Site charges!!! (1 Viewer)

Feb 16, 2013
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Been out for long weekend, started off at Jim's site. £5 brilliant views , water and emptying if required, next night Britstop back end of a pub good enough for what we wanted but no emptying no view and cost us £30 in pub at night, next night on a horse farm in Tenby, ccc cs nice enough but rough yard and we could have had hookup , water and emptying but we didn't need any but was a reasonable £8 next night a ccc cs in Brecon far site , give them their due it had the lot new showers and toilets , hookup and water but again we didn't need any of them but still got charged for them £14, but then got to hay on Wye this morning and see we could have parked there all night for free, knew about this but had forgotten so could have saved the £14:Doh::Doh:. But my point is why couldn't we have more like Jim's site , simple site ,fair price instead of all this ripoff prices being charged for what you don't want, this farm last night was a real rough do , all we did was just park inside his gate, didn't have to pay to him as we could just have drove off but thought it's only right to go and offer him somthing as the actual farm was a fair way up the road, then he had £14 for nowt:Doh:
 
Dec 28, 2011
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I suppose it's what you could have had for the money, rather than what you needed.
All these things have to be paid for and maintained, so you must expect to be charged accordingly. Water and emptying on Jim's site, hook up showers etc. on another.
Just because you don't need/use the facilities shouldn't mean that a reduced fee should apply. Personally I would have used them out of principle if I had paid for them. ::bigsmile:
 
OP
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chaser
Feb 16, 2013
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I suppose it's what you could have had for the money, rather than what you needed.
All these things have to be paid for and maintained, so you must expect to be charged accordingly. Water and emptying on Jim's site, hook up showers etc. on another.
Just because you don't need/use the facilities shouldn't mean that a reduced fee should apply. Personally I would have used them out of principle if I had paid for them. ::bigsmile:

I couldn't use them for anything, got water on didn't need anymore, and never have used hookup nothing to use it with, could have emptyed I suppose but no need, only needed park which is free at hay or Britstops if you don't use the pub, if it wasn't for planners I would willingly let anyone park on my land for a fiver, think about it , what crop or animal would make a fiver a day on 25 sq meters.

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Mousy

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Chaser, we had a similar weekend to you. On Friday we drove to a Brit stop pub car park outside Monmouth. Full of "youffs" drinking from cans and shouting to their mates in the flats by the carpark. Didn't fancy hours of that but it was 8 o'clock couldn't get an answer from any sites so moved off to a rural car park in a nearby forest. Kept awake til about 4 am by cars beeping their horns as they zoomed past.

Spent Saturday in hay on Wye. Big car park, lovely sunshine, nice mosey around. Decided to stay at Jim's on Saturday night, what a delight that was, peaceful, beautiful views and we had a great stay. Spent Sunday in Aberaeon.

We are now revising our options. Prior to the weekend we were reluctant to pay £20+ per night for a site whose facilities we don't use! now we are thinking what price a good nights sleep is worth.

May join either cc or ccc for the small sites. Just wish there were more places like Jim's everywhere.
 
OP
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chaser
Feb 16, 2013
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Chaser, we had a similar weekend to you. On Friday we drove to a Brit stop pub car park outside Monmouth. Full of "youffs" drinking from cans and shouting to their mates in the flats by the carpark. Didn't fancy hours of that but it was 8 o'clock couldn't get an answer from any sites so moved off to a rural car park in a nearby forest. Kept awake til about 4 am by cars beeping their horns as they zoomed past.

Spent Saturday in hay on Wye. Big car park, lovely sunshine, nice mosey around. Decided to stay at Jim's on Saturday night, what a delight that was, peaceful, beautiful views and we had a great stay. Spent Sunday in Aberaeon.

We are now revising our options. Prior to the weekend we were reluctant to pay £20+ per night for a site whose facilities we don't use! now we are thinking what price a good nights sleep is worth.



May join either cc or ccc for the small sites. Just wish there were more places like Jim's everywhere.

Well Jim will be pleased then , pity we didn't meet up, he said he only had 20 all year last year, can't believe it , it's fantastic, but the other sites we went on are ccc cs so don't think they are cheap, and we are in the low season and pensioners rates, so heaven knows what they charge in full season, roll on France with the aires, you get your tunnel fare back in the first week.:thumb:
 

Mousy

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I can't believe that about Jim's place! We will definitely be using it again, it's only about an hour away from us. Shame we didn't meet up, maybe next time.. It's a lovely part of the world, would recommend the Sunday lunch at the harbour inn abereon. Sadly the sound of silence of the Welsh rugby defeat was deafening!

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jhorsf

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Jim only needs to be full every night for the next 150 years to start to see a return on all the work :Eeek:
 

Mousy

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Red kite camping near Lampeter

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Dec 28, 2011
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I couldn't use them for anything, got water on didn't need anymore, and never have used hookup nothing to use it with, could have emptyed I suppose but no need, only needed park which is free at hay or Britstops if you don't use the pub, if it wasn't for planners I would willingly let anyone park on my land for a fiver, think about it , what crop or animal would make a fiver a day on 25 sq meters.


Buy Jim's place if you think it is easy money. At a fiver a night he made £100 last year if he only had 20 units staying for one night.
Some people want more than water and emptying and like their creature comforts more than others. Some, like yourself, may be a little more, how can I put this, careful with their money. ::bigsmile:
 
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Aug 7, 2013
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I'm a newbie bought our first motorhome 7months ago and love it
Looks great but we do like a local pub !

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OP
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chaser
Feb 16, 2013
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Buy Jim's place if you think it is easy money. At a fiver a night he made £100 last year if he only had 20 units staying.
Some people want more than water and emptying and like their creature comforts more than others. Some, like yourself, may be a little more, how can I put this, careful with their money. ::bigsmile:

Didn't say he was making a fortune but there must be plenty like me who have land who could let it out , remember the fiver is above what you are already doing with the land so if you are running sheep on it the fiver is above what you are already making, and why would you want more than water and emptying, we have toilet and shower on board which I would think most mhs have so why do you want to use facilitys that hundreds have as well, it's not really being careful with money but if you have paid for a van with all the facility's you need why pay for them again:Doh:
 

Wildman

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The CL/CS system provides cheap low facility sites in quiet locations. Ours is £7 a night but then we are close to the beaches and glorious countryside of Devon. 5 van sites are rarely fully booked and even then hardly an income by the time insurance and business rates are paid, of that £7 it costs me £2 to go and collect the money when someone books in. I tried an honour system, people just abused it and once they had the combination of the gate lock just kept letting themselves back in without paying, sad but there it is. The motor caravanners club who licence our site allow non members to use their sites and are the only club which does. All singing and dancing sites are great for caravans and the odd tenter but motorhomes are self sufficient. Managing a site takes a lot of time if you don't live there and is a tremendous tie. If people enjoy their stay it makes it all worthwhile. Red kite camping deserves more patronage than it gets that's for sure.
 
OP
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chaser
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PLUS, we are talking about one van here , if you have 5 a night on that's £150 a week which is not to be sniffed at:thumb:

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Wildman

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I think you overestimate how many people use a CL, I'd love to see £150 a week but its a pipe dream
who do you think pays the rates, the insurance, and keeps the grass cut, pays for grass cutting equipment, fences etc. I think that maybe its easy to estimate a reasonable income but realistically it just does not happen. A CL is a way to meet new people, make new friends and break up a working day, but can also be intrusive on your life as a whole. People are a bigger tie than animals.
Larger sites have larger overheads and staff wages to come out of the income. more facilities more capital investment so obviously have to charge more.
 
Dec 28, 2011
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Didn't say he was making a fortune but there must be plenty like me who have land who could let it out , remember the fiver is above what you are already doing with the land so if you are running sheep on it the fiver is above what you are already making, and why would you want more than water and emptying, we have toilet and shower on board which I would think most mhs have so why do you want to use facilitys that hundreds have as well, it's not really being careful with money but if you have paid for a van with all the facility's you need why pay for them again:Doh:

I'm not disagreeing with you, just making an alternative point.
If I had the land I would certainly want to rent it out to MHs and caravans and try to make it pay. In fact, I would love a go, but circumstance dictates otherwise (at the moment). The future is another thing.

We use our onboard facilities nearly all the time, especially at steam rallies, but it is nice to use someone else's hot water, toilet etc., especially when you have paid for them. Some posts in the past have been from people who never use their own shower etc., and like you, I can't see the point in having them if you don't want to use them.

PLUS, we are talking about one van here , if you have 5 a night on that's £150 a week which is not to be sniffed at:thumb:

Totally agree ::bigsmile:
 
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On Friday we drove to a Brit stop pub car park outside Monmouth. Full of "youffs" drinking from cans and shouting to their mates in the flats by the carpark. Didn't fancy hours of that but it was 8 o'clock couldn't get an answer from any sites so moved off to a rural car park in a nearby forest. Kept awake til about 4 am by cars beeping their horns as they zoomed past.

That must have been the Brit Stop I thought about trying out a couple of weeks earlier...before I opted for another one nearby. Thanks for the warning :Eeek:

(I've also just noticed that those 2 locations are labelled the wrong way around in the new Brit Stop book, and one's in the wrong place.)

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Jan 27, 2013
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£7.00, £10.00 or £14.00 that's still a significant saving over any CC or C&CC club site.
 

GJH

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A couple of observations.

Anyone with land can undertake the process for creating a certificated site if they wish, nothing to stop them. As has been pointed out, though, doing so to make a profit in cash terms could be difficult.

We use our own facilities (meets/THSs/rallies) on the majority of our trips these day and are much more comfortable doing so - but that depends on finding a place to stay convenient to a desired location. Last year we wanted to stay on the outskirts of Worcester. We had the choice of a CC CL (£12 a night I think) or The Ketch private site (£15 a night). The CL (not for the first time) did not return my call when I left a voice mail so we booked at The Ketch. EHU included whether we needed it or not (used it just for a kettle) and showers available which we didn't bother with. When we go back to Worcester, though, hopefully we can book The Ketch again. It is superbly located for what we want and (which I didn't realise beforehand) more convenient than the CL.

There is more to a site than just the monetary cost :Smile:
 

camocam1

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have only had our MH for just under 2 years and I keep a note of my site fees ( as well as other costs) we use a mixture of cc / cc sites as well as cl / cs and private sites and average cost so far works out at £18.50 per night and we have always had EHU apart from 1 weekend as we have no solar panels etc etc
We chose sites for the location rather than the cost and NO we are not made of money but is there any justification in being on a site or whatever if its in the middle of nowhere with no facilities just to save a few ££s
just my thoughts

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Wildman

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but is there any justification in being on a site or whatever if its in the middle of nowhere with no facilities just to save a few ££s
just my thoughts

Townies would say that of course. Country people would not have it any other way, the peace and quiet, the views and wildlife. Personally I think if prices were reversed people would actually pay more for that peace and quiet, the solitude, time to think and enjoy your surroundings. Back to nature and all that.

Point number 2 there are many members who having spent their last penny on a motorhome have little left to spend on running costs. Site fees are an unnecessary expence, the money saved pays for a lot of miles worth of diesel. Just because to own a motorhome does not ensure you have the cash to spend on site fees and diesel, for some it is a simple choice, either or but not both so they go on a site and sit there like caravanners for the whole holiday, well whats the point you may as well have a caravan and save even more money. A motorhome is for touring and if you have a limited income then something has to give.

Its not a rich mans sport everyone can enjoy it at their own level and that's the way it should be without others insisting you do it this way or that.
 

MHVirgins

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We've been looking where to stay close enough to Edinburgh so that we can use the bus back and forward into the city. We normally stay at the CC site at Marine Drive, but have decided we want a change of scenery this time.
Mortonhall commercial site wanted £19.50 per night, but any vehicle 8 metres and above has a surcharge of £8 even at this time of the year:Eeek: At £27.50 a night, it's much dearer than the CC site so wouldn't pay this and certainly don't want to be on a big noisy site.

We've booked in at a CL 6 miles out of the city, but will take our chances with public transport and see how it goes. This CL is very reasonable at £12 per night, however, bus fares will cost us £6 per day in and out of the city.

We haven't used too many CLs because of problems in the past when we've turned up after booking. So we are hoping that this one will work out with regards to transport back at night. At least they have been good enough to return our calls, which in a lot of cases some other owners haven't bothered to do.
 
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gibbon

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We've used Moreton Hall twice so far as we love visiting Edinburgh, which is amazingly dog friendly by the way.
We view it as a bit of a luxury at just under £23 a night for our van & wouldn't stay for more than a couple of nights.
Plus points are that the bus to Edinburgh runs every 10 minutes & the last one coming back is quite late so very convenient for us.
The on site "Stable Bar" was also a nice surprise. It's in the Camra good beer guide & boasts a fine range of beers. Also very dog friendly:thumb:

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eddie

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Well luckily it's a broad church. If you want to spend nothing per night you can, and you have the option to spend £60 or £70 per night if you wish.

It is your choice, which makes it a wonderful situation to be it.

In answer to the OP why can't t here be more sites like Jim's is simple, not enough people use it, sad but true. Jim's case in particular it is a stunning location, breathtaking views and tranquil.

The fact that more Funsters don't take advantage of it is bewildering:Eeek:

Facts don't have their own site, neither does OAL So a place to pretty much guarantee meeting other Funsters (nice to meet you both Martin BTW Sunday morning)

What's the expression? Use it or loose it peoples :winky:

Eddie
 

Mousy

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Thanks Eddie, it was lovely to meet you and Lynda too, that breakfast looked cracking!

We will be back to Jim's and will post here to see if anyone wants to join us.

The peace and tranquility was just what we needed after a stressful week.

Hope to catch up with you again.

Martin
 
Oct 28, 2013
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Chaser, we had a similar weekend to you. On Friday we drove to a Brit stop pub car park outside Monmouth. Full of "youffs" drinking from cans and shouting to their mates in the flats by the carpark. Didn't fancy hours of that but it was 8 o'clock couldn't get an answer from any sites so moved off to a rural car park in a nearby forest. Kept awake til about 4 am by cars beeping their horns as they zoomed past.

Spent Saturday in hay on Wye. Big car park, lovely sunshine, nice mosey around. Decided to stay at Jim's on Saturday night, what a delight that was, peaceful, beautiful views and we had a great stay. Spent Sunday in Aberaeon.

We are now revising our options. Prior to the weekend we were reluctant to pay £20+ per night for a site whose facilities we don't use! now we are thinking what price a good nights sleep is worth.

May join either cc or ccc for the small sites. Just wish there were more places like Jim's everywhere.
That's exactly why we stay with the CC.
We like having access to the On-line Database which lets us choose precisely what we do or don't want from a site and what area we want to be in.
Prices for a really basic, no frills site start at around £4-50 / night and the minimum they must all have is the facility to take on potable water and empty a chemical toilet.
We also find their insurance to be reasonably priced and we joined the Green Flag MayDay Service which designed specifically around motorhomes and touring caravans.
Our joint membership is around £40 / year but worth every penny in our book. :thumb:

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Mousy

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Which is better for small primitive sites, cc or ccc? I'm sure I've read that prices for 5 pitch sites have gone up and that it's harder to look sites up and book now but can't remember which club.
 
Oct 28, 2013
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Which is better for small primitive sites, cc or ccc? I'm sure I've read that prices for 5 pitch sites have gone up and that it's harder to look sites up and book now but can't remember which club.
We have belonged to both but prefer the CC as we found the other one to be generally more expensive and their website more difficult to navigate but that's just our experience.
 

scotjimland

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Which is better for small primitive sites, cc or ccc? I'm sure I've read that prices for 5 pitch sites have gone up and that it's harder to look sites up and book now but can't remember which club.

Some join both clubs.. personally I prefer the CC .. with around 3,000 CLs..

many of the basic CLs, ie a field with a tap in the corner and a waste point, have either closed or have upgraded ..EHU, perhaps Wifi, hard standing and even a toilet block..

The modern vanner demands these facilities.. the site owner either provides or losses business.

sadly, the joys of simple camping in a field with sheep for company are numbered.

'Modern camper van man' needs/wants wifi, ehu, hard standing, hot showers, bla bla bla

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