Caravan and Motorhome Club Cl 5 units? (1 Viewer)

[Gaston aires]

The last CL we stayed on over May bank holiday had 9 rigs. The owner apologised and I said no problem. It might have been different if we were on top of each other but plenty of room.
At £5 per night who’s complaining.
Phil

 

[jopparocks]

These small sites cost a fortune to set up, running electric, drainage, toilet and shower, elsan and fresh water. That money has to be got back before a profit is shown, allowing a few extra units on in busy periods helps achieve that. My mate invested in those things and for a CS it does ok, if he stuck strictly to the rules it would still be a meadow with a standpipe and a manhole, or possibly not even worth his time and not be there. I know what I'd prefer.

I'm sure the rules is rules brigade will be along soon to say differently.

They advertise as 5 units only. Why can't they just be honest and say on their website how many vans might be there. Its a bit sneaky to get people to come to your site expecting one thing and to find something else.
If you booked a holiday in for example Greece in a lovely small hotel and found it was a 200 room new build would you be part of the rules brigade if you complained to the travel agent about it.

 

[TheBig1]

At £5 per night who’s complaining.

Too many people are far too quick to judge and complain. Kick up a fuss and that CL may close putting more pressure on others locally for space and depriving others that actually enjoy that lost CL. We want more cheap places to camp, not less. If the selfish few that demand their solitude should remember that their personal needs and wants don't trump those of others. If you want solitude, pay for the privilege by going somewhere more expensive and exclusive. Leave the cheap little CLs to people who cant afford the cost of exclusivity

I have met some really lovely people on scruffy little CLs

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[jopparocks]

What we talking about here £10 or £12 a night not a 100 grand van. Why not google earth the place first ?

Why should we have to Google earth it. Why can't we trust the advertising and depend its honesty and truthfulness.

 

[Ivory55]

I am glad I don’t own a cl and have to put up with grizzlies

 

[Quackers]

I am glad I don’t own a cl and have to put up with grizzlies

All our visitors have been really nice people and we would welcome them all back.

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[jopparocks]

Too many people are far too quick to judge and complain. Kick up a fuss and that CL may close putting more pressure on others locally for space and depriving others that actually enjoy that lost CL. We want more cheap places to camp, not less. If the selfish few that demand their solitude should remember that their personal needs and wants don't trump those of others. If you want solitude, pay for the privilege by going somewhere more expensive and exclusive. Leave the cheap little CLs to people who cant afford the cost of exclusivity

I have met some really lovely people on scruffy little CLs

I'm not a member of the 'selfish few' and I don't think my needs trump everyone elses. But if I want a quiet place I look online and go by what their advertising says - what else am I supposed to do. I just expect honesty and truthfulness. Its got nothing to do with paying for the privilege of solitude as CL's as far as I am aware were set up for people who didn't like the regimentation of the larger sites.

 

[Podney]

What we talking about here £10 or £12 a night not a 100 grand van. Why not google earth the place first ?

Coz it’s usually out of date,innit?

 

[Eggs]

They advertise as 5 units only. Why can't they just be honest and say on their website how many vans might be there. Its a bit sneaky to get people to come to your site expecting one thing and to find something else.
If you booked a holiday in for example Greece in a lovely small hotel and found it was a 200 room new build would you be part of the rules brigade if you complained to the travel agent about it.

They don't advertise the fact that there could be a few extra units on in busy periods because of planning laws, would you prefer to share a level three acre field with full facilities with a few extra units or it not be there at all?

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[TheBig1]

The wife's family set up and run a 5 van CL years ago which was very popular. Then in the 80s we had those heatwave years and the police escorted loads of caravanners hunting for a pitch "anywhere" to that CL and others. Technically it breached the rules but the police were concerned about public safety. Many of those new campers returned year after year after that having enjoyed the experience. That CL was still popular until last year when it closed and is now a static caravan site. Brenda's family sold it years ago fortunately

This year particularly, it is going to get "mad" again with so many caravans and motorhomes competing for ever reducing spaces anywhere in the uk

 

[Podney]

The last CL we stayed on over May bank holiday had 9 rigs. The owner apologised and I said no problem. It might have been different if we were on top of each other but plenty of room.
At £5 per night who’s complaining.
Phil

£5 a night! Streuth that’s cheap innit. Was it on a landfill site?

 

[jopparocks]

The wife's family set up and run a 5 van CL years ago which was very popular. Then in the 80s we had those heatwave years and the police escorted loads of caravanners hunting for a pitch "anywhere" to that CL and others. Technically it breached the rules but the police were concerned about public safety. Many of those new campers returned year after year after that having enjoyed the experience. That CL was still popular until last year when it closed and is now a static caravan site. Brenda's family sold it years ago fortunately

This year particularly, it is going to get "mad" again with so many caravans and motorhomes competing for ever reducing spaces anywhere in the uk

I take your point Big1 and may have been coming across a bit fundamentalist. Maybe I'm having cabin fever having been stuck at home for the last year and dreaming of remote and quiet sites where I can get away from it all and read my books and not have to socialise. Or it could be I'm feeling argumentative cos there's nothing on the telly.
Anyway I'm going to take your post and think about it further. I may even change my mind.

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[jopparocks]

They don't advertise the fact that there could be a few extra units on in busy periods because of planning laws, would you prefer to share a level three acre field with full facilities with a few extra units or it not be there at all?

Good point Eggs - will think about this more over a whisky whilst I watch the SAS rip hell out of masochists on the telly

 

[violet]

These small sites cost a fortune to set up, running electric, drainage, toilet and shower, elsan and fresh water. That money has to be got back before a profit is shown, allowing a few extra units on in busy periods helps achieve that. My mate invested in those things and for a CS it does ok, if he stuck strictly to the rules it would still be a meadow with a standpipe and a manhole, or possibly not even worth his time and not be there. I know what I'd prefer.

I'm sure the rules is rules brigade will be along soon to say differently.

There must be people other than us who, when looking at a CL/CS site actually do not want what Eggs rightly says has cost a fortune to set up. We aren't bothered about electricity, drainage, toilet and shower, elsan and fresh water, on every site we stay. We understand that others do want these things but the provision of them has driven prices up, sounds to be a driving force in more vans than allowed being on the site, and has drastically reduced the number of more basic sites. The fixed cost of having electricity is often exorbitant for what our little van uses, though it may seem a bargain for large motorhomes.
One of the reasons we generally prefer to take our campervan to Europe is that it is easier to find more basic places to stay.

 

[Eggs]

There must be people other than us who, when looking at a CL/CS site actually do not want what Eggs rightly says has cost a fortune to set up. We aren't bothered about electricity, drainage, toilet and shower, elsan and fresh water, on every site we stay. We understand that others do want these things but the provision of them has driven prices up, sounds to be a driving force in more vans than allowed being on the site, and has drastically reduced the number of more basic sites. The fixed cost of having electricity is often exorbitant for what our little van uses, though it may seem a bargain for large motorhomes.
One of the reasons we generally prefer to take our campervan to Europe is that it is easier to find more basic places to stay.

Tenner a night with no EHU on my mates CS, I presume you would still need water and waste disposal?

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[TheBig1]

I know that not all the members here have camped caravanned and motorhomed for decades like some of us. So let me explain that not many years ago the big 2 clubs had a stranglehold monopoly on CL/CS sites and each had a few hundred around the uk. Lets call it under a thousand between them. Each with just 5 spaces. So other than campsites there were under 5000 spaces available to share out.

Roll on a few years of record breaking sales of caravans and motorhomes and the availability of spaces not increasing as fast. Suddenly there are more caravans and motorhomes on the road needing spaces than spaces available. Natural England who administer the exemption system used for those CLs has been aware of this issue for years and although the number of exempted organisations has grown substantially, not all have a network of CLs for various reasons. Take FUN for instance, just a few years ago Jim had just the one CL on our exemption. That has slowly grown from 3 or 4 3 years ago and suddenly there are way more in the pipeline. But the rules have been deliberately slackened These last few years to make it easier

A few of us will also remember that the rules on having to be a member to use a CL was challenged and rattled a few cages. But it was needed to help networks of CLs to expand, which benefits us all

 

[Eggs]

People don't think, if people make it difficult for landowners by complaining they will simply close the gate.

Careful about what you wish for.

 

[dolly the dog]

Thanks the Big 1 for that explanation regarding cl/cs, I understand there is a need for the ever growing motorhomer and maybe there is a need for perhaps, larger cl/cs along side the smaller cl/cs, which could be of benefit to both site owners and users, although from reading the previous comments this would require many changes to current legislation i would assume and I'm sure this has been considered before.

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[Jasz]

I stayed on a nice CL last year that had originally just been a CL, but now has another 7 pitches slightly separate. It didn't bother me but someone else had left a review saying they weren't happy.
I left a review on the C&MC site saying it was a nice site but don't go expecting only 5 vans, so that people would know what to expect (the one thing that could upset people was that all facilities were shared between the whole site!).

 

[hja]

What we talking about here £10 or £12 a night not a 100 grand van. Why not google earth the place first ?

Google earth dont always show vans in situ. I google earth virtually every site we visit to look at location, and given the wide area covered by a single post code, even with site directions it is not always easy to spot the site on google earth.

 

[Googlebot]

It’s happened to us before and I don’t care one bit. A beautiful huge field in Angelsey with plenty of room for 12 let alone the 8 that were there.

They are never going to get rich running a CL, the yearly electrical inspection must cost the best part of 10 nights fees.

You must have to want to run a CL for the love of it, I wouldn’t mind if they exceeded the number on occasion.

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[gus-lopez]

We have only come across this a couple of times, although we have come across strange CL boundaries with workers vans just outside.

Quite common. I went on one commercial site where the front field was all permanent resident workers & attcahed to the main house was another with 3 or 4. Tourists & holiday makers had to use the farther fields.

if he stuck strictly to the rules it would still be a meadow with a standpipe and a manhole,

I use a commercial site with only a standpipe & toilets.no rubbish disposal no music or musical instruments, no loud tv's & weekends it is usually packed solid.

Tenner a night with no EHU on my mates CS, I presume you would still need water and waste disposal?

seven quid one above & no usually I only stop one maybe 2 nights so no need.

 

[gus-lopez]

the yearly electrical inspection must cost the best part of 10 nights fees.

But only if there is electric.Which many do not want.

 

[Googlebot]

But only if there is electric.Which many do not want.

Me included, love no electric CL’s.

They are never ever busy though.

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[Langtoftlad]

trust the advertising and depend its honesty and truthfulness.

Surely an oxymoron
Advertising, honesty, truthfulness.

Who knew 5 or 7 or 9 vans would be such an issue...

 

[Eggs]

I mentioned this a while back, I'm trying to persuade the owner of a redundant CS to let me open it again. It's all there, admittedly it's basic but it would be a start. I'm a great believer in not poking the bear when you want your own way so it's been a softly, softly approach. For me to do it I would have to turn a profit to pay the rent on the land, to do that I would have to bend the rules, let more than five units on, and let fulltimers over winter there. It's in the middle of nowhere with nothing more than a pub in the village. This thread has almost convinced me not to poke that bear anymore. That's another small site ticked off the list

 

[dolly the dog]

Eggs, don't let one persons experience, (me) distract you from doing something you really want to achieve, as I stated before I made assumptions probably without the full facts and was relying on the information I read on the CaMH site regarding 5 units, unaware that site owners had other agreements in force, also after reading the Big 1's explanation I can see the need for more Cl's like the one you mentioned.

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[TheBig1]

I mentioned this a while back, I'm trying to persuade the owner of a redundant CS to let me open it again. It's all there, admittedly it's basic but it would be a start. I'm a great believer in not poking the bear when you want your own way so it's been a softly, softly approach. For me to do it I would have to turn a profit to pay the rent on the land, to do that I would have to bend the rules, let more than five units on, and let fulltimers over winter there. It's in the middle of nowhere with nothing more than a pub in the village. This thread has almost convinced me not to poke that bear anymore. That's another small site ticked off the list

Don't let the few that don't fully get the picture knock your plans back. This is a motorhome club with a very wide range of members. Everything from youngsters living in their vans to make ends meet through to Millionaires, with everything imaginable in between represented. For every one person that feels aggrieved about CLs not representing what they imagined, there are hundreds or thousands of others, just happy to enjoy the beautiful British countryside and happy to share the views

Elsewhere on this forum, we regularly discuss the lack of Aires, like Europe has. People would be delighted to use Aires in this country and most happy to pay to use them. Think of CLs more like very basic paid Aires, near pubs or on farms etc. So, we have a different system to mainland Europe, but we have a very British attitude to them. I honestly believe that we should petition Natural England and their alternatives in Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland to change exempted sites to allow many more spaces. These being the responsibility of exempted organisation to administer and welcome non members as well, say by percentage. Then welcome tourists, both British & Foreign to enjoy our countryside and put money into local economies. England is already lagging behind the way Scotland now welcomes visitors to visit responsibly. NC500 anyone?

 

[Gaston aires]

£5 a night! Streuth that’s cheap innit. Was it on a landfill site?

Nice quiet well kept farm CL with basic facilities near to our daughters house. He normally charges £8 but let’s me have it for £5 because we’re regulars.
Phil

 

[Eggs]

The thing that worries me is, if I sign a rent agreement then someone bubbles me for not strictly sticking by the 'rules'. Petty, but I've lived on and off in caravans, Motorhomes, and narrowboats for 30 years and I know how righteous some people can be.

Some of the responses to this thread enforce this.

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