New site owner (maybe)

[Boris7]

So I've been looking at houses, with a view of a new start and came across a house that appears to suit all my needs etc,

But then when reading through the details was surprised to find it comes with a caravan and motorhome site included, all with EHU, water and a waste point etc..

Anyway I've checked on the web and the site has a good reputation and regular visitors etc

Not a massive site (10 slots) but potentially a good side line, or maybe a blooming headache?

Any thoughts?

 

[dabhand]

Ask old-mo

 

[Gromett]

OR Jim

 

[KiwiKampers]

It would be a bit of a tie, wouldn’t it? You would have to have someone on site everyday to take bookings and make sure everything is OK, such as lawns mown.
Do you want that commitment? Do you want to have to un-block the toilet dump station when someone drops their cassette cap down the hole? Dogs pooping on your lawn? The risk of “travellers” taking over? What about the Health & Safety regulations and inspections by the powers that be?
We allowed motorhomes to use our property as a CL-type of camp and we got fed-up of the liberties that people took, such as helping themselves to my veggies, leaving gates open so the sheep got into the garden, and old trucks dripping oil.
We wouldn’t do it again and wouldn’t recommend it.

 

[Mikey RV]

Personally I would love to be in the position to have the choice you have and I would go for it.

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[Catchic]

So I've been looking at houses, with a view of a new start and came across a house that appears to suit all my needs etc,

But then when reading through the details was surprised to find it comes with a caravan and motorhome site included, all with EHU, water and a waste point etc..

Anyway I've checked on the web and the site has a good reputation and regular visitors etc

Not a massive site (10 slots) but potentially a good side line, or maybe a blooming headache?

Any thoughts?

Bagsie the best pitch lol

 

[Catchic]

In seriousness I guess it hinges on location and availability of reliable staff if you wanted to go away yourself.
in the right location you wouldn't desire to go elsewhere.
in the wrong location you'd want to be anywhere but there after a while.
And if trustworthy assistance were not forthcoming you'd be trapped. Unless you didn't NEED income from it and utilised it on a very select basis.
like for us conscientious lot

 

[bobnick]

I think after crunching the numbers it show's a reasonable profit against effort it can only be good.
My priority would be making sure i have a friend/part time employee capable of looking after the place so you are not tied and can get away yourself.

 

[Catchic]

Another thing to consider:-
(If being tied to the site most of the year didn't float your boat but you needed to garner income)
If it has any type of large building/covered space which could be utilised as a training room of some sort there are loads of industry communities that hold training events with camping for attendees. Clubs and associations etc. So tapping into that market could mean you garner income without the long season's tie?
Just another option to consider?

 

[bobnick]

Another is if the property has space for caravan/MoHo/boat storage.

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[Zepp]

Just give someone a free pitch in return for cutting the grass but beware of the min wage law you can’t ask them to work 40 hrs a week for a free pitch that’s costs £70 per week

Plenty of fulltimers will be looking for a base in the U.K. when we leave the EU ie 90 day rule

 

[Catchic]

The more I think about this the more I wish I was you

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

Was it this site?

 

[old-mo]

Any thoughts?

Go for it....

It`s a tie.... but there is always some one who will look after the place so you can get away for a break..

It`s hard work keeping the place tidy, grass cutting, hedge trimming etc..

Long hours....

But the satisfaction of seeing people enjoy themselves and getting nice feedback is very rewarding..

Only wish I could have kept my place...

 

[63720]

So do you know of anyone who may wish to make use of those facilities?

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[nicholsong]

If you are not dependent on it for money and you want to go away just don't take bookings for those weeks.

Renting spaces for storage might be anoption but check insurance requirements and cos of security hardware, cameras etc. because at 10-15 units it may not be viable.

Geoff

 

[M-J]

There’s a lovely one not far from me (although not sure about location), as above don’t take bookings when you want to get away or trade a free pitch for a trusted person to look after it when you go away. The one I have seen has an annexe that could be used by a ‘warden’ when required.

<Broken link removed>

 

[Speve]

Go for it sounds like a great thing to do if you don’t try you’ll never know
Good luck I’m sure you would make it a successful venture

 

[SpeedyDux]

10 touring pitches seems small and hardly worth the bother of running as a campsite unless there is scope for expansion. Realising that this is heresy for Funsters, from a business perspective consider the financial viability of a few holiday Lodges instead.

 

[Bobd]

Been there and got the T shirt.

It's a great way of life and we did it full time for the CCC, but you will find that you cannot turn your back on it.
Campers in general are a great bunch who are out to enjoy themselves, but you do get the odd idiot when your back is turned.

Being a camper yourself, do you want to give it the commitment and time that it requires.

If not, then you will feel trapped unless you have reliable people to fall back on.

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[Nasher]

Hmmm... It's a no from me, it would mean loads of those dreadful motorhome people turning up.... Argh!

 

[Skyway]

All ready set up and got customers 150 a day income sweet no hassle there
That’s if you change 15 all in

 

[Brains]

A lot of us have looked seriously into the idea of setting up a camp site, so I think the answer is "it depends"

10 pitches is not a lot - could it be extended ?

Location on your property - Is it right next door to the house ? which is convenient to sort things out, but also too convenient for the campers, who will be knocking on your door at all hours.

Location to the wider world, is there and shop and pub within easy walking distance ?
Is there a reason why people would camp there, beaches, fishing, walkers, cyclists, castles ?

Could you open (or open an extension) for the high periods only ?

Are there bit's on the side you could add such as lodges/statics &/or storage
(I'd avoid "glamping", from two different people I know that have run it, it's more of a pain than it's worth)

Could you automate the check in/check out process ? Especially if you only have 10-20 pitches. Many Airs and similar in France and Germany have parking type machines that take cards only, so no cash to let you in and out. It means you can sometimes spend an entire 24hrs and never see a single person.

Toilets - Campsites are made and lost of the condition of the toilets and other water based facilities, entire books can be written on the subject.

 

[Jim]

We allowed motorhomes to use our property as a CL-type of camp and we got fed-up of the liberties that people took, such as helping themselves to my veggies

Yep had that, we had a plum tree completely stripped last year, we had a very efficient guard on them all this year champers

You do get the odd one or two to take the pee, we still get loads of wet wipes in the cesspit, and the rubbish can be ridiculous, we only have a few small bins, people throw loose food like chips or rice or curry and even hot charcoal ashes into the recycle bin. And the stuff they throw away!! Someone will tell me the bins are full and I say they can't be I only emptied yesterday! the things you find, knackered old batteries, dozens of pairs of smelly old shoes, I do mean dozens, 30 year old windbreaks, old car radiators. continental quilts,Wellington boots, lumps of linoleum. carpet, saucepans, old chairs, pillows, waterpipe, picnic tables, mattresses. I've got three or four bins to cope with the bit of waste camping generates, but people just dump on you before they leave.

 

[Spriddler]

But then when reading through the details was surprised to find it comes with a caravan and motorhome site included, all with EHU, water and a waste point etc..

'Surprised'?
Didn't the property price seem extraordinarily high to you before you found that it included a site?
If the property price carries a premium for that asset it would be worth considering the payback period to recover that premium.
Running a site is a lifestyle as well as a business and the commitment will also have an impact on the wife/partner/significant other and family. How do they feel?
Do you need a job/income or do you see it as a retirement hobby/interest?

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[eddie]

Apparently I have been told that the "real" advantage of running a campsite is the ridiculous amount of "cash" it generates, literally carrier bags full when the site is busy in the Summer

People happily flash the cash for awnings, pup tents, A framed cars, dogs, cats, children, hot water, showers, electricity, WiFi, LoFo, awning mats you name if, you charge for it and people just hand the dosh over!!

It really in better than printing money

I've been told!

 

[Jim]

All ready set up and got customers 150 a day income sweet no hassle there
That’s if you change 15 all in

No hassle...Sounds great, except 10 vans in every day is a lot of work. Most wait until you have just made a fresh coffee or taken the first bite of supper before they arrive. They will always wait till Sunday lunch starts before they get stuck and need digging out. 10 motorhomers = a lot of dog poo and a lot of waste.

Contracts to take it away are prohibitively expensive, so you'll pay or go to the dump a lot In the summer a decent mower will use at least £20 a week in fuel and hours of your time. The mower will cost you a few grand. You'll need public liability insurance too

You need to have at 30 pitches to make a poor living, anything less and you are doing it more for the fun of it, because for the most part it is good fun having people to stay. You have to like people or it just wont work.

 

[Eggs]

I helped on my mates site through the first lockdown, I needed somewhere to pull he needed to get on with the farm and then it was time for harvest. Just before lockdown there were three contractors here but the second phase of the job needed more of their men on site so they rushed down the day before the lockdown was in place and stayed the duration. That camp was taking just over £1000/week, I was grass cutting, emptying bins cleaning toilets shower for minimum wage plus a pitch with water and electric, because of the circumstances it was a doddle. The contractors all left at the same time and arrived back at the same time and we knew no one else would be arriving so I could fit it in around my other work, it wouldn't be the same if vans were coming and going all the time. Out of the grands takings he was paying me £350/week and a pitch. It was a win win, he was still earning money and I was earning part of what I was loosing on my own work due to Covid.

 

[63720]

Yep had that, we had a plum tree completely stripped last year, we had a very efficient guard on them all this year champers

You do get the odd one or two to take the pee, we still get loads of wet wipes in the cesspit, and the rubbish can be ridiculous, we only have a few small bins, people throw loose food like chips or rice or curry and even hot charcoal ashes into the recycle bin. And the stuff they throw away!! Someone will tell me the bins are full and I say they can't be I only emptied yesterday! the things you find, knackered old batteries, dozens of pairs of smelly old shoes, I do mean dozens, 30 year old windbreaks, old car radiators. continental quilts,Wellington boots, lumps of linoleum. carpet, saucepans, old chairs, pillows, waterpipe, picnic tables, mattresses. I've got three or four bins to cope with the bit of waste camping generates, but people just dump on you before they leave.

and a pair of sliding doors and a conveyor belt

 

[dabhand]

Yep had that, we had a plum tree completely stripped last year, we had a very efficient guard on them all this year champers

You do get the odd one or two to take the pee, we still get loads of wet wipes in the cesspit, and the rubbish can be ridiculous, we only have a few small bins, people throw loose food like chips or rice or curry and even hot charcoal ashes into the recycle bin. And the stuff they throw away!! Someone will tell me the bins are full and I say they can't be I only emptied yesterday! the things you find, knackered old batteries, dozens of pairs of smelly old shoes, I do mean dozens, 30 year old windbreaks, old car radiators. continental quilts,Wellington boots, lumps of linoleum. carpet, saucepans, old chairs, pillows, waterpipe, picnic tables, mattresses. I've got three or four bins to cope with the bit of waste camping generates, but people just dump on you before they leave.

Lots of things for the Xmas Auction then?

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