We were away at Broadway CAMC site at Easter and it was pretty well full over the BH weekend, last week we went to Putts Corner CAMC site for the May day BH and I estimate a maximum of 40 pitches were occupied over BH weekend on a site of 117 , just back from Rookesbury Park CAMC for Coronation Weekend BH, virtually full on Saturday/ Sunday but gradually emptied out until we left today, and there was plenty of pitches of all sorts to choose We have never seen Putts so quiet, wardens had closed off some toilet/shower cubicles to make cleaning easier. Not sure what the reasons are, suggestions from other people include increased pitch costs, increased fuel costs, and also deposit system. Our next trip is booked for the BH at the end of the month and we have booked a commercial Adults Only site, which is cheaper per night than CAMC, although the reason for booking was the location, as a bonus the site offered a further saving as we are CAMC members! Beginning to wonder whether the pandemic bubble is bursting for caravanning and camping, if it is then presumably the site costs may come down,but if the occupancy rates remain low some sites may be in trouble.
Site Occupancy
- Thread starter woodsieboy
- Start date
I think cost is having a major effect - we regularly go to Norfolk where there's 3 CLs within 1/4 mile - one at £20/night with hard standings, fully serviced pitches, toilets/showers and regularly wins awards - the second at £18 with hard standings, EHU and shower toilet and the third at £10 on grass with EHU and shower/toilet - all three were fully booked for most nights over the last three weeks - a new CL has opened this year 1/4 mile away but at £25 with no toilet/shower it was empty every night.
I've heard some eye-watering prices regarding club sites - and cramped pitches compared to most CLs we use.
Our lousy weather here in Hampshire this "summer", with no short term improvement forecast, may well be playing a part in people not lingering, largely restricted to being stuck in the van or MH?
When I was trying to book CAMC sites for Coronation weekend (including Broadway) I was constantly encountering my favourite phenomenon of sites being booked up for just the Saturday, preventing a booking for the weekend. This drives me mad. Still, I am glad they were booked else I wouldn't have found the lovely quiet, scenic and cheap CL I ended up on.
Mel
Moderator
When CAMC are charging £40 a night, folks may well be heading for private sites who are offering better facilities for less money. Alternatively for CLs who are still much cheaper.
I am sure that the staycation bubble will also shrink, if not burst, especially if the weather continues as wet as it has done this year. The increasing numbers of second hand vans is pointing towards this. If you look on Facebook there are lots of pandemic aged vans for sale.
Reduced demand will hopefully increase competition and reduce site fees.
Mel
I am sure that the staycation bubble will also shrink, if not burst, especially if the weather continues as wet as it has done this year. The increasing numbers of second hand vans is pointing towards this. If you look on Facebook there are lots of pandemic aged vans for sale.
Reduced demand will hopefully increase competition and reduce site fees.
Mel
That's always been a problem and always will be - freedom of choice and customer demand means that for some people the weekend is Friday night and Saturday night while for others it's Saturday night and Sunday night, plus some people on a week/fortnight's holiday may include the Saturday night at both ends.
There's no practical solution to this issue - creating more pitches would simply create more mid-week under-occupancy which would increase costs.
How about a standard price for Monday-Thursday nights, doubling it for Friday and Sunday nghts and quadrupling it for Saturday night - or make it look better with standard price for Saturday, 50% discount for Friday/Sunday and 75% discount for Monday-Thursday.
Many PCv forum members are too young to remember when almost everyone worked Monday-Friday - at least now the 24/7 society has evened out demand somewhat.
Whilst the direct costs of caravanning have/are increasing the indirect ones are rising too. Council tax, water, mortgages, insurance, visiting attractions, eating out etc. All will have an effect on the ability to afford trips out. The bubble was always predicted to burst once covid had diminished and people could travel to sunnier climes, and that was recognised before the COLC arose. It’s interesting that cottage and SC prices for accommodation here are starting to be discounted, probably because overseas holiday bookings are now above 2019 levels. It’s going to take some while for the market to stabilise.
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Now a rare user of either our main club's formal sites so little direct experience of occupancy, has the C&CC's quite long standing minimum number of nights booking, had any impact on the "Saturday blocking" issue?
Incidentally that blocking issue, thus securing a short notice week or more trip away, was a primary reason why our use of club sites fell away. The nature of my employment pre retirement whilst offering spontaneous longer duration breaks, meant long term trip planning was destined to fail.
Incidentally that blocking issue, thus securing a short notice week or more trip away, was a primary reason why our use of club sites fell away. The nature of my employment pre retirement whilst offering spontaneous longer duration breaks, meant long term trip planning was destined to fail.
Over the Coronation weekend we stayed on a CL site that has fully serviced pitches at £23 pn and is normally very popular. Generally you have to book at least 3 months in advance to secure a pitch.
On arrival on Wednesday we were the only caravan. There were 2 motorhomes on site. They left on the Friday and another motorhome and caravan arrived. They both left on the Monday morning.
They have another site adjacent to the CL that can hold several units, but it stayed empty. Sign of the times?
On arrival on Wednesday we were the only caravan. There were 2 motorhomes on site. They left on the Friday and another motorhome and caravan arrived. They both left on the Monday morning.
They have another site adjacent to the CL that can hold several units, but it stayed empty. Sign of the times?
We used Cheshire Fairoaks over a weekend recently and even on Saturday it was not full although the weather was a not that good and might be a factor. . I do suspect the club have pushed up the price beyond what people will pay. We followed this with White Water Park using the midweek discount and that seemed to be doing better which tends to support the idea.
We have further bookings for White Water Park and York Beechwood Grange for a weekend and got the latter easily, which may further support my theory as that is another that can be difficult to get in. We will see what these are like before making a firm conclusion.
We have further bookings for White Water Park and York Beechwood Grange for a weekend and got the latter easily, which may further support my theory as that is another that can be difficult to get in. We will see what these are like before making a firm conclusion.
Hopefully now it will irritate me less now I know there’s a logical explanation for it!
I get round the issue by booking early, before Christmas the previous year, but that doesn't have the flexibility that some caravanners need.
I'd like to see the law changed on 5-van sites to allow those with a bigger area to legally accept more than 5 vans - but that's never going to happen as it overlaps the smaller licenced sites.
I think the majority of people using caravans are quite happy with 5 van sites and would not like to see the occupancy increased. This would mean improving the infrastructure and naturally those costs will need to be recouped through higher prices. I would think that many CLs operate using one phase of a three phase system and obviously there is a limit on that phase.
We like the 5 van sites for quiet and peace they offer plus the lower costs as even small sites are charging over £30 a night!
First time ever we have not made advanced bookings this year. Hospital visits🤮. Yesterday tried to book two whole weeks at South Meadows Northumberland. All ok apart from Bank Holiday Weekend 🤬Back to drawing board. Funny, when you are retired no one tells you when it’s a Bank Holiday😉
A friend of mine says it is only his dosette boxes that enable him to know what day of the week it is. 😂
There is nothing to stop 5 van planning exempt sites applying for LA planning to have more than the exemptions limit of 5 vans.
Presently they are exempt from planning, that's the whole essence of it, they are permitted by what is an anomaly in planning control to be there. IMO, that anomaly in planning control is at best fragile; I have little doubt there are interests that would like them to have to function as any other development, under LA planning consent. Again IMO, the last thing we want is for the law to be revisited, just to add a few more pitches.
If a bigger site is needed then the owner/operator only needs to apply for planning permission based on that expansion. Given current dictates that will be successful unless there is an overriding reason it should not be granted; basically, in other words for some reason it is not suitable.
To me and many these exempted 5 "van" sites are hugely valuable, I don't want camping to be damaged by losing that exemption, so advise against MPs being invited to relook at the law presently enabling and controlling their existence. If a site is viable and acceptable as more that a 5 van operation there is the route to that.
Presently they are exempt from planning, that's the whole essence of it, they are permitted by what is an anomaly in planning control to be there. IMO, that anomaly in planning control is at best fragile; I have little doubt there are interests that would like them to have to function as any other development, under LA planning consent. Again IMO, the last thing we want is for the law to be revisited, just to add a few more pitches.
If a bigger site is needed then the owner/operator only needs to apply for planning permission based on that expansion. Given current dictates that will be successful unless there is an overriding reason it should not be granted; basically, in other words for some reason it is not suitable.
To me and many these exempted 5 "van" sites are hugely valuable, I don't want camping to be damaged by losing that exemption, so advise against MPs being invited to relook at the law presently enabling and controlling their existence. If a site is viable and acceptable as more that a 5 van operation there is the route to that.
The other issue is that during the winter months most CLs and CS sites are very under used as the vast majority are grass only. Therefore it will take a lot longer to recoup the investment for adding the additional pitches or they hike up the prices and get less traffic during the normally busy months.
We've had three trips away this year, all on CAMHC sites (Brighton in February, Broadway at Easter and Buxton early May BH) and all were busy, but we noticed a few empty pitches when at Buxton.
I have commented before, we never used to be too concerned over prices, we both work, mortgage paid off so simply looked on it as a luxury we can afford. However, when I now end up paying some of the pitch fees it certainly makes me cough, we enjoy eating out when away and the prices for food/wine plus the site fees is making what was once a relatively easy holiday cost turn into something that we're having to keep an eye on. Next year will see us starting to consider sites by cost, as well as location.
I don't see a massive decline in caravan-popularity yet but as others have said, maybe it's the start of a slippery slope for the industry.
I have commented before, we never used to be too concerned over prices, we both work, mortgage paid off so simply looked on it as a luxury we can afford. However, when I now end up paying some of the pitch fees it certainly makes me cough, we enjoy eating out when away and the prices for food/wine plus the site fees is making what was once a relatively easy holiday cost turn into something that we're having to keep an eye on. Next year will see us starting to consider sites by cost, as well as location.
I don't see a massive decline in caravan-popularity yet but as others have said, maybe it's the start of a slippery slope for the industry.
Over the Easter weekend the site we stayed on was about 80% full when normally it is 100%. We may go out for a meal at lunch time on a Saturday, but have not done so for several months preferring my home cooking i.e. BBQ. Even a burger and chips in the pub is now eye watering expensive. Probably why it is so easy to get a table.
Eureka! Good old CAMC👏👏. Surfing through their numerous CLs have just found a gemstone of a place on the Herefordshire/ Shropshire border. Hardstanding 16 amp FSP, AONB Views. 40 miles from Gloucester Royal Hospital , so an easy day trip for the minor tongue job. Excellent reviews so I anticipate this will be added to my gemstone short list of CLs.
The bonus is a Community run hostelry open five days a week, serving fine dining food by the looks of it. I looked at Ludlow Touring Park. £600 for two weeks but no availability over the weekend. Twice what my CL costs. Roll on Thursday next week.
The bonus is a Community run hostelry open five days a week, serving fine dining food by the looks of it. I looked at Ludlow Touring Park. £600 for two weeks but no availability over the weekend. Twice what my CL costs. Roll on Thursday next week.
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Thanks B. All suggestions welcome for the future. Which is your favourite? I’ll publish one once we are away😉
I cannot think of a better way to kill off caravanning in the long term then this proposal. Families are the future of caravanning, if they are priced out then there over time it will die. The sites need to be pricing themselves so they have maximum occupancy, a quadruple priced Saturday would see sites empty.
I have an Excel spreadsheet with all the CLS which have FSP. Can't post it on here.
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