Should we join the CC? (1 Viewer)

[MattR]

We're meeting up with friends on the weekend and they've chosen to stay at a Caravan Club site. Much posher than our usual kind of place & more expensive.

The sites is not cheap but if we join the CC, we will have to pay £44 for membership but it will reduce our site fee by £20; effectively, we could have CC membership for £24.

We balk at the idea of paying so much for pitches and can't see ourselves definitely returning to a CC site within the year so I wonder if we would gain any other benefits of being in the CC and if we could save anything like £24 through any essential or very useful services that they provide at discounted rates.


P.s. I am already gearing myself up for having to park next to a white peg and not being able to say good morning to people as apparently, social interaction is frowned upon - our most recent trip around a local CC site last month was met with stares and mutterings as we cycled about the site looking to see if we would like to return with our MH; suffice to say, it didn't seem very friendly and we won't be staying there in the future. Is the impression that we got from this site typical of others?

 

[hilldweller]

The sites is not cheap but if we join the CC, we will have to pay £44 for membership but it will reduce our site fee by £20; effectively, we could have CC membership for £24.

We did just that earlier in the year. Not got round to using it again but hope to. One we like is in Bowness though it's booked up a lot of the time.

And then there are the CLs.

 

[MattR]

And then there are the CLs.

So far, that is the only thing that I have found that makes the membership a little appealing.

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[hilldweller]

Is the impression that we got from this site typical of others?

We first joined 7 years ago when we first got the MH, as you do.

We were disappointed at the full sites but otherwise no complaints in the limited number we visited. We stopped because we prefer mainland Europe for camping.

There's one in the lakes that was a gunpowder factory, all lot of the buildings are still there, some a bit blown up, there was a good sheet on gunpowder production, a real treat that was.

 

[MattR]

We joined the Camping & Caravan Club 8 years ago and probably saved the membership fees in the pitch fee savings but we didn't renew; the sites were OK but they were more expensive than we wanted and offered facilities etc that we don't need.

In addition, they seemed too regimented, including, for example. strict loo cleaning times - they shut down the whole block for nearly 90 mins each morning (something like 10:30 - 12:00) rather than doing something like shutting the men's for 30 mins and the going on to the women's for 30 mins before doing the washing up area etc. We all had to rush about to get to use the loo before it shut (this is before we got our MH) and keep our legs crossed if we missed the 10:30 cut off. It just seemed so over-managed.

 

[Wildbill]

havent been in the cc for over 15 years but I am band for life

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[TheBig1]

plenty of benefits to joining both big clubs. the rallies and 5 van site networks are great. i see the network of bigger sites as being an excellent resource when touring. being a member gets discounts on insurance and breakdown cover too

what i like best though are the ths meets by the c&cc local da's fantastic value for money, not regimented and in some smashing places they are run.

 

[phase3begins]

Change your friends. It's cheaper

 

[scousebird]

We're in both clubs, mostly rally with them and use CL/CS's (found a few close to pubs) so it helps to get us out most weekends. We buy CC multi trip Red Pennant for our trips over the water. We also use their sites in the winter, when they are cheaper.

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[Bellini]

We've been members of both the Caravan and Camping Club and the Caravan Club for around a year now.

Lately, we've used predominantly Caravan Club sites and we've just booked another 4 for trips over the next few months at them. This isn't by want, but merely because the locations we've chosen seem to favour CC sites.

I like them. So far, we've found them peaceful, very clean, spacious and in lovely settings.

The one gripe I do have with Caravan Club sites, and this is borne out by other menbers feedback also, is that you cannot reserve pitches next to each other when travelling with friends. You have to turn up and take pot luck that you find spaces next to each other. This is something I hate! It's a silly rule.

Other than that, highly recommended.

 

[Spidey]

We have been members of both and usually alternate between the two. I like the CC sites, mainly because of the facilities but also because they are in lovely locations. Easy to book online and you can change you booking online. Since we have to go in school holidays we found all sites expensive, but CC have come out cheaper sometimes. I like the locations usually near a town etc. We have just come back from the Peak district and the four CC sites we stayed at were beautiful. Out of season it is cheaper. At the October show we will join the CCC and get the free night voucher. I prefer the way CC take bookings with no deposit but don't like the pick your own pitch. The site is quite often nearly full when we arrive and we end up panicking and picking the first pitch we see. The CCC allocate a pitch but take a deposit. I think it is worth the membership, but we do alternate and with the two nights free we got the membership ends up being free

 

[easygirl]

We joined last year and heard stories about stern staff etc etc
We have been surprised , no stern staff, relaxed sites, all very very clean.
A little more expensive, but we feel worth it
Had 2 instances of having to move van nearer to the peg, but with an explanation it was fir fire regulations, which I suppose is fair comment.
Saw a picture last year of a caravan that had caught fire, and had spread to 90% of other vans! due to being parked too close together

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[schojac]

I love stern staff or do I really mean those that monitor and impose site rules; you know, those things that a lot of people ignore as they don't apply to them.

CC sites are expensive but at the end of the day you will get what you pay for - level(ish) pitches, good clean facilities and stern management. After saying that they can't be thsat bad as they are usually fully booked.

Personally, I like the access to CL sites which membership more than pays for itself. As the saying goes; you pays yer money....................

 

[trophychap]

Well we always find, whether it's commercial, CC, C&CC, MHF - a site, a rally, THS, at home or abroad - if we are going round a site either just to get from A to B or just having a walk round, or a bit of exercise - we would make the effort to speak first - whether we just say Good Morning! on the way past or have time for a conversation or want to try and find out info - and I don't think we have ever been ignored.

When we are on our site and outside, if people passing us look at us and then don't speak, then it's them that are being a bit 'off', we think.

 

[MattR]

We are interested in CLs - I'm starting to think that access to these sites may make it more worth while.

I'll be interested to see how I cope with stern staff - I'm happy for rules to be enforced but have heard horror stories that I don't want to experience any more in real life.

I have experienced little Hitlers on some sites - one of which threw a friend off the site because she asked what the safety distance was supposed to be between tents. As tents were almost touching each other, it seemed a reasonable question but it wasn't liked by the manager. She was given a full refund for the weekend and asked to vacate her pitch, which she did before driving off the site, parking in the adjacent pub car park where we were having lunch and supper and came and joined us in our tent on our pitch (which was next to her old one) for the rest of the weekend

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[peter marshall]

We did just that earlier in the year. Not got round to using it again but hope to. One we like is in Bowness though it's booked up a lot of the time.

And then there are the CLs.

Hi Brian
If you mean Braithwaith Fold, it,s now C & C C, It is a nice site but has you say busy. Pete

 

[yorkieman]

We've been in the CC for a few years now and find it good value for money.

We've made use of some excellent CCLs over the years for £10 or less.

I saved about £300 on the ferry one time thanks to the CC.

The CC sites themselves tend to be excellent. Even with the CC discount, they're often still not cheap, but they are usually in great locations and are nice and attractive.
the kind of rowdy louts we've encountered on certain sites.

Oh, and the magazine is pretty good too. Not quite as good as MMM, but still excellent reading.

Maybe give it a go for a year and see how you get a long.

 

[peter marshall]

Hi
we are members of both clubs, mainly use C & CC for European Rallies, and the odd one at home, We mostly use the C C sites and usually pick one near buses or walkable towns or cities, we have not had any trouble on any site with the wardens and have always found them helpful, we have also attend weekend meets with the local C C Da,s . Pete :thumb::thumb::thumb:

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