Site occupancy!

[Hutch]

Just trying to get away next week for two night mid week, within 50 miles of home. A lot of sites are booked as prior to the bank holiday. Ok no problems there. People will add holiday times onto bank holidays
But looking at Houghton Mill, Huntingdon, ( one of our favourites) yes, basic pitch available, but just realised that pitch price is for 1 unit, and 1 person. For second person another £7.00. (£40.00 ) We don't use the showers or toilets. But you can't get a discount for that.
Same for other sites. Again charge for dogs, £2.00. Why. They don't provide Doo waste bags or separate dog poo waste points.
Unfortunately my other local cl /C's sites also full. Trying to get away for just two days mid week seems to be getting harder.
Ok my rant over. Ba Humbug.

Edit. Just booked, Blue Lias,Stockton, for two nights £30 plus £1. Per dog. Nice site, and a lovely walk down the canal. Good fishing for you cruel folk that like that stuff.

 

[Mr Plodd]

The site provides a toilet block, it's your choice not to make use of it. A bit like a swimming pool in a hotel, it's there if you want it but you wouldn't expect a discount for not doing so would you?
As for a charge for dogs, we'll that seems wrong to me, and DONT get me started on having to pay extra for an awning It's not as though the patch of ground it takes up can be rented out to anyone else is it?

 

[Gagakev]

Just trying to get away next week for two night mid week, within 50 miles of home. A lot of sites are booked as prior to the bank holiday. Ok no problems there. People will add holiday times onto bank holidays
But looking at Houghton Mill, Huntingdon, ( one of our favourites) yes, basic pitch available, but just realised that pitch price is for 1 unit, and 1 person. For second person another £7.00. (£40.00 ) We don't use the showers or toilets. But you can't get a discount for that.
Same for other sites. Again charge for dogs, £2.00. Why. They don't provide Doo waste bags or separate dog poo waste points.
Unfortunately my other local cl /C's sites also full. Trying to get away for just two days mid week seems to be getting harder.
Ok my rant over. Ba Humbug.

Edit. Just booked, Blue Lias,Stockton, for two nights £30 plus £1. Per dog. Nice site, and a lovely walk down the canal. Good fishing for you cruel folk that like that stuff.

Just took a look at that one Hutch (Blue Lias) looks good to me, just book marked it for future, might pop up and annoy you sometime in the future, (If I get a decent tow car Ha Ha)

 

[Jcloughie]

Supply and demand has sent prices up I guess. In days gone by we used to go to simple CL’s. We have never used the facilities and are not impressed with club or commercial sites regimented appearance . Also, not keen on clubhouses.

But we have used such sites and made every attempt to enjoy them.

Our requirements are a field with views, a tap, and somewhere to empty the loo. After that we explore the area and use local pubs. Problem was there were some really poor CL’s. I think standards have greatly improved.

Freedom is one of the attractions. In 80’s and 90’s we were spoilt. Friday after work we would go to Eastnor Castle Ledbury. about 40 mins. Never had to book, in fact there was no way to do so. The deer park would hold around 500 vans, Each with plenty of space. In fact you could easily get away from everyone if you wanted. 3 lakes, and walks over the Malverns. Or visit the castle. Often there would be 3 different rallies on as well. The Land Rover rally were often there, at least 50 vans.

At some point a Warden might collect money from us, I think it was £5/night. Very often no one came.

I never found out how they managed with planning permission. I loved those days.

I booked one odd CL, We did not expect much at £1.50. A slope leading down to a small wood. Overgrown and a bit rough. Plenty of room for our two vans. Adjacent field had a lake with a pleasant walk around it. Rough and ready, but very nice.

We tried so hard to pay our fees when we went, but could not get an answer on the phone or find the house.

Caravanning has changed somewhat.


John

 

[otherclive]

John we did likewise because not only did we like simple CL/CS but really cash being tight going to more expensive main sites whether club or commercial would limit our trips away. But our main summer holidays were mostly on a Club site, or abroad.

But life generally has changed since then with people’s expectations increasing and facilities have moved to keep up, or even promoted the changes as improved lifestyle experiences. Some changes are beneficial, others I can happily do without.

 

[Beachball]

We use to book this site it called Blue Rose Caravan & Country Park (Adults only) Brandesburton East Yorkshire just look at the availability you could go tomorrow for four nights on a fully serviced pitch for £130 (including 2 dogs)

 

[Buckman]

The site provides a toilet block, it's your choice not to make use of it. A bit like a swimming pool in a hotel, it's there if you want it but you wouldn't expect a discount for not doing so would you?
As for a charge for dogs, we'll that seems wrong to me, and DONT get me started on having to pay extra for an awning It's not as though the patch of ground it takes up can be rented out to anyone else is it?

Even worse is if you erect a sun canopy only with no groundsheet down and they tell you it is an awning and you need to pay the extra! 😡

 

[Raywood]

We do not normally se the toilets but do have to pay for them. It would e very difficult to prevent people who had taken a discount for not using them to stop them doing this.
Bank holidays are when sites are at there fullest so you can have difficulty then.

 

[GaryB]

Just having a casual look at non-club camp sites in Derbyshire, smaller ones behind pubs etc and even some of those are £30 a night for two people PLUS £5 for awning! Looks like I need to spend some detailed time scanning the CL/CS directories.

I'll be 54 next month and always dreamed of retiring early to enjoy using the caravan more, that dream is edging further and further away!!!!

 

[otherclive]

Just having a casual look at non-club camp sites in Derbyshire, smaller ones behind pubs etc and even some of those are £30 a night for two people PLUS £5 for awning! Looks like I need to spend some detailed time scanning the CL/CS directories.

I'll be 54 next month and always dreamed of retiring early to enjoy using the caravan more, that dream is edging further and further away!!!!

The days of 30 nights for £300 on a full club site have long gone. CL/CS can be good value but even here if visitors want amenities prices have gone up. In 2021 October we visited a BOB site near to Fakenham. It also had a CL with nicely separated pitches each with its own hedging border and FS facilities. Price? £38 per night. It was fully booked through to the end of the year. We slummed it on one of the ordinary FSP pitches even though we did not have the FSP kit. But having a tap on site and grey water drain did come in handy during the incessant rain that week.

 

[GaryB]

The days of 30 nights for £300 on a full club site have long gone.

Yes, the days of a caravan being a cheap holiday have also run off into the sunset. I find it amusing/ironic that some of our friends think I'm tight (well, maybe there's some truth there) and assume we have a caravan to have cheap holidays. They might well be cheaper than a week in Tenerife but by the time you add in caravan depreciation etc it isn't far behind. I've never been a lover of overseas travel and have had enough of UK hotels when away on business so a caravan for me is always a choice of preference rather than a choice of financial constraints, but there's a sting in the wallet when it comes to paying for some sites.