Caravan Club Sites (1 Viewer)

Jim

Ringleader
Jul 19, 2007
36,191
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Sutton on Sea, UK
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We've not been on a club site for many, many years, but this month situations have seen to it that we've stopped on a couple. I remember that on Caravan Club sites you always got what you expected and were never surprised. With rare exception you got a mostly luke-warm reception, good wide and level pitches, robust electrics and if you'd been in one toilet block you'd been in them all. The always tidy sites made more so by the insistence on precisely how you park on your pitch with the dreaded peg designed to keep caravan, awning and car in their proper place.

So has anything changed in 25 years? Not a lot. The reception we found more clinically professional than welcoming. Pitches are still great, grass perfect and as well kept as any open golf green. Apart from that stupid peg that if I put my right rear side to, means that most of the useable pitch is on the dead side of the van. :rolleyes:

Lady Warden "Oh' you've ignored the peg"
Me "you can move the peg if you like, but the van is settled now and isn't moving, it is in the middle of my pitch!
Lady Warden "That's OK I just hope Norman doesn't spot you"

The toilet blocks the same one as in the early nineties? It seems so. Just when you need to use them on a lazy Sunday morning they are closed for cleaning, So you wait. Once in, at the back of your shower is a gutter where the dirty water from fellow showering campers comes into your cubicle in a grey foaming torrent, you watch in horror as a blockage further down the line sees their water lapping into your shower tray. When drying yourself off, with next doors shower water splashing off their floor, and onto your feet, you make a mental note to choose the uphill shower tomorrow and at about 4am.

One thing has changed The prices. One site £26 the other over £30. I think we'll be leaving it another quarter century. :)
 
Last edited:

lorger

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Jul 11, 2008
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That's why we rarely use them and stick to CL sites, we have stayed on a few CLs over the last few weeks in the Lakes ranging from £6 - £15 and all relaxed and in stunning locations. We thought about booking into Coniston park CC site this weekend and it was nearly £30 a night so will forget that.

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Theonlysue

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Sep 14, 2009
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Not long enough!
Confuses some of them when I ask which way they want me to park with an offside Hab door lol
As a single person, I have paid as little as £9 a night with full clean facilities, and safe.
And some wardens are very chatty :)
And some sites are in great locations like York.
 

Techno

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Jul 28, 2010
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You can park either way around. The term reverse to the peg is generic stemming from caravans.
The only reason I reverse in is because Jacs won't sleep with her head next to the road.
 

hilldweller

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Dec 5, 2008
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One thing has changed The prices. One site £26 the other over £30.

Last week in northern Italy I paid €26 for a small pitch for tent and bike. Though it did have indoor poor, sauna etc. It's about the third time I've been there, before in MH of course. Just a lovely place to stop. And for added bit of FUN they speak only German in the area.

http://www.saegemuehle.it/it/camping/camping/pagina-iniziale/
 
Dec 22, 2013
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Norman must be a man to be obeyed, I have a mental picture of Norman looking like the Hulk

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Lenny HB

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Oct 18, 2007
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Only stayed on them 3 or 4 times, bad experience every time no longer a member. Last time I cut some lovely furrows in their grass getting off a soggy pitch where they should never have put a Motorhome.
 
OP
OP
Jim

Jim

Ringleader
Jul 19, 2007
36,191
128,630
Sutton on Sea, UK
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Norman must be a man to be obeyed, I have a mental picture of Norman looking like the Hulk


I had him down as more of a

parking-136394026071103901-141030144155.jpg
 
Oct 30, 2010
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We have to travel down to Sussex for a family birthday BBQ in a couple of weeks time so have booked a pitch for 3 nights at the CC Fairlight site.
£82.20 for the van and two adults.
We earlier spent a month in France using aires and I estimate the total cost for the month, including many nights beside the Med, was about the same at €93.
Is it any wonder we all go off to France as often as we can.

Richard.

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Nov 23, 2015
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It's not just the CC sites tho is it ? We went to Lychett Manor 2 weeks ago for 2 nights, 3 days. The same regimented theme ran through that site too. Grass manicured. We have to reverse in next to the peg. Showers are limited to 1m 37.6sec and then they turn themselves off immediately as you are just getting all lathered up :rolleyes:

We too prefer the tranquility and the less fussy rules of some of the CL sites. They seem more friendly, are able to offer the services most CC or normal Campsites offer.. I think we'll just continue in this vein in the future..
 
Jan 3, 2008
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We
We've not been on a club site for many, many years, but this month situations have seen to it that we've stopped on a couple. I remember that on Caravan Club sites you always got what you expected and were never surprised. With rare exception you got a mostly luke-warm reception, good wide and level pitches, robust electrics and if you'd been in one toilet block you'd been in them all. The always tidy sites made more so by the insistence on precisely how you park on your pitch with the dreaded peg designed to keep caravan, awning and car in their proper place.

So has anything changed in 25 years? Not a lot. The reception we found more clinically professional than welcoming. Pitches are still great, grass perfect and as well kept as any open golf green. Apart from that stupid peg that if I put my right rear side to, means that most of the useable pitch is on the dead side of the van. :rolleyes:

Lady Warden "Oh' you've ignored the peg"
Me "you can move the peg if you like, but the van is settled now and isn't moving, it is in the middle of my pitch!
Lady Warden "That's OK I just hope Norman doesn't spot you"

The toilet blocks the same one as in the early nineties? It seems so. Just when you need to use them on a lazy Sunday morning they are closed for cleaning, So you wait. Once in, at the back of your shower is a gutter where the dirty water from fellow showering campers comes into your cubicle in a grey foaming torrent, you watch in horror as a blockage further down the line sees their water lapping into your shower tray. When drying yourself off, with next doors shower water splashing off their floor, and onto your feet you make a mental note to choose the uphill shower tomorrow and at about 4am.

One thing has changed The prices. One site £26 the other over £30. I think we'll be leaving it another quarter century. :)
were you tempted to say, " bugger Norman"
 
Oct 19, 2013
449
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Just spent two nights at the Edinburgh site. Totally agree the the OP comments. Especially about the shower plus the fixed shower and me being 6ft 8 tall meant I nearly had to bend double to wet my hair.
Reception was as close to rude as you can be without actually being rude. Pitches where ok but I fell foul of the peg and when I also refused to move (been in place for 2 hours!) I thought I was going to arrested!

Now at the Falkirk Wheel - lovely showers, toilets and not a peg in sight

Richard
 
Nov 6, 2008
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Norman must be a man to be obeyed, I have a mental picture of Norman looking like the Hulk
My mental picture of 'Norman' is a skinny guy, with a pullover on (CC issue of course), trousers at half mast, and the obligatory 'know it all' combination of a white beard, glasses and a baseball cap.

Craig
 
May 31, 2015
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This year so far I've been to about 14 different cc sites and I've just pulled in or reversed for the best view and once or twice gone on side ways and have never had anyone say anything to me.....:eek:

And I always thought I was approachable .....:confused:

(y)

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2

2657

Deleted User
It's not just the CC sites tho is it ? We went to Lychett Manor 2 weeks ago for 2 nights, 3 days. The same regimented theme ran through that site too. Grass manicured. We have to reverse in next to the peg. Showers are limited to 1m 37.6sec and then they turn themselves off immediately as you are just getting all lathered up :rolleyes:

We too prefer the tranquility and the less fussy rules of some of the CL sites. They seem more friendly, are able to offer the services most CC or normal Campsites offer.. I think we'll just continue in this vein in the future..


Can't even get a price online for a 2 night stop, won't be getting my business.
 
2

2657

Deleted User
We have to travel down to Sussex for a family birthday BBQ in a couple of weeks time so have booked a pitch for 3 nights at the CC Fairlight site.
£82.20 for the van and two adults.
We earlier spent a month in France using aires and I estimate the total cost for the month, including many nights beside the Med, was about the same at €93.
Is it any wonder we all go off to France as often as we can.

Richard.

We are booked on the C&CC site at Normans Bay beginning of September,2 nights Fri/Sat, £38.80 with oldies discount. I consider that a fair price for the facilities available

A private site in South Shields wanted almost that for one night and that was about 6 years ago.

We have stopped on this site before a few years ago with the 5'er, don't remember any pegs and the wardens were friendly and helpful.
 

Puddleduck

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With CC and C&CC sites you know what you are getting ..... we use them when we need laundry facilities or other stuff that is available on site but might not be elsewhere. Never had any problems with parking by the peg. I just let them know our hab door is on the off side and generally they just shrug and say "park which ever way you like". I think the peg thing is because of fire risk?

We are members of both clubs, this year we've used CC sites and CLs as the C&CC made a mess up and gave us digital membership so no hard copy of stuff to carry round. Not sure that we will renew C&CC next year as they were so rude when I phoned and asked for the membership to be reinstated and for the books - for which they wanted another £17 !!!!
 

Khizzie

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Jul 26, 2014
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This year so far I've been to about 14 different cc sites and I've just pulled in or reversed for the best view and once or twice gone on side ways and have never had anyone say anything to me.....:eek:

And I always thought I was approachable .....:confused:

(y)
Same as me never ever had any issues other than one miserable bugger at beadnell bay.. I for one @Jim believe as solo camper get great value for money. .so belt up whingeing .haha
 

sdc77

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We're members of both the clubs and only use sites that we consider the best (for us). We will also use private sites.. but tend to steer towards ones that are rated 5 star.
All these sites are immaculate with rules and we don't mind them.
We find most club wardens are great.
We find most private site wardens are great too.
As for comparing sites in the UK to aires abroad .. why not compare them to sites abroad ...
We also use sites abroad (as well as aires) and even though we try and use .. again . five star ones. Price is comparable but rules are less.
Club sites are very popular .. in spite of there being private sites . Hence the regular difficulty booking .. they must be doing something people like.

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Billggski

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Aug 6, 2013
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Stayed at a few CC sites in Scotland in May all were clean and well maintained, Balbirnie was excellent with friendly staff keeping an immaculate formal display, very proud.
I didn't realise the staff are seasonal and can be moved at any time.
Not a secure job at all.
 
Feb 22, 2011
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I have never had a problem either on a cc site and been impressed with all of them and found all wardens friendly and helpful.
Recently though I've used a few CL sites and found them excellent so ill be trying more of them in future
Only once have I ever been asked for membership card on a CL and at that one the owner was proper old school, duly noting everything down in his cc log book. Lovely guy though and will return hopefully one day
 

Khizzie

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We're members of both the clubs and only use sites that we consider the best (for us). We will also use private sites.. but tend to steer towards ones that are rated 5 star.
All these sites are immaculate with rules and we don't mind them.
We find most club wardens are great.
We find most private site wardens are great too.
As for comparing sites in the UK to aires abroad .. why not compare them to sites abroad ...
We also use sites abroad (as well as aires) and even though we try and use .. again . five star ones. Price is comparable but rules are less.
Club sites are very popular .. in spite of there being private sites . Hence the regular difficulty booking .. they must be doing something people like.
I agree , i use many club and private sites with no issues. .I reckon @Jim started this contentious thread because hits were low on forum and his bank balance was suffering .lol.

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O

Old Soldier

Deleted User
I have stayed on CC and C&CC sites for best part of 40 years, as well as others of course. I can't remember any occasions that have been bad. Yes, sometimes the regimented pitching can be annoying and yes the club loos can look the same but so what, they are clean and functional. Perhaps I don't have a negative attitude about using the club sites so I don't look for things to moan about. My opinion of course.......:think:
 

Doctor Dave

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May 18, 2015
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I fell foul of the peg police earlier this year. We were packing up to leave when the gestapo came along and gave me a 15 minute lecture as to why I was the wrong side of the peg, I had reversed onto the pitch with the peg by the nearside corner of the MH. That was wrong! Had I had a caravan and reversed so that the peg was by the offside of the Caravan that would have been OK. Then I could have put the car alongside the caravan, with the effect that the peg would have been near the nearside of the car - in the same position as my MH was with relation to the peg. So van or car, what's the difference? still a 3 metre gap or whatever it is supposed to be.

I looked through all the printed matter I have from the CC and nowhere does it say where to park in relation to the peg. "My wife told you when you booked in" said gestapo man - well she didn't.

Have to admit that the site was nice and clean, as were the facilities.

Dave

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