We are done with the Caravan Club

[Blaydon]

Hi folks. I am sure this has been discussed but this is our little rant.
we have been in the Caravan Club for about 20 years. We have used very few main sites as they used to look down on our older Motorhomes and so we used CLs. For the last few years we have toured in France, Germany etc but maintained out club membership.
This year, we have taken a trip in the UK. We have enjoyed the places we have visited and spent money in the towns. We stayed on a quiet part of York away from houses, and found locals, we think, driving past us tooting their horns in the early hours. Do they not want tourists? The camp sites were full and they don’t allow overnights at the park and ride car parks.
We have tried to use small place, pub stops, small ‘overnights‘ etc. We have called Caravan Club sites to see if we can do Service stops. The answer is always No. I did ask why and was told this is ‘Caravan Club policy from the centre’. So why have we been paying the£50 a year? What have we got for it? We stayed on one site, open to non members and saved £3 as members. So this is the last year we will be in a club that appears to be for the HQ rather than the members. We love this country but find the poor reception from so many towards Motorhomes such that we will go back to Europe and spend our money there.

Perhaps in the days to come councils will realise Motorhomes bring money into the towns and do something to promote stays. Perhaps the Caravan Club will realise that not everyone wants to stay on manicured sites with rules and flags and ‘keep off the grass’ signs.
Oh well, we can but hope.
Rant over
D

 

[David and Sally]

Do you mean Caravan Club as in CMC, or Camping and Caravan Club. We have no issues with CMC at all.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Join the other club and look up their Temporary Holiday Sites. It's the only reason we're in.

We going to Spain again soon though!

 

[Figaro]

So why have you been paying 50 a year if you tour Europe and wild camp when in the UK ?

 

[Blaydon]

Hi there. CMC. Not the camping and caravan club.
just to clarify

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[zaskar]

What you get is 12 quid a night off the price (I'd be very interested to know where/why you only saved £3), access to a massive resource centre and being able to stay on sites who have rules for the sole purpose of making sure that decent people can relax without worrying about next doors van being so close that if it goes up in flames, yours is going too..................and not worrying about people and their dogs invading your private space............and not worrying about boom boxes at stupid oclock............an not.............and not.............and not..............I could go on for a long time.

Those who don't like Club rules, every one of which boil down to one of two things, safety and consideration to others, are probably best off going their own way and leaving the Club to those who do value those aspects.

 

[Neil S]

Hi folks. I am sure this has been discussed but this is our little rant.
we have been in the Caravan Club for about 20 years. We have used very few main sites as they used to look down on our older Motorhomes and so we used CLs. For the last few years we have toured in France, Germany etc but maintained out club membership.
This year, we have taken a trip in the UK. We have enjoyed the places we have visited and spent money in the towns. We stayed on a quiet part of York away from houses, and found locals, we think, driving past us tooting their horns in the early hours. Do they not want tourists? The camp sites were full and they don’t allow overnights at the park and ride car parks.
We have tried to use small place, pub stops, small ‘overnights‘ etc. We have called Caravan Club sites to see if we can do Service stops. The answer is always No. I did ask why and was told this is ‘Caravan Club policy from the centre’. So why have we been paying the£50 a year? What have we got for it? We stayed on one site, open to non members and saved £3 as members. So this is the last year we will be in a club that appears to be for the HQ rather than the members. We love this country but find the poor reception from so many towards Motorhomes such that we will go back to Europe and spend our money there.

Perhaps in the days to come councils will realise Motorhomes bring money into the towns and do something to promote stays. Perhaps the Caravan Club will realise that not everyone wants to stay on manicured sites with rules and flags and ‘keep off the grass’ signs.
Oh well, we can but hope.
Rant over
D

Here’s another way of looking at it .
If the C&MC allowed members Motorhomes to turn up as when they wanted to take on water and empty their crap .
You would end up with potential a bottleneck of caravans waiting to book in and Motorhomes trying to manoeuvre at service points creating chaos .
There are many C&MC sites with narrow approach roads and limited width within the site can you imagine the congestion with large Motorhomes trying to leave after midday and meeting caravans arriving

 

[Ian Bosman]

Hi folks. I am sure this has been discussed but this is our little rant.
we have been in the Caravan Club for about 20 years. We have used very few main sites as they used to look down on our older Motorhomes and so we used CLs. For the last few years we have toured in France, Germany etc but maintained out club membership.
This year, we have taken a trip in the UK. We have enjoyed the places we have visited and spent money in the towns. We stayed on a quiet part of York away from houses, and found locals, we think, driving past us tooting their horns in the early hours. Do they not want tourists? The camp sites were full and they don’t allow overnights at the park and ride car parks.
We have tried to use small place, pub stops, small ‘overnights‘ etc. We have called Caravan Club sites to see if we can do Service stops. The answer is always No. I did ask why and was told this is ‘Caravan Club policy from the centre’. So why have we been paying the£50 a year? What have we got for it? We stayed on one site, open to non members and saved £3 as members. So this is the last year we will be in a club that appears to be for the HQ rather than the members. We love this country but find the poor reception from so many towards Motorhomes such that we will go back to Europe and spend our money there.

Perhaps in the days to come councils will realise Motorhomes bring money into the towns and do something to promote stays. Perhaps the Caravan Club will realise that not everyone wants to stay on manicured sites with rules and flags and ‘keep off the grass’ signs.
Oh well, we can but hope.
Rant over
D

MMM magazine reports that South Hams District Council in Devon is setting up a pilot to have motorhome places, see page 34 of the MMM September 2021 issue. I parked up in Bideford with motorhome places a couple of week past and in the Cotswolds with similar places. So progress is being made , slowly.

 

[Blaydon]

What you get is 12 quid a night off the price (I'd be very interested to know where/why you only saved £3), access to a massive resource centre and being able to stay on sites who have rules for the sole purpose of making sure that decent people can relax without worrying about next doors van being so close that if it goes up in flames, yours is going too..................and not worrying about people and their dogs invading your private space............and not worrying about boom boxes at stupid oclock............an not.............and not.............and not..............I could go on for a long time.

Those who don't like Club rules, every one of which boil down to one of two things, safety and consideration to others, are probably best off going their own way and leaving the Club to those who do value those aspects.

I hear what you say, but I guess we don’t want to stay on big sites. Each to their own I guess. We don’t like to plan and book in advance. We tend to enjoy the freedom of

 

[deleted79651]

What you get is 12 quid a night off the price (I'd be very interested to know where/why you only saved £3), access to a massive resource centre and being able to stay on sites who have rules for the sole purpose of making sure that decent people can relax without worrying about next doors van being so close that if it goes up in flames, yours is going too..................and not worrying about people and their dogs invading your private space............and not worrying about boom boxes at stupid oclock............an not.............and not.............and not..............I could go on for a long time.

Those who don't like Club rules, every one of which boil down to one of two things, safety and consideration to others, are probably best off going their own way and leaving the Club to those who do value those aspects.

I don't buy into the 'saving' of £12pn [now £13pn because they've increased the non Member supplement. CAMH CLs are quite good for us but the fees are always more expensive than the CAMH website states, and CAMH own site fees are becoming uncompetitive [and the advertised price misleading]. It seems to be just about cashflow generation with Club Sites at £35pn and upwards for a couple. The 'cuddly warm club' headline banner sits above a cash production operation.

Steve

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[busby]

MMM magazine reports that South Hams District Council in Devon is setting up a pilot to have motorhome places, see page 34 of the MMM September 2021 issue. I parked up in Bideford with motorhome places a couple of week past and in the Cotswolds with similar places. So progress is being made , slowly.

Great news but how long before the Rif Raf mess the car parks up with rubbish and effluent and ruin it for the rest..BUSBY.

 

[Abacist]

I belong to both clubs and have done for over 30 years as they can both provide solutions for my needs. However I hate the CAMC policy of not taking deposits with a passion as it leads to any good club site being fully booked at weekends denying those that want to book a week or 2 as a block for a holiday but I live with it.

 

[Blaydon]

I hear what you say, but I guess we don’t want to stay on big sites. Each to their own I guess. We don’t like to plan and book in advance. We tend to enjoy the freedom of

Sorry. I did not finish this. flaky internet connection. Mind you the CMC wanted £3.50 to join their hotspot next to the warden’s hut.

We tend to enjoy the freedom of the open road, no planning and seeing what comes up rather than a week here and a week there.
As I say, each to their own. I hope we are not the riffraff they want to keep out of CMC sites - rather individuals who like to think for ourselves and need only one rule ‘common sens’.

 

[Langtoftlad]

Hi folks. I am sure this has been discussed but this is our little rant.
we have been in the Caravan Club for about 20 years. We have used very few main sites as they used to look down on our older Motorhomes and so we used CLs. For the last few years we have toured in France, Germany etc but maintained out club membership.
This year, we have taken a trip in the UK. We have enjoyed the places we have visited and spent money in the towns. We stayed on a quiet part of York away from houses, and found locals, we think, driving past us tooting their horns in the early hours. Do they not want tourists? The camp sites were full and they don’t allow overnights at the park and ride car parks.
We have tried to use small place, pub stops, small ‘overnights‘ etc. We have called Caravan Club sites to see if we can do Service stops. The answer is always No. I did ask why and was told this is ‘Caravan Club policy from the centre’. So why have we been paying the£50 a year? What have we got for it? We stayed on one site, open to non members and saved £3 as members. So this is the last year we will be in a club that appears to be for the HQ rather than the members. We love this country but find the poor reception from so many towards Motorhomes such that we will go back to Europe and spend our money there.

Perhaps in the days to come councils will realise Motorhomes bring money into the towns and do something to promote stays. Perhaps the Caravan Club will realise that not everyone wants to stay on manicured sites with rules and flags and ‘keep off the grass’ signs.
Oh well, we can but hope.
Rant over
D

Bye

 

[M-J]

I’m quite glad they don’t allow members not staying on the site to turn up and fill/empty tanks/toilet whenever they like.

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[coroner]

50 Quid a year better off I also didnt renew my membership No help to its members during covid and didnt give anything back in return and the high command all have snouts in the trough good riddance

 

[M-J]

50 Quid a year better off I also didnt renew my membership No help to its members during covid and didnt give anything back in return and the high command all have snouts in the trough good riddance

They covered 2-3 years membership for me by way of a free night voucher and 20% extra on gift vouchers.

 

[pampam]

Blaydon next time you are in york you should try knavesmire at the racecourse theres always motorhomes there,and if you drive past the back of the stands to the far end theres always vans overnighting there too

 

[Neil S]

They covered 2-3 years membership for me by way of a free night voucher and 20% extra on gift vouchers.

likewise I bought £400 worth of vouchers and received £480 back

 

[gus-lopez]

Great news but how long before the Rif Raf mess the car parks up with rubbish and effluent and ruin it for the rest..BUSBY.

Torrington council ,Of which Bideford comes under ,has been allowing the car parks to be used for years. I used one 5 or 6 years ago?

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[SteveRallye]

We are in both clubs and tend to use the Temp.Hol sites with CCC in summer as at most you can just give the marshalls a ring just to check you can get on, not had a problem this year so far. They are usually in popular places like York where as you have experienced you cannot get on club sites most of the time.

 

[Jamesh]

I left caravan and camping club introduced dynamic pricing which put sites at peak times (school holidays) the same as commercial sites but without the facilities.

My sister is still a member and it seems it much the same. We were due to use a site to see my parents straight after lockdown and they wouldn't allow site access after 8pn which is daft if traveling from Yorkshire to Dorset!

Having the camper any layby is my site.

Plenty around North Devon on the a39.

Cheers James

 

[Conal]

We broke down in our tow car yesterday and, whilst waiting for the recovery vehicle, phoned the site (Brecon CAMC) to ask if we could extend our stay. We got a message saying they couldn’t answer the phone but gave us the 0800 bookings line. Got through and explained our plight and that that we were due to go to Tredegar House CAMC the next day. They emailed the Brecon site wardens who phoned us. By the time I got back to the site they had fitted us in due to a late cancellation and cancelled our Tredegar booking at no extra cost. They really went the extra mile and we are very grateful. They are very busy on site but very attentive and not at all intrusive as long as you obey site rules which suits us.

 

[Bluemooner]

wouldn't allow site access after 8pn which is daft if traveling from Yorkshire to Dorset!

Not if your the Warden having to wait

 

[jongood]

Hi there. CMC. Not the camping and caravan club.
just to clarify

They re not really the CMC, they do nothing for motorhoming in the UK.

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[Spawn_e_git]

I hear what you say, but I guess we don’t want to stay on big sites. Each to their own I guess. We don’t like to plan and book in advance. We tend to enjoy the freedom of

Then neither club is really worth your time and money

 

[M-J]

They re not really the CMC, they do nothing for motorhoming in the UK.

I was on Rowntree Park CAMC York last weekend… 98 pitches total, 50-60 occupied by motorhomes, how is that doing nothing for motorhoming in the UK?

 

[Blaydon]

Blaydon next time you are in york you should try knavesmire at the racecourse theres always motorhomes there,and if you drive past the back of the stands to the far end theres always vans overnighting there too

Yes. That is where we parked. Alas that is where the cars tooted as they passed. Maybe we were just unlucky.
I wasn’t trying to upset anyone, just saying how we feel and how things could be better with a little more thought.

 

[frenchie 79]

Hi folks. I am sure this has been discussed but this is our little rant.
we have been in the Caravan Club for about 20 years. We have used very few main sites as they used to look down on our older Motorhomes and so we used CLs. For the last few years we have toured in France, Germany etc but maintained out club membership.
This year, we have taken a trip in the UK. We have enjoyed the places we have visited and spent money in the towns. We stayed on a quiet part of York away from houses, and found locals, we think, driving past us tooting their horns in the early hours. Do they not want tourists? The camp sites were full and they don’t allow overnights at the park and ride car parks.
We have tried to use small place, pub stops, small ‘overnights‘ etc. We have called Caravan Club sites to see if we can do Service stops. The answer is always No. I did ask why and was told this is ‘Caravan Club policy from the centre’. So why have we been paying the£50 a year? What have we got for it? We stayed on one site, open to non members and saved £3 as members. So this is the last year we will be in a club that appears to be for the HQ rather than the members. We love this country but find the poor reception from so many towards Motorhomes such that we will go back to Europe and spend our money there.

Perhaps in the days to come councils will realise Motorhomes bring money into the towns and do something to promote stays. Perhaps the Caravan Club will realise that not everyone wants to stay on manicured sites with rules and flags and ‘keep off the grass’ signs.
Oh well, we can but hope.
Rant over
D

I don’t think it’s fair that some sites say you have to book for 5 nights or more.Went to book a site other day.Put all details in to be told min stay 2 nights

 

[busby]

Torrington council ,Of which Bideford comes under ,has been allowing the car parks to be used for years. I used one 5 or 6 years ago?

5 or 6 years ago every Tom dick and Harry were holidaying in Magaluf,Lloret,Benidorm and Torromolinos,,now they are ALL in the UK.BUSBY.

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