, to go to the rallies but put that on hold till after the P, Caravan Rally at Stowford.
Never been to one before so time will tell if its our cup of tea, then perhaps it will pay for itself.

The Practical Caravan rally at Stowford is a rally in the sense that organised activities take place but to all intents and purposes the actual conditions are similar to those at any other commercial caravan park. Stowford offers electric hook ups and clean well appointed shower / toilet blocks, a heated indoor pool, mini zoo, children's play area as well as two bars and a cafe / restaurant.

The C&CC local rallies that I often go on are sometimes held on either commercial or C&CC sites or certified sites with ehu and other facilities often available especially during the colder months. There is normally no need to book, it's ok to just turn up on the day which means that if the weather is bad it's no problem, just give it a miss that week. Our first local rally is in late February on a c.s./ rally field with ehu and toilets with a pub / carvery next door and entertainment on the Friday and Saturday nights in the village hall where we take our own drinks etc. We take a cool bag with my cans of beer and wine for Herself and a couple of glasses. The Friday night disco is more for the youngsters so we swerve that one and go to the pub instead but the Saturday night 'social' is usually excellent. Apart from our particular d.a. agm on Saturday afternoon, again out of the cold in the hall, there is no organised daytime activity although the rally site is close to the river Severn and the Severn Valley Railway for those who want to visit it.
Many of our summer weekly rallies are held on rally fields, often in picturesque or interesting locations but with minimal facilities, often a drinking water tap, a drain and an elsan point. Rally goers use their own onboard facilities for showers and toilets which can take a bit of getting used to at first

Sometimes there are things organised such as walks, bouncy castles for youngsters (I've had a go though

) and the annual big event is the 60s and 70s weekend with the very large marquee and stalls, caravan accessory sales and of course live music during the evenings for that weekend.
Other rallies are quiet affairs with perhaps a dozen or so units where we sit outside enjoying the warm evenings and chatting to fellow caravanners who are generally friendly.
Another benefit of C&CC membership is the temporary holiday sites where district associations (members can go to any) reserve sections of commercial and certified sites which any C&CC member can book at discounted prices.
C&CC rallying isn't everybody's cup of tea and at first it might seem a bit cliquey difficult to get to know people. Don't be put off by misguided first impressions, after going along to a few rallies you will find that you are 'one of the crowd' before you know it

Thanks for that Parksy, you've got to be on commission after writing all that

Nice to get an insight from someone as experienced and seasoned as yourself. Was thinking about the C&CC if we were to join any of them. Realise the PC Rally will not be like the others but as long as the daughter and grandchild enjoy themselves I will be half way of convincing the OH membership is worth a try.
One question though, why is it so clicky to start with? would have thought as we are all doing the same thing a warm welcome would be the offering. Now that bit does make you think

 

[forestgump]

i will not be re joining cc next year ive tryed to get on there sites nono ive had more luck with the c/cc sites i used to be with them and have no probs getting a pitch at short notice so i will give them my money next year.

 

[Parksy]

................One question though, why is it so clicky to start with? would have thought as we are all doing the same thing a warm welcome would be the offering. Now that bit does make you think

What you have to remember Kev is that many of the ralliers might have known each other for years or they might be workmates or related to each other. Our local d.a. has all three of the above types but at first as a newbie you never really know who is who and what relationship they might have with those who they are often seen around with so the first impression might be misleading.
The people that we have met are welcoming and friendly enough without being too 'in your face over friendly', the rallies that we go on tend not to be the 'egg and spoon race welly wanging' types.
After being on a few rallies others see you as a familiar face and you get to know more of the 'regulars' but for the first couple of rallies no one knows who you are or anything about you so, as in all social situations, becoming a regular 'part of the furniture' takes time.
A lot depends on the members of your local DA, some are more outgoing and welcoming than others but if one D.A. doesn't suit you there's no problem because you can go to any rally anywhere as a C&CC member.

 

[Rita1]

Also the C&CC do concessions for over 55's
And they are doing book and pay for 3 nights and stay 4 Or Book and pay 5 Stay 7

 

[forestgump]

thats the way a head for me.

 

[Parksy]

I'm not sure if the C&CC allow red croc wearers to join, the C&CC croc dress code is black for the boys and pink or beige for the girlies, anything different and you will need a note from your Mom.

 

[JonnyG]

been a member of the C/C for five years now. Is it worth it? Well we only use their sites once or twice a year, but we have their mayday breakdown,which is excellent value, caravan insurance, with 4 years no claims works out to be good. a monthly magazine which is a good read. All this comes from a £35ish yearly members fee.
Pretty sure I get my monies worth from the members fee. so yes its worth it.

 

[LMH]

We're in the CC because we have our insurance with them. I think we've only used two CC sites since we've had the van. We used to regularly use a commercial site in Cornwall when the child was smaller. We do use CL's and we've found a lovely one which we've booked for two weeks in August (adults only)

and I looked at their online booking system a couple of weeks ago and they're more or less fully booked for months and months now. So we're looking forward to that.

I did join the CCC as I found a really nice campsite (few tents and tourers along with some statics) in Cumbria. I really liked that site but after tenting with the dog and experiencing the Cumbrian rain and zero degrees in June

one year, I now stop in a beautiful country house with en suite, satalite tv and free wi fi and the biggest and best Cumbrian breakfast each morning.

Lisa

 

[Gagakev]

Also the C&CC do concessions for over 55's
And they are doing book and pay for 3 nights and stay 4 Or Book and pay 5 Stay 7

Hush Hush Rita-------- dont tell know one but got a few years to go yet.

Forest wrote;
Thats the way ahead for me,
Parksy did a good job convinceing me then Crocky comes along, oh well time to think again

 

[bill_374352895]

Hi everyone,
I have been a member of the CC for 27 years, but looking at the prices this year has given me the push to join the other team. How much is the C&CC annual fees???
Thanks
Bill

 

[Rita1]

HeHeHe i wear Pink crocs hubby wears Purple ones

http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/aboutus/whyjoin/

 

[Gagakev]

Hi everyone,
I have been a member of the CC for 27 years, but looking at the prices this year has given me the push to join the other team. How much is the C&CC annual fees???
Thanks
Bill

Hi Bill had a peep earlier, it looks like the annual membership costs £37.00
Hope that helps

Kev

 

[trevor123]

We was going to Sandringham for Easter for nine night but had a shock at the price over £200, So we booked a C.L for 8 night at £104, £100 better off, Trevor123

 

[Wendy-Norfolk]

We shall not be using any CC sites in peak season since they've hiked up the fees - £24.00+ a night for two, and we don't use the facilites, is asking a bit much!

Peak season will only be with the C&CC from now on!