Lyndon Top is My favorite place to park, away from the other regimented sites and if you want to you can visit the Golf Club bar as a guest. just quiet and not expensive at all .
loves and hates, New Motorhome, touring park (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Ian.s
- Start date
Soozywoozy
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- Feb 18, 2014
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A very good website which does not look cheap or dated - this gives the impression the camping is the same.
Up to date availability on website also essential
Up to date availability on website also essential
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DBK said, The touring market in Scotland is negligible in winter !!
sorry this is not true, there are many sites open for rallies (especially over the December/January months.
Members of both the CCC and Caravan club hold rallies all over Scotland too, which are well attended.
Do not believe all that you see on the TV and in the papers, the weather here is usually no worse than in England and for your information the East of Scotland has seen far less snow than parts of England.
Come north and enjoy !!
Oh BTW Oban is not in the highland, afraid they are bit further north !!
sorry this is not true, there are many sites open for rallies (especially over the December/January months.
Members of both the CCC and Caravan club hold rallies all over Scotland too, which are well attended.
Do not believe all that you see on the TV and in the papers, the weather here is usually no worse than in England and for your information the East of Scotland has seen far less snow than parts of England.
Come north and enjoy !!
Oh BTW Oban is not in the highland, afraid they are bit further north !!
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One popular area of camping currently are adult only sites...... and I don't mean dodgy films 
We don't have children and if there's any sign of a site without nippers we head straight for it. Not everyone wants the play areas, the noise, the anklebiters running around at half 6 in the morning. The vibe is totally different at adult only. Just a thought 
We don't have children and if there's any sign of a site without nippers we head straight for it. Not everyone wants the play areas, the noise, the anklebiters running around at half 6 in the morning. The vibe is totally different at adult only. Just a thought Wiilh said, Well drained (we are talking Highlands here), why say Highlands ?? It's around Oban not Highlands !!
Have you never had to be towed off a wet site in England or Wales ?? We have ! it happens all over the UK not just in Scotland.
Why do some scots put down Scotland so much ? it is a beautiful country with friendly people . the many sites here are no worse than any anywhere else that you can travel throughout the UK and for the most part far cheaper than those rip off ones down south where some are asking over £40 a night.
Best thing on a site is the owners at reception who are friendly, can talk to you , give good advise about local area, nice clean toilets, some where for campers to eat out of the rain, decent power supply (metered) so it does not trip when her indoors uses a hair dryer, decent heated toilet block, if to be open all year, (great idea)
Preferably on bus route, small shop, basic gas refills, for motorhomers, a drive over drain for waste tank c/w elsan to hand.
That is purely my thoughts and is what I tend to look for if and when we go on a site, most readily available with the exception of motorhome drive over drain. !!
Whatever you do you will never please everyone !! but as it is an area that we like we look forward to seeing and using it when completed and wish you all the best in your project and look forward to receiving any updates of you progress.
BTW do not ban dogs o
r kids, they both can bring so much to a site. Had more problems onsite with drunken over fifty's than any child or dog !!
Have you never had to be towed off a wet site in England or Wales ?? We have ! it happens all over the UK not just in Scotland.
Why do some scots put down Scotland so much ? it is a beautiful country with friendly people . the many sites here are no worse than any anywhere else that you can travel throughout the UK and for the most part far cheaper than those rip off ones down south where some are asking over £40 a night.
Best thing on a site is the owners at reception who are friendly, can talk to you , give good advise about local area, nice clean toilets, some where for campers to eat out of the rain, decent power supply (metered) so it does not trip when her indoors uses a hair dryer, decent heated toilet block, if to be open all year, (great idea)
Preferably on bus route, small shop, basic gas refills, for motorhomers, a drive over drain for waste tank c/w elsan to hand.
That is purely my thoughts and is what I tend to look for if and when we go on a site, most readily available with the exception of motorhome drive over drain. !!
Whatever you do you will never please everyone !! but as it is an area that we like we look forward to seeing and using it when completed and wish you all the best in your project and look forward to receiving any updates of you progress.
BTW do not ban dogs o
r kids, they both can bring so much to a site. Had more problems onsite with drunken over fifty's than any child or dog !!
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sallylillian
LIFE MEMBER
[QUOTE="
BTW do not ban dogs our kids, they both can bring so much to a site. Had more problems onsite with drunken over fifty's than any child or dog !![/QUOTE]
What sites do you stay on then???
BTW do not ban dogs our kids, they both can bring so much to a site. Had more problems onsite with drunken over fifty's than any child or dog !![/QUOTE]
What sites do you stay on then???
Hi Ian
A level hardstanding pitch is a must for us - particularly in wet weather or winter - otherwise we would probably end up being pulled off as happened last September on a site in France when following a violent storm we sank somewhat!
Metered electricity is a good idea and a proper easy to drive over disposal point would be great as would a good wifi connection.
A level hardstanding pitch is a must for us - particularly in wet weather or winter - otherwise we would probably end up being pulled off as happened last September on a site in France when following a violent storm we sank somewhat!
Metered electricity is a good idea and a proper easy to drive over disposal point would be great as would a good wifi connection.
Superb idea with the smart car. That's something I will incorporate.
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What sites do you stay on then???[/QUOTE]
I'm staying as I type in full research mode at Loch Ness shores. Kids and dogs including my own more than welcome.
Some very useful comments and thankyou. Level pitches seem a must. Metered electrics are planned. Hire car an inspired idea. I am at the moment on the shores of Loch Ness. Research is great fun. We will be allowing kids and dogs. Toilet block will require some very careful thought to be future proof. Drive over waste disposal also seems to be a must. Wifi is is a sticky issue. Only as good as the rural area will allow. A solution through EE may be available by the time we open. Anybody know how I reply to individual comments. Thanks again folks for your input
Ok. Highlands or as near as damn it for an overview. Not Oban either. Benderloch to be pedantic.
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Underfloor heating in the shower block is really nice as it means a generally dry floor, also be sure to get the shower floors to have good falls to the drains, so many are virtually level and leave a right mess after use.
Forestboy
LIFE MEMBER
Just read again first time since I commented on page 2.
You Sir deserve a knighthood and a medal if you go ahead I wouldn't do it for a golden pig.
Had a business once which dealt with the general public it was a bloody nightmare no matter how much you do they always want more. In the end I leased it to someone else and concentrated on trade and industrial customers who although hard were far more honest.
Good job we have people prepared to take a chance good luck to you hope it succeeds.
You Sir deserve a knighthood and a medal if you go ahead I wouldn't do it for a golden pig.
Had a business once which dealt with the general public it was a bloody nightmare no matter how much you do they always want more. In the end I leased it to someone else and concentrated on trade and industrial customers who although hard were far more honest.
Good job we have people prepared to take a chance good luck to you hope it succeeds.
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For me I would agree that level hard standing pitches are the biggest draw. EHU is essential. Next on my list would be Wifi.
I don't use toilet blocks or any other facilities.
One site I stop on has a dual point for grey. It has a raised wall section/box type thing for people using buckets etc so it doesn't splash up on you. It also had a ground level point with a small ramp for people who use waste hogs on wheels so we didn't have to lift them high. They also had a splash back shield on the black waste emptying point which was nice. Another nice point was you didn't need to walk over grass to get to it, so in nasty weather you didn't get clagged up with mud.
Another site I stayed on had hard standing and grass for each pitch. This meant you could either park on the grass or the hard standing. Made booking easier for everyone but uses up a lot of space.
Another site near Leicester charges £10 a night flat rate but has a £1 slot meter for the electric. It is set so it recovers costs only so I could do a whole week on £1. I had a chat with him about this saying how much I liked it. He said he had a number of larger vehicles stopped that were all Electric heating, tumble driers etc. They were costing him a fortune in Electric. He had a choice between putting in Meters or putting the price up to £14 a night.
A final nice touch is if there was a fresh water filler point within hose reach of each pitch. Say 20 meters. 1 tap could service a quite a few pitches?
I don't use toilet blocks or any other facilities.
One site I stop on has a dual point for grey. It has a raised wall section/box type thing for people using buckets etc so it doesn't splash up on you. It also had a ground level point with a small ramp for people who use waste hogs on wheels so we didn't have to lift them high. They also had a splash back shield on the black waste emptying point which was nice. Another nice point was you didn't need to walk over grass to get to it, so in nasty weather you didn't get clagged up with mud.
Another site I stayed on had hard standing and grass for each pitch. This meant you could either park on the grass or the hard standing. Made booking easier for everyone but uses up a lot of space.
Another site near Leicester charges £10 a night flat rate but has a £1 slot meter for the electric. It is set so it recovers costs only so I could do a whole week on £1. I had a chat with him about this saying how much I liked it. He said he had a number of larger vehicles stopped that were all Electric heating, tumble driers etc. They were costing him a fortune in Electric. He had a choice between putting in Meters or putting the price up to £14 a night.
A final nice touch is if there was a fresh water filler point within hose reach of each pitch. Say 20 meters. 1 tap could service a quite a few pitches?
CWH
LIFE MEMBER
A basic 'hate' - washing-up point near to the elsan (eg Oxford, there's just a thin trellis between the dump and the sinks) - it's horrid, you can be in the middle of washing-up and suddenly there's this awful stench of black waste... Makes you feel you need to go back later and do the washing-up again. (Yes, we do sometimes wash up in the MH.)
CWH
LIFE MEMBER
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Just read again first time since I commented on page 2.
You Sir deserve a knighthood and a medal if you go ahead I wouldn't do it for a golden pig.
Had a business once which dealt with the general public it was a bloody nightmare no matter how much you do they always want more. In the end I leased it to someone else and concentrated on trade and industrial customers who although hard were far more honest.
Good job we have people prepared to take a chance good luck to you hope it succeeds.
I already have the pleasure of dealing with the general public although I can at times see your point. Most of the them most of the time are great to deal with. My other business is a lodge and static caravan park at www.tralee.com very popular and I see this new venture a return to old ground, sometimes we have to make our own luck. I do have my fingers and everything else crossed. Just the planners to come with us on this journey.
Some very useful points. Thanks
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- Mar 18, 2015
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Can I suggest you check your liabilities if providing "Metered Electricity". I believe the primary reason EHU are now part of the all-in price is that by "selling it" seperately you technically become an electricity retailer.
OFGEM rules require the "customer" to be able to purchase their electricity from whichever "retailer" they like! i.e to get the cheapest price.
OK for touring unit stopping a couple of nights it's a lot of hassle for little gain and not really a practical option, but, if you let out seasonal pitches, they could insist on sourcing their own electricity supply and you could end up in big trouble if you refuse to allow it. I think one of the big 2 got challenged by some smart ar**, hence why they changed.
Implications of places like Touring parks were not thought about when OFGEM drafted up its competion rules.
We had a meeting with tourist board and you are correct. It is an issue but is hopefully going to be resolved in the very near future. Most of the manufactures of the posts are saying that they are scaling down on the production of non metered posts. We are it seems able to sell the electricity at a rate where no profit is made over and above the tariff we are on. An idividual cusrptomer is indeed able to find a lower tariffs and we will be delighted to refund the pennies that make up the difference. The one in a hundred that kick up a fuss will probably be invited very politely by our very professional staff to do one.....
I don't have time to read all the other comments but cheap grass pitches are the way to go. These work really well when combined with an onsite tractor. Being in Scotland it should see plenty of use.
Joking aside, the less onboard facilites you have, the closer to the ablutions you prefer to be. Or so it seems to me on the occasions that I have used a caravan park. I never use CP ablutions as I'm fully self-contained - effectively I find myself paying full price just to park overnight which is a good enough reason to avoid CPs altogether. So why not charge less for pitches which are the furthest away from the ablutions. Or have all facilities locked (toilets, showers, washing-up sinks) and charge extra for them.
A level hardstanding pitch of some type (could be grass with support matting underneath to save money), an easy access driveover grey dump and a hookup in quiet surroundings are what I look for in a CP, but over £10 for the priviledge and it's bye-bye.
Joking aside, the less onboard facilites you have, the closer to the ablutions you prefer to be. Or so it seems to me on the occasions that I have used a caravan park. I never use CP ablutions as I'm fully self-contained - effectively I find myself paying full price just to park overnight which is a good enough reason to avoid CPs altogether. So why not charge less for pitches which are the furthest away from the ablutions. Or have all facilities locked (toilets, showers, washing-up sinks) and charge extra for them.
A level hardstanding pitch of some type (could be grass with support matting underneath to save money), an easy access driveover grey dump and a hookup in quiet surroundings are what I look for in a CP, but over £10 for the priviledge and it's bye-bye.
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DBK
LIFE MEMBER
Although a lot of folk have said on here they would like metered electric I suspect they are the very people who aren't going to use any electricity a campsite if they can find a field with a tap in it for a cheaper price!
You need to cater for the majority I think, not the minority who don't use campsites if they can help it. Don't forget there is a very popular and swish Caravan Club site close buy where electricity is in the price. If you can do it with smart meters which can be read from reception (I've seen this done) then go with it if you want but my suggestion would be not to, unless the installation isn't going to cost too much.I don't have time to read all the other comments but cheap grass pitches are the way to go. These work really well when combined with an onsite tractor. Being in Scotland it should see plenty of use.
Joking aside, the less onboard facilites you have, the closer to the ablutions you prefer to be. Or so it seems to me on the occasions that I have used a caravan park. I never use CP ablutions as I'm fully self-contained - effectively I find myself paying full price just to park overnight which is a good enough reason to avoid CPs altogether. So why not charge less for pitches which are the furthest away from the ablutions. Or have all facilities locked (toilets, showers, washing-up sinks) and charge extra for them.
A level hardstanding pitch of some type (could be grass with support matting underneath to save money), an easy access driveover grey dump and a hookup in quiet surroundings are what I look for in a CP, but over £10 for the priviledge and it's bye-bye.
Although I do understand what you say I wish it were as simple as that. I have today returned from a park and have paid £54 for two nights. Never used the facilities but didn't begrudge
A brief break down and these are very brief and rounded down
Land purchase. Over £350000
Sewage over £70000
Toilet block over £200000
Electrics metres etc £30000
I have not even started with water, planning, architects, environmental impact studies, removal of chemical waste, rubbish collection, hard core for level pitches roads etc, staff, utilities, and many more things I haven't listed, after spending so much and having to recoup some of these costs over a very short season I can guarantee I won't be charging £10 for a pitch at any time of year. Not sure you will find anywhere that will.
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Of course your business model may not support my views. But an expensive empty pitch won't do you any favours either. I am talking about attracting people to an otherwise under-utilised section who might otherwise pass you by anyway. Cheaper pitches at the backend of your CP if feasible. I would certainly begrudge paying £54 to park for a couple of nights. The amount charged has to work for the customer as well as the park owner and not all customers are the same.
Agreed, the £54 I thought was a little steep. But the facilities still needed cleaned and heated, reception staff, bins still needed emptied etc, as there are so few people touring around at this time of year it's a case of shut for the winter or at least cover some costs. I did know the price before I left home.
On my own park I hope to have all areas as busy as possible. I will of course set a lower price for the shoulder months. The pitches will be allocated on a first come first serve basis. Of course each person will choose their spot as best suits them. High season on super pitches will be around £25 - £27 and pitches without facilities around £15. Of course this will depend on metered electricity or not, lower prices if metered. Stats do show that parks that have turned to metered electricity drop their usage by one third. Nobody seems to want to heat their awning with a fan heater or have a 3kw water heater on 24/7 when paying for it directly. Environmentally a winner I my book
O
Old Soldier
Deleted User
Sounds reasonable to me. As for having facilities on board and not using site facilities. In my view that's up to the individual. We have everything we need on board and when we use small sites or Aires with limited facilities we can cope fine, if in other " proper" sites we use the site facilities. It would be interesting to see how many who were charged a reduced "non use of facilities" price would still be using them despite the lower cost. Look forward to hearing more about this site, we love the Oban area and will be back next year. 
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